Km25b Tin Lion Coins
Km25 is the ⅛Mu lion copper coin issued in 1878. There are many varieties if classified by it’s pattern. If classified in terms of materials, majority are made by copper and a very little made by tin. Km25b which is listed as 11.18 in “The Coins and Banknotes of Burma”. The book also records other materials such as brass 11.19 (private casting/ taungbanni) and gold 11.20 (Km26) which with a face value of 5Mu.
To study Km25b, there is near no information. The most important of which is “The Coins and Banknotes of Burma”. It records the weight of two Km25b. In the collected database, there is a plate specimen of SCWC, and its data is added as follows:
| Origin | Conditions | Weight (g) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private | Worn | 4.91 | The Coins and Banknotes of Burma |
| British Museum | - | 6.40 | The Coins and Banknotes of Burma |
| SCWC plate specimen | Very Fine | 5.61 | Author |
The density of copper is 8.9g/cm3 and the density of tin is 7.3g/cm3. The general weight of Km25 copper lion coins is 5.xg. If you convert tin coins of the same size and in same conditions, the weight of tin coins will be 80% of copper that is less than 5g. Now, the weight of the Km25b tin lion coin is similar to that of the general Km25 copper lion coin, mainly because the coin body is thicker (which is also fit in my observations).
Precautions:
- Generally tin coins are difficult to store, and very few can clearly distinguish the pattern.
- Copper or tin coins are not one hundred percent made of the same material, mixed materials are common.
- Small data hard to draw any conclusions.