Featured Coins that go bump in the night

That Crypt Keeper Byzantine is way cool!

 

"Spooky Moon Face"

Unusual pictorial love token engraving on 1862 USA Seated Liberty half dime



Obverse: Seated Liberty design, unaltered.

Reverse: strange, round face with "F G D" initials and ornamental garland above, decorative carving to left and right.

One thing that intrigued me here is that the engraver obviously had some skill, as demonstrated in the initials and the garland, but what's the weird, seemingly crude face all about? And those ornamental bits on the side? We'll probably never know. Your interpretation is as a good as any I could come up with.

 

"Weird Wellington & The Penguin Lady"

Bizarre folk art carving on 1811-13 Canadian "Wellington" halfpenny



Host coin: Undated (ca. 1811-1813) pre-confederation Canadian "Marshal Wellington" halfpenny token (Breton-971?), large leaves variety.

Obverse: bust of Field Marshal Wellington with front outline of profile recarved.

Reverse: seated Britannia altered into bizarre bird-headed woman with small animal inverted on her lap.

This was an impulse buy I just couldn't pass up, for the princely sum of six dollars.

Boy, "Penguin Lady" is sure spooky, isn't she? How'd you like to run up on her in a dark alley? Brrr... there's some nightmare fuel. Look at that sharp beak... those muscular arms.

And that poor creature in her lap, which she appears to be... spanking? Petting? Eviscerating? And what the heck is that critter, anyway? I think I'll call it "The ArmadilloFox".



What in the world was going on here? Again, we'll probably never know.