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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,521 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
671 Posts |
This is an interesting find from a penny roll -- I have no idea what it is.  16 mm wide, I can't even tell which side is the obverse! Scandinavian maybe? Any ideas?   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1840 Posts |
It's an Iceland 1 Krona. KM #23 and worth a dime in XF condition. An interesting find from a roll of pennies.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
671 Posts |
Thanks for the fast help!!
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Valued Member
United States
148 Posts |
the obverse is the site with the nomination and read Island
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Moderator
 Australia
16842 Posts |
Actually, I'd have considered the obverse the side with the coat of arms. This was certainly the case back when Iceland was a Danish dominion and the king's monogram accompanied the Danish arms on Icelandic coins.
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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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1077 Posts |
Most republics tend to have the side with the country's name as the obverse, and most kingdom's the side with the monarch's portrait or name.
I am sure everyone will now come up with lots of cases where that is not true, but it certainly seems that way with MOST.
Maybe that is why Iceland (Island) switched the obverse when they dumped the monarch. (Iraq is another example)
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1077 Posts |
Funnily enough some of the Denmark coins from around the same era as when Iceland became a republic, according to krause (I'm not saying they are right!), seem to have switched the monarchs mark to the reverse, although the modern coins are back to normal.
The US is an obvious exception to the name of republic on the obverse "rule"
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Pillar of the Community
United States
671 Posts |
Very cool information guys! I'll be watching...  |
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Pillar of the Community
Germany
1238 Posts |
This obverse/reverse is strange anyway. First, who "defines" which side is what? If it's the government that issues a coin, well, have a look at this catalog of Icelandic coins and notes: http://www.sedlabanki.is/uploads/fi...fIceland.pdfEnter "KM#23" in the PDF reader's search box, or go to page 63. Now while it does not say anything about obverse/reverse for this piece, it does say that for the next one (5 krónur) and for many others in that catalog. The word "framhlid" (the d should actually be an eth) means "obverse", and "bakhlid" (same thing) means "reverse", as explained on page 10. In other words, the side with the coat of arms is the obverse. And then ... umm, does it actually matter (except to some collectors, hehe) which side of a coin is the "obverse" or "reverse"? For me, the obverse is usually the side that shows the face value. Do I care what some government says about that? Phhh.  Christian |
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Pillar of the Community
Poland
3201 Posts |
Most of the opinion's I've heard stated that "the state's coats of arms or ruler's monogram side = the obverse". Although, having heard that, I always put the coins with the denomination side up. Regardless of the arms  |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1077 Posts |
That's a very interesting pdf, looking through I think I really like the Icelandic coins. I may have to start a new sub-collection.
Interesting to see also that on page 74 there is a coin with the coat of arms on the reverse.
I like the Icelandic alphabet, they have some of the letters that England used to have but that have died out over the centuries, such as eth and thorn.
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,521 |
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Posted 07/27/2008 10:31 pm
