When you arrive back home from your travels, one of the first things to do is to cash in your foreign notes and coins. Usually the Banks willl not take small coins - so what to do with them? How about treating yourself to a nice set of cuff links.
These lovely little Japanese gold One Yen coins dated 1871 (Meiji 4) are much too nice to cash in. Clearly they would make fine Cuff Links. The links joining the coins are made from 9 carat rose gold.
Unfortunately any numismatic value is spoiled by having the links soldered to the backs of the coins.
These U.S. Indian Head Gold One Dollar coins have been treated in a similar fashion, except that one side of the coins has been smoothed off in order to personalise the cuff links with initials. The plugged holes on one coin suggests that it was previously attached to a bracelet. The marks on the other coin suggest that it was previously part of a brooch, or a tie pin.
These fine early U.S. five cent coins have also had their numismatic value spoiled.
The owner of these brass coins was happy to get back to 'Blighty' in one piece. What better mementoe to have than Cuff Links made from small French fifty cent coins, found in a pocket. The engraving ‘DUNKIRK 1940’ tells the story. The designation RA5 indicates that the owner was in the Fifth Regiment of the Royal Artillery. This regiment formed part of the British Expeditionary Force, and was evacuated at Dunkirk.
