Which Coin

[ozjohn]

The first scan is a NGC slabbed halfcrown  graded MS 62 while the lsecond scan is an ungraded 1917 halfcrown.

My view is that the iungraded coin is the better coin perhaps MS 63/64 when compared with the slabbed coin.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

[Rob]

Better strike on the second's reverse.

[Paulus]

1 hour ago, Rob said:

Better strike on the second's reverse.

Yes, definitely the second coin for me, if only for the better strike

[ozjohn]

Yes the weakness of the strike on the reverse is obvious on the second scan but harder to decide if it could be wear on the obverse of this coin which brings us back to the difficulty in grading this series of coins. Sometimes the milling can provide  some clues. However with NGC slabs the milling is completely hidden although it would have been visible to the original grader.

The scan of the 1916 halfcrown  shows what looks like wear on the obverse especially on the top of the king's ear although the reverse is pretty good strike. Examination of the milled edge shows it to be in pristine condition ( not scanned  as it is hard to do on a flat bed scanner). From that I would conclude this coin is in pretty close to UNC condition  with a poorly struck obverse. I know the TPG try to gage the strike when appraising a coin but IMO this one would struggle to receive a VF grading if it was determined that the obverse condition was due to wear rather than a poor strike. 

 

[Rob]

The obverse looks a lot worse on the 1916 compared to the 1917

[Peckris]

I think it's a combination of wear and weak strike. The reverse is clearly EF, while the obverse has wear (looking at the discoloured areas), but if it was a weak strike it wouldn't take much wear to make it look like that (VF for appearance).

[ozjohn]

Yes but the milling is pristine and in my experience the milling  receives a lot of wear during circulation. Also the obverse field has none of the usual scratches bumps etc. In fact in hand the fields of coin appears to have much of their original lustre. Maybe it was damaged some time in its life? Who knows but it does serve to illustrate the difficulty in grading poorly minted coins.

[VickySilver]

JMHO, but the second coin in the OP is the better by a bit because of strike on reverse as was said but also on the obverse. The second coin may have some minor edge dings, or so it appears.

In cases of soft or incomplete striking, the discoloration on "high" points may not always be wear, so be careful (beware, LOL).

Newer NGC holders are of the tine type so that most of the edge can in fact be observed.

[ozjohn]

Found this one on Ebay https://www.ebay.com/itm/Great-Britain-George-V-Silver-1915-1-2-Crown-PCGS-MS63-WWI-Issue-Toned-KM-818-1/302606398962?epid=102093249&hash=item4674bf35f2:g:r2UAAOSwHUhaHfuP  

It does not look the same as the one I posted however the obverse strike is pretty poor even so it obtained a MS 63 grading.

[Rob]

It's also worth bearing in mind that the coins advertised will be skewed, with those getting a higher grade than one might expect being advertised for sale with the number made prominent, whereas those the owner feels to be undergraded are more likely to disappear into the collection - particularly those slabbed in the 63-65 region. Below that it is less likely to be an issue unless rare.

[ozjohn]

I have rephotographed the 1916 coin with my new Sony camera fitted with a macro lens taken 1/40s at f /5.5 which gives a better image than the original scan also a photo showing the milling. The light source was 2 el cheapo LED clip on flexible reading lamps which may not be the best for this kind of work

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2018 by ozjohn

[Nonmortuus]

I have a few 1916's but only one that has been graded by a TPG. This was graded by CGS at CGS 78 as a comparison.

Yours looks to have a better strike on the reverse compared to mine.

[ozjohn]

A cracking obverse however. I guess we are lucky that sufficient coins have survived the years so we can admire them.

The subject coin is not my best example but a coin I have had for many years. I think I was intrigued when I brought it as it seemed to be of a high grade but on closer examination seemed to show some wear. This was before I learnt of all the problems the RM was having with these coins. I doubt if it cost more than $10 at the time.

Edited January 19, 2018 by ozjohn
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