ozjohn

I agree. I've seen the blanks for the 50 cent coin at the RAM in Canberra and they were cut to shape prior to striking. In addition the examples shown seem a bit rough to be a coin blank.

I was 7 when the Coronation in in 1953 happened. Red white and blue everywhere. I can remember going to a local reserve called One tree Hill, at Honor Oak to watch the beacon being set alight. It was a cold cloudy and rainy day in June. It was also on B & W TV where people who didn't have a TV went to a neighbor to watch. Street parties and at school we were presented with a blue propelling pencil with a crown on it. Shortly afterwards all schools went to see the Queen drive through their suburb not that there was much to see as it was over in seconds. In my collection of Eagle comics the Coronation was marked by explanation of what was going on, maps of the route of the Queen would take to Westminster., the royal carriage etc. Many years later I managed to buy a DVD of the Coronation that was shot in color not a colorized version which was interesting as most of what you see is in B & W. It is always interesting to see genuine color footage from the 30s. 40s and 50s as there is mostly B & W from that period. Let's hope King Charles iii doesn't loose his head and concentrates on being the head of state rather than a mad climate zealot.

Have to say I tend to laugh about "cabinet friction ". If there is some wear due to taking a coin in and out of a cabinet then surely that is wear. Wear can happen at the mint through coins hitting one another during the minting process , or in bags, even perhaps even a weak strike pre-worn if you like. UNC refers to the condition of a coin when it leaves and before it is released to circulation. An UNC coin is not necessary a perfect coin that would be FDC. This is where the US grading is superior to the UK grading where a badly struck coin can be graded as MS 60 with a better coin MS 64. This not to say US US TPGs are accurate in their grading but the grading system allows for a range of condition other than wear for an uncirculated coin. I guess a FDC would equate to MS 70.

I have noticed in resent times that the number of listings of British coins on Ebay UK have diminished considerably. Has anyone else noticed this? In general I avoid buying coins on Ebay even from reputable dealers as anything brought via the big online auction sites attracts a 10 % GST levied by the Australian government but when buying direct from an overseas dealer you can import items free of GST up to $1000 in value. This was due to political pressure on government by retail traders in Australia who complained that they were loosing sales due to competition from Ebay, Amazon etc Also some dealers increase their prices on Ebay listings to cover their costs with Ebay.

Is there any reason why the RM changed the orientation of the reverse design on half crowns when the jubilee coins were issued in 1887?

Still being curious about the change from coin orientation to medal orientation in 1887 I contacted the Royal Mint. Their reply is attached for information. However US coins are still minted in coin orientation and changing it did not seem to help the George V silver issues. As a general observation US coins seem to be deeper struck than UK coins and possibly a benefit in the quality of strike results..

I was looking through my late sister’s papers and came across $20 confederate bill. It was only printed on one side and I initially thought it was a copy. On closer examination and looking at one online at real examples it seems that they were only printed on one side. Whether this one is genuine I don’t know but it’s trying to look like a real bill. My sister was very interested in th American Civil War and the Confederacy.

It certainly looks the part. There was one exactly the sam on the site you suggested for $US175. Maybe the condition was a little better.

I was hoping for some guidance on whether the bill was genuine rather than a moral judgement on the rights and wrongs of the American civil war.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154897378303?hash=item24 shows a 1942 florin graded at MS 64. The reverse of the coin shows considerable wear or poor strike to the center rose. At best this coin should be marked at a poor strike but IMO should not be grades as MS 64. It has to be said the obverse is good but the whole coin should be appraised not just one side. If I have a coin that has a perfect obverse but the reverse has been damaged then it should be graded as such.

The reverse of the coin is badly minted, worn or damaged in some way and IMO shouldn't receive a MS 64 grade.

I think the condition of the coin and the accuracy of the grading is the issue not the slabbing of a coin of little value.

I can remember a discussion about rain some time ago that descended into imperial v SI units. In the last 2 days we have had 1000 mm of rain in Brisbane ie 1 meter or 39,4" of rain,

Unfortunately more dead in the NSW Northern Rivers region as the rain depression moved further south and now heading towards Newcastle and the Hunter region and then probably Sydney. where Warragamba dam is already spilling.

Fortunately Brisbane doesn’t get any snow. Winter in Brisbane is similar to summer in the UK with a July average of 22 deg C.

WE had some roof leaks and drain blockages but so far survived relatively unscathed.

It would help if Ebay followed their own guidelines on fakes, reproductions etc. ie they should be marked as such. Anything else is a deliberate attempt to defraud

I wouldn't like to comment of whether the 1859 coin is a proof. However the parallel lines on the reverse of the coin may be due to some cleaning or wiping in the past.

Doesn't look right to me. Both the obverse and reverse are badly minted with the reverse showing a very low relief compared with the Sydney 5 pound piece in the Victoria museum with St. Georges head lacking most detail and King Edwards beard and ear are in a similar condition. Also there is no line down the center of St Georges sword. The only other thing is the coin has seen some circulation but lacks the normal bumps and abrasions associated associated with circulation. Certainly much to be concerned about with this coin.

Must be April fool's day.

I've just received a CGS 70 .925 1920 silver sixpence. I do not normally collect sixpences but this one is different as it is .925 Silver not .500 silver. Does anyone know why these were produced? I've seen many 1920 florins and halfcrowns and some seem more like like silver than others. but verifying the metal content of a coin is difficult at home. Were any of the higher value coins minted in .925 blanks left over from 1919?

Apologies to Daniel Craig and James Bond. The Australian Newspaper 9/11/2021

Just noticed the typo in the title of this post. My apologies.

Downloaded the 2021 edition of Spink yesterday for $15 from Amazon which is pretty good value. Still have my 2016 edition if I have the need for a real book in my hands.

Coins of England & The United Kingdom, Pre-Decimal Issues, Standard Catalog. 55th. Edition.