Defaced Belgian Coin

[Henk]

I have a 20 Francs/4 Belgas coin from Belgium, (KM 102). This is a large, 37 mm nickel coin with a weight of 20 grams. It has been defaced bij stamping with a die with lines (Reverse) and with a grid (Obverse). I think this was done officially, probably at the mint, to make the coin not current so it could be sold for its scrap value.

This coin was highly unpopular.The total number struck was: 18.979.000. The number returned to the mint was: 18.872.000. So a maximum of 107.000 (0,56 %) is still available. The coin was issued in 1931 and struck in 1931 and 1932, in both French and Dutch (Flemish) variants. It became without value on 1 december 1935. (information obtained from Jaarboek EGMP 2009 page 191). Defacing would have been done before this date.

I am interested in information about the, official defacing of coins. And also if other examples of these defaced Belgian coins are known.

[FosseWay]

This kind of thing was evidently in fashion in the 1930s  - perhaps due to large swings in the nickel price.

I have two Romanian 100 lei coins of the same issue (KM 54), each cancelled using a different method. One has ANULAT in long thin letters punched or rolled over both sides. The other has a hole bored in the middle.

[Henk]

Inteesting information and photo's. Especially the coin stamped with ANULAT. Never seen this type of cancellation before. It resembles the overprinting of Banknotes to cancel them. Punching holes is of course also a method of defacing, like cutting in two or making a large incision. The last two were often used to deface fake coins.

I enclose photos of a recent cancellation of two Dutch coins, a nickel 2 1/2 Gulden and a  25 cents coin. This cancellation was made because of the introduction of the Euro. For this purpose a special machine was onstructed by the Ducth firm of "Kusters Engineering"

https://www.royaldutchkusters.com/coin-unwrapping-coin-crushing-systems

On this page a film can be found which shows the machine in operation.