1873 One Schilling die 91

[jdtann]

Hello. Wondering if this 91 die has been recorded for an 1873 One Schilling

[Rob]

I expect so.. I don't have the individual die nos to hand, but all three die pairs have higher die numbers than 91.

[Coinery]

1 hour ago, Rob said:

I expect so.. I don't have the individual die nos to hand, but all three die pairs have higher die numbers than 91.

What was the book/document that contains a list of the known die numbers for each date? I know I used to own a copy of something that did, but can’t recall what.

[Citizen H]

for 1873, I have die no's 18, 87 & 103....welcome to the Rabbit Hole....🐰 

[Paddy]

Bull doesn't include 91 in the list of die numbers for 1873, but I am told this list has now been outdated.

This list of die numbers: http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/dieno.html also does not include 91.

I am sure there was discussion on here a few months (years?) back and someone had a link to a more up to date list, but I haven't found it yet.

 

 

[jdtann]

I live in the U.S. and inherited several coins (including this one) from my German grandfather. I'm by no means an expert but I've had the coin looked at by an expert who says it is authentic. I'm happy to provide any info I can to help with historical data.

[Paddy]

I have no doubt it is genuine, but I am not sure anyone is chasing down new die numbers that seriously anymore. As @Rob intimated, newly identified ones turn up quite regularly - another reason not to go down that rabbit hole! 😄

[Coys55]

16 hours ago, Paddy said:

I have no doubt it is genuine, but I am not sure anyone is chasing down new die numbers that seriously anymore. As @Rob intimated, newly identified ones turn up quite regularly - another reason not to go down that rabbit hole! 😄

I find it interesting that we'll argue for days whether a letter is pointing at a tooth or gap or if a tide is high or low on a penny, but no one is interested in Victorian die numbers, which are as clear as day and surely worth studying and would throw up new and possibly unique dies. Some of the money paid for what seems like tiny and obscure penny varieties really astounds me.

We're a strange bunch, and I include myself in that statement; I'll spend ages identifying the die pairing on a Rhuddlan cut half, or even a quarter, and could easily get interested in said penny varietes, but I have no plans to do so. Yet. I think I'll steer clear of the die numbers too TBH.

 

Hmm, there's a lot of die number shillings on ebay... 🐰

 

Edited 14 hours ago by Coys55

[Rob]

On 4/9/2026 at 4:49 PM, jdtann said:

I live in the U.S. and inherited several coins (including this one) from my German grandfather. I'm by no means an expert but I've had the coin looked at by an expert who says it is authentic. I'm happy to provide any info I can to help with historical data.

Nobody should worry about the authenticity of most coins. The contemporary copies are much rarer than the genuine articles and would sell for a premium usually. Given the number of genuinely uncirculated coins out there, copies are likely a very tiny fraction of the total output for currency issues, so the numbers don't cause me or many others sleepless nights. Multiple examples are soon flagged up in any case. You could even say that all coins are bought because it appeals to the buyer, so if a copy looks better than the real deal, there is nothing fundamentally wrong in paying the same price as for a genuine coin.

Authenticity concerns about general circulating currency seem to be mainly an American issue, presumably driven by the TPGs who use it as a selling point for their services. A complete triumph of marketing over relevance. If it doesn't cost much to acquire, you won't lose much if it's iffy. If you are betting the house on something's authenticity, then doing due diligence is a prerequisite for being a buyer in the first place, unless you are a gullible idiot with more money than sense. The pertinent information can be sourced by any buyer - if they can be arsed.

Many issues have by now suffered a near total loss of the original mintage for a given year, so the occurrence of new die numbers for a particular year shouldn't come as a surprise. Think along the lines of 1838 sovereigns, where 100K out of a mintage of just over 2 million were melted from the Smithsonian bequest to name just one event. The number of shipwrecks in the 19th century one would assume offered a similar attritional rate to many years' populations given the gold was used for international business settlements.

I only have one person actively seeking new die numbers and he is in the Crewe Society, but that doesn't include for each date and is really only a fun side project (AS COLLECTING SHOULD BE). Another used to go to Wakefield before we moved to Huddersfield, but I think he has stopped and sold up.