Lord Marcovan Giveaway Prize List (for my "pick your prize" contests)

(LOT: 4 coins) Four pieces British coins, 1951-2012, including two proofs, plus "mystery goodies"

This lot kind of assembled itself out of a batch I was sorting. Since the coins are all British, that was an easy enough reason to group them together.

I suspect a lot of the other lots in my giveaway prize list will attract more attention. But if you opt for this lot as your prize in one of my giveaways, and you end up winning it, be sure to remind me, and I will sweeten the package up considerably with other "mystery goodies" to make it even more appealing.

That being said, there is still some fun stuff in here. Despite the relatively modest monetary value of this lot, I will make up for that in mystery goodies when the time comes.

Coin #1 of 4: Great Britain: 1951 copper-nickel crown (5-shillings) of George VI, Festival of Britain commemorative

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This type is Numista-10641. This handsome large coin was struck for the Festival of Britain in 1951. The reverse features the popular classical Saint George & the Dragon motif originally designed by Benedetto Pistrucci in the 19th century. Not seen in the images is a lettered edge, which reads: “MDCCCLI CIVIUM INDUSTRIA FLORET CIVITAS MCMLI”, which translates to: “1851 By the industry of its people the state flourishes 1951”.


Coin #2 of 4: Great Britain: 1970 copper-nickel proof shilling, Scottish reverse type

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Numista-882 or -919 (I don't see a difference?) This shilling is from the final year of the old predecimal (pounds-shillings-pence) monetary system. No predecimal coins were struck for circulation in 1970- these were only issued in proof sets. This piece has nice mirrors and cameo proof contrast, which does not show entirely in my photos.


Coin #3 of 4: Great Britain: 2000 nickel-brass proof 1-pound coin, Welsh dragon type

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Numista-1396. Nice Deep Cameo proof. There were proofs struck in both nickel-brass and in silver that year, and I am not entirely certain which this is! The coin has a somewhat silvery color, as you can see in the pictures, but also just the faintest yellowish tinge that made me assume it is the nickel-brass type.

Coin #4 of 4: Great Britain: 2012 nickel-plated steel 10-pence

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Numista-25746. This modern series had an unusual design feature. If you have a full set of the denominations, you can lay the different coins next to each other, to form a larger picture of the royal shield. I'm not so sure the concept works for me, but I give them full marks for creativity and originality.

All four pieces donated by "Dafydd", CoinTalk, 15 January 2026.

 

India (Vijayanagara Empire): ca. 1336-1646 gold bele (1/10 fanam) "World's Smallest Gold Coin", ICG certified


Numista-67603.

This is a gold bele, or 1/10 fanam. A full fanam is tiny, but these gold beles are extremely tiny! This gold coin of the Vijayanagara Empire, an Indian Hindu dynasty (1336-1646), is no larger than a sesame seed!

It is certified and encapsulated as genuine by ICG and described as "The World's Smallest Gold Coin".

There is only a very small speck of gold here, but it's a fun conversation piece.

 

Canada (Nova Scotia): 1823 copper halfpenny token of George IV


Numista-4913. According to Numista regarding this type: "When British coppers could not be obtained the provincial government ordered their own issues through the colony's agent Smith, Forsyth & Co. of Liverpool without the authority of the British Government." The mintage was 400,000 pieces.

I have always liked these "thistle" type coins. This is a decent example with nice surfaces. Varieties exist; this one has a hyphen between NOVA and SCOTIA on the obverse.

Ex-Dan Pecoraro, Table #153 at the 2026 FUN show in Orlando, Florida, 11 January 2026.

 

United States: 1876 silver Seated Liberty quarter


Numista-316352. A reasonably wholesome circulated example with medium grey color.

Purchased at the 2026 FUN show in Orlando, Florida, 11 January 2026.

 

Greenland: 1926-HCN♥GJ copper-nickel 25-øre of Christian X


Numista-6960.

Struck for Greenland at the Royal Danish Mint under the rule of King Christian X of Denmark. What could be more appealing than a polar bear on a Greenland coin?

This is a nice example, too, and Uncirculated as far as I can tell. The coin has subtle luster and is lightly toned. (The obverse photo is slightly out of focus- sorry about that.)

This a one-year type and the mintage was 310,000 pieces.

 

(LOT: 4 pieces) Two unusual World coins and two interesting Latin American tokens, 1600-1976

Item #1 of 4: India (Travancore) ca. 1600-1860 silver chuckram

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Numista-22586. This is a tiny coin from the Indian Hindu dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Travancore. Sorry the photos are a bit out of focus.


Item #2 of 4: Colombia 1921-RH 2-centavos leper colony token (Lazareto)

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Numista-6830. Per Numista, these tokens were a special coinage issued for use in the three government leper colonies of of Agua de Dios, Caño de Loro and Contratación. The hospitals were closed in the late 1950s and patients were allowed to exchange these special coins for regular currency at any bank.


Item #3 of 4: Yemen (Arab Republic) silver 1/8-riyal, AH1372 (1953)

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Numista-19674. An interesting pentagonal silver coin struck under Ahmad bin Yahya, the reputedly tyrannical King and Imam of Yemen, who some called “Ahmad the devil”. The coin bears two dates in Arabic. It has the date ١٣٦٧ on the obverse (1948), indicating the accession date of the king, and the date ١٣٧٢ on the reverse (1953), indicating the actual year the coin was struck.

Item #4 of 4: Panama (San Blas Islands) 1976 brass "5 coconuts" token

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Numista-82488. This is a charming token with a colorful backstory. How often do you see a coin or token with the denomination of "5 coconuts"? Never, except for on this one!

According to Numista: "This token was issued by John Mann, one of the few non-Indians allowed by the Kuna (San Blas) Indians to run a business on their islands. [He] issued these tokens as currency in order to replace coconuts as a medium of exchange. However, the tokens had very limited circulation; the Kuna Indians hoarded them at first, and then discovered tourists would pay more than the face value of five coconuts (25 cents) for them. So the Indians sold them to tourists.

All four pieces in this lot were gifted to me by @Mark Metzger in the 2025 CoinTalk Secret Santa exchange. He expressly selected some interesting and unusual pieces for me to give away, and I've gained a lot of enjoyment and knowledge by researching these.

 

Roman Empire: ca. 240-244 AD bronze sestertius of Gordian III, Pax reverse


This is a large Roman bronze sestertius of the young emperor Gordian III (238-244 AD). The reverse features the goddess Pax Æterna, the eternal personification of Peace.

The type is RIC319(a), I'm told. (Here is the Wildwinds link and here is the OCRE link.) This variety was struck in Rome in the year 240 AD (according to Wildwinds), or circa 241-244 (according to OCRE).

Obverse: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.
Reverse: PAX AETERNA SC, Pax running left, holding branch and scepter.

Diameter: 30.3 mm. Weight: 15.3 g.

This coin was donated by "Dafydd", CoinTalk, 15 January 2026.

 

Roman Empire: ca. 98-117 AD silver denarius of Trajan


This is a silver denarius of the Roman emperor Trajan (98-117 AD). The Roman Empire reached its zenith and its greatest geographical span during the reign of Trajan. You might say it was their "high water mark".

Rome mint, 18.1 mm, 2.51 g.

I'm told the variety is RIC 332, which would date the coin from 114-117 AD.

Obverse: IMP CAES NER TRAIAN OPTIM AVG GERM DAC, laureate and draped bust right.

Reverse: PARTHICO PM TRP COS VI PP SPQR, Felicitas standing left with caduceus and cornucopia.

This coin was donated by "Dafydd", CoinTalk, 15 January 2026.