Wheelbarrow

I've noticed on this 1859 florin that the reverse is rotated several degrees clockwise. How normal is this my other three examples of Gothic florins are all aligned perfectly.

Irish halfpenny?

Hi This is my first post so be nice to me! I've attached a picture of a 1908 florin which I have in my collection but I'm puzzled as to the grading of these coins..... I notice on the reverse that Britannia's upper body seems to lacking detail compared to my 1902 proof which I've been comparing it with, although it doesn't look 'worn'. Could this be due to a weak strike as the other areas which I would expect to wear are not (the hands, face and feet for example being well defined). The obverse shows little wear but again doesn't seem so well struck although pretty much all the hair detail is just about there. Any thoughts on grade, wear, strike etc. most welcome as I'm on a bit of a learning curve.

Yes I have just put it up there. I'm still not confident on grading these so I thought I'd mention it on here again so I didn't make a fool of myself!

And the obverse......

I have left this coin for the last year on a shelf and it's now retoning. I live less than a mile from the sea so I guess the sea air helps. Still can't be sure whether it's VF or EF.

Sound words Paulus. I suppose if every coin we wanted was affordable in high grade we'd all have one. If money were no object for me I'd still go for an E7 florin as IMO they are they best looking british coins and they also say something of the optimism of the age- little did they know what would happen a few years after Edward VII's death - the defiance of Britannia on these florins seems somehow to be apt in a historical context.

Sorry Paulus just realised you mentioned the neck scratch - must learn to read before posting.

Sorry Paulus just realised you mentioned the neck scratch - must learn to read before posting.

Nice coin. Would you substitute the edge knock at 8-9 o-clock for a coin that was slightly less well defined? Also is there a scratch in Eddies neck? I know this may picky buy how much do these factors affect he appeal of these florins?

Paulus- the avatar is an 70's Greek (I think) coin which the wife thinks looks like me. Peckris I suppose GVF+ would be CGS 55ish although their numbers seem to be fairly meaningless to me. I have an 1849 godless florin which I sent to them and they graded it as 75 (unc or near so with a value of £350!!!!!) If I sold it on I honestly could only describe it as GEF.

Cheers Coinery I'm glad you guys who know what your doing struggle with these coins as well. The most important thing for me is this '08 florin is worth it's weight in silver for the education it's giving me and as a bonus it's a nice thing to have in my collection. Out of my three E7 florins (the 1906 and 1902 proof) the 08 is my favourite because it just looks good regardless of whether it's been cleaned or not....do any of you guys keep coins in your 'front line' collections that although you suspect they have been cleaned you still like them?

Thanks for all your help folks. I've downloaded the Suggested grading book onto my iPhone and I'm finding it excellent. Going back to the florin I've got a 1906 in the hand now to compare it with (CGS graded 55 uin 12521). The 06 I would say looks cleaned compared to the 08- it is much shinier/whiter with surface sratching but despite this CGS didn't reject it for being cleaned, the 08 on the other hand is better toned with less wear. I'm getting more confused the more I look at Eddie florins!

I'm a bit confused by Vicky Silvers post. I've just looked up the Sheldon scale and I can't work ou what MS45 is, is it the same as EF45 which according to the CGS table would equate to an average UK raw grade of NVF (or CGS 35).

It doesn't appear to be cleaned. In the hand it has a slight yellow/golden tone which is spread over the whole coin though it is more toned towards the edges.

...........and the obverse.

Hi Thanks for your responses so far. Hopefully this picture will come out clearer.