Jump to content
British Coin Forum - Predecimal.com

50 Years of RotographicCoinpublications.com A Rotographic Imprint. Price guide reference book publishers since 1959. Lots of books on coins, banknotes and medals. Please visit and like Coin Publications on Facebook for offers and updates.

Coin Publications on Facebook

   Rotographic    

The current range of books. Click the image above to see them on Amazon (printed and Kindle format). More info on coinpublications.com

predecimal.comPredecimal.com. One of the most popular websites on British pre-decimal coins, with hundreds of coins for sale, advice for beginners and interesting information.

Sign in to follow this  
Generic Lad

1901 Farthing Question

Recommended Posts

Ok, so I was looking at a bunch of Victorian bronze I got a month or so ago and I noticed this farthing, my question is if this was not mint darkened or if it was cleaned (or if I just can't tell what mint darkening looks like :P ) or otherwise has condition issues

I'm also not sure what the big black streak is

On the top is a circulated 1896 farthing

post-6783-089162100 1344093145_thumb.jpg

post-6783-002731400 1344093152_thumb.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ok, so I was looking at a bunch of Victorian bronze I got a month or so ago and I noticed this farthing, my question is if this was not mint darkened or if it was cleaned (or if I just can't tell what mint darkening looks like :P ) or otherwise has condition issues

I'm also not sure what the big black streak is

On the top is a circulated 1896 farthing

It certainly looks as if it was cleaned in the past (the black streak could be a result of uneven cleaning). However, don't check against your 1896 farthing for mint darkening, as that didn't start until 1897; all 1896 farthings were bright. Bronze coins often go dark when they have started to wear - mint toning is most evident on UNC coins, and has a kind of dark blue/purple sheen.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ok, so I was looking at a bunch of Victorian bronze I got a month or so ago and I noticed this farthing, my question is if this was not mint darkened or if it was cleaned (or if I just can't tell what mint darkening looks like :P ) or otherwise has condition issues

I'm also not sure what the big black streak is

On the top is a circulated 1896 farthing

It certainly looks as if it was cleaned in the past (the black streak could be a result of uneven cleaning). However, don't check against your 1896 farthing for mint darkening, as that didn't start until 1897; all 1896 farthings were bright. Bronze coins often go dark when they have started to wear - mint toning is most evident on UNC coins, and has a kind of dark blue/purple sheen.

I agree that it looks cleaned rather than a coin that has escaped the artificial darkening process

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×