1902 Farthing without mint toning

[Paddy]

I picked this up on Saturday as part of a box full of foreign coins. Clearly lacking mint toning, but was this how it left the mint or did someone dip it in something subsequently, do you think?

 

[Sword]

I don't know how the farthings were actually toned in the mint. However, if the "mint toning" can be so easily removed by dipping into something, then I guess there will be more of these around?

[Peckris 2]

1 hour ago, Paddy said:

I picked this up on Saturday as part of a box full of foreign coins. Clearly lacking mint toning, but was this how it left the mint or did someone dip it in something subsequently, do you think?

 

Not like genuine lustre at all - it's been artificially gilded, probably to pass off as a half sov> You can always tell these - the gilding is matt and completely the wromg colour.

[JLS]

I'd expect these to exist though, despite the spurious nature of the above example. I've seen Old Head Victorian examples. 

See London Coins, 2 March 2014, lot 2293, "Farthings (5) 1879 Large 9, 1879 Small 9 (2), 1901 with traces of lustre, not mint darkened, 1907 with lustre, not mint darkened NEF to GEF". 

As typical with farthing varieties, no-one was particularly interested and it went for £42 + premium. 

M"

[Peckris 2]

12 hours ago, JLS said:

I'd expect these to exist though, despite the spurious nature of the above example. I've seen Old Head Victorian examples. 

See London Coins, 2 March 2014, lot 2293, "Farthings (5) 1879 Large 9, 1879 Small 9 (2), 1901 with traces of lustre, not mint darkened, 1907 with lustre, not mint darkened NEF to GEF". 

As typical with farthing varieties, no-one was particularly interested and it went for £42 + premium. 

M"

I've seen Edward farthings with "lustre" - the right colour but totally the wrong texture. Almost certainly artificial.

 

[JLS]

11 minutes ago, Peckris 2 said:

I've seen Edward farthings with "lustre" - the right colour but totally the wrong texture. Almost certainly artificial.

 

I've never seen an Edward VII farthing with convincing original mint lustre, but I've seen an 1898 and a 1901 which looked kosher. Maybe just good coin doctoring though. 

[Loose change]

I picked this one up yesterday. An 1843 half farthing. Rather pleased with it:

 

1826 farthing:

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Loose change

[Varietalis]

On 2/11/2020 at 10:45 PM, JLS said:

I've never seen an Edward VII farthing with convincing original mint lustre, but I've seen an 1898 and a 1901 which looked kosher. Maybe just good coin doctoring though. 

Just looking through the Colin Cooke 'Staines Collection of Farthings' catalogue, which came out just yesterday.  Interestingly there are no Edward VII 'light finish' examples even among this comprehensive collection built up over 30 years.

[blakeyboy]

On 2/10/2020 at 10:06 PM, Sword said:

I don't know how the farthings were actually toned in the mint. However, if the "mint toning" can be so easily removed by dipping into something, then I guess there will be more of these around?

Could it have just been a type of 'hypo' ?

I can imagine that the GVI toning would be very dark brown if the solutions were stronger, but the farthings really were black.

 

[UPINSMOKE]

Here are my example of a 1907 Farthing the first being mint darkened although mine is probably not the best example. The second pictures is of again a 1907 example that has a bright finish to it. Not the best picture as it looks a lot brighter in hand.

[Varietalis]

Yours is definitely a light finish.  It looks from the photo as though it did pass through some mint darkening, just to a much lesser extent.  Good to know what to look out for.  

[Peckris 2]

10 hours ago, UPINSMOKE said:

Here are my example of a 1907 Farthing the first being mint darkened although mine is probably not the best example. The second pictures is of again a 1907 example that has a bright finish to it. Not the best picture as it looks a lot brighter in hand.

That second example doesn't look like a normal lustred coin. It looks more like a darkened farthing that's been treated? It certainly doesn't look natural.

[1949threepence]

On 5/5/2020 at 1:46 PM, Varietalis said:

Just looking through the Colin Cooke 'Staines Collection of Farthings' catalogue, which came out just yesterday.  Interestingly there are no Edward VII 'light finish' examples even among this comprehensive collection built up over 30 years.

Although the 1907 specimen, doesn't actually say "black" against the details. 

[Varietalis]

14 hours ago, 1949threepence said:

Although the 1907 specimen, doesn't actually say "black" against the details. 

Good spot!  Definitely worth a punt for £2.