Rarity

[mertax]

How many have to be made to be rare

i mean

like,

10,000,000 or less

[Peckris]

How many have to be made to be rare

i mean

like,

10,000,000 or less

Depends what you're talking about.

What determines rarity is a combination of mintage, popularity, survival, etc. For example, Maundy sets are minted each year - around 1000 or so - which for a currency coin would be very rare. But because it's "only" Maundy, they fetch quite modest sums (there are many fewer collectors for them).

The number of "undated error" 2008 20 pence pieces far exceeds Maundy, but look what they are selling for on eBay.

A rough rule of thumb for modern currency coins would be that any mintage of less than a million makes it pretty scarce. But condition matters too : 1950s half crowns and florins were minted in large quantities but are often very hard to find in top grade, and can be worth up to £50 in mint condition, but nothing in ordinary worn condition.

It's a more complicated subject than your question suggests.

[mertax]

How many have to be made to be rare

i mean

like,

10,000,000 or less

Depends what you're talking about.

What determines rarity is a combination of mintage, popularity, survival, etc. For example, Maundy sets are minted each year - around 1000 or so - which for a currency coin would be very rare. But because it's "only" Maundy, they fetch quite modest sums (there are many fewer collectors for them).

The number of "undated error" 2008 20 pence pieces far exceeds Maundy, but look what they are selling for on eBay.

A rough rule of thumb for modern currency coins would be that any mintage of less than a million makes it pretty scarce. But condition matters too : 1950s half crowns and florins were minted in large quantities but are often very hard to find in top grade, and can be worth up to £50 in mint condition, but nothing in ordinary worn condition.

It's a more complicated subject than your question suggests.

That means a Brittania made in 2007 is rare (only 700,000 exist)maybe a few 2 pounds

[Gary D]

How many have to be made to be rare

i mean

like,

10,000,000 or less

Depends what you're talking about.

What determines rarity is a combination of mintage, popularity, survival, etc. For example, Maundy sets are minted each year - around 1000 or so - which for a currency coin would be very rare. But because it's "only" Maundy, they fetch quite modest sums (there are many fewer collectors for them).

The number of "undated error" 2008 20 pence pieces far exceeds Maundy, but look what they are selling for on eBay.

A rough rule of thumb for modern currency coins would be that any mintage of less than a million makes it pretty scarce. But condition matters too : 1950s half crowns and florins were minted in large quantities but are often very hard to find in top grade, and can be worth up to £50 in mint condition, but nothing in ordinary worn condition.

It's a more complicated subject than your question suggests.

That means a Brittania made in 2007 is rare (only 700,000 exist)maybe a few 2 pounds

Freeman considers 650,000- 1 million to be rare.

[Peckris]

Freeman considers 650,000- 1 million to be rare.

Take Freeman with a pinch of salt. Most collectors wouldn't rate his R9 or less as genuinely rare. He lists the 1926ME as R6 while Gouby rates it as S4 only.

You have to look at rarity in context. Proof sets have a mintage of less than 100,000 often, but no-one would pretend that they are rare or ever will be. But if you had a currency coin with a mintage of less than 100,000, people would be selling specimens for "silly money" on eBay.

The Britannia is not a currency coin.

[scott]

i thought R9 was rare.. isnt that like 8000-12000?

in terms of rare, it depends on the minting figures for the period, the country made for etc.

[Peckris]

i thought R9 was rare.. isnt that like 8000-12000?

in terms of rare, it depends on the minting figures for the period, the country made for etc.

It's SUCH a tricky subject, this.

To a date series collector of pennies, then the 1951 penny is rare, or any year when a million or less were minted.

To a bun varieties collector, anything where there are over 1,000 around isn't rare - they're a small and very dedicated bunch of people who probably wouldn't get out of bed for a penny where there are more than 100 - 200 knocking around!

It's all relative. But believe me, in the context of bun pennies (where any decent example of any date is scarce), then Freeman R9 isn't considered rare.

[scott]

yes but after that R9 post 1895 is great.

and i'm one of the farthing guys sitting on a 200-300 estimate mintage piece. but really like i said, it does depend, i was holding bun pennies to that and even earlier still, its relative to the overall figures.

we classify 2008 2p with old design as scarse even though its 11 million minted due to the overall scale of minting of 2p the chances of finding one are very low.

Edited October 4, 2009 by scott

[1949threepence]

Freeman considers 650,000- 1 million to be rare.

and in the case of a properly circulated coin, like say a 1919KN penny, I would agree with that. The cache of finding a perfect specimen transcends the relative ease of obtaning a worn example, and so the coin acquires a "rare" categorisation. Indeed, a fine example would be "rare".

Not for proof sets and non circulation coins, though.

[Peckris]

Not for proof sets and non circulation coins, though.

And definitely not for Maundy sets either! (Though I've never understood the "your 1850s silver 3d is low value if it's Maundy, but name your price if it's not" - the Maundy 3d must be as rare if not rarer than the currency issues).