1862 proof florin

[david.bordeaux]

The 1862 plain-edge proof Gothic florin (2849 in Bull, who records it as "not traced") sold for $21,600 (including buyer's premium) at Heritage yesterday. At least we know that it exists now.

[copper123]

7 hours ago, david.bordeaux said:

The 1862 plain-edge proof Gothic florin (2849 in Bull, who records it as "not traced") sold for $21,600 (including buyer's premium) at Heritage yesterday. At least we know that it exists now.

Total beauty

[Coinery]

1 hour ago, copper123 said:

Total beauty

It is…but it’s totally unnecessary I think to see the tone carelessly removed from the high spots, especially for a coin of such prestige!

I see it all the time on lesser coins, where I can imagine someone has ‘pulled’ a coin across a surface to pick it up, rather than ‘hook’ it up (more difficult to do with hammered, of course).

I discovered, quite by accident, that one of the worst offenders is the grey ‘neutral’ boards that come with cameras nowadays, they are comparable to 1000 grit sandpaper when a coin is dragged off it. Many coins are horribly scarred this way (I attach an example).

[Sword]

That's the main reason I keep my coins in quadrums - in order to protect them from friction and dust. I do admit that quadrums are not so appropriate for hammered...

[VickySilver]

I like this sort of toning on Vicky silver and suspect it may result from storage in a velvet-lined box or similar. Even years ago I could not afford "off year" Vicky silver proofs but did manage to get the proof florins of 1863 and a somewhat scruffy 1881; even the 1853 proofs are going a bit mad and they are not an off year. I suspect the currency 1863 in true mint state would go higher at auction than the proof.