Sylvester

Nope no mintage figures that i can get my hands on. Eliza and I have been discussing this mintage figures problem at great length in the Early Milled discussion. I'll keep my eyes out though.

First one to seven gets to buy me a coin! Well don't all rush at once now...

Yeah and i used to be level three, now i seem to have gone back down??

that in Spink! Do you know how many were made and do you have a picture perhaps?Thanks p.s it may list it but i don't remember seeing it They were issued in wedge shaped cases. Four coins in total Crown, Halfcrown, Shilling, Sixpence. Price in Coincraft's 2000 Catalogue is £10 000 Ref Coincraft 2000, p.651.

Well i suppose it would be better than minting a whole load of substandard ones that have to go back in the pot! I believe that they had to recut the dies when the changed from sterling to half silver because the new alloy was too hard for the old design. Notice the missing serifs on the E's in Georgivs, N.B half crowns dated 1920 with serifs could well be Sterling silver!

Even a 1952 one?

You know what that could actually be for, (there are other possibilities) but the fact that it is in cupronickel leads me to thinking that it might be a test for striking in the new metal. Don't forget that CuNi is harder than Ag and thus will require more pressure in striking to get the same effect. And the obverse is where it would be most noticable. Possibly also to test the finer milling as well. Probably struck between 1946/7 before the regular issue began, just to make sure they had got it right. Then again it could be for unhonest gamblers!

That must be one of the most seldom seen proof sets. Other than 1746 of course.

I was going to say, that 1954 penny would be a killer in any collection. I once tried to collect Brass Threepences, but i was amazed at how expensive the BU ones could get. (High for the series that is, it's nothing in comparison to what i'm on now) You know the rounded corners varities and the 1950 and 1951 specimens, going for £60+ upto £200. And many dealers don't distinguish which variety they are selling, round corners or sharp corners, and the difference is astounding in prices for some dates, 1946 *cough*. Only proofs i see come up regularly are the 1887, 1893, 1902 (where the proofs are sometimes cheaper!) 1911, 1927? was it '27 or '28? 1937, 1953 and everyone's favourite 1970. There are some other years i've forgotten, 1853? and the preceeding coronation years. Forgive me but i've been out of Modern Milled for a year or two.

Ah well Chris i've got my eye on those Charles II Sixpences i saw at that coin shop. Hopefully i'll put something aside for at least one of those. I think i'll break the bank if i try to get all three, two maybe if i can swindle it. If she puts the price too far up!!! She should remember Charles ones are harder to get hold of...especially with such nice toning as those. Oh and i've got a feeling i'm going to end up buying a Gothic Florin. Gorgeous coins, but i can't collect everything. By far my favourite English coin is that florin series, but doing the calculations it proved more achievable to do a sixpence collection. I always wanted something EM, but those florins are calling me. I don't think i could take on two major collections!!! Arrgghhhh. Why did William Wyon design such a beautiful coin? There's temptation everywhere.

Having just seen that now!!! Forget what i said in the post about showing a picture! Not bad at all. On my scale of EM Sixpences, Dark Green = easy to get hold of, Red with star = Near impossible. This weighs in at orange. (with a star). It's the second hardest of the normal (non-proof) George II issue to get. Only being surpassed by the 1728 plain.

Yes how!!! I surprised you can get them at all...very rare you see them. I've never seen one of the less well know proofs for sale! Syl.

Overdates are simple. Basically if too many dies are made in a year, or some dies are still useable, or have plenty of life left in them, then all that happens is instead of making a new die the old one has the last digit of the date overpunched with the current date. So a 1708 die would become a 1709 with the 9 over 8 Similarly 1709 could become 1710with 10 over the 09 bit. Sylvester.

I don't think i could repeat what i would have said...! I think i would have attacked the owner with a pitchfork.

I bet you don't like selling coins to Germans then. I mean you just know they are going to take them home and clean them! There is nothing as depressing (in my opinion) as seeing something like a beautifully blue toned Gothic Crown/Florin after the silvo/brasso has dealt it a blow. Can't say i have seen it, but sadly i can imagine it. I bet there are some morons out there that would clean one of those coins, because afterall bright white is obviously the best by far! Sometimes you could bang their heads together.

Cheers Chris. That was my thought. There is also some slight die marks on the reverse. But the coin is a tad bright. Second one does look cleaned. And recent, it's sad when they do that to them, without the cleaning a coin in such high grade there would be very nice. Oh well

Chris what do you think of this coin. (Cleaned or just a bad die?) Either way it's got problems. [if i can figure out how to get the image on here!] otherwise just follow the link, i'm not very computer literate i'm afraid... http://www.coinpeople.com/forums/album_pag....php?pic_id=301 oh and this... http://www.coinpeople.com/forums/album_pag....php?pic_id=287 Sylvester. P.S I agree with you on the haymarking, it sounds very plausible.

Chris what causes haymarking? (for those that don't know the pitted look on some of the early milled stuff) Is it a die flaw? I think it is, but someone else i'm talking to thinks it's because they've been cleaned with acid. Sylvester.

Chris i've got a dilemma here... I've got 2 sixpences (a 1693 and a 1750) that i'm almost certain have been cleaned at some point. Both are VF+ or better. The 1750 i'll be very surprised if it hasn't! They show all the classic signs the hairlines and everything. BUT... The more of these coins i'm observing i've noticed that quite a few of the EM sixpences have these hairline scratches heading in varying directions. Sometimes more promenant, sometime not as promenant. Sometime they are still there even if a coin has a genuine tone. I've noticed it on the half guineas as well. One of mine shows them very well, but the lustre of the coin appears to be the as struck original lustre, not a cleaned lustre. Therefore what other causes could it be, if not cleaning? Is it because of the high relief of the pre-1816 coins or what?

I knew about the 1682 one! I'll have to keep an eye out for that one. I saw about 4 Charles II Sixpences in a coin shop, all but one had that usual beautiful blue/black toning. All but one were very expensive. I'm hoping to go back in Jan to pick on up. One might have been a 1682? It certainly was about £200+ The 1680 in about F give or take was the other one without the beautiful tone, and was the affordable one at a measly £75 (i thought that was quite cheap considering it's the key date and all), although i must admit my current financial situation, being Christmas and all meant that £75 was no small sum for me, but i did manage to scrape the funds together and bought it. I hope i can find a better one when i have the cash available. (If i have the cash available) Oh and i also saw a King Stephen penny marked up at £350, it was a decent example, you could make out a portrait and you could make out the S in Stiefne, which for this issue is good!

Chris that time machine would come in handy! But on a more serious note... Would you just look up the 1680 sixpence and see if it's down as the rarest of the Charles II stuff? Going on the recent catalogue prices it does seem to be the key date, not by much though. Sylvester.

Thanks Eliza, and Chris does have my snail mail somewhere! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! Sylvester.

Haven't found it i'm afraid. But i'd be very happy of any of those photocopies regarding either sixpences or Half guineas (that should cut down the sheer amount both of us have to wade through). Just the basics i don't want to use up all your photocopying credits! If you don't mind of course! Sylvester.

Nooooooo! You are seriously trying to make me buy something. Both are well out of my price range. But that Queen Anne one...ou la la! Sylvester.

I'm keeping well out of it! Sylvester...