Guernsey 1885H 1 Double Struck on Brass Flan

[David Hill]

This coin appears to have been struck on a brass flan and could be a proof or trial piece. I can find no reference to this coin having been minted on brass, but there are other examples of Heaton Mint coins reported on brass and various other metals, e.g. the Jersey 1877H 1/48 Shilling.  This is one of a pair of identical coins from a small collection of Guernsey coins given to me in the 1960s by an elderly lady whose father was a Guernseyman (born 1858).  Comparison with a normal 1885H Double shows a clarity in this coin's features (as if it had been double struck like a proof piece), in particular see the definition of the dots around the rim, the lettering of GUERNESEY and the lions' faces.

[mrbadexample]

Welcome to the forum David. Great piece - I can't see it mentioned by either Pridmore or McCammon. Was there anything else as interesting in the collection?

 

[David Hill]

Nothing interesting that I can remember. They became the basis of my much expanded CI collection in the ensuing years and, apart from this pair, I can't now identify the original coins.

[Mr T]

On 9/1/2018 at 11:03 PM, David Hill said:

but there are other examples of Heaton Mint coins reported on brass and various other metals, e.g. the Jersey 1877H 1/48 Shilling.

Got any details? http://jerseycoins.com/pen12/pen12.htm doesn't mention it.

That said, it wouldn't surprise me - I think various Canadian cents are known in brass so clearly it was being played with in the mid 1800s.

[Rob]

It isn't bronze that has been dipped in coca-cola or something similar? That gives a brassy look.

[David Hill]

The reference to the 1/48 in brass comes from McCammon p284 where he states “A pattern1/48 shilling struck in brass has been reported”.  Not a very definitive reference!

[David Hill]

Before she gave the coin to me in the 1960s, it belonged to an elderly lady who had probably never heard of Coca-Cola.

[Mr T]

19 hours ago, David Hill said:

The reference to the 1/48 in brass comes from McCammon p284 where he states “A pattern1/48 shilling struck in brass has been reported”.  Not a very definitive reference!

Currencies of the Anglo-Norman Isles, 1984 McCammon?

[David Hill]

That’s right, 1984, page 284 final paragraph.