Ebay's Worst Offerings

[azda]

Should maybe ask if he's going to relist it as i missed such a bargain

[Generic Lad]

This isn't a laugh like most of them, being as it is (reasonably) priced and such but the obverse is just hilariously bad.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GEORGE-II-HALF-GUINEA-COIN-WEIGHT-/280836444700?pt=UK_Coins_BritishMilled_RL&hash=item416328121c

I know coin weights aren't great at the best of times, but I think this one takes the cake!

[Peter]

This isn't a laugh like most of them, being as it is (reasonably) priced and such but the obverse is just hilariously bad.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GEORGE-II-HALF-GUINEA-COIN-WEIGHT-/280836444700?pt=UK_Coins_BritishMilled_RL&hash=item416328121c

I know coin weights aren't great at the best of times, but I think this one takes the cake!

A respected seller. As long as it is the correct weight...bit expensive though

[Cerbera100]

What do you reckon to this?

From memory, all the known instances of this are in the Martini packs... so is the fact this this is a Heinz one worth the 400% uplift in price?!

[Peter]

What do you reckon to this?

From memory, all the known instances of this are in the Martini packs... so is the fact this this is a Heinz one worth the 400% uplift in price?!

I thought Heinz

[bagerap]

We've been here before:

http://www.predecimal.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4257

I sold a Heinz last year for £775.00. Wonder if it's this one?

[DaveG38]

What do you reckon to this?

From memory, all the known instances of this are in the Martini packs... so is the fact this this is a Heinz one worth the 400% uplift in price?!

When I was researching my 'Bronze' book, I came across references to these being in both the 'Martini' and 'Heinz' packs, but not the Royal Mint Uncirculated sets, so I would say this isn't especially unique or rare within its own population of rarity, if you see what I mean. Last time I saw one was at a cost of around £800, so £3400 looks like a total ramp - it's not even as though they are especially sought after, since decimal isn't on most collectors radar.

For many collectors on limited budgets, decimal is an easy series to go for, but then they are not likely to spend this kind of money. For the wealthier collector, there are better things to spend £3400 on - like a 1934 crown, or something really nice from the 17th/18th Century. That probably leaves a limited number of collectors, who 'must have' every type of every denoimination and they might be willing to spend this much on what is a very mundane coin. I'll be surprised if it goes.

Edited June 1, 2012 by DaveG38

[Peter]

What do you reckon to this?

From memory, all the known instances of this are in the Martini packs... so is the fact this this is a Heinz one worth the 400% uplift in price?!

When I was researching my 'Bronze' book, I came across references to these being in both the 'Martini' and 'Heinz' packs, but not the Royal Mint Uncirculated sets, so I would say this isn't especially unique or rare within its own population of rarity, if you see what I mean. Last time I saw one was at a cost of around £800, so £3400 looks like a total ramp - it's not even as though they are especially sought after, since decimal isn't on most collectors radar.

For many collectors on limited budgets, decimal is an easy series to go for, but then they are not likely to spend this kind of money. For the wealthier collector, there are better things to spend £3400 on - like a 1934 crown, or something really nice from the 17th/18th Century. That probably leaves a limited number of collectors, who 'must have' every type of every denoimination and they might be willing to spend this much on what is a very mundane coin. I'll be surprised if it goes.

I will second that Dave.

I bought the 1984 & 1988 BU currency sets to get the 1/2p & £1...these were cheap and have gone to the back of the cupboard and haven't been seen since.

[DaveG38]

I wonder what vintage was used to achieve this effect.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160816991255&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

[azda]

I wonder what vintage was used to achieve this effect.

http://www.ebay.co.u...ME:B:SS:GB:1123

Geezus, he should be paying me to take the shite off his hands

[HistoricCoinage]

Geezus, he should be paying me to take the shite off his hands

To be fair, he's got some wonderfully rare coinage.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-CHARLES-AND-DIANA-COMMEMORATIVE-WEDDING-COIN-1981-VERY-RARE-/160815806135?pt=UK_Coins_BritishComm_RL&hash=item25715e76b7#ht_500wt_1413

[Peckris]

Geezus, he should be paying me to take the shite off his hands

To be fair, he's got some wonderfully rare coinage.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-CHARLES-AND-DIANA-COMMEMORATIVE-WEDDING-COIN-1981-VERY-RARE-/160815806135?pt=UK_Coins_BritishComm_RL&hash=item25715e76b7#ht_500wt_1413

Well, in one sense it's unique

[SEnumis]

Geezus, he should be paying me to take the shite off his hands

To be fair, he's got some wonderfully rare coinage.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-CHARLES-AND-DIANA-COMMEMORATIVE-WEDDING-COIN-1981-VERY-RARE-/160815806135?pt=UK_Coins_BritishComm_RL&hash=item25715e76b7#ht_500wt_1413

Well, in one sense it's unique

Goodness I have two of those extremely rare coins, oh and a proof version too.

[Coinery]

Bi-metal Halfcrown!

Do you think he/she may have noticed it's rather an odd colour for a silver coin?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1925Halfcrown-/251077139068?pt=UK_Coins_BritishMilled_RL&hash=item3a755d1a7c

[davidrj]

Bi-metal Halfcrown!

Do you think he/she may have noticed it's rather an odd colour for a silver coin?

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3a755d1a7c

From memory this is what they looked like in circulation (1960s) copper always ends up showing through the silver in worn billon coins.

Henry VIII's debased coinage gave him the nickname "Old Coppernose"

David

[Gary]

From memory this is what they looked like in circulation (1960s) copper always ends up showing through the silver in worn billon coins.

Henry VIII's debased coinage gave him the nickname "Old Coppernose"

David

I have seen many silver coins that look like this, all in low grade, it is nothing unusual.

[Coinery]

From memory this is what they looked like in circulation (1960s) copper always ends up showing through the silver in worn billon coins.

Henry VIII's debased coinage gave him the nickname "Old Coppernose"

David

I have seen many silver coins that look like this, all in low grade, it is nothing unusual.

OK, I have an awful feeling I am about to learn something I should already know! Here are my questions however...

Surely the silver alloy would be a consistent colour throughout the entire depth of the planchet, not just on the surface?

There seem to be numerous other low-grade coins of the same type that do not manifest this copper colour beneath the surface!

Isn't this quite simply a plated copper halfcrown?

Oh, and apologies to the seller if I've brought a genuine article into disrepute!

Not to mention the number of G5 coins I've binned on account of copper showing just below the surface.

Anyone?

[Peckris]

From memory this is what they looked like in circulation (1960s) copper always ends up showing through the silver in worn billon coins.

Henry VIII's debased coinage gave him the nickname "Old Coppernose"

David

I have seen many silver coins that look like this, all in low grade, it is nothing unusual.

OK, I have an awful feeling I am about to learn something I should already know! Here are my questions however...

Surely the silver alloy would be a consistent colour throughout the entire depth of the planchet, not just on the surface?

There seem to be numerous other low-grade coins of the same type that do not manifest this copper colour beneath the surface!

Isn't this quite simply a plated copper halfcrown?

Oh, and apologies to the seller if I've brought a genuine article into disrepute!

Not to mention the number of G5 coins I've binned on account of copper showing just below the surface.

Anyone?

Right, this is a complex subject! First, the Mint had a lot of difficulty with the new 50% silver alloy, the other 50% of which consisted largely of copper, though they experimented with the precise tiny proportions of tin and zinc. The discolouration you see is present on most coins between 1920 and 1926. In the earlier years, i.e. before 1923, some of the coins have a distinctly yellowish appearance, then you get the pink coppery colours a bit later. You don't see any discolouration on the BU coins as I believe the blanks were washed in pure silver before striking (can anyone confirm?).

After 1926 the mix was more stable, but even so you can see ugly discolouration on worn coins all the way through to 1946. Precisely why the copper shows through more on worn specimens is something that perhaps a chemist would need to answer. Certainly the alloy was supposed to be of even mix and quality, but it may not have been particularly stable when it came to wearing characteristics, i.e. with environmental factors and the properties of sweat, etc?

Some coins instead of showing the coppery hue you see there, show an even uglier grey colour. That would tend not to draw so much attention from people like yourself, wondering if it was indeed a copper coin.

But I can assure you that I have seen many many examples just like that coin on eBay, and the more worn they are the more discoloured they are. The exception being coins of 1920-1922 which can often look yellowish even in high grade and led to the Mint tinkering with the alloy to try and get it right. I'd say that coins of 1925 are possibly the worst for showing the pinky colour, so it is possible they tried a one-off alloy mix in that year?

[Coinery]

From memory this is what they looked like in circulation (1960s) copper always ends up showing through the silver in worn billon coins.

Henry VIII's debased coinage gave him the nickname "Old Coppernose"

David

I have seen many silver coins that look like this, all in low grade, it is nothing unusual.

OK, I have an awful feeling I am about to learn something I should already know! Here are my questions however...

Surely the silver alloy would be a consistent colour throughout the entire depth of the planchet, not just on the surface?

There seem to be numerous other low-grade coins of the same type that do not manifest this copper colour beneath the surface!

Isn't this quite simply a plated copper halfcrown?

Oh, and apologies to the seller if I've brought a genuine article into disrepute!

Not to mention the number of G5 coins I've binned on account of copper showing just below the surface.

Anyone?

Right, this is a complex subject! First, the Mint had a lot of difficulty with the new 50% silver alloy, the other 50% of which consisted largely of copper, though they experimented with the precise tiny proportions of tin and zinc. The discolouration you see is present on most coins between 1920 and 1926. In the earlier years, i.e. before 1923, some of the coins have a distinctly yellowish appearance, then you get the pink coppery colours a bit later. You don't see any discolouration on the BU coins as I believe the blanks were washed in pure silver before striking (can anyone confirm?).

After 1926 the mix was more stable, but even so you can see ugly discolouration on worn coins all the way through to 1946. Precisely why the copper shows through more on worn specimens is something that perhaps a chemist would need to answer. Certainly the alloy was supposed to be of even mix and quality, but it may not have been particularly stable when it came to wearing characteristics, i.e. with environmental factors and the properties of sweat, etc?

Some coins instead of showing the coppery hue you see there, show an even uglier grey colour. That would tend not to draw so much attention from people like yourself, wondering if it was indeed a copper coin.

But I can assure you that I have seen many many examples just like that coin on eBay, and the more worn they are the more discoloured they are. The exception being coins of 1920-1922 which can often look yellowish even in high grade and led to the Mint tinkering with the alloy to try and get it right. I'd say that coins of 1925 are possibly the worst for showing the pinky colour, so it is possible they tried a one-off alloy mix in that year?

Well, just as I said, I thought I was about to learn something quite significant!

Thanks, Peckris, for your usual full and diligent response! I have to say, I have genuinely learnt something quite monumental there, I'm staggered, guess I've played about pre-1920's for far too long!

Time to give G5 a try then

[Peckris]

From memory this is what they looked like in circulation (1960s) copper always ends up showing through the silver in worn billon coins.

Henry VIII's debased coinage gave him the nickname "Old Coppernose"

David

I have seen many silver coins that look like this, all in low grade, it is nothing unusual.

OK, I have an awful feeling I am about to learn something I should already know! Here are my questions however...

Surely the silver alloy would be a consistent colour throughout the entire depth of the planchet, not just on the surface?

There seem to be numerous other low-grade coins of the same type that do not manifest this copper colour beneath the surface!

Isn't this quite simply a plated copper halfcrown?

Oh, and apologies to the seller if I've brought a genuine article into disrepute!

Not to mention the number of G5 coins I've binned on account of copper showing just below the surface.

Anyone?

Right, this is a complex subject! First, the Mint had a lot of difficulty with the new 50% silver alloy, the other 50% of which consisted largely of copper, though they experimented with the precise tiny proportions of tin and zinc. The discolouration you see is present on most coins between 1920 and 1926. In the earlier years, i.e. before 1923, some of the coins have a distinctly yellowish appearance, then you get the pink coppery colours a bit later. You don't see any discolouration on the BU coins as I believe the blanks were washed in pure silver before striking (can anyone confirm?).

After 1926 the mix was more stable, but even so you can see ugly discolouration on worn coins all the way through to 1946. Precisely why the copper shows through more on worn specimens is something that perhaps a chemist would need to answer. Certainly the alloy was supposed to be of even mix and quality, but it may not have been particularly stable when it came to wearing characteristics, i.e. with environmental factors and the properties of sweat, etc?

Some coins instead of showing the coppery hue you see there, show an even uglier grey colour. That would tend not to draw so much attention from people like yourself, wondering if it was indeed a copper coin.

But I can assure you that I have seen many many examples just like that coin on eBay, and the more worn they are the more discoloured they are. The exception being coins of 1920-1922 which can often look yellowish even in high grade and led to the Mint tinkering with the alloy to try and get it right. I'd say that coins of 1925 are possibly the worst for showing the pinky colour, so it is possible they tried a one-off alloy mix in that year?

Well, just as I said, I thought I was about to learn something quite significant!

Thanks, Peckris, for your usual full and diligent response! I have to say, I have genuinely learnt something quite monumental there, I'm staggered, guess I've played about pre-1920's for far too long!

Time to give G5 a try then

I find George V to be just about THE most fascinating reign, numismatically speaking.

[azda]

So ebay are upping the FVF for private sellers once again, anything over 400 will incur 75 fees now

[choolie]

Yes I do find it amazing that nobody else has come up with an auction site with lower fees. when you consider the size of ebays market there is plenty for a competitor to undercut. Maybe I should do it.

[azda]

Even dick turpin wore a mask when robbing people. Couple that with paypal fees then its getting a bit hefty

[Paulus]

So ebay are upping the FVF for private sellers once again, anything over 400 will incur 75 fees now

Dave do you know when the new fees apply from?

[azda]

Thinks its july