A numismatic wedding present...

[jtryka]

...Yeah I know, I am foolish for giving a numismatic gift as a wedding present, just stick with a toaster and move on, but this one I put a lot of thought into.

 

My best friend from grad school met a nice British woman, and they got married in England the weekend before Memorial Day. Well, of course I couldn't go, since I had the CFA exam the next weekend (good thing I passed or I'd be super ticked), so I thought about getting them a really nice gift. Since it was a union across the Atlantic, I decided to get them an American and an English coin, preferably gold, as this would symbolize the great value of their marriage relationship. Unfortunately, the new gold coins left something to be desired, so why not go back a century to 1903, after all, giving a 100 year old coin would symbolize my hope for them to have a long happy marriage. Well, how about a sovereign and a half eagle, after all, there was a strong tie there, as they were roughly equivalent (under the gold standard the pound was worth about $4.50). And with these particular issues, the obverse have one man (the King, don't ask me which one) and a woman (actually a stylized portrait of Liberty). I finally found both coins dated 1903 in AU (that way they can handle them or put them in jewelry or whatever they want ), the images of which I have attached. Now all I need is a card and a couple of those plastic holders to fit these coins (any help there would be appreciated, especially for the sovereign). So it might be dumb, wasteful or unappreciated, but you can't accuse me of not putting any thought into it!

[jtryka]

here are the reverses.

[TomB]

That's cool. You may want to give a call to Capital Plastics as they will custom cut a coin holder for you to any coin dimension that you like and can also heat stamp a message onto the plastic. It really doesn't cost that much and is professionally done.

[MAULEMALL]

Dude,I think that you have made a perfect wedding present.

 

When my daughter was born I handed out silver eagles instead of cigars.I gave $5.00 gold eagles to family.

[mdwoods]

That's a unique gift that is sure to be appreciated. Good choice.

[GP_]

thats a very, very cool gift!!!

[PQSeated]

I think it is an excellent idea; very creative.

[Hoot]

Bravo Jeff!

 

Hoot

[EZ_E]

Airtight holders come in all sizes in millimeter increments. They cost a buck a piece.

[JakeBlues2-migration]

That is so cute! It's great how the coins "look" at each other!

 

Since they are not collectors themselves, I'd recommend getting it professionally mounted. Either put it in a frame, or better yet, get one of those companies that will put it in Lucite. Just 2 coins in safety flips would be a little tacky (of course, with the economy going the way it is, I think gold bullion makes a better gift than a check), but still, this is more for beauty than investment. Try to find someone (not necessarily a coin mounting company) that can make it into a nice display.

 

Good job!

[chinook]

Thats a really thoughtful idea. Last year I gave my buddy a 1913 p Type1 Buffalo nickel for his wedding. He said it was his favorite gift.