Rhodium

Rhodium
General information
Material type	metal
Color	silvery-white
Magnetic?	no
Numismatic information
Used for	fantasy coins non-circulating legal tender
Used by	Andaman and Nicobar Islands (fantasy coins) Lebanon Spain (fantasy coins)
v · d · e

Rhodium is a rare, silvery-white, non-magnetic transition metal. Classified as a precious metal, rhodium has a melt value higher than that of platinum, gold, palladium, and silver. Since its discovery in 1803, the metal has been utilized very rarely in the manufacturing of coins.

The earliest rhodium piece listed in the Krause catalogs is an 1894-dated Spanish 100 peseta fantasy coin that was produced circa 1900 by the Pinches Mint for Reginald Huth, a wealthy English numismatist. Over a century later, in 2011, fantasy coin dealer Joseph E. Lang minted an unofficial 10 rupee piece for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Such a coin is bimetallic, with the outer ring consisting of rhodium-plated brass. One of the only official coins to include rhodium is a non-circulating legal tender commemorative 250 lira piece issued in 2012, which is primarily composed of nordic gold, but bears some rhodium plating on the obverse.

References

• Numismatic Guaranty Corporation website
• Precious metals on the English Wikipedia
• Rhodium on the English Wikipedia
• Banque du Liban – Lucky Coin