The Contestants and Scores

We had four entries. There were 9 possible points. Joe and I scored the entries as:

Magnus 7

Ernie 6 ½

JD 6

Spencer 5

Congratulations to Magnus on his winning entry. He should get in touch with Joe to claim his prize.

1. Which nation issued FAO coins that are rectangular and also issued the smallest FAO gold coins?

Tonga.

2. Where would a coin collector find the phrase "Value Me as You Please"? What is the meaning of that phrase?

They appear on Higley coppers. The phrase refers to the fact that there was disagreement over the value of these coppers.

3. On 4-17-1862 the CSA (Confederate States of America) did what related to money?

Authorized printing of $165 million in paper currency.

Note: We had some difficulties with this question, and it was eliminated from the scoring. This did not change the standings of the contestants at all, just slightly changed their scores.

4. For which US denominations have holed patterns been made?

1 cent, 5 cent, half dollar, gold dollar.

5. What U.S. coins were considered unhygienic at their introduction and why?

The incuse gold designs of Bela Lyon Pratt were considered unhygienic because "germs could get caught in their crevices".

6. You find a slabbed trade dollar with the designation "1874-CC graded PCGS MS65", but the coin has a visible chopmark. The slab *looks* authentic. What should you conclude?
  A. The slab is counterfeit. A chop marked coin is damaged and cannot be mint state.
  B. The slab is counterfeit. PCGS does not grade chopmarked coins.
  C. The slab is genuine.

C is the correct answer. Reference Link

7. Toned coins can exhibit a variety of colors. What single factor determines what color a given toned region will display?

The single determining factor is the thickness of the oxidation layer through which the reflected light passes.

8. If you have a U.S. coin that was toned through contact with a leaking can of peaches, what is the most likely denomination?

You have a silver dollar from the LaVere Redfield hoard. Redfield liked to throw bags of silver dollars down into his basement. Also in his basement were cans of peaches, some of which leaked onto the coins.

9. Name two U.S. coins with depictions of the same person simultaneously on both the obverse and reverse.

Lincoln Memorial cent and New Jersey state quarter. Also correct: Daniel Boone Bicentennial commemorative 1935, 1900 Lafayette Dollar.

The guy who wrote the question (Howard) forgot to say *circulating* U.S. coins, so the commem answers are right too.

10. Joseph Wharton is famous for establishing the Wharton School of Business (and also for founding Swarthmore). What is his numismatic claim to fame? What motivated his numismatic contribution?

It was Wharton's influence upon Congress that resulted in the adoption of the first base metal U.S. coins (the three cent nickel, followed close behind by the shield nickel). His motivation was pure greed. He owned a nickel mine.

Tie Breaker Question: What country issued this Ike commemorative coin that is the prize for this contest?

The tiebreaker question was not used in the scoring.

The correct answer is that the issuer of the Ike commem is the Marshall Islands.