Featured Sterling coin bracelet, what is the significance of the centre panel?

Hi everyone, happy Friday! This sterling bracelet looks like 3 pence coins but they are domed (are they actual coins?) The dates range from 1885-1919. Any idea what the central "8" panel signifies? Thanks for any info!

 

eighth air force?

 

Thank you! It says Sterling silver.

 

Agreed

 

A sweetheart gift, cobbled together by hand. Very cool.

 

Thanks everyone! So it was likely a WW2 sweetheart piece then? I wonder why the coins are all older than the time period?

 

They were probably still circulating at that time. Also English coinage was reduced from the sterling standard (.925) to .500 silver in 1920. Sterling was nicer looking and people liked higher purity silver obviously. Also I think there was just a trend to use older coins because they were cool and nice to look at. It could also have been frowned upon by the government to deface new coinage and looked down on less to do so to old coins.

 

Nice bracelet btw! Also be careful out there. While yours are real it seems, there are some domed coins out there that aren’t. A common example is the Stone Mountain (confederate civil war monument) commemorative half dollar conchos. They made them like crazy and some look convincing to a coin novice. I bought one in an antique shop years ago. Not sure why this is the one coin they chose to make them out of other than the general CW interest.

Turns out not everything in antique stores is antique or authentic. A lesson many noobs probably learn the hard way.

 

Good advice thank you!

 

Ditto Terry-8th Airforce eight w/ a 2nd Infantry Div star w/ an Indian chief in it (or not)-odd combo ?

 

It does look a bit odd, but if this was made by an amateur or made for one guy for his girl you never can tell. The maker did what he was asked.

 

Goodness, I never even noticed that that was an Indian chief head!

 

8th Infantry Division.



2nd Infantry Division

 

Just the 8th Air Force logo.

 

I don't know if @Elen Beattie has more info, or wants more, but The Mighty Eighth Museum has a very vast and serious Research Center with a library, art, documents, etc. relating to the 8th. They can be contacted, or if you're particularly motivated, you can visit.

 

Domed coins are one thing ( silver threepenny coins were easy to find, still are )

The 8th air force were in england in 1942 and a medal would be harder to find ...

I think it's what we call "sweetheart bracelet "

 

It’s very common for silver three penny pieces to be domed like that for jewellery here. I’ve several similar. Some hallmarked too, so it’s not always amateur work.

as to defacing the older coins were still legal tender, so rules were the same.

 

Thanks again for all of the helpful information everyone, I can always rely on you to be a wealth of knowledge