ozjohn

I agree an independent opinion is always useful. However I was wondering how CGS determine if a coin is genuine or not. There is also this web site that could help http://www.coinauthentication.co.uk/index.html . Ray Mathews runs a coin authentication service that employs scientific tests and may be of more use given the potential of the coin's value . I have no connection with this company whatsoever but I think the methods employed by this service may be more conclusive than CGS who again I have no connection with other than purchasing some coins from London Coins.

Experience!

Given CGS poor judgement in some of their grading what confidence is there with their judgement on if a coin is genuine or not? Do they conduct some special test or is it just weight dimensions etc. plus their experiance?

I can remember seeing a 1922 GB florin in gold at a coin fair in Sydney back in the 1980s. When I asked about it I was told that it was struck for Egypt which seems to confirm what has been said previously.

Perhaps we could keep this thread on track. The matters raised in the previous but one post could be better explored in the Free For All area.

Just to add to this post without contradicting my earlier comments. One part of a coin that is useful for grading high grade coins is a careful examination of the condition of the milled edge to check if it is sharp througout and right at the edge of the coin. As many coins are poorly minted flat areas on the design exist on the highest parts of the design due to poor mint quality. A nice crisp edge and reeding to the milled rim may help in estimating a coin's true grade. Unfortuneatly for many encapsulated coins the edge is not visable and this cannot be used for grading perhaps an argument against many 3rd party graders although NGC show some of the edge for their encapsulated coins.

Sorry remember.

Thanks for reminding me Abbot ale was a notable exception in a bleak world. I can rember a couple of trips ago drinking this brew in a tiny pub in Bury St. Edmunds called the Nutshell.

Spent some time in Germany during trip to Europe. No complaints about the beer there.

I've seen Fuller's ESB in bottles don't know about on tap.

Just returned from Europe after spending a month in the UK and had a good time driving around the country. London - Harrowgate - Seahouses - Penrith - Chester - Fairford - London. I didn't find many coins my best buy was a 1935 UNC penny at GBP 4.50 from secondhand shop in Rye. One thing I noticed was most of the ale was about 4% way down from what I saw in the past where it was close to 5%. For example Speckled hen was about 4% where as in the past it was 5.2% and the OG of about 1045 was declared. This may be fine for AA but it does nothing for the taste. No wonder the pubs are going broke if they serve up tasteless beer. The only exception I saw was a Green King ale at 5% on tap in a pub. You still seem to be able to still get the full strength product in the 500ml bottles for example Adman's Broardside at 6.3% and Hook Norton 12 Days at 5.5%. London pride was 4.8% in the bottle and can up from 4%.

With reference to my earlier post should read shallow relief not narrow relief. Sorry if there is any confusion.

I thought I had a reverse B and sent a picture to Micheal who confirmed it was. It was a narrow relief on the reverse which was different from the example that Micheal had. I brought it from NGS in Florida as a MS 62 which was a rare case where the grading was correct as I don't think NGS understood the poor strikes of that period.

Try Micheal Coins site where different reverses of 1920 halfcrowns are presented in his lists of UK coins.

Perhaps but it is no use whinging unless you are prepared to do something. As a matter of course I report these items if I see them.

If you follow Ebay's report item procedure starting with Report Category and select Copyright and trademark from the pull down menu. Then go to the Reason for report and select Counterfeit item or authenticity disclaimer from the pull down menu. Finally select Detailed reason and select Counterfeit fake or replica item from the pull down menu and complete the report. I do not know if Ebay takes much notice of this but it is their procedure for dealing with issues such as this. If all members of this forum complained every time they saw these items it may help to have these items removed by Ebay. Most of these items are not museum copies as these are usually stamped with copy, replica etc.

A very interesting question but very hard to answer. The only true UNC coin is one that was taken from the mint production directly after minting with provenance to support this. Anything else may have been uncirculated maybe not. Also this question applies to the quality of the mint production. It is possible that an EF coin may be in a much better condition than a badly minted UNC coin. This is true of George V silver coins. Proof coins which show no sign of wear probably come closest to UNC. Just try to get the best example you can.

A better definition may be to ask the question. Is the person describing the coin a buyer or seller.

When does a rim nick become an edge knock?

I just noticed this .500 silver 1939 halfcrown in the back of a draw of a cabinet where I keep my duplicate coins. Nothing rare but the toning is well developed for a .500 silver coin.

Thanks Paulus.

Just as a matter of interest how much do you get / oz. for .500 scrap silver.

Exactly.

History is in the eye of the beholder. A lot of Americans do not care about civil war siege pieces. Check out the price paid for an Australian holey dollar which is worn a Spanish eight reales with the center stamped out and counter stamped around the space where the metal was punched out with New South Wales 1815 on one side and five shillings the other at about $500000. It's all down to supply and demand. Another anomaly is the GB 1927 proof florin with only 15000 minted with a price of about GBP 150.

It seems that I was wrongly informed about the WW1 medal only being inscribed with the name rank etc. in Australia. Just goes to show you should always check things your self rather than accept what someone told you in passing.