”Blackbirds tend to like shiny objects”
The Mystery coin
I got this coin at a show a few years ago when I was looking for a coin that would suit me as my Avatar coin. That follows a little YouTube community tradition by a select group of YouTube friends long before I migrated here to the Steemit community, and I plan to post that blog up later but since then this coin has been a little mystery.
The Isle of Man is a small self-governing Crown dependency located in the Irish Sea between Ireland and England. I’m surprised it’s not a part of Great Britain or even the EU! It has a small population of no more than 85000 people. Yet, as I peruse through the Numista catalog this country issued in the past an amazing plethora of different 1103 demonetized, circulating and commemorative coins for its size.
Why is this coin a mystery? It was purchased at a coin show as a KM#43 Regular Uncirculated Copper Nickel along with a group of other coins, this coin was in the deal for somewhere under his flip price of $7.50 CAD.
According to the Catalog number this coin should be the fiat Copper Nickel version.
1Reverse: A pair of tethered Falcons over a map of the Isle of Man
After a while of sitting my display case I've since noticed a bit of toning at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions on the reverse. Closer inspection of the flip revealed pin holes on the protective film likely from a bit of rough handling.
Copper Nickel doesn't tone. So, this got me real curious if this coin could be the KM#34a sterling silver version of the coin rather than the ordinary KM#43.
The only other physically distinguishable feature of the silver version was it being 11 hundreds of a mm larger in diameter than the original. With my Dad's old imperial caliper gauge I don't think this will work since my kids beat up this precision gauge over the years. I mean really beat up like used as a toy, thrown around in the yard, left in the rain, inserted into who knows what...
Next was the magnet test. A fridge magnet! Using a typical 1976 copper Nickel coin I tested positive as my known Control coin. Then testing the mystery coin yielded negative for magnetic property therefore this is NOT Copper Nickel!
I got excited!
My final test is the ring test! My control coin will be my 1889 British Crown of 0.925 Sterling and that should match the composition of this mystery Isle of Man coin. Using the blunt edge of my knife I tapped the edge of our Subject coin and then the British Crown. A beautiful perfect tone match! Silver has a distinctive warm ring compared to the Cupro-Nickel and steel coins.
Therefore, what the Dealer sold me was the Real Deal Sterling silver version KM#43a and not the KM#43! What a deal for under $7.50!
Numista Sterling Silver version crown
And for those that are also attracted to colorful Paper currency!
The Viking ship alludes to the Isle’s distant past Celtic history when the Norseman invaded the Island. The Norsemen referred to this Island as Mon.
Quocunque Jeceris Stabit
The Motto of the Isle of Man meaning "Where ever you throw it, it will stand."
In reference to the Triskelion, the three armored legs with golden spurs.
I hope you enjoyed this coin feature, thank you for stopping by for a look.
And learned a trick or two to determine if a coin is SILVER, or not.
1. My own pictures shot with a Samsung SM-A530W
“Et lux in tenebris to serve laboro, sum sicarius” “I work in the shadows to serve the Light, I am an Assassin”
