British Edward VII silver pin, coins and civil war poker chips?

[OhioTrevor]

Had a terrific day hunting a school yard that dates back to the 40-50s. Can anyone help explain the penny sized lead disks? Oxidation suggests they are very old. Found not too far from civil war era campsite. They are very symmetrical, almost as if they were coin blanks? Any idea? Also found harmonica reed(s). Also found a corroded GM bronze Pontiac Indian medallion with Chief of the Sixes on one side and "product of General Motors" on the other. Quite a variety of finds for a little school house.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[WannaDig3687]

Some nice ole coins you got there. I can't help with the ID. Surely, someone on here knows. Congrats on your finds!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Awesome old coin shooting, congrats!

 

[Red-Coat]

I don’t know about the lead items but the British coin appears to be a silver threepence. No dimensions are given, so I’m basing that on comparison with the US cent shown alongside and estimating it as 16mm versus the US cent at 19mm. The wreath on the reverse is just visible at the edges and the crown is just visible at the top. All of that is consistent with it being a threepence.



The obverse legend is consistent with that too, but something has gone terribly wrong with the portrait. Compare it to this… especially the engraving of the hair/beard and the slope of the forehead.



These are artefacts of the process patented by W.A. Malliet for converting coins into jewellery, which would mangle them considerably. Here’s the drawing from the patent and a description of the process that has created that degree of distortion.



It is an object of my invention to produce an Ornamental button or medallion to which may be attached any form of fastening device and which may thus be converted into any desired article of jewelry. With the above objects in view and others which will appear during the course of this description my invention consists in the art or process and in the parts, features, and combinations hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a face view of a disk, being a United States coin, with an aperture formed therein in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is and edge view of the disc showing the same domed or concavo-convex.Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the head or form. Fig. 4 is an edge view of the head or form. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a watch-fob made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a cuff-button made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a scarf-pin made in accordance with my invention. Fig. S is a side elevation of a breastpin made in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a hat-pin made in accordance with my invention.

In producing the button or medallion certain essential steps are performed constituting the art or process, as follows: Primarily a disk 1 is provided which has an aperture 2 within its border. Preferably a coin of the currency of any country is used, and if a coin of the United States be employed the aperture is produced by cutting out in any suit able manner the head which appears on the face of the coin, and in so doing the outline of said head is substantially followed or conformed to. Next said disk is rendered convavo-convex, as shown at 3, Fig. 2, by any suitable means.
Next the material removed from the center of the disk is rendered pliable by any suitable process and has suitably combined there with a metal either similar to or different from that of the metal of the disk. Thus combined and rendered pliable the metal is next shaped so as to produce a predetermined form 4-such, for example, as the one illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, which is made in similitude of the head of the Goddess of Liberty and in three-quarter view, such conformation being effected by either molding, casting, or any other suitable process.

Next the form thus produced is set within the aperture 2 in the disk 1, but in high relief from the latter, and there secured by any suitable means-such as soldering, brazing, Welding, or otherwise. Next the disk1 about the opening and adjacent the head is scored, chased, or otherwise cut, as at 5, to present a jagged or ragged appearance and give the impression that the head has been forcibly broken or thrust through the disk. Subsequently the entire product may be further rendered ornamental by oxidizing the whole or a portion thereof, so as to give thereto the well-known French gray or other ornate effects.

 

[DigToChina]

Looks like someone counterstamped Ed’s head from the back to make it more pronounced?

 

[OhioTrevor]

Thank you so much. This was really interesting. I found an identical piece of jewelry on line that sold at auction for $100.

 

[Gridwalker306]

That is one cool pop-out coin!!!

 

[Coinstar magnet]

What a great assortment of finds...the harmonica find is also interesting...it would be really cool if it dated back to the civil war...and still a great recovery if only dating back to the 1940's.