Foreign Coins minted in US during WWII (Composition Change)

Sorry about the title, it was difficult for me to condense what I am trying to find out.

We all know that during WWII we had some composition changes made to our one cent and five cent coins so that the standard metal could be used for the war effort.

I am interested in learning about other coins that were minted at the United States Mint facilities that also saw a change in their composition.

The reason this has come to light is I recently stumbled upon a unique one year type coin that fits this criteria and I want to know what else exists in the same realm.

The coin I am speaking of is the 1944 Dominican Republic 5 Centavos. Apparently for the year 1944 these coins were switched from their usual copper-nickel composition to our 35% silver alloy that was being used on our very own Jefferson Nickel at the same time.

SO my question to the board/forum is this:

What other foreign coins were minted by the United States and may have had a similar composition shift to something containing silver?

Here is the coin that sparked all of this for me





I thought that was a pretty cool coin myself, and it embodies two things that I love: Silver and AU-58s especially, when they are this nice! Whoops - and a third thing ------ one year type coins!

 

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The Redbook says that Filipino 5-centavo coins of 1944 and 1945 had zinc added to the prior (copper+nickel) alloy; these were struck at Philadelphia and San Francisco.

 

I dont want to know them all....LOL.....just the ones minted during WWII and to narrow it even further, only those that underwent a change that included using more silver or silver in the coin altogether.

Like how the Dominican Republic coin went from CuNi to 35% Silver.

 

http://www.pdxcoinclub.org/articles/Foreign Coins Struck at US Mints CWNA article with table.pdf

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/foreign-coins-minted-by-the-us-mint.77817/

 

I read over that pdxcoinclub PDF already, I wasnt able to see any others that used a silver composition during the War years, or better yet I was unable to decipher the table. Like Australia for example, it says 16 issues, so is that 16 different types or only 16 total specimen?

 

1944 Belgium 2 franc used the same planchet as the steel cent

 

The book Foreign Coins struck at United States Mints by Altz & Barton, published in 1965, has a complete list of these coins.
Some libraries have copies.

Most of the foreign coins were struck to their country's specifications.
It is possible that the Dominican Republic had a law that their coins had to match US coins as to size and metal content.

 

And your local library can probably get that book via Interlibrary Loan at a very nominal cost. No collectors seeking catalogs seem to know about this service.

 

I can give you a list of the coins we struck for other countries during those years but to track down which had changes would take some time and I'm not sure I'm willing to do that.

Australia Florin, shilling, six pence and three pence 1942-44
Belgian Congo 2 franc 1943
Belgium 2 franc 1944
Bolivia 10 centavo 1942-43, 20 and 50 centavo 1943
Cuba 1 and 5 centavo 1943 and 44
Curacao 10 and 25 centstukken 1941. 1 centstukken 1942, 5, 10 and 25 centstukken 1943. 1, 2 1/2, 5, 10, 25. 1 gulden and 2 1/12 gulden 1944.
Dominican Republic 1 centavo 1941, 1, 10, 25 centavo 1942. 1 centavo 1944. 5 centavo 1945
Ecuador 5, 10, 20 centavo 1942 and 43. 5 and 20 centavo in 44.
El Salvador 1 and 25 centavo in 1943. 5 in 1944. 5 and 25 centavo in 45.
Fiji Florin shilling sixpence penny and half penny in 1942 and 43.
France 2 franc 1944
Greenland 5 Kroner 1944
Guatamala 1,2,5,10,25 centavo 1943. 1 and 2 centavo 1944
Indo-China 10, 20 centimes 1941
Liberia 1/2, 1 and 2 cent 1941
Netherlands 10 and 25 centstukken and 1 gulden 1944 and 45
Netherlands east Indies 10 and 25 centstukken 1941 and 42. 1 centstukken 1942, 1 and 2 1/2 gulden 1943, 1/2, 1, 2 1/2, 10 and 25 centstukken 1945
Nicaragua 1,5,10, and 25 centavo 1944
Peru 5, 10, 20 centavo and 1/2 Sol 1942 - 44, 50 Centavos 1945
Phillipines 1,5,10,20 and 50 centavos 1944 and 45
Saudi Arabia 1 Riyal 1944 and 45
Surinam 10 and 25 centstukken 1941-43, 1 centstukken 1943, 5 centstukken 1944
Venezuela 5 and 12 1/2 centavo, quarter and half Bolivar 1945

 

The French one is bronze-aluminum, and the French Indo-China ones are copper-nickel, so those are off the list.

 

I think you have omitted Panama from your list?

 

We made coins for Panama in 1940 and 1947 we didn't make any coins for them from 41-45 and that was the date range I used for my list.

 

I have a 1942 quarter that weighs 4.4 grams. I've been trying to figure out for years how it came to be. It's thin but has reeded edges and full details on the feathers of the eagle and hair of Washington but it looks like his mouth may be incomplete. Any thoughts appreciated. - Edited -

 

My thoughts are that you should start your own thread.

 

Excellent topic for a thread!

I grabbed my copy of "Foreign Coins Struck at Mints in the United States," published in 1974 by Phillip Steiner and Michael Zimpfer (from notes compiled by my old mentor, Ed Fleischmann), and I see that that 1944-dated Dom. Rep. 5 Centavos was struck in Philadelphia in 1945, not 1944. There are no 1945 5 Centavos. Hey, there was a war on!

I will go through the rest of Conder's list when I get the chance.

 

A collection of the coins that the U.S. has made for other nations would make an interesting side collection. Might just try it.

 

#1 don't post your e-mail #2 picture please

 

@Jared Anderson. Welcome to Coin Talk. As stated above you should start a new thread and include photos of the coin in question. If you don't know how to do this, just let us know. Myself or another member will be more than happy to help you out.

 

Could not do the checking as I could not find my Krause to show the pre-war compositions of coins not struck at a U.S. Mint. For example, the Bolivian 10 and 20 Centavos on Conder's list were struck in pure zinc, but I do not know the pre-war composition. The Bolivian 50 centavos is 95% copper, 5% Zinc.

The pre-war Cuban 1 and 5 Centavos were 75% CU/ 25% NI, whereas the Wartime ones are 70% CU/ 30% Zinc.

Still a good topic for an article to be published somewhere.