Coloured Silver Coins are Nothing New

[LawrenceChard]

Many people think coloured coins are a recent introduction.

Canada introduced the world's "colorized" circulating coin in 2004, but skilled craftsmen were enameling coins during the reign of Queen Victoria, especially around the time of her Golden Jubilee in 1887. Birmingham was the main UK centre. Small craft workshops produced them, by taking good condition coins, some from as early as Charles II.

Here is an example which has seen better days, but I still like it:

It is a silver shillling of George III dated 1787, and may have been enamed in 1887 as a "centenary" piece, together with an 1887 Victoria Jubilee shilling.

Our example appears to have used at least 6 different colours, and it was undoubtedly trickier to create with more more colours.

The obvse side looks awful, probably have had a brooch mount removed leaving ugly solder marks:

The enamel was not just applied to the existing surfaces. They first had to be scorped out to a greater depth, and left with a rough surface for the enamel to bond to. Enamel paste was applied, but I don't know whether this was one colour at a time, then fired to melt and fix the enamel. I did once investigate the process with a master enameller in Birmingham, but have forgotten much of the conversation. I can remember the final products would not have been cheap.

Some coins were enameled on both sides, and these are rarer than single sided examples. Apparently the skill and knowledge to do it has now been lost.

It is also likely that some of the pigments used in the enamel might not be permitted under modern health and safety laws.

Somewhere, we have some more enameled coins hidden away, waiting to be photographed when they emerge.

😎

[dikefalos]

10 minutes ago, LawrenceChard said:

Canada introduced the world's "colorized" circulating coin in 2004...

It wasn't the RCM 2004 introducing the first colored coin, but CIT in 1992 with the first Palau Marine Life Protection coin. I guess, they need a better marketing🤣

 

But i like the look of the silver shilling way more. Never knew about these old enameled coins. 

[LawrenceChard]

9 minutes ago, dikefalos said:

It wasn't the RCM 2004 introducing the first colored coin, but CIT in 1992 with the first Palau Marine Life Protection coin. I guess, they need a better marketing🤣

 

But i like the look of the silver shilling way more. Never knew about these old enameled coins. 

"circulating"!

😎

[dikefalos]

58 minutes ago, LawrenceChard said:

"circulating"!

😎

Everybody in/on Palau pays everything with Marine Life Protection, Tiffany Art and Hunters by Night smartminting coins. Why else should release CIT so many of them?

🤣

 

[LawrenceChard]

5 minutes ago, dikefalos said:

Everybody in/on Palau pays everything with Marine Life Protection, Tiffany Art and Hunters by Night smartminting coins. Why else should release CIT so many of them?

🤣

 

Remind me who CIT are?

😎

[Roy]

21 minutes ago, LawrenceChard said:

Remind me who CIT are?

😎

These young 'uns eh with their fancy acronyms, never caring about the sexygenarian and septuagenarian members here 😉

I've no idea what CIT is, but I'd give it L if I could 😇

[dikefalos]

2 hours ago, LawrenceChard said:

Remind me who CIT are?

😎

Coin Invest Trust, Liechtenstein.

https://www.cit.li

They are trying many minting techniques and coin "customizing", like colored coins, coin inserts (Swarowski chrystals, glas, meteorites, etc.) for around 30 years now. Usually everything "new" was produced first by them. They are projecting many coins for Powercoin , Numiscollect, etc. and are releasing tons of self distributed coins. Minted are the coins by B.H.Mayer, Munich. I guess the Tiffany Art is the most known series from them. I'm a huge fan since they released 2020 the Majestic Eagle. Many of my favorite coins are Smartminting coins, like the Palau Panther (my avatar), or the Steampunk coins.

But they ain't release only coins for me. They sell also beauties, like the Harry and Meghan coin, or this beautiful 1 OZ Baguette coin.  🙈

[TeaTime]

I collect enamelled coins and even purchased a kiln and supplies in an effort to tart-up some cheap damaged examples. The work involved is incredibly exacting and laborious. Not helped due to some of the original colours used now being considered dangerous (and unavailable). Needless to say (after giving up) i have a lot of admiration for those who had the patience and skill to do it.

Looking into the double-sided coins it turns out that the trick was to use coloured glass with a higher temperature melting point on one side before enamelling the other. Failure to do so would result in the enamel on the bottom face of the coin running out when placed (upside down) in the kiln. The difference in melting temperature was relatively small so controlling it was paramount. I suspect that the colours used had some bearing on the flow temperature - as certain colours got banned from use then the technique gradually became unachievable.

Probably. 

[flyingveepixie]

Coloured coins definitely have a role to play, if perhaps only an aesthetic one with novelty value (my opinion only) . 

I have only one coloured coin : a beautiful little silver proof Peter Rabbit 50p which I got in my @ChardsCoinandBullionDealer Mystery Box last Christmas.  I love it.

[LawrenceChard]

10 hours ago, Roy said:

These young 'uns eh with their fancy acronyms, never caring about the sexygenarian and septuagenarian members here 😉

I've no idea what CIT is, but I'd give it L if I could 😇

Not to mention the ventinovians.

That was almost on the tip of my tongue!

😎

[LawrenceChard]

9 hours ago, dikefalos said:

Coin Invest Trust, Liechtenstein.

https://www.cit.li

They are trying many minting techniques and coin "customizing", like colored coins, coin inserts (Swarowski chrystals, glas, meteorites, etc.) for around 30 years now. Usually everything "new" was produced first by them. They are projecting many coins for Powercoin , Numiscollect, etc. and are releasing tons of self distributed coins. Minted are the coins by B.H.Mayer, Munich. I guess the Tiffany Art is the most known series from them. I'm a huge fan since they released 2020 the Majestic Eagle. Many of my favorite coins are Smartminting coins, like the Palau Panther (my avatar), or the Steampunk coins.

But they ain't release only coins for me. They sell also beauties, like the Harry and Meghan coin, or this beautiful 1 OZ Baguette coin.  🙈

Of course, I should have remembered.

A lot of gimmicky stuff!

😎

[dikefalos]

3 hours ago, LawrenceChard said:

Of course, I should have remembered.

A lot of gimmicky stuff!

😎

Lot's of. Despite most of their 350 coins per year are not my taste, most of my favorite modern coins are made by them. No other mint is producing more accurate high relief coins. The detailed work is absolute amazing. And they are constantly evolving. The "Trapped" series is a good example of this. The fabric effect looks more and more realistic every year and the details are also getting better and better. 

[LawrenceChard]

This site / page might be interesting further reading:

https://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/articles/short-history-enamelled-coins/#:~:text=The earliest enamelled coins were,became more colourful an elaborate.

😎

[LemmyMcGregor]

I see. If we organise a meet up North by the donkeys I shall remember to bring some crayons, bring your own colouring coins though, not handing out!