Gary1000

Yes, I beleive two known. The other is coming to auction on the 18th. I would like it but I have my eyes on something else on the 17th. Side by side it is fairly obvious which is the proof but on its own you could be excused for thinking it's just a good example of a currency.

Having an example of both it is very difficult to tell them apart, a most uninspiring proof coin.

A contentious subject I know. Is there a safe way to remove any grime from a bronze coin without taking anything away apart from any surface dirt. Is a bit of liquid soap and water going to leave any long term effects and once clean is there a way to protect the coin. The problem I have is that all my originally BU coins are toning in my mahogany cabinet. The original red is going fast. Would the hint of say patroleum jelly be inert enough or perhaps a silicon grease. Perhaps I could just do what the victorians did and lacquer the lot.

Call me old fashioned but that stikes me as plated.

Same here ... I was quite disappointed in that there was nothing on my main target list. The 4 lots I am bidding on are all George V coins with a view to improving the quality of the dates concerned. But if I don't get them then it really isn't a problem. In contrast, the DNW sale has two coins that I really want. One is probably out of my reach financially but I will bid on the other to win. Yes I have an eye on a George V coin. It's the one gap in my collection so is a must have. I've booked the day from work to go along in person so as not to leave it to chance. I think I will have to be wearing those trousers with the very long pockets. Hopefully not a sixpence No, somewhat bigger than a sixpence

Same here ... I was quite disappointed in that there was nothing on my main target list. The 4 lots I am bidding on are all George V coins with a view to improving the quality of the dates concerned. But if I don't get them then it really isn't a problem. In contrast, the DNW sale has two coins that I really want. One is probably out of my reach financially but I will bid on the other to win. Yes I have an eye on a George V coin. It's the one gap in my collection so is a must have. I've booked the day from work to go along in person so as not to leave it to chance. I think I will have to be wearing those trousers with the very long pockets.

Also OPR has a time limit which you might struggle with having coins slabbed.

It's my understanding that the mint workers were very helpful in giving the 1902 proof set a good wipe before they left the mint. I don't know how true this is but I have seen a few 1902 proofs with parallel lines.

The gap between the shield and the rim should be a dead give away.

Precisely my point. Yes, I agree. I've hardly ever seen a worn (below GVF) specimen, and the 'pocket piece' theory of the few that did wear is as good an explanation as any. With the average weekly wage in 1930 being about £4 or 16 Crowns you could buy quite a lot for 5/-. I would suggest that up until the early twenteith century crowns were widely circulated. Even into the 30s they must have being in common use. The Royal Mint would vehemently disagree. They stopped producing them for currency after 1900 precisely because public demand for them had fallen away. Why that is, I don't really know, but having grown up in the 1960s with ten bob notes, halfcrowns, etc, I never felt that there was a lack of an intermediate denomination. I imagine that one possible cause of their unpopularity was their sheer size, which of course did for the Cartwheel twopence, though that was bigger still. There's no evidence that they circulated widely in the 1930s. The opposite in fact - Wikipedia says "The British crown was always a large coin, and from the 19th century it did not circulate well." What I was trying to say is that the people in the 30s were probably not strangers to the crown compared to now.

Yes, I can see crowns being used as five bob in the 19th century, but in the 1940s? Really? I wonder if there's any research or numbers as to what constituted circulating coinage in a particular era. Now that would be interesting. The Veiled Head crowns were issued for circulation, so they must have been circulating freely at least till the 1920 debasement. They would have been top targets for reclamation by the Mint after that though, you'd have thought. The Crown is legal tender still so when else would they have circulated?

Some certainly were, as the degree of wear is well beyond normal handling or keeping in change. The 1934 I saw, from a local dealer, was a poor fine and well worn. No way was that just a bit of handling wear. Going by Derek's grading book, I'd say the obverse was almost exactly like the illustration at the top of page 88 and the reverse, if anything, was worse than that on page 225. Sorry, I have to disagree here. The number of transactions it would have had to be part of to be that worn would be huge. You're telling me that a whole load of shopkeepers or suchlike, would have handled one of the rarest 20th Century coins without a) questions being asked about what on earth it was and c) without falling into the hands of a collector somewhere along the way? Maybe it was given to a child who used it with its friends for years of 'playing shop', or swapping for something else. Who knows? I'm not saying it wasn't handled over a long period of time by grubby little hands, just that I doubt it saw 'normal' circulation. To see any of the wreath crowns with light wear is not unusual, my 1934 crown is a GVF. Although probably not intended to circulate I suspect they saw quite a bit of circulation posibbly into the 1940s.

The one I'm interested in the estimate is rather on the low side. If it only doubles high end I'll be as pleased as punch.

And there was me thinking that everyone would be broke from their holidays and I might stand a chance at the one coin I'm interested in.

I my early days on ebay I would do that, I'd put in odd but increasing values until I'd see a change in the max bid to an increment above my bid which would indicate what the highest bid was. It would save a stab in the dark at the last minute. As the buyer I don't think I was shill bidding. I should have said increase to something other than the bid increment. If the max bid was £50 and I put in £49.51 it would jump to £50 not £50.51.

I my early days on ebay I would do that, I'd put in odd but increasing values until I'd see a change in the max bid to an increment above my bid which would indicate what the highest bid was. It would save a stab in the dark at the last minute. As the buyer I don't think I was shill bidding.

I just wish ebay contributors would get their coins in the correct categories. I would estimate at least 40% are wrong. It would significately reduce the search time.

I've often though that the I in BRITT floats around a bit. The I to tooth is very distinct so if in doubt it likely not one.

When I tried to edit the above post it let me into the edit box and allowed me to type but when I tried to save the change I was told I didn't have permission to edit this post.

Ok I'm lying it's there this time.

A shill bidder may want to by it to prevent it going to cheap. That's a problem that arose when the revserve was upped to £50.

As the missing prong is likely due to a filled die I would expect it to be progressive.

Exactly my thoughts

Yes that's great, thanks Chris! I'll need to get used to it but at least it give one a fighting chance.

I think I just hit the wrong button What I wanted to say is that I'm with Rob on this one. I was about to raise the same point.