Lets SEE YOUR ALUMINUM WORLD COINS

I really like aluminum coins. Especially the large diameter ones, and especially those minted for circulation. Survivors (when set aside) really show nice strikes, as aluminum is soft. Some show some parallel streaks, probably due to low maintenance of the dies. They often need cleaning to remove the very hard aluminum oxide which can build up. I am not sure how many years aluminum coins last in circulation, but it is not long! Many have some other metal alloyed (such as magnesium) to strengthen the coin. I would assume that -- for example -- an old Austrian aluminum coin circa 1951 (10 Groschen) with a mintage of about 9.5 million, would not have many uncirculated survivors. Who knows, maybe less than 50,000?? Choice specimens are starting to command proper premiums! Sadly most catalogues (Krause, NGC et al) do not show the mintages of many aluminum coins. So as a buyer, some study and common sense is required. Most coins being exchanged are of uncirculated or MS quality, as very worn one's have no market value. One may see 5 or 6 beautiful coins being all the same for sale on EBAY, which may give the impression that there are many around! There is usually not many around! However, many Chinese low denomination items are everywhere, and sell very cheaply. I avoid these, except for the few with known mintages.

The sample below, is a survivor from 1953! And obviously is was stored out of circulation. The great French sculptor Bazor designed or engraved the coin. Some of these when slabbed sell for $240 (the Essai types). Which is kind of high for me. I shop for RAW items. The high priced slabbed coins indicate that there are not many choice one's around! At the moment there are several nice one's in EBAY in the 20 dollar range. Lets see what have ye??? Show me some surviving aluminum coins!



When this coin was minted in France, there was lots of trouble going on in Madagascar, at the time it was a colony of France. Today it is an independent nation, with ties to France. Has an interesting history.

 

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Can the US Mint hire the engraver?

 

Somewhat unlikely. Lucien Bazor died about 40 years ago ...

 

Don't think there is anything wrong "per se" with coins made from aluminum. But many associate them with (too) cheap, (too) light, maybe emergency issues. So governments tend to be reluctant, I think when it comes to issuing new aluminum coins.

The Austrian 10 groschen coin was minted for circulation between 1951 and 1998. "Peak" mintage was 182 million in 1990. They can still be redeemed, but 10 g is just €0.007, so even pieces that did not get turned in will just be "lost" regardless of the production year ...

Christian

 

South Korean 1 Won coin

First released in 1966, the 1 Won appeared as a brass coin for its first two years ('66, '67) and since the minting costs started to exceed 2.74 won per coin (with prices expected to increase 20%), the South Korean Mint switched to aluminum in 1968. The new cost per coin was still over face-value.

The coin was then redesigned as a part of an effort to harmonize all six circulating coins' designs, which were based on the 500 Won coins' design, first introduced in 1982.
These coins lasted in circulation until the late 1980s, when inflation made them more of a nuisance than anything: Things started to get priced to the nearest 5, then 10 won. The Mint still made millions yearly until 1991, keeping most of these in storage. Since 1995, they've only appeared in Bank of Korea yearly mint sets.

 

I've got a lot of them but here's the only one I have a handy picture of. One of my favorites.

 

I think he'd still do a better job than what we have today.

 

Saint Pierre & Miquelon was also a member of the French Community. As you can see the coin is very similar to yours from Madagascar. Beautiful coins in my opinion.

 

Aluminum coins have a surprisingly short shelf life. People tend to avoid setting them aside so these two facts can come together to make some quite scarce especially in pristine condition. But aluminum coins often are very low denomination which makes it affordable to save large numbers of them. All modern tend to be either common or scarce and this applies even more strongly to aluminum coins.

 

Many people don't realize this is an "American" coin (from an island between the US and Canada). It's surprisingly common compared to its mintage in this area but is less common elsewhere.

 

I have traveled a lot over my career, and virtually all my World Coins are what I pocketed after leaving a country. Have hundreds and really don't pay attention to them. I remembered a few aluminum that I kept due to their unusual metal:


China, 1 Fen (1/100 Renminbi Yuan) Aluminium
20mm, 1.5mm thick, 1g
... I do not believe they make this anymore. The last time I have seen them was in the early-80's when I started going there.



China, 1993, Yi Jiao or 10 Fen or 1/10 Renminbi Yuan
China, 1 Fen (1/100 Renminbi Yuan) Aluminium
22.5mm, 2.5mm thick, 2.2g
... This seems the only "change" from a Yuan that I have seen on the streets in China. Even then, it seems either you MIGHT see 1 Yuan Coins, or most of the time: Renminbi/Yuan Currency.

I did have some brass Yuan, but seem to be lost in the huge pile of my world coins...

 

I seem to have misplaced my 1974 aluminum cent....

 

Evan: Should you find it, I will be glad to swap my Renminbi for it!

 

A little coin I found in a box of foreign coins I bought for next to nothing. I believe it is a (1943)(A):

 

If memory serves me right (I have a whole album page full of these), this is a Japanese 1 Yen coin. Year: Heisei 3. What's that? Uh, 1993? I think.

 

Ah! Thanks

 

That Congo - Loin coin is a show stopper. Great coin, thanks for showing me/us.

 

So if one buys one of the yearly mint sets, and there is an aluminum coin in it, what is its value (assuming it is MS 65+)? Since 1995, the mintage of these is very very low, so any idea of their value??

 

It says that 100,000,000 of these were minted, but then that most were melted. Your survivor is really in nice shape! Notice the jump in value when MS states are indicated. This is true for many aluminum coins.

 

I totally agree. Bazor did leave the world with some very nice coins! In fact it makes for a nice collection - to collect Bazor engraved items! I once read that it would be great if the US mint stopped minting coins with actual persons, but rather returned to symbols, like lady liberty, and the Liberty head dimes, birds, planes, ships, but not actual persons (thus no gender problems, or race questions) Like should we mint a female's image or a black woman, this is all politics. How about some nice buildings and flowers or animals? Oh well, that is my opinion.