My best Find Yet.

[Mick in Dubbo]

I went to my new favourite detecting spot on Saturday. Had a really good day, with plenty of coins to be found, just over 50 for a total of $25.85. The icing on the cake, was this coin that I pulled out thinking it was just another dirty 5 cent piece. Much to my surprise and announce (for not being more careful) It turned out to be a coin
with Arabic writing on it, including the date. It's a hairs breath smaller than a US cent and a bit thinner. I suspect that it may be pre 1920's, but don't know.
Boy! Was I stoked when I pulled this one out! It may even be the oldest find yet.
If I could post a picture of it, I would, but posting pictures has got me completely stumped.
Mick Evans.

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

That is like telling us a story and not telling us the ending. A picture is worth a thousand words. I am not very computer literate. I had my wife help me at first. I can't send her there to help you. She has friends in Australia and I know she would love to make the trip. Just not feasible right now.

 

[jongalt]

It only posts pics 120 or less. So you have to crop it. I have kodak easyshare. I crop my pick like 5 times before its small enough to post. It Takes some trial and error.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Thanks boys. I think I'm going to have to buy some software to do it. The camera settings are too high, and although I have tried to use a publicly available resizing site, I don't seem to have the software to talk to it. I'll see if I can get the software today and try posting it again.
Mick Evans.

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

Does your camera have a setting like mine to lower the mega pixel and size of the picture. I also use paint shop pro and it works great.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

[attachment 41821 RIMG0245-2.JPG]
This is the first photo that I can upload.Still trying to get the computer to cooperate. Argumentative little critter really.
I'll keep trying as the front of this coin is quite interesting.
Mick Evans.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

I didn't realise that the second photo attached itself. I had hoped to show a zoomed in picture, but it didn't work. The date is written on either side of the neck. 2 Arabic symbols on one side and two on the other.
Thought I'd have another practice go, using a photo of all the finds of that hunt.
Thanks for looking.
Mick Evans.

 

[Uncle Willy]

Quite a nice pileof goodies bud.

Bill

 

[DavHut]

Mideastern goodie of some sort. Probably copper, by the look of it. The fineness of the engraving/stamping hints that it isnt old.
Nice A-6 (the airplane).

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

n/t

 

[John-Edmonton]

You have my curiousity now Mike. Get back to us when you figure out that dade and value.

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[Uncle Willy]

Yeah Mikey figured it out.

Bill

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

I assume you are referring to this Arabic coin. I was actually hoping that someone on the forum might be able to help me out with identifying it. I haven't got a clue. I found it about three inches down in ground that resembled cement. Although we now have a few refuges in town from Iraq at the moment, I think that the coin has been in the ground a lot longer than that. I remember seeing a photo of an Arabic coin many moons ago, and the comment about the date system used on the coin was a different system, to what is used now. I think it used a lunar year (based on the moon, rather than the sun)for calculating the calender years. The year 0 was 5 or 6 hundred years later than what we use now and that this system was no longer used after 1917. For all I know, I could be talking completely through my hat. But on that basis however weak it is, I assume that this coin may be before that time, but like I said, I have no way of knowing.
Hopefully, someone who can read Arabic, can shed some intelligent light on this coins origins.
Sorry the picture of the front of the coin isn't too flash, but it is the best I can do.
Uncle Willy. I talked to a fellow in the computer shop yesterday, and he put me onto the goggle site and told me to download the Picasa software. As a result, I can now post pictures! Yipee!
Mick Evans.

 

[khouse]

Mick,
You might try the Macro setting on the camera for up close pictures. Nice coins! Since you have a Fuji camera it might be the mode that shows the picture of a flower on it.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Thanks khouse. I didn't notice that feature before.
[attachment 41964 Cameron1043.jpg]
This is using that feature, but I don't think that it was a big improvement. Hope I'm not boring you guys.
Mick Evans.

 

[khouse]

Mick,
Without zooming-in get your camera close enough to the coin that the coin fills the screen. Then hold the camera steady and in Macro take a picture. Sometimes you have to use the flash - sometimes not. Play around with that. It takes up to 3 seconds to focus so hold the camera rock solid.

 

[TobyH]

Your coin is a 1 Rial from Iran, early-mid 1970's. Here is one for sale on ebay - for a better pic:

http://cgi.ebay.com/IRAN-KM1183-1-RIAL-SH1353-1974_W0QQitemZ260010018456QQihZ016QQcategoryZ257QQcmdZViewItem

Sorry it's not worth a whole lot. Their calendar is different than ours and it dates from around 1351-1354 on their calendar. That puts it around 1971-1975AD.

Either way, not your everyday find!
Cheers,
Toby

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Yeah. I didn't have a clue and really appreciate the info. I thought that it might have been a bit of a tough nut to crack, but we can't underestimate the knowledge base that is on the forum.
Even though it isn't worth much, I'll aways look back on it as one those little "Eureka!!!!" moments. You just never know what will show up when you go out.
Without your help, I don't think I would have ever have known what it was, or where it came from. So thanks again for clearing up this mystery.
Mick Evans.

 

[TobyH]

You're very welcome, Mick. I have been a coin collector since I was a kid and now my son is a collector. We both love a puzzle to solve and this was a good one. I actually used a book I bought for my son a while back. It's the Krause world coin book. There are actually several different volumes of the Krause book, for different centuries of coin production. It is pretty much the world standard when it comes to coin identification and reference.

I get the same thrill out of solving a mystery like this as I do when digging up an old coin and bringing it back into the world of the living - letting it see the light of day once again.

Looking forward to the next puzzle...

Toby

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Thanks Toby.
That's good to know.
Since I've been involved in this hobby, I'm finding myself in grave danger of becoming a coin collector myself. I have already amassed a bit of a collection of our regular coins ( there is a lot of commemorative ones that come out). Every time I see one that's different, I put it aside. My eldest son has quite a good little collection of those coins , plus overseas and our predecimal coins. He has even got a couple of coins that are WW11 German coins complete with swastika. I think that I may cave in real soon and follow John's lead and spend some of my finds on coins.
Mi9ck Evans.