Know this coin?

[ffjen]

Can anyone tell me where this coin is from or what it says?  It appears to be a dinar to me, but I am unable to find any picture online of this bird anywhere.  Any help would be appreciated.  My son is a new numismatic.

[Mohawk]

Hello and Welcome!

The coin you have there is a Syrian 10 Qirsh from 1948.  It is made of copper-nickel and it is a common date and type.  As for what else it says, I'm unsure.  I can read Eastern Arabic numerals, but I cannot read nor speak the Arabic language.  Pretty cool coin!
I hope this helps!

~Tom

[JKK]

My Arabic is rather weak, but the writing at top reverse looks like it says El-Jumhuriyah As-Suriyah (Syrian Republic). Surprises me because I thought the formal name was 'Syrian Arab Republic' even back then, but maybe that came along later. In the middle, below the numerals, is 'qirsh.' The scrollwork at the bottom I think is just decorative; while Arabic is often written in varying directions and shapes with scripts that can be difficult to read, that doesn't look like writing to me. Pretty, though. Mohawk's ID, of course, is correct.

[Mohawk]

In response to what JKK said about the Syrian Arab Republic.....yes, that came later.  Syria was known as the Syrian Republic until it merged with Egypt in 1958 to form the United Arab Republic.  Syria withdrew from the union in 1961, taking the name Syrian Arab Republic at that time.  Egypt continued to be known as the United Arab Republic by itself until 1971.  ( I teach Modern World History as an adjunct college instructor, so I work with this stuff a lot!)

I hope this adds to the history of the coin and the place in the world it is from!

~Tom

[ffjen]

Wow, you both amaze me.  Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!  My 6 year old has decided to start collecting coins, so as I have encouraged all of his hobbies, I have jumped all in with this one as well.  He will be very interested to hear your summaries and I hope to keep his interest alive for the sake of the newest numismatic generation.  If you are interested in looking at another coin, here is one that was given to him yesterday.  It says "Good for $1 in Merchandise" and has the date 1898 on it.  Is there an interest for these? I see where there are trade tokens around like this, and I would love to know if it's from a specific store or town. I just can't find one like it anywhere. It has a nice shape.  Thanks again for your responses!

Jen and Sammy

[JKK]

There's a whole segment of the hobby devoted to trade tokens (which that one looks to be), so I assume someone will come along. In our coin club, the presentation at meetings is more often than not on tokens of some kind. The combination of shape and different metals should be pretty definitive for anyone who has one of the major token references. Your odds are excellent.

Great to see your son taking an interest in numismatics. He thus becomes what we term a YN--Young Numismatist--and you can anticipate a warm welcome for him in the coin world. Dealers and collectors alike remember their early days (mine started at seven), but they also have the pragmatic understanding that the hobby can only flourish by welcoming and supporting the young. Our club has an annual YN day, plus special drawings for them every meeting, and they are encouraged to give presentations on coins they acquire. When I first joined, the VP was a teenager--and when the president was not there, the YN ran the meeting, and was treated with the same courtesies due any other presiding officer. Thinking coin shop owners will also treat YNs as valued customers. There's a lot out there for him and I wish him enjoyment in discovering it.

[Just Bob]

You have a bimetallic trade token, very likely made for a lumber or coal company,  to be used in their company store. It looks like the kind that was  manufactured by  S.D. Childs between 1899 and 1916, although I have only seen the octogen shape used for $5.00 tokens.

As far as the specific town or store, I am afraid that the clues have been mostly worn off.

Sorry I can't give you anything definite.

[Just Bob]

On 6/16/2018 at 7:32 PM, ffjen said:

 I would love to know if it's from a specific store or town. I just can't find one like it anywhere. It has a nice shape.  Thanks again for your responses!

Jen and Sammy

 

I believe I have found your answer. The letters at the bottom of the obverse were throwing me off, because on my phone, it looked like it read "O.G." I finally figured out that it was "S.C." for South Carolina. Then a look through Trantow's Catalogue of Lumber Company Store Tokens produced the answer:

The obverse once said,"F. RHEM AND SONS / RHEMS / S.C. Tokens were issued in denomination of 10c, 25c, 50c, $1.00, and $2.00. Trantow lists your $1.00 token as an R6, meaning 25-74 known to exist.(My second edition was published in 1998, those numbers could have increased since then, but still, it is an uncommon token.)

Rhem operated a general store and turpentine distillery from 1870 to late in the 1920s. He later had a real estate company.

A note on Tokencollector.com says, about this particular series,  " Virtually all bi-metal tokens are worn slick."

[ffjen]

The history is really amazing.  Because of your information, I was also able to find a summary of the company's old documents at https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/0469#container Thank you so much Just Bob and JKK!