Young Indiana's Coin Collection

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
I have collected coins off and on since the 1960's.
Holding old coins sometimes gives one a sense of history, and causes one
to wonder through whose hands they have passed through over the years.

The "Young Indiana Jones" television series ran from 1992 to 1996,
and was subsequently released on DVD.

The series was called "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" and
"The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones".

It was inspired by the main character from the three "Indiana Jones" films
released from 1981 to 1989 starring Harrison Ford as the 1930's adventurer.
The episodes covered the period roughly from 1908 to 1920.

The DVDs display an introductory page which features items that a young
Indiana Jones might have saved over the years, including three coins.
None of the coins display the year dates.

I thought that it would be easy to identify the three coin types,
two were instantly recognizable but the third one proved to be more difficult.
The first two coins could have been from the period of the series, 1908 to 1920.
The third coin was harder as it was from the 1820's.

It is interesting to note that he could have picked up the first coins
in circulation at the time, but the presence of the 1820's coin means
that he had a slight interest in coins.

post_indianayoung_dvdintro.jpg

DVD Introduction

post_indianayoung_dvduswa.jpg

US Walking Liberty silver half dollar reverse.
These coins were made from 1916 to 1947.

Here is what a real one looks like:

post_indianayoung_rcnuswalk.jpg


post_indianayoung_dvdukfr.jpg

French holed copper-nickel 10 Centimes reverse.
These coins were made in 1914 and from 1917 to 1939.

Here is what a real one looks like:

post_indianayoung_rcnfrhole.jpg


post_indianayoung_dvdukfr.jpg

Great Britain King George IV silver half crown obverse.
These coins were made from 1820 to 1824.

Here is what a real one looks like:

post_indianayoung_rcnukhalf.jpg


:)

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Stoo

Well-known member
WilliamBoyd8 said:
French holed copper-nickel 10 Centimes reverse.
These coins were made in 1914 and from 1917 to 1939.
I assumed that this one was Chinese or something similar. Nice detective work all around, Mr.Boyd! Hats off to you.:hat:
 

Demitasse

Member
Wow, I love the idea of this thread! I wish we had more to talk about. Indy would have been one hell of a numismatist with an AMAZING collection!
I noticed this the other day in Daredevils of the Desert (6:49 and 7:24).

maw1p0.jpg


Indy used this coin to rendez-vous with his handler at Abdullah's cafe. (I flipped the image!) It's a bronze Ottoman coin that reads in Arabic, "Struck in Egypt, 1277". The Islamic year 1277 corresponds to about 1861 AD so its definitely not out of place in Egypt 1917 which was still techincally an Ottoman province despite the growing British presence (which Indy was there to help strengthen and advance the interests of!). I've seen this coin go for almost $300 in Canada. Wonder if this particular coin belonged to someone who worked on set? Private collection maybe.

Anyway, you'd think Indy, who "Learned to speak Arabic when he was in Cairo" would at least hold the thing right-side-up! Then again, he handed his papers to the German policeman upside down when he parachuted into Hannover... lol.. :p
 
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AnnieJones

New member
I think the only major difference between the picture from the show and the picture in the link you posted is Indy's looks raised and the link's looks indented.Either way,I wish I had one.:D Thanks for posting the pic!(y)
 

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
Indy's coin might be either a 20 Paras or 10 Paras as they look alike.
The diameters are 20 Paras 32mm, 10 Paras 30mm.

There were 40 Paras in a Piastre and 20 Piastres was a US silver dollar sized coin,
thus 1 Piastre was worth then around US 5 cents.

The coin (it's mine) below is a 20 Paras, and I have had it since the 1960's.

The year is AH (Moslem) 1277 or AD 1861 which is the year the
Turkish / Ottoman Sultan Abdul Aziz took office.

The coin's regnal year is 9 which dates the coin to 1277+9 or 1286 or AD 1870.
Indy's coin has a regnal year of 10 which makes it a year later.

The "20 Paras" is below the Sultan's Toughra or ornate signature.

post_egypt_a20_1277.jpg


Egypt 20 Paras AH 1277 (1861) Regnal Year 9 (1870)

They are pretty common and can be had for much cheaper than $300.

Coins are the most portable of ancient artifacts and no doubt many archaelogists
got started with a fascination with old coins

:)
 

Demitasse

Member
Very interesting Mr. Boyd! Thanks for shedding more light on this. I now know how to read that extra 9! I was curious why the description on that dealer's page had several years listed when only one is struck on the coin. Many thanks for the info!
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Challenge for Mr. Boyd!

While never belonging to Indy, there's also the split coin in the "Transylvania" episode. Obviously it's shown upside-down but I'm confident that Mr. Boyd will be able to identify it.;)

TransylvaniaCoin.jpg
 

Montana Smith

Active member
WilliamBoyd8 said:
Does this look like it?

Austria 30 Kreuzer, Emperor Franz I 1806-35

:)

Stoo wasn't wrong. You know your coins, Mr. Boyd!

WilliamBoyd8 said:
I have collected coins off and on since the 1960's.
Holding old coins sometimes gives one a sense of history, and causes one
to wonder through whose hands they have passed through over the years.

I don't collect coins, but have kept a few for the very reasons you describe. The other day I was having similar feelings about stamps when I re-discovered the German ones I'd been searching for in the house. They were among thousands of others, and soon became fascinating to look through. Like coins they evoke a sense of history, and presumably the used ones still have someone's licky spit DNA on the back!

Somewhere in the house is a lot of old coins, and the challenge of finding Young Indy's coins is a good enough incentive to show them a little more respect! (Some things I've actively collected, presented on display or stored safely, while others are just stored away as things acquired and not yet sold).
 

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
I had to have one, the Austria 30 Kreuzer coin.

post_austria_k30_1807.jpg


Austria 30 Kreuzer 1807-B
'B' is Kremnica Mint, Hungary (now Slovakia)
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Stoo

Well-known member
WilliamBoyd8 said:
Does this look like it?

Austria 30 Kreuzer, Emperor Franz I 1806-35
Nailed it (and very quickly, I might add)! I knew you could do it, Hoppy.:)
 

Stoo

Well-known member
More Coins

Just when it seemed there was nothing else to add to this thread...

The book, "The Greatest Adventures of Indiana Jones", has loads of coins in it! Granted, the book doesn't cover his younger days but there 11 coins (and numerous bank notes) for Mr. Boyd to investigate.:)

One of them is a 1918 Indian rupee.

(William, if you don't have the book, check the link to see some images. The book is now finally available in the U.S. but if you can't find it, maybe I can make scans for you when I have the time.)
 

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
For some reason, the PM function isn't working.

Stoo,

I would be interested in scans of the book with coins.
The modern coins should be easy to identify, the ancient ones are harder.
Interesting enough, you mentioned a 1918 rupee.
I just acquired an Indian rupee from 1882, about the time that the two sergeants in "The Man Who Would Be King" were heading for Kafiristan.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
WilliamBoyd (Hoppy), my Raven "inbox" was full again, so that's why the PM function wasn't working.

I can provide you with scans, just allow me some time...;)

Nice score on the 1882 rupee!(y) Will have to consult my edition, but I don't recall any specific date in Kipling's short story of "The Man Who Would be King" even though I remember pegging the setting of the movie to c.1885/1886 (based on the references within). In reality, India was quite peaceful during the early 1880s but there was the 2nd Anglo-Afghan war (1878-1880) and the 3rd Anglo-Burma War (1885-1889). Both campaigns involved Indian troops of The British Raj.

P.S. My earliest coins are from the maritime provinces of Canada before they joined the Dominion (coins dating from c.1869-1872). However, they must be peanuts compared to your collection...
 

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
For the "The Man Who Would be King", I came up with the year 1885 as
the last year of the events in the film.

Near the end of the film, when Daniel tells Peachy that he intends to
marry Roxanne, Peachy states that it has been 2214 years since
Alexander the Great came through the area.

It was stated earlier in the film, in Kipling's office, I believe, that
Alexander came through in BC 328.

2214 - 328 - 1 gives 1885.
The "- 1" is because there is no Year 0, BC 1 is followed by AD 1.

By the way, I believe that there is another coin in the box.
Details shortly.

:)
 

Stoo

Well-known member
"Greatest Adventures" Coins - 1 & 2 (of 11)

King George V, so these 2 coins must be from anywhere between 1910-1936. (William "Hopalong" Boyd should be able to tell us more...;))

GreatAdv_01.jpg

WilliamBoyd8 said:
For the "The Man Who Would be King", I came up with the year 1885 as
the last year of the events in the film.

Near the end of the film, when Daniel tells Peachy that he intends to
marry Roxanne, Peachy states that it has been 2214 years since
Alexander the Great came through the area.

It was stated earlier in the film, in Kipling's office, I believe, that
Alexander came through in BC 328.

2214 - 328 - 1 gives 1885.
The "- 1" is because there is no Year 0, BC 1 is followed by AD 1.
To quote Kipling, "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din." Your calculations are precisely how I determined the date, too!:hat:
WilliamBoyd8 said:
By the way, I believe that there is another coin in the box.
Details shortly.
Colour me intrigued.;)
 

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
The two coins are from British India, 1911-1936.
The one on the left is a silver rupee.
The one on the right, the scalloped coin, is a one anna coin.
There were 16 annas to the rupee,
and a rupee then was worth around US $0.40 (40 cents).

:)
 

Stoo

Well-known member
WilliamBoyd8 said:
The two coins are from British India, 1911-1936.
Excellent, William!:hat: Then the # of coins in the book might be cut down to 9 because those 2 are probably the back sides of these:

1936 Indian anna
1918 Indian rupee

GreatAdv_03.jpg

WilliamBoyd8 said:
There were 16 annas to the rupee,
Very interesting, Mr. Boyd. Did the British Raj in India operate with a base 8 system?
 
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