VickySilver

Hmm, quite a diversity in coins available. One thing I can say in general is that if you buy one, you will be ready to get yet another before long! I find myself needing a "fix" fairly regularly.....

You know, an interesting thought is that the very slabs themselves may develop markets for this type of toning and not for the expected reasons IMO: when you go a coin show in the USA, there are tables and tables (sometimes multiple hundreds of tables) and each is replete with stacks of slabs, all appearing uniform and very boring whether they contain an 100k USD bit or a 25 USD bit. So just perhaps, wild toning AT or not may break a bit of the monotony... I absolutely am not excusing it, and am not in favour of it, just musing the point.

A year or so ago I sent this seller a note of concern about his offerings, and he claimed that "he buys them toned that way" and knew not how they got that appearance - artificially toned (AT). Not quite sure how true that is....

Possibly cleaned and retoned...??

I think all can admit that these were exceptional quality coins, but this seems if the trend holds to be an indicator that some English coins may start to show the trend of grade quality or number over rarity. I imagine there is a better balance but 4,000 poounds for an 1887 proof 6d still seems "off the chain". I am certainly not the end-all authority on pricing but I would have imagined 1k would have been somewhat remarkable but perhaps more in line with expectations. 15,000 pounds for the 5 sov. puts it rather up in a rarified (like the semi-pun?) strata...

Hmm, thought I was the only one that noticed that...None for me, no competition... I'm saving a lot of money this month since I got blown away on the few Bentley sovs I thought a bit interesting. I guess time to settle back and REALLY be patient ala a trap door spider.

Not sure if that was at all fair on the CC postings... Before you get too enamoured of the E7 florins, have a close look at the face! Yikes, NOT a sight for sore eyes.... Still I do like them but they tend to come rather flatly struck with reverse AND obverse issues.

LVI and LVII for 1893 and LVII and LVIII for 1894. This could be an edge error and I have not heard of one for the date, possible wrong collar. LVII for 1893 is quite scarce to rare in high grade. What grade is your piece and is there just a faint impression of an additional "I"?

Not sure if it is fair to hang CC by indirect references to grading....I very much doubt they graded either of the two coins EF. As to others' experiences, I say post up the pictures and let us have a go at judging grading veracity. I have bought some very high end pieces from CC and been enormously pleased by them, but can not really cite examples of circulated pieces.

I know this is not a buy/sell thread but would like one of the crowns if somebody has one....As much as I love shillings, I have to pass; still can't get charged up about even legitimate Maundy sets.

Yes, near to that. I was going to bid on it but was dissuaded by "a well connected source" to the auction whose opinion I would absolutely rest with. I too have wanted this, but will note that as well as I think I know 20th C crowns confess to not being able to differentiate a VIP standard date from a well-struck highly frosted cameo specimen (i.e. 1937, 1951, etc.). IMO probably not worth the premium for an actual over one of the latter.

Yes, early Vicky halfcrowns are the best and extended for some nice ones. Very nice - and I will not be there to compete. Sold some nice ones not long ago, sad to say.

Wow, well the aforementioned pennies (the H, KN, ME's, etc.) should not be "thrown under the bus"....These in top grade are WINNERS.

Hmmm, I believe Northeast coins has had the bronze set in proof 1/4d through 1d. I have another reference somewhere as well - now if I can just get my three year old to pipe down long enough for me to row through some old catalogues!

Crack it out and get a mass spec reading from a local university. Uggh, I am here in Maryland and the U. of Md offered to do electron microscopy of a penny for "something above 500 USD"! So hopefully they are more amenable in Merry olde Englande...

Hmm, I do not always take stock in RM records, although Dyer is an excellent source (was?) for many things. I have seen by recall two other 1935 penny proofs outside of museums. So how many others are they as surely I have not seen all, and I do not think they were the same coin as this? I have not made a special point of collecting them but do have a 1936 that came with a proof set. I can not prove the point but believe that there were coins of this vintage released as part of larger sets, and also individually. Some silver sets seem to have made it out sans the copper lesser bits, and may have also been released in single and set form but can not prove that either. Good luck on finding VIP Record proofs in dealer stocks as in my experience there are not too many there and most are tied up in the museums or in collections.

Perhaps you are referring to the area toward the rim at obv. 10:00 or so and rev. around 4:00 where there looks like a bit of pinching wear at the rim (eccentric). Well, that is what I see anyway, but still don't have a problem with it as these half sovs are many times struck a bit strangely and suffer from the "uglies" with wear. Unfortunately wear is used to disguise nefarious bits also. BTW, I actually have an 1862 in very near to EF, but unbelievably with a repaired hole as though it was prepped for necklace or some such suspension. Yikes! I keep wondering if a bit of doctoring might improve the defect although it is not that obvious to the naked eye.

Evidently, these are rare. I have never been convinced that the true rarity of coins stated as R18 or R19 is really at that level, especially when it comes to proofs of the VIP type. Many of them may have mintages that may range up to 10 or 20 easily IMO. Evidently the Lot 444 was a bogus VIP 1937 proof, akin to some of the bits sold on ebay some years ago by a seller in Gibralter.

Coin looks OK, a bit worn and perhaps cleaned. To my view those are not bubbles but gouges/circ. issues.

Really, in reading this, I don't see the letter as having solved ANYTHING in terms of numbers ultimately struck and/or released (i.e. "in the first instance"...). How many other "instances" might there have been? Funny how even with the somewhat muddy phraseology how it reminds me of many legal papers that have so very many loopholes.

Ouch! Nice coin though...

There was precious little quality late milled, so no bids from me. What did the QEII gold halfpenny go for?

Hmmm, rather a spread in type of coin there? I think you will find many more that would appreciate that half crown on these boards....

Yes, I have two mushy obv. 19H's but had a bit of luck with Spink (in the old days, that is) with the 18H. I think you can still call a coin uncirculated if has not been circulated and just plagued with the weak obverse, but this makes it "run of the mill" as has been said.

Hmmm, I daresay the ratio would be greatly changed in favor of the "H's" if it was well struck full lustre coins that were included! BTW, if anyone has a 1919H of that description, do let me know as I would be a buyer most likely as mine are just too mushy on the obverse.