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 Replies: 12 / Views: 8,836 |
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Moderator
 United States
6563 Posts |
Hey All
I have a coin that on the Obverse defiantly has the bust of George III
"Georgius III D:G Rex"
on The reverse I think I can make out a 1797 on the bottom rim
And the rim is quite large as well.
I'll see if I can get a clear picture up but this coin is well worn.
Thanks!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
819 Posts |
Is this it?  Sorry for the horrible pic, ten minutes before I've got to run for work. The following paragraph from the Australian Stamp and Coin company website. (I hope it's okay that I copied it here.) quote:
The 'Cartwheel' Pennies
Big, ugly and heavy, Australia's first official coins - the 'Cartwheel' pennies - were not received enthusiastically. Historically, however, they are magnificent. They were the first coins officially exported to the colonies and included the first copper pennies ever struck in England. They were also the first English coins to be struck using steam power.
The new power source enabled 50 large 'cartwheels' or 150 smaller coins to be struck each minute. This marvellous feat employed the genius of two men: Matthew Boulton and his Soho Mint in Birmingham; and James Watt, the inventor of the steam engine. They had teamed eight coining presses to produce, for the time, huge amounts of coins in a short period of time.
Kegs containing about £650 worth arrived at Sydney in the first shipment, with smaller denominations coming the following year. The coins were dated 1797 and 1799 and all bore a rather unflattering portrait of George III on one side and Britannia on the reverse. The coins featured a wide rim with sunken lettering.
The somewhat unimpressive designs were a collaboration between Boulton himself and Heinrich Kuchler. The significance of the coins lies in the skills used in developing the steam coin press, not in the coin designs.
Boulton was obviously very proud of his product. He wanted his coins to double as weights and measures and for this reason his penny piece contained one full ounce of copper from the Welsh mines and the twopenny piece - two ounces of copper. No wonder they were nicknamed 'cartwheels'. Grocers thought it a good idea though, and used the coins when weighing out flour, and so forth. The twopenny piece could also be used to measure cloth: eight lined up end-to-end equalled one foot (30 centimetres). More of Boulton's pennies appeared in 1806 and 1807 and these coins were the staple diet for small transactions for many years.
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
103 Posts |
It sounds like you have a 'Cartwheel' penny. They were minted in the Soho Mint Birmingham ( UK ) in 1797. It's a common coin but liked by collectors because of it's unusual size. If you find any dated 1799 that are almost the same size then they are half Penny's.
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Moderator
 Australia
16832 Posts |
Sounds like a "Cartwheel" penny to me. These "cartwheels" (so named because of their huge size compared to the tiny silver coins they replaced) come in two flavours, 1 penny and 2 penny. If you're not sure which you've got, weigh it. It should weigh either exactly 1 ounce (penny) or exactly 2 ounces (twopenny piece). Edit to add: Whoah. Got beat by the both of you. Good work, team.  Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
Edited by Sap
07/13/2007 06:14 am
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
103 Posts |
If you look under Britannia's shield on Sap's picture you'll notice the word SOHO. That is the mint in Birmingham that made these coins.
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Moderator
 United States
6563 Posts |
Thanks all...it's the exact coin in the picture. It's a 1 ounce and it's very worn to the point of AG grade. Any estimates on value if any...and a KM# would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!  |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
103 Posts |
If it's that worn then maybe a couple of dollars. They are not hard to come across at the best of times. The size makes it unique & that's why it's a popular coin with collectors. Check ebay out & pick yourself up a better conditioned one. |
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Moderator
Australia
16832 Posts |
quote:
Any estimates on value if any...and a KM# would be greatly appreciated.
Sounds like you need to buy the 1700's Krause next. Listed as KM#618, CV $8 in Fine (the lowest grade given), $35 in VF. This is one coin where the price rises quite dramatically with increasing grade. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Moderator
United States
6563 Posts |
I have 5 coins maybe in the 1700's Once I get 40-50 I'll get me the book  |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
103 Posts |
You can pick them up in shops & markets over here for a couple of quid in poor condition. I've found several of them metal detecting, ranging from very worn to very good condition.
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Valued Member
United States
306 Posts |
Wow! I just got a scanner and was going to ask what my coin was. And there it is. I wondered why I couldn't match it up with any American or British coins. Then again, the condition didn't help.  Oh, and in case you're wondering: Bought 1983 - Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA - $7  |
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Rest in Peace
United States
3730 Posts |
I have a "cartwheel." Probably the most interesting coin in my collection!
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2830 Posts |
G'day, I have heard another explanation for the term "cartwheel" as applied to the pennies & tuppences of 1797: when one looks at the very wide rim, in proportion to the overall diameter of the coin, it might bring to mind the dimensions of the rim of a spoked wheel, as used on carts, or wagons, of that era. When I heard it, this sounded plausible to me. Of course, this may be difficult to verify, or to contradict, 210 years after the event ...
Peter in Oz
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Replies: 12 / Views: 8,836 |
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Posted 07/13/2007 01:07 am
