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The 1887 shilling is arguably the most common Victorian coin, even in high grade - the sixpence is also very common but at least you have two types to collect.

Coins of the year 1887 are really common, just be discerning and not in a rush, I must admit unc and a/unc are harder to find but they are out there don't fall for these con merchants

Apparently so! You’d normally expect to be ‘safe’ around those grades…staggeringly bad!

What is the American MS64 - our GVF?

I have just looked at these marks under a strong light using a loupe. They seem to be surface marks as there is no is no indication of any scratching etc. Just another mystery.

Agreed!

The black marks remind me of the striking pad on the side of old match boxes: I also noticed some marks in the same area as the black blobs and wondered what they could be? They seem to be on the field but avoid the design and pass underneath the tripod shaft.

less than EF

https://auctions.cngcoins.com/lots/view/4-M8HXGK/hanover-victoria-1837-1901-ar-sixpence-dated-1887-pcgs-ms-64

Sent you a message.

The lack of credibility (perceived or imagined), stemmed from the conflict of interest of the owners given the connection to LCA, through which many coins were sold at auction. Grading of their slabs in my opinion was rarely an issue, which given their association with GB coinage is as it should be. They were more familiar with British coins than the US TPGs will ever be. As ever, caveat emptor.

Thanks but I have the coin in question. I never saw the CGS website when it was active but now see from further reading that it was far from respected by many collectors anyway. I just wondered if there was any other info about this particular coin as it's the only slabbed one I ever purchased. You could message me the pic if you have it? The photo I recall before buying it at the time didn't match the quality of the coin when I received it.

I have their pics of it if that's any use? Also gives the grade.

No tears, but sadly the RM has already inherited their mantle.

Yes, it's a toy 3d (Victoria JH) made by Lauer one of the pre-eminent companies of such things - German?

I'm not the expert on these, but that looks like Lauer toy money.

Can anyone tell me anything about this coin please?

Do any of you guys have access to the old CGS UK listings? I'd like to research a number just out of interest. 0017964

Happy Days. I think I will have a few pints in the local tonight. Given their pricing, it is clear evidence of the cost of nationwide advertsiing in papers and TV is not insubstantial - or someone has run off with the bank account funds. I would go further than no great loss, as it removes a source of overpriced material sold to people with a limited grasp on coin prices, and as an afterthought, maybe the recent IHT adjustments for pensions etc has led to the wealthy gullible reviewing their methods for passing on things to the descendants.

London Mint Office has now gone bankrupt. Sad for those who have lost their jobs, but no great loss otherwise.

You're completely right... In their case, industrial grading speeds and quality simply cannot coexist. This is one of the most glaring mistakes I’ve ever come across, but I don’t often buy slabbed coins, so there are bound to be others. I’ve seen adverts for their cleaning service, but I haven’t actually seen any for a while now...

I am working on a colonial coin type collection which includes many foreign coins, including British. Recently I found a small book titled 'The Coins of Colonial America' which basically listed and illustrated coins found when the grounds of our colonial Williamsburg were dug up. My current collection has the George III embossed 8 Reale and 4 Reale coins (oval stamp) and i thought that was it. However, the book showed a set of 4 coins: 1 Reale, 2 Reale, 4 Reale and 8 Reale each with the oval embossement. My copy of the 'Coins of England', 2025, does not show the two lower denomination coins. So, i'm asking here: why not? what is the story? the photo shows the book's illustration.

Truth is, we'll likely never know the story of this but almost definitely some sort of marketing effort given the style of the stamp. The surname has strong Cornish roots, but only 'famous' merchant of that era is William Hearne Pellow, head of a mercantile firm in Liverpool. Here are some details from an archive: https://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/kirkdalecemetery2.html

I would love to say many a numismatist would practically kill for a coin like that , don't turn your back if your showing it off . LOL

Ignorance is bliss. There is a raised line on the hull, it just happens to be the ship's handrail running from bow to stern. Mine is very prominent in hand. The atttribution presumaby coming from a phrase search of their limited literature. At the end of the day, it is a business boxing above its weight in terms of knowledge when claiming to be all things to all people and (like Trump) never wrong - hence many fictitious attributions and for knowledgable people, just used as a pointer toward a potentially decent coin. However, an unquestionable marketing success. I don't know if they still offer a cleaning service, but it seems to have laid low after I questioned why they were so intent on selling 'unsightly' wax removal given it was historical evidence of past illustration in early catalogues.