Hi everyone This coin turned up in a recent bulk lot from a local auction house. It's a dirty 1896 2 1/2 shillings from South Africa. This interesting part is that someone has spent a very long time giving Kruger a pipe and hat. The workmanship is very impressive. The pipe and hat stand approx 0.5mm proud of the coin surface. They have been painstakingly recessed into the surface of the coin. I read somewhere that similar coins were made by British POWs during the Boer War as a satire against Kruger. Has anyone else seen one like this? Does anyone have an idea of value? I have not yet tried to clean it as I don't want to damage it in case its valuable! Thanks for looking Valezina - England
I love examples of coins like this! I haven't seen it on a South African coin but i once had a penny of George IV of England where someone had engraved a pipe for him. Your's seems to have the classic Sherlock Holmes pipe, whereas mine had one of the bog standard pipes! Nice catch! Indeed, i think Ian's going to like this one...
Hi Valezina. I'm having a little difficulty with your description. You say the hat and pipe stand proud of the surface by .5mm yet go on to say that they have been recessed into the surface of the coin (?) Are you saying that the hat and pipe are pieces that have been added on to the coin, or are they engraved into the surface? The `treatment' given to the host coin transforms it into more a collectable of the Boer War than a collectable coin. As such, it is likely to be higher valued by collectors of war memorabilia. Pure coin collectors would consider it to have been butchered. You might also want to have a look at the thread (circa January 2005) entitled "`Political' Coins". It demonstrates some earlier french bronze pieces (and Sylvester's coin) that have been the subject of `carving'. I also posted a couple of Krugger 1/-'s that have light scratchings on them (probably done by POW's with a darning needle) showing `Freddy' wearing a hat and smoking a pipe. Aidan also mentioned at the time that he had seen coins like these before. He may be able to tell you more. Ian
Hi Ian Sorry for the confusion re my description! The coin appears to have been recessed initially, and the hat and pipe added so that they sit in a recess in the coin. In other words they do not seem to sit flat on the surface, but within a moulded recess, and they stand just proud of the surface. IMHO this indicates a high degree of craftmanship and a heck of a lot of time put in. Thanks for the pointer to the political coins thread - very interesting and relevant. I think my coin must indeed be a Boer War relic. The POWs had a lot of time on their hands which might explain why so much work was put in here. Cheers Valezina
First off, you are in the UK, and from our USA perspective, collecting there is a bit different. I hate to contradict Ian -- never found him to know less than I about anything I thought I knew something about -- but the coin is not damaged -- and it is more collectible -- and not just as war memoribilia. Here in the States, we have a tradition of "Hobo Nickels" (http://www.hobonickels.org/) and "Love Tokens" (US themes: http://www.pcgs.com/articles/article2003.chtml British themes: http://www.lancastercastle.com/lovetokens.htm). The Hobo Nickels in particular open the door to this kind of coin you found. On a minor note, is the pipe called not a "Sherlock Holmes" but rather an Oom Paul, named for "Uncle Paul" Kruger who smoked one? (The image of Holmes comes from the Basil Rathbone movies.)
I haven't come across one that has had `inlay' work like the one you have. Makes me wonder how they managed to do it with what little tools they had available to them. A nice find. Other items of numismatica which demonstrate amazing levels of workmanship are the so called `smugglers' pieces. That is, pieces that have been made out of two coins of the same type to form one piece ( basically a box with a concealed lid). To the untrained eye they look just like ordinary coins. In fact, I showed one of mine to a US collector friend who was over here in Scotland and he failed to notice what it was. I won't name or shame him here though. Like these carved coins, `smugglers' pieces were typically made by soldiers with time on their hands. I have one (US Trade dollar) which when opened contains an old perfumed photo, presumably of a loved one. Another I have is an old French bronze 10 centimes which when opened contains a photo of Queen Victoria! The Trade dollar is the better of the two both to the eye and on a technical level. However, the french one is the more intriguing. The host coins involved are thin to start with, and creating a convincing smugglers piece from them is indeed `art' (IMHO).
Ah now i had the chance to purchase a 1797 cartwheel twopence that had been converted into a smuggler's box, i wish i'd bought it now! Napoleonic Wars and all. In previous reference to the Sherlock Holmes bit, i figured that kibnd of pipe would have a proper name but i did not know what it would be so i referred to it as best i could.
Hi Mike, I noted (with due caution) that `purists' would consider the coin to have been butchered. I didn't say that the item in question is without value or is any less valuable than it was before `treatment'. Only that `purists' would view it that way. There are indeed those who might appreciate the artistry involved and who would be prepared to pay a premium for it. I think it is fairly evident from my posts to this group that I would fall squarely in the latter category. However, I am not blind to the fact that carved coins don't appeal to every numismatist. They certainly don't appeal to every numismatist over on your side of the pond, that's for sure. As you well know, most collectors in the US wouldn't look twice at a `furrin' coin, let alone a carved one. As for me, I have a few carved coins. Some carry a novelty value, some carry a degree of `artistry' (to my taste) coupled perhaps with a little piece of history. For my sins, I also have a fairly modern so called hobo nickel that would have (IMHO) served the world better had it been left as the original designers intended. That doesn't stop me from looking out for `decent' hobo nickels but it does make me appreciate that there are real dogs out there too. Ian The Empirical Strikes Back
That would have been a cracker to have as part of your 1780's type set {1780's? did I just say 1780's? lol!!}.
This is a great coin. Is it possible they carved in the outline, set some solder on top, then carved in into final shape?
Yes, that would be a possibility. I guess they had solder-like material in the late 19th century, or maybe its another maleable metal. The pipe and hat material does seem fairly hard though and has stood the test of time well. I can't decide whether to try and clean it or leave it in it's present state. Perhaps I could try an olive oil soak?
Soaking it in olive oil is going to do nothing but leave a slick on the coin that will then need chemicals such as acetone or whatever to remove it. My advice to you, for what it's worth, is to leave well alone.
Valezina,this Kruger piece that you have got is commonly known as 'trench art'.I have seen the South African Republic's 2/- coins & occasionally the 2-1/2/- piece done this way.It is interesting as a form of political satire lampooning Kruger,who was a very stubborn man,given his Prussian ancestry. Aidan.
Questioning how it is made is yet another good reason NOT to clean it. You may end up loosening/removing the added metal.
