coinkat

I have not attempted to rank the Wreath proofs by date in terms of scarcity- I did offer a ranking for the George II Crowns by year on another forum about 4-5 years ago- excluding the 1732 and 1746 proofs.

Thanks- I have had modest luck with 1d varieties. I have yet to find a 1903 open 3

One common issue with the George V half crowns is the overall flatness of the obverse- especially the earlier dates 1911-1919

Thanks for posting- great information

The Modern Elizabeth half crowns can be challenge to grade. GEMS are not as easy to find as one might think.

The proof Wreath Crowns are interesting- I often wonder how rare they are. And I suspect that will be debated for years. I suppose someone at the Royal Mint could have kept records... just a question of whether they still exist or could be located.

What an unusual variety- I like it

Located this variety several years ago- I submitted to NGC - no attribution with an AU55 Grade

"Accurate" and "Conservative" are different concepts in grading

I doubt that I have the ability to get a decent picture that illustrates the doubling and then post it here. I will see what I can do

Greetings from across the pond: Let's just start by getting past the question why I was looking at some Churchill Crowns. So this is what we have- a fairly decent example with doubling at Churchill's outer eye brow extending down his nose, lips and chin. I did a goole search for die varieties and nothing helpful came back. It really does not look to me that this is machine doubling- especially at the chin. While this crown is not highly sought after, it would seem this Double Die variety would have already been discovered and made its way into the mainstream of modern UK errors. I suppose its possible that it has and I am just unaware of it. I would be interested if there are others here who could provide any further comments as to whether this coin has already been discovered. Thanks in advance as I can appreciate how this whole subject seems rather strange,

Unfortunately, I still have not found anything to suggest it is an inverted V.

Congrats on the attractive addition

Welcome

Half pennies are not high on the priority list, but I will buy them when the price is right.

My list is significantly smaller

Very impressive Tom-

In terms of buying, it never hurts to look at auction catalogs mainly because it helps establish a point of reference how often certain coins are offered and their condition. As an example, seems that a quality Gothic Crown or even a quality Cromwell Crown will surface with greater frequency than a quality George I Crown. Then, think about a specific date within a series- how often do you see a 1697 Crown? Does anyone here monitor the activity of coins of interest?

The aforementioned observations as to the 1901 1d that was graded MS66 Red is exactly why I have used the greater fool theory in describing market activity. That coin, even in 66 red, will not likely maintain that value. There is the potential that a significant quantity still exist and more will be graded. While an argument can be made that it is a condition rarity, the valuation is still off even for those that are obsessed with having to have the finest. There are a few similar factors at play: 1. Those collectors that have to have the finest; 2. The surviving population of the coin in various uncirculated grades; and 3. Determining the valuation of a GEM that is among the finest known in contrast to an average uncirculated example. These factors have been considered for decades in the US as to US coins. I doubt that the same analysis and thought has been applied to the British, French or German coins. And for certain British coins, we are going to develop a better understanding and appreciation for both rarity and condition rarity.

Seems that Victorian coinage is as popular as ever.

The surviving population is more significant than the quantity minted.

Tom; i agree with your observations-especially about the consistency in strike/quality. Obviously, it is a huge problem with Hammered coins. It also is a problem with early milled coins. We have the hindsight benefit of looking back, more often than not, with a critical eye that does not account for production. As you know, flecking and hay marks can appear on milled coins from Charles II even up through George II. Instead of these coins being a piece of numismatic history, most collectors will not have anything to do with such coins. So in part, the problem over time is being an issue of expectations. And the expectations seem to be moving higher to a standard that cannot possibly be met. Going back to a concern you expressed in terms of grading and distinguishing between wear and the quality of the strike, with milled coins one can always take a good look at the fields and the high points on the design/portrait and look for lustre breaks. Also, within the series, one can and should develop an appreciation for the dies, the quality of the strike by dates and the grade range for the surviving population. The Edward VII Shillings or even the Florins serve to illustrate the points. For the most part, the strikes are not of a high quality and the portrait of Edward VII is weak as a general rule. With the exception of 1902 and 1910, these can be deceptively difficult to find in MS-especially one that is well struck. These coins were spent and not many were saved which is why monitoring the surviving population tells the story over the mintage figures. Ancients were the rage during this time and even finding quality Canadian and US coins from the 1902 -1910 time frame seems to be an equal challenge.

In terms of a true GEM, I do not recall seeing one. My example by UK standards would likely be a lower end EF and AU55-58 by US standards.

Interesting read... Being on the other side of the pond, my collective thoughts are based on my experience in coins which dates back to the Nixon Administration. US collectors and the US Coin Market in general has accepted the Sheldon scale and it is just different than the grading standards in the UK. Consistency is critical in grading and that seems to be the challenge-especially evaluating coin series, the variation in dies, the strike and accepting that not all coins even from the same date and denomination are created equal. Somve e collectors are willing to pay more for coins that represent real quality for the grade. And that is often reflected by auction prices realized for coins graded by either PCGS or NGC. I have not followed how well CGS coins have fared at auction. I suspect that there remains a reluctance of slabbed coins in the UK for numerous reasons-Some seem to be well founded and others less so. TPG has its place for condition rarities as well as rarities for authentication purposes. There is some benefit to having slabbed coins. However, it really does not help with lower grade coins or those with a limited value. As others have pointed out, coin collecting has a side that is based on hype, telemarketing and even something that I often refer to as "the greater fool theory"... The US coin market is different in terms how coins are promoted, valued and sold. I do not see that changing as to US Coins. With World coins, there seems to be a growing interest which is being driven more by external factors and that will continue. More coins, especially quality world coins will ultimately be graded as it adds to liquidity and consignment options.

The claim of the finest known coin can simply not be supported based solely on what CGS has graded . Such a claim can only extend to the finest graded by CGS-nothing more.