World Mule Coins

Probably the New Zealand and Bahamas 2 cent piece (not sure if I'm right on that) comes into mind.

I have one in my collection which is relatively rare in my opinion if not, never seen on ebay or anywhere else other than catalogue.

This is the coin for discussion:



Seems normal, a normal typical Soviet commemorative ruble minted in 1985 commemorating the 165th year after the birth of Fredik Engels.

In 1988, the Soviet-German venture Mezhnumizmatika wanted to spread such coins overseas but because there weren't too many earlier coins minted, restrikes were made. These are usually denoted as 1988 H on the edge instead of 1985, H for Novodel (in cyrillic, N is represented as H) and funny enough, a bizarre error is made:



If you noticed the year, an older die of 1983 was used for this!!!!!!!!!!!!

Appearently it is quoted by Rylov-Sobolin as scarce and is quoted as 200USD back in 1994 - with the mad prices of Russian coins right now, who knows how much more it can possibly be.

A few I can think of, off the top of my head:

The Paraguay 500 guaranies "wrong date" mule - mentioned in this thread on CU.

Canada Montreal Olympic $10 KM# 86.2 - another "wrong date".

Richard Doty's "Encyclopedic Dictionary of Numismatics" gives a 5 centavo from Mexico as it's main example of what a "mule" is: KM# 398, Alamos mint, gold peso obverse used on silver 5 centavo coins in 1878, 79, 80 and 86.

I assume you aren't interested in trade tokens - apparently there are quite a few mules in the US, British, Canadian and Australian series, made as fantasies by the token manufacturers for sale to collectors.

Brissyboy's thread over on CU also mentions a few:

Mexico proof bullion 1 onza 1991, KM# 494.5 (obsolete obverse)
Philippines 5 centavos 1918 KM# 173 (uses 20 centavo obverse)
Philippines 20 centavos 1928 KM# 174 (uses 5 centavo obverse)

Thanks all. Will be good to make a list and see how many one can get.

Staying away from the tokens, I know there are quite a few and they can be expensive.

There is one unusual US cent worth mentioning:

http://www.coinworld.com/news/070802/news-1.asp

secretsqirrel - if I am not mistaken 1983 is the year when the Soviet Union placed the year together with the Soviet crest, i.e. reverse.

Previously all coins were like this and there is no telling if older dies were used for the reverse:





This is also the very year where the Soviet Union started to commemorate important people that contributed to the Russian history.

But because there weren't too many coins commemorated before 1988, a restrike was done which included commemorative coins from the 1970s.

It is perhaps said that these two ended up as a mule:




(note the rather similar theme)

which then is made to have this error coin:



It definately is an error but I don't know how this cannot be a mule. Isn't a mule's defination that if dies weren't intended* for a particular coin, that would make it into a mule?

Remember this is a proof coin - supposely careful inspection was to be done in the mint but it must have missed everyone's mind that the year is NOT supposed to be 1983!

*edited for typo

Is anyone here registered with Numismaster? I'm not. Can you type "mule" in a search there and see if it comes up with a list of mules known to Krause? Sounds like a feature that would be worthwhile having...

I just tried a similar trick at worldcoingallery; it only came up with one: India 10 paisa 1979, KM# 34, mule of #32 and #33. No picture, either there or in Krause, so I don't know what the muling is, since the obverses of the two coins are identical - it might be two reverses (1978 and 1979)?

Trying the same thing at CoinArchives yields 506 hits; Hit this link if you dare, but I wouldn't recommend trying it with dialup, or limited download... it's huge with lots of pics. Lots of medals, jetons, tokens, mediaevals, other stuff you're not likely interested in... but there's plenty of coins in there too.

Ah yes, seeing the one on CoinArchives triggered my memory... a famous mule in the British colonial series: the 1936 "East-West" holey mule, with a British West Africa 1 penny reverse and an East Africa 10 cents obverse. Listed in Krause under BWA, KM# 17. Fairly pricey.

This one may be very useful in the debate now running. Depends on the answer to my current question I posted.
British West Africa, AE mule Penny, 1956 H, with George VI obverse (KM.34)
Listed in Krause as a mule and is the current stage the debate is at right now and awaiting responses later on today.

Please explain. Is that a standard reverse instead of a comem reverse on a circulation coin or is it a retired design?