France, 1/2 franc, 1965

Sorry of the many months with posts. Here’s hoping I can climb back in this saddle and stay in it this time.

France, 1/2 franc, 1965 (KM #931.1)

In 1965, France replaced its large brass 50-centime coin with this smaller but thicker coin of solid nickel. The sower design is a French classic from the 1890s. The coin’s nickel content alone is worth about $0.09 USD. That is your consolation prize, since this coin was demonetized in the Euro Advent.

Mintage = 184,833,000
Metal Nickel
Weight 4.52 g
Diameter 19.43 mm
Thickness 1.95 mm
Engraver Louis-Oscar Roty
Shape Round
Orientation Coin alignment
Demonetized 02-17-2002

United Kingdom, 2 shillings, 1965

My my, this one is large…

United Kingdom, 2 shillings, 1965 (KM #906)

In the pre-decimal days, this coin was worth 2/20ths of a pound, the equivalent of 10 decimal pence. The “new” 10 pence coin introduced in 1968 was sized to match the old 2 shilling coin so that the old ones could circulate alongside their decimal equivalents. I wonder if this happened as intended. Anyway, when the 10-pence coin was reduced in diameter in 1992, it made the issue moot.

The reverse design combines all four emblem plants of the UK’s constituent realms… the English rose, the Scottish thistle, the Welsh leek, and the (Northern) Irish shamrock. It does so in a wonderful radial symmetry here. I think coin designs are at their best when they take advantage of radial symmetry.

Mintage is 48,163,000
Metal Copper-nickel
Weight 11.3 g
Diameter 28.52 mm
Thickness 2.5 mm
Engravers Mary Gillick (obverse)
F.G. Fuller & C. Thomas (reverse)
Shape Round
Orientation Medal alignment
Demonetized 07-01-1993

Denmark, 5 ore, 1965

And a coin for today.

Denmark, 5 ore, 1965 (KM #848.1)

Denmark! Most of the Danish coins I see are from the 1960s, by far more than any other decade. Why is that? Anyway, this coins was Denmark’s 5-ore piece from 1960-1972, when the last Danish 5-ore coin was minted. The denomination was scrapped entirely in 1989. Being bronze, this coin has a melt value of about 5 cents just for its copper content. Today, Denmark’s lowest coin is the 50-ore coin. Denmark is technically part of the Eurozone, but currently has a treaty exemption from adopting the euro.

Mintage is 14,229,000
Metal Bronze
Weight 6 g
Diameter 24 mm
Thickness 1.8 mm
Shape Round
Orientation Medal alignment
Demonetized 06-30-1989

Italy, 50 lire, 1965

Ah, this is an interesting one…

italy, 50 lire, 1965 (KM #95.1)

The Italian lira dates back to the Risorgimento in 1861 and survived until the euro advent in 2002. However, since Word War II, the centesimo subunit had been obsolete, and large value lire became coins. I maintain the theory that when the 10-unit coin becomes useless, it’s time to revalue. Italy probably used the euro’s introduction as a convenient reset button on the inflation that plagued their currency since the late 1940s.

“The Nude Blacksmith” was minted continuously between 1954 and 1989, when the coin was shrunk down to the size of a US dime. The mintage in 1965 was 25.3 million, lower than the mintage spikes in the 1950s and late 1970s, but not rare for the type either. 1958 remains the key date for large-type 50-lire coins. The other cool thing about this coin is the material. This is a handsome coin made out of stainless steel. It has a nice color to it, it is durable and resistant to scratches and circulation wear (I have several half-century-old coins from Italy that hardly look their age after years in use), and doesn’t corrode or tarnish. With enough chromium in the stainless steel alloy, it can also be non-magnetic. I have thought for years that stainless steel would be a great substitute metal for our coins, especially the nickel whose copper and nickel value has been over 5 cents for a few years now. Stainless steel would be an attractive and durable alternative metal which is cheap and would mingle well with existing copper-nickel 5cent coins.

Metal Stainless Steel
Weight 6.2500 g
Diameter 24.8 mm
Thickness 1.95 mm
Shape Round
Orientation Coin alignment
Demonetized 02-28-2002

United Kingdom, 1 shilling (English arms), 1965

Today’s coin is the oldest one featured so far:

United Kingdom, 1 shilling, 1965 (English arms) (KM #904)

This is a pre-decimal British coin, used before Decimal Day in 1971, and was minted from 1954 through 1967. One shilling is the equivalent of 5 new pence, and is the basis for the size and weight of the original decimal 5 pence coin. Of course, this coin has been demonetized, and is no longer legal tender anywhere.

The reverse depicts the national arms of England. Concurrent with the English arms, shilling coins were also struck bearing the Scottish arms (KM#905). If this was done as a gesture of national unity, I cannot help but wonder why Welsh and Northern Irish arms weren’t included.

Metal Copper-nickel
Weight 5.61 g
Diameter 23.62 mm
Thickness 1.72 mm
Engraver Mary Gillick (obverse)
Shape Round
Orientation Medal alignment
Demonetized 02-15-1971