July - Coins featuring "uniqueness, color, condition or rarity"

Our small group of five Coin Collectors met for out July meeting with four apologies due to winter ills.
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As usual there were a number of interesting coins presented to the Group due to their uniqueness, color, condition or rarity.  These included:

• A first day cover of the 1971Apollo 14 Moon Landing.
• Pre-decimal 1 and 2 pound notes in crisp condition.
• A 1966 round 50 cent coin. This coin is unique as it contained 80% silver and 20% copper and because of the silver content were discontinued after 1966. Present day 50 cents coins are 75% copper and 25% nickel.
• A natural alluvial gold ingot weighing 5.5grams and based on current gold prices valued at $493.
• An old Persian (now Iran) coin obtained by a coin member’s father when he travelled to the country around 1920’s. This coin which had no identifying writing was checked against a mobile phone app called Coinoscope. One of our members demonstrated this handy app which is used by taking a photo of the coin which is then processed and compared to a search engine coin data base for identification.
  
• A pre-decimal album of coins that had not seen the light of day for some years.
• A unique 1988 medallion presented to one of our collectors at the Hamilton Agricultural Show for champion maiden poll ewe.
• Full set of decimal currency coins (5 cents to $2) covering all years from 1966 to present.
• A year 2000 proof set of Australian coins with a beautiful blue colored 50 cent coin at its centre piece.

An edible coin cake was enjoyed for afternoon tea (see photo). One of our members achieved an OBE and presented a beautiful cake decorated with (chocolate) coins and in the colors (red/blue/gold) of his old football team Fitzroy, now Brisbane Lions.

Doug Smith