One Brazilian Dollars

A fellow who’s name rhymes with “Connor”, bestowed unto me a Brazilian coin that he’d found in Durham, NH. Apparently the place is riddled with coins from far off lands. Taking the coin, I looked at the smug face of the enshrined Efígie da República, on the front and thought I should punch that face out… to see if I could make a cool ring out of it (of course). I’d hoped it was a solid (single metal) coin with some silver or copper cladding to give it that two tone look.

As I took the coin down into the secret, underground TROC shop, I also contemplated the possibility of it being two distinctively different metals somehow married at the mint. Punching the face out went well and left some gold around the rim and some silver approximately the same with.
Then it was off the anneal and quench and start the folding process. This was an epic failure. My worst fears had been realized. In a split second I’d come face to faceless with the reality of the coin being made with two different metals, married at the mint… now divorced by a 1 ton Arbor press. The struggle is real. At least it did not cost me a Brazilian dollars. Not being one to take failure like a grown adult, I figure I can at least salvage the large outer ring and make a nice copper band that reads “Brasil”.