Why are coins always round? Well sometimes they're not. The theory behind round coins goes as follows:
- Some ancient coins are made from knife handles that were round.
- Smashing a gob of metal leads to a roundish shape.
- Cutting a round coin is easier than any other shape.
- Making a coin into a shape requires a rim or extra work.
Looking at this piece we see it is a nice diagonally aligned square with rounded corners it has typical coin alignment. Sure the shape is neato and the design is all shells and waves but this coin is more than it seems.The design was originally for the Netherlands 5 Cents from 1913-1940. It was retired and then in 1943 a slightly smaller coin was needed for Curaçao and Surinam. WWII caused some odd coin problems this being one of them. I have little info on the Surinam or is it Suriname version so I assume it's from Curacao.
Historically this little country was ruled by the Kingdom of Netherlands and then Napoleon caused problems and Great Britain issued emergency Spanish money cut into bits.
On December 15, 2008 the islands that make up Curaçao were set to become a free and independent country but that has been postponed, again. It would be nice to see what they would choose for their own money.
Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / Curaçao (possibly Surinam)
Year: 1943
Mintage: 8,595,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $1.25 in Fine
Do you have an odd shaped square coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.
2 dollars worth, for Comments/Questions click here.:
Makes me think of the original "Pieces of eight" from Pirate lore, and how they were cut into 8 physical peices.
Yup, also called 8 bits there are still places in this country where people still call 25 cents "2 bits".
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