Between 1965 and 1969 I worked in the Research and Development Department of IMI (Kynoch) Ltd based in Witton, Birmingham. On the site was a mint that struck coins for a number of countries and which also produced tokens of various sorts. The mint was the successor to the Kings Norton Mint that struck pennies in 1918 and 1919. With responsibility for commercially pure titanium and zirconium alloys in the New Metals Section I was asked to investigate the possibility of striking coins or tokens made of titanium. The initial trials were unsatisfactory because the roughness of titanium sheet after pickling prevented the metal flowing to fill the die completely.
World Cup Willie token, struck in titanium circa 1968
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World Cup Willie token, GPO Tower token reverse, struck in titanium circa 1968 |
World Cup Willie token, Gaming machine token reverse, struck in titanium circa 1968 |
Metals used in Coinage
Coins of the UK Index
UK Coin Values Index
Main Pictures Index
Pictures of Coins of the UK - Trial tokens struck in titanium
Copyright reserved by the author, Tony Clayton
v1 28th May 2020
