I found this coin in a California coin dealer's "junk box" in the mid 1960's. It was pretty dirty at the time, and I probably paid 50¢ for it. I found it again and decided to clean it off with baking soda, which revealed that someone had scratched letters or initials into the coin. Obverse The letters look like "LL" and "DH". Reverse The letters look like "LL" and "CH" on the cross. But why?
Actually this was done back in the early 20s, by a strange visitor from another planet, the H was a poor attempt at a K, it was a love token by a young Clark Kent and Lana Lang, he did it with his fingernail to try to impress her, she was not impressed, Years later after Superman committed suicide, ( he was terribly unlucky in love) this token was sold in the estate sale, sad story of course.
I'll plant a walnut tree, in your name, for that coin. On my land. It will live up to 1000 years. If it will make it to 500 , it will absorb about 12 000 pounds of CO2 in its lifetime, which is about 3-4 months worth of CO2 emissions of an average American household. It would also provide oxygen for about 4-6 people for 500 years. Does it have any value? No, not really. Not untill we'll saw off the last tree.
Ah, love's young dream. Now how many swains could afford to carve initials into a florin in the 1830's or indeed anytime in the 19th century? It may have been the errant son of some millowner or landed gentry wishing to attain his evil way with a poor factory girl or milkmaid. It could of course have been done more recently but it does make a change from a common tree or school desk. Hope the gal appreciated it. I'm presuming it was the male half that did the carving. I somehow don't think girls really did that sort of thing years ago. Then again it could have been one schoolboy to another... the possibilities just grow and grow.
