Hungary for Coin

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Finally cleared out the left side of my desk from any lingering coins. This was the last of what I thought were interesting coins I got from a huge lot a while back. Now the right side of my desk has a few "bad" coins that are crusty of almost worn that I have to photograph but that may take some time so enjoy this little filler.

It is 116 years old and from Hungary. Although dated 1893 I'm not sure if it was minted in 1893 or 1892 as the book list mintage for both years as 1892.

10 Fillér K.B, the KB is the mint mark for Kremintz.

MAGYAR KIRÁLYI VÁLTÓPÉNZ which means Hungarian Royal token coin.
I think VÁLTÓPÉNZ should be separated to VÁLTÓ PÉNZ but my Hungarian is almost non-existent.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Filler / Hungary
Year: 1893
Mintage: Unknown less than 15,753,000
Metal: 100% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in F-12(although the verdigris on this one drops the value to metal value)

There are some edge varieties but with only one I don't have enough to compare it to and little information from any other source.

Do you have a coin from Hungary 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.

1 Day or 8 Years

It is still a fresh wound and the threat is still out there.

Once again on September 11, 2001 nineteen Muslims under the banner of Al-Qaeda hijacked four planes and crash most of them in American buildings. The loss of life was large. Right-wing-Islamic religious hate is what sparked the attack as none of the hijackers were poor or oppressed.

Never forget.

1974 Canada Cent

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Nothing special to see here but I feel I must post something coin related before September 11.


Found in my change with a few older nickels but nothing to write about. I have a summary on Canadian coins that I want to share but that may take some time due to my new schedule.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1974
Mintage: 692,058,489
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, and 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.02 in F

I did enjoy the pictures taking with a borrowed camera, lots of nice color and contrast.

Do you have a Canada 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

Edward Kennedy Quarter

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Gothca! Sort of.

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington the composer, artist, and great musician is who I'm talking about. Finally, after its initial release on January 26, 2009, I got one of these quarters at this particular time. One thing that slowed its circulation was a famous doubled die error surrounding the ELL and the piano keys.

The one pictured below was plucked out of my change after an art store visit. It is not special or doubled in any way, it is not even shiny. Still I got it, leaving only Guam and American Samoa still not found for this year.

I've always been a fan of Duke Ellington but it seems odd to put him on a quarter. Yet this wasn't the real controversy. Once the design and figure were chosen a motto was placed on the coin saying "Taxation Without Representation" which was quickly rejected by the mint. The motto Justice For All was used instead.

The District of Columbia residents must pay federal taxes but they do not get a vote in Congress. I always thought this would be our 51st state quickly followed by Puerto Rico being our 52nd but that has yet to happen.


Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents-Washington D.C. / United States
Year: 2009 P
Mintage: 88,800,000 (Estimated)
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in F-12

For those wondering I still haven't found any 2009 nickels or dimes.

Do you have a state quarter 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.

British Virgin Islands Proofs

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The technical history of coins can easily be traced. The design, metal, and location is something that every society kept extensive records. Even when records are lost modern science can tell what base metals or minting techniques were used. What is often forgotten is the practical use history.

Take the U.S. half dollar since 2001 none have officially been released for circulation. While seldom seen many people still find these modern halves in their change and even more get them from banks and use them in stores. Not to mention casino use.

The British Virgin Islands coins have a similar history. Their official currency is the U.S. Dollar but the Franklin Mint issues all of their "other" coins.

Here is where the history gets sketchy. In 1973 and 1974 I think they issued coins for circulation...or were they? Averaging 15,000 coins the first two years they dropped off to less than 1,000 for the years afterward. Did some people actually use them? Were they intended for locals or tourist like the Cuban two-coin system?

Well I would need several dozens first hand experience stories for a somewhat complete picture. Remembering that if you ask a dozen Americans if $2 bills are still made and used 11 out of 12 will say no and they would be wrong.

A second shot to show the mirror field and the frosty Queen given it that nice cameo effect.

Never finding any British Virgin Islands coins in my change these slightly hazy coins are from that lot I bought a long time back. I really like the pair of birds, they did this on most of these lower denomination coins. After 1985 they completely stopped making these coins and focused on high denomination issues. In 1996 and 1997 reports of $500 dollar coin and others became unclear. From 2002 to present they just pump out low mintage commemorative coins.

Here's the stats from left the top row ...
Type/Country: 25 Cents / British Virgin Islands
Year: 1973 Proof
Mintage: 181,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $1.50 in Proof-65(the one pictured is less)
Weight: 7.75 grams(weight is not official)

Type/Country: 50 Cents / British Virgin Islands
Year: 1973 Proof
Mintage: 181,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $2.50 in Proof-65(the one pictured is less)
Weight: 14.62 grams(weight is not official)

The coin books did not list the weight for non-silver version of these coins I used my digital scale to get the weight. The silver versions weighed more but were only made in 1977.

Do you have a British Virgin Islands 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.

Stamp It, Don't Lick It

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A recent study by the American Chemical Society concluded that up to 90% of all U.S. notes contain cocaine. The reason for the high numbers could not be verified.

The Study
Using a modified gas chromatography-mass spectrometer the bills of 30 cities in 5 countries were analyzed for illicit drugs. The easiest drug to test for is cocaine so all other chemicals were dismissed. Earlier studies were broader in chemical analysis and used techniques that lead to destruction or contamination of the bills being studied.

The Stats
234 U.S. notes
27 Canadian notes
?? Brazil notes
112 Chinese notes
16 Japanese notes

Highest Percentage - U.S. #1, Canada #2, Brazil #3, China #4 , Japan #5
Highest Cities - Washington D.C. at 95% followed closely by Baltimore, Boston, and Detroit
Highest levels - Canada with 2.4 micrograms to over 2,530 micrograms of coke per banknote, U.S.A. is number 2.

Conclusion
No affect what so ever. Most of amount were less than a grain of sand and probably from cross contamination and not direct contact.

Opinion
Drug dealers and counterfeiters mostly from Mexico and South America are the likely key to the problem. International criminals love U.S. money and will sell counterfeits but only use real money when drug dealing.

The problem is so horrible that nearly every bill used outside America gets stamped.

Japanese possibly Korean stamp left, South American stamp on the right.

El Chato means The Flat? Possibly Mexican but most Latin American countries use this term.

SA possibly South Asian I've seen this among Korean stampings.

Cambio BANʞDOLLAR, L.C.G., Amery ?????, O??? Cambio.
All I know is Cambio means change.

A faint ANGEL $%&, Cambio $, ? , ? $ Money

That final bill contained 10 stamps from foreign exchange stamps. With the rampant fakes a person wanting American money must go to an exchanger who verifies the authenticity of every bill by stamping it.

Again drug dealers make there own stamps so each time the note is exchanged it gets re-stamped. By the time these bills com back to the U.S. they passed about a dozen exchangers and also several kilos of drug money.

Update: That red bird stamp L.C.G. is probably the Nazca Bird Line art from Peru.

Also these stamped notes have no extra value and may actually lose value if the ink cannot be removed.

Do you have note or currency 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.