It Brings Me To Tears.......literally - Page 2

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Author	Replies: 27 / Views: 3,853	Page: of 2

johnny54321 Rest in Peace United States 4849 Posts	Posted 04/25/2010 5:49 pm That is a neat theory DNA....and quite possibly too. Buy why oh why did they have to pick an XF/AU 1923-s as a canvas for their artwork? lol. I guess back then it wasn't viewed as a rarity. Report this Post to the Staff
DNA Pillar of the Community United States 2734 Posts	Posted 04/25/2010 8:54 pm Quote: SuperDave: "I wonder if it was originally notched to be inset into something?" Necklace, ring, clasp? Machine gun turret? Quote: Parklane64: "It's graffiti" "Kilroy Was Here" (famous WWII graffiti slogan/picture) Quote: johnny54321: "why oh why did they have to pick an XF/AU 1923-s as a canvas for their artwork?" At the start of WWII (1942), the coin was only 19 years old (as were many of our newly enlisted soldiers!). It is entirely possible that the soldier found the coin in his pocket change! Only a BU 1923-S would have been a 'collector' coin at that time, and it probably would have cost about 50¢ to $1.00! The 'S' variety would suggest that the soldier lived in the western U.S., then again coins traveled a lot more distance then than they do now: Travelers didn't have credit cards until Diner's Club debuted in 1950, and coins were used to buy many things (such as food and drink in restaurants) that are now commonly bought with paper notes, due to decades of inflation... Lots of rare 'S' and 'D' Mint coins of all types were found in the famous New York Subway Hoard collected in the 1940's, including 241 1916-D Mercury dimes and nineteen 1916 Standing Liberty quarters! (and New York is quite far from San Francisco and Denver!) If a current soldier in Afghanistan carved his initials and an anti-Taliban message onto a BU Northern Mariana Islands Quarter, someone 70+ years from now would probably be really upset! Edited by DNA 04/25/2010 9:32 pm Report this Post to the Staff
artyboy Valued Member United States 54 Posts	Posted 04/25/2010 9:08 pm It was probably BU when he first started carving into it. Then after a few years of carrying around in his pocket it might have gotten worn down. I had an old Mercury dime book from the 1940s. Under each insert the original owner jotted down the value of each date and mint mark. Most of them were $.10 - $.20. I think that the 21, 21d and 16d were the only coins in the book marked over $1. I tossed it when I upgraded to a Dansco because the folder was in terrible shape. Now I wish that I would have kept it. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that back then those coins just weren't worth much. If someone were to do that to a BU '99 Delaware State Quarter today we might just roll our eyes and think "that was pointless". When someone tries to sell that quarter 80 - 90 years from now and it's worth $1000+ then people will think it was a complete travesty what was done to it. I know we're not supposed to speculate on the history of the coin but I tend to agree that it was done by a defiant US soldier who probably meant it as a good luck charm or big, final FU just in case he was killed in battle. It's a US coin so it's unlikely that a German soldier would have gotten his hands on it. By the time the neo-nazi movement started getting "popular" the coin would have likely been rare and valuable enough that it wouldn't have just fallen into the hands of some bored, stupid skinhead with a knife. That and no self respecting nazi or skinhead would engrave the swastika backwards. If I had some extra cash and I collected SLQs I'd make an offer. Report this Post to the Staff
zalbad Valued Member United States 68 Posts	Posted 04/25/2010 11:38 pm That is such blasphemy. Report this Post to the Staff
SsuperDdave Moderator United States 23522 Posts	Posted 04/26/2010 12:08 am Quote: I know we're not supposed to speculate on the history of the coin Quite the contrary - that's precisely where I hoped this thread would go. Looks like it's done so rather nicely. Report this Post to the Staff
johnny54321 Rest in Peace United States 4849 Posts	Posted 04/26/2010 12:30 am This thread might actually help the guy's sale now! I have to admit though, I think DNA may be right. That never occurred to me...I love this forum because I'm always learning something new. Thanks for the discussion. :-) Report this Post to the Staff
j_h_s Pillar of the Community United States 1934 Posts	Posted 04/26/2010 08:50 am "WH" may be the initials of a namesake. "WH" is also the abbreviation for Wehrmacht. Report this Post to the Staff
Agosos Valued Member Australia 155 Posts	Posted 04/26/2010 09:28 am The "reversed" swastika may be a luck symbol.It could be a gamblers lucky coin. Report this Post to the Staff
Joel A Valued Member United States 75 Posts	Posted 04/27/2010 10:26 pm i found a coin like this in my collection too... not with a swastika.. but instead on the back of a Flying Eagle cent someone ingraved a "U" where the "E" belongs in "Cent" .. to bad if that wasn't there a 1858 Flying Eagle cent in f12 or so condition.. Report this Post to the Staff
DNA Pillar of the Community United States 2734 Posts	Posted 04/28/2010 7:02 pm Quote: "WH" is also the abbreviation for Wehrmacht. I don't speak German, but since 'Wehr' (defense) and 'Macht' ('power', making power, creating power) are both individual words in German, the more logical abbreviation would seem to be "WM".... But wait, the Wikipedia entry for Wehrmacht reveals something very interesting: "For branch-of-service identification, Wehrmacht vehicles bore alpha- numeric identity license plates: WH for the Heer (land forces), WL for the Luftwaffe (air forces), WM for the Kriegsmarine (naval forces) ..." Meaning that the U.S. soldiers' enemy (land forces) in the Wehrmacht had vehicles with "WH" license plates! PS: Both of my grandfathers fought in the European Theatre... (and both of them returned and lived to be old men! ) My paternal grandmother was an Army nurse serving in Europe. Edited by DNA 04/28/2010 7:16 pm Report this Post to the Staff
bocephus New Member United States 35 Posts	Posted 04/28/2010 7:18 pm Wow who would do such a thing Report this Post to the Staff
AGCoinHunter Pillar of the Community United States 625 Posts	Posted 04/29/2010 10:10 am I would speculate that the groves in the top and bottom were for the coin to be placed in some sort of holder for a necklace. Maybe the birth year of a young soldier during the war? The WH are his initials and the backward swastika for luck or defiance against the Germans. Boggles my mind to think of where this coin has been since it was minted. Report this Post to the Staff
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