Coin aquisition of the week.......

[Coin aquisition of the week.......]

Apart from the size of the gap below the bust and the bottom of the veil, the position of DEI GRATIA is different and the nose, mouth, chin and neck are different:

I haven't counted the teeth around the edge (yet!).

[Coin aquisition of the week.......]

14 hours ago, Peckris 2 said:

Is that the gap below the bust? That's the only difference I can see.

Yes, there are two varieties of 1888 florin obverse: ESC 2955 with the large gap below the bust (same as the 1887 obverse) and ESC 2956 with the narrow gap (same as 1889-1892). The bottom of the veil is also slightly different.

[Coin aquisition of the week.......]

I have been looking for a "wide gap" 1888 florin for a while, and finally got one today.

 

Quite a bargain, too, as it cost less than what I paid for the much more common "narrow gap" variety 2 years ago (shown below for comparison).

[Coin aquisition of the week.......]

All my florins from 1912 to 1919 have a weak strike on the upper shield, but in my case the best is the 1915:

[1887 Gothic Florin varieties]

And the second from 1980: Dickinson, M. J., 1980.pdf

[1887 Gothic Florin varieties]

Thanks very much, this is very helpful. I have managed to dig out the Dickinson articles. Here is the first one from 1978: Dickinson, M. J., 1978.pdf

[1887 Gothic Florin varieties]

Can anyone confirm that there is actually only one variety of 1887 Gothic Florin?

Older reference books list two varieties, one with 33 arcs (like the 1881-1886 florins) and another with 46 arcs.

My copy of ESC (4^th edition, 1974), has ESC865 (33 arcs) rarity “S” and ESC866 (46 arcs) rarity “R”.

Davies (1982) lists No. 779 (33 trefoils) with an asterisk, meaning “to be confirmed” and No. 780 (46 trefoils) valued at £155 (!) in mint state.

Bull (7^th edition, 2020) lists only No. 2913 (46 arcs) with rarity “R”.

Coin Year Book 2023, meanwhile, lists “34 arcs” at £800 in UNC and the 46 arcs at £1000!

I suspect that the 33/34 arcs variety doesn’t exist, but would be grateful for any clarification.

[Latest bargain from the Royal Mint shop]

Someone seems to have bought the 1906 florin at £942 (status has changed to "awaiting stock"). Same for this 1904 at a mere £775.

[1969 coin prices]

I came across the November 1969 "British Coin Index" while clearing out before moving house. I must have inherited it from my dad, as I was only 6 years old in 1969.

Some of the prices are quite interesting. Uncirculated Gothic Crowns seem a bargain at £185 (or £210 if you want the plain-edge proof), while poor old Churchill crowns haven't made much progress on the 37.5 pence quote in 1969. On the florins, my particular area of interest, there are some surprises. The 1932 UNC at £230 (not far off today's price in absolute terms) is more than the 1905 (£200) or 1925 (£220), while uncirculated 1849 Godless florins are only £34.

[Which 1926 Florin is the Better Coin]

26 minutes ago, Iannich48 said:

I would rather have the ungraded bottom coin. Looks better and struck better than the top MS64.

Agree. I would buy the bottom coin (and not only because I don't like slabs). There seems to be some wear to the hair on the obverse on the slabbed coin.

Here's mine, in case it's of any interest.

[Coin aquisition of the week.......]

Two recent additions.

 

 

[Coin aquisition of the week.......]

This just arrived. Not the best condition, but exciting for me because I believe it to be Bull 3766, which I have found much more difficult to find than 3765. Plus it wasn't expensive!

[TICKET CENTRAL]

MASS, Prof. Jeffrey

White 2x2 paper envelope.

[Latest bargain from the Royal Mint shop]

The Royal Mint shop is selling a 1906 florin for... 942 pounds. Slabbed by CGS as "EF78", it looks more like a good VF from the photos (too much wear on Britannia and in the sea for it to be EF in my opinion). Even in EF, they sell for about one-third of that price. Maybe they looked at the wrong line in the catalogue and priced it as a 1905!

[Coin aquisition of the week.......]

This just arrived.

 

It's an upgrade, which means I have a spare 1911 Proof looking for a good home. Not the same grade as this, but if anyone is interested, just drop me a PM.

[(1963) Ironside 20 Pence Decimal Pattern]

Purely based on density, a copper-nickel coin that weighs 22.5g would weigh 26.12g if made from .925 silver (assuming identical diameter and thickness). So this would support the assumption that your specimen could be silver (without proving it, of course!).

[Let's See Your Toned English Milled Silver!]

Going through some more duplicates, two 1887s stood out for different reasons. The sixpence for its vivid blue colour. And the half-crown for the quite even toning.

 

[Coin aquisition of the week.......]

5 hours ago, PWA 1967 said:

Yes i have been told that some really nice 1920 possibly struck first ,were done with a much higher silver content , better struck due to being softer metal and first strikes.

Although i also believe they are rare in high grade and the dealer who told me has only had a couple in 40/50 years.

ESC lists 2 varieties for the 1920 florin, 3765 with the portrait as in previous years and 3766 with the portrait "in lower relief". I must admit that I find it difficult to tell them apart, but I suspect that mine is 3765 and @ozjohn has 3766? Grateful for any input.

 

 

[Let's See Your Toned English Milled Silver!]

This Godless florin from my duplicates box:

 

[1852 Florin Query]

Sorry to come to this thread late, but I have only just had a chance to compare with my 1852 florin. The only thing that stands out to me is the line running along the bottom of the bust. I wonder if the grader thought that this was an "alteration" or "repair"? In any event, @Paulus, you have a very nice coin.