Beware those battered discs

[Chef Geoff]

OK this is in part a post of shame I, like many of us find from time to time battered discs made of lead, pewter or tin and very occasionally these can be id'd by some surviving legend, but most of the time they remain just a puzzle which due to oxidisation, cant be identified and gradually make their way to the scrap box.
Some I have found down the years have been Sunday School attendance medals, unofficial Edward VII coronation medals and local celebration medals but the most common for me has been the Victoria Jubilee medal. This "cheaper" version was given to children attending the "National Schools" of the time.
Right on with the reason for the post. Over the last 4 months I have found at least four of these "coins" all of which have received a cursory clean and not being recognised they have ended up on the end of my desk awaiting their turn to go to the "box of doom".
Having a day off today both from work and detecting I decided to have a bit of a sort out and as a way of avoiding the job in hand, had another look at these "coins".as pictured below.



The first one on the left is yet another Victoria Jubilee medal, the second I still can't id, which brings us on to the reason for the post or in fact two of them:D.
The last two have hardly anything left on them due to them being made of tin, but both have the name "Maria" clearly visible. The third is a William and Mary tin halfpenny and the last a farthing.
So be aware that they do turn up although due to the material usually in bad condition, but at least you will be able to cross them of your list of finds. My nightmares will now be, how many times I have consigned other pieces of tin money to the "box of doom" and just to add insult to injury if these two were in EF condition they would be worth just over 5K.   :'(

[Kev]

nice write up Chef interesting read,are they the same as the one i found on the Cardiff east rally a few months ago which you had a look at !!

[Kev]

this one ......................

[Chef Geoff]

Yes kev that's a Jubilee medal

[Kev]

yes thought so, nice write up m8

[Chef Geoff]

The tin money can be spotted by the fact that it has a small square/diamond shaped plug of copper right in the centre, which you can just make out on the photograph.

[Kev]

is that it on number 4 photo of your shot in the centre.

[Chef Geoff]

Ye Kev and number 3 though it looks more like corrosion on that one.

[waltonbasinman]

As usual Chef an interesting and informative read. Nice one.

[Kev]

yes very interesting Chef, will have a look in my grot box and will keep an eye out in the future for them.

[Dodger]

Good post Chef. Was going to throw out what I thought was a corroded washer. No detail on it but it had a square hole cut out and corresponds in size to a tin halfpenny. Like you say, one to tick of the list!

[jtalbot0001]

Hey Chef, a very good post! Actually I had the same thing happen to me about a month or so ago, in terms of finding something, thinking its junk, and it ended up being something good! I have posted a picture of it, and to be honest I'm still shocked just thinking about it again, because I am sure I must have thrown away something decent at least once before, never thinking to look at it again. When I first got this bent object, I honestly thought it was some sort of lead disk or something, it was nearly all white from what I can remember, nothing to say "PLEASE CLEAN ME BECASE I AM A COIN!" I get lots of lead type stuff, and yes, when I rinsed it, it started going a purplely colour and then a Coat of Arms appeared with part of the year, which I assume is 1580 for Elizabeth 1st, I may be wrong, only a guess! So yes, Geoff is right, if looks ugly, but got some sort of shape to it, clean it anyway, no harm in doing that! I also posted a picture of my Tin Money too, at first when I found it thought it was a button with a bust as it had the centre plug piece, it was only after a few weeks I happened to see one on the Internet, so double checked it, and then only noticed Britannia faintly on the other side, and realised my one was the same, although I am unsure as to what the function would have been of this coin, since, it has been modified to something else? Any ideas perhaps.

[Chef Geoff]

Not sure as to what you mean by "what was it's function" and how has it been changed?
You do know that yours is a Charles II tin money halfpenny?

[jtalbot0001]

Hi Chef, if you see the tin coin, they have purposefully shaped the edges, in which case I am assuming this was no longer used as a coin in its heyday, but for something else?