11957 Half Crown

[Hello17]

is it worth 5/6 pounds as i am going there with my pocket money (im a kid) and only have £8-10 to spend and i like this.

is it worth it

it is graded UNC and it would be a good starter for me

(from Cambridge Coins)

i do not have other side becausew it was not there

[declanwmagee]

Excellent starter!

I wish I'd started by buying UNCs - I'd be a lot further forward by now. Bit pricey maybe but not by much. Try and knock him down a bit - coinies like a bit of a haggle.

[Peckris]

is it worth 5/6 pounds as i am going there with my pocket money (im a kid) and only have £8-10 to spend and i like this.

is it worth it

it is graded UNC and it would be a good starter for me

(from Cambridge Coins)

i do not have other side becausew it was not there

Sensible buy. It's not the priciest Elizabeth II halfcrown, it's sort of halfway between 1954 (the scarcest in UNC) and 1967 (the commonest). Mostly you can't go wrong with Elizabeth II 1950s coins in UNC, they will do ok in years to come. And those halfcrowns are rather nice (in UNC).

[declanwmagee]

is it worth 5/6 pounds as i am going there with my pocket money (im a kid) and only have £8-10 to spend and i like this.

is it worth it

it is graded UNC and it would be a good starter for me

(from Cambridge Coins)

i do not have other side becausew it was not there

Sensible buy. It's not the priciest Elizabeth II halfcrown, it's sort of halfway between 1954 (the scarcest in UNC) and 1967 (the commonest). Mostly you can't go wrong with Elizabeth II 1950s coins in UNC, they will do ok in years to come. And those halfcrowns are rather nice (in UNC).

I take it back about being a bit pricey if it is an UNC. I've got an EF+ in my Shop for £7.50. Oops. 50s UNCs are trickier than they are often given credit for. Maybe not the '57 Halfcrown so much, but try and get hold of some of the shillings in true UNC and you may be looking for a while these days.

[andyscouse]

Hi Hello!

Welcome to coin collecting - I wish you the very best as you build up your collection. I'd agree with the other posters - that is a good price for a '57 Unc, and it is better to start with Unc early on! I wish I had done so, but eventually, we'll get there.

Sometimes the guide books don't give an accurate picture of a coin's availability in higher grades. Here's an interesting article by an English guy in the US on his experiences with both:

• Specimens thought to be scarce/rare but are not
  
• Specimens thought to be common but are very hard to find
  

Interesting article on British Rarities

To quote from the "Thought to be common but aren't" bit:

Halfcrowns

1926 through 1936 - easy to find in XF or AU, but very tough to find legitimate UNCs. It is well known that 1930 (809,501) is tough to find anyway.

1950, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960 - they have higher mintages but are tricky to find in BU because they do not command the premium prices found in 1954, 1958 and 1959 examples. 1957 (34,200,563) and 1956 (33,934,909) are the second and third highest mintages respectively of the period 1821-1967 but nice BU examples are elusive. .

[scott]

i have 53 57 and 58 an EF but really halfcrowns are not my focus, but a good UNC coin is just that, good.

looking through that list, i am very please dwith my aUNC 1908 farthing lol

Edited August 5, 2010 by scott

[Peckris]

Hi Hello!

Welcome to coin collecting - I wish you the very best as you build up your collection. I'd agree with the other posters - that is a good price for a '57 Unc, and it is better to start with Unc early on! I wish I had done so, but eventually, we'll get there.

Sometimes the guide books don't give an accurate picture of a coin's availability in higher grades. Here's an interesting article by an English guy in the US on his experiences with both:

• Specimens thought to be scarce/rare but are not
  
• Specimens thought to be common but are very hard to find
  

Interesting article on British Rarities

To quote from the "Thought to be common but aren't" bit:

Halfcrowns

1926 through 1936 - easy to find in XF or AU, but very tough to find legitimate UNCs. It is well known that 1930 (809,501) is tough to find anyway.

1950, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960 - they have higher mintages but are tricky to find in BU because they do not command the premium prices found in 1954, 1958 and 1959 examples. 1957 (34,200,563) and 1956 (33,934,909) are the second and third highest mintages respectively of the period 1821-1967 but nice BU examples are elusive. .

Very interesting article. I tend to agree with all his findings bar one : BU 1942 Scottish shillings are NOT hard to find! I had several pass through my hands when dealing.

[Hello17]

So should i buy when i go this month or not (find another?)

[andyscouse]

So should i buy when i go this month or not (find another?)

Hello,

I'd go for it ... maybe you could see something else for a couple of pounds if you have spare cashola ...

[Hello17]

So should i buy when i go this month or not (find another?)

Hello,

I'd go for it ... maybe you could see something else for a couple of pounds if you have spare cashola ...

my budget is £10

i am looking at a 1945 half crown (gEF)for the other £5 or a 1949 Half Crown EF for £4

[£400 for a Penny ?]

Sheep ??

[Hello17]

Sheep ??

yes it is in fashion for my age in my area

back on topic???

[£400 for a Penny ?]

Well,

We can't buy them for you, you must decide.

If the grades stack up, if you can negotiate a good price, go for it.

Let us know how you get on..

[Peckris]

So should i buy when i go this month or not (find another?)

Hello,

I'd go for it ... maybe you could see something else for a couple of pounds if you have spare cashola ...

my budget is £10

i am looking at a 1945 half crown (gEF)for the other £5 or a 1949 Half Crown EF for £4

Judge those two on how they look to you ("coin appeal"). The 1945 is a silver coin, but is quite easy to find in that grade. The 1949 is cupro-nickel like modern 'silver', and is quite scarce in high grade (make sure it's minimum EF, and looks attractive - there's a lot of dull EF coins around from 1947 on).

[declanwmagee]

So should i buy when i go this month or not (find another?)

Hello,

I'd go for it ... maybe you could see something else for a couple of pounds if you have spare cashola ...

my budget is £10

i am looking at a 1945 half crown (gEF)for the other £5 or a 1949 Half Crown EF for £4

Judge those two on how they look to you ("coin appeal"). The 1945 is a silver coin, but is quite easy to find in that grade. The 1949 is cupro-nickel like modern 'silver', and is quite scarce in high grade (make sure it's minimum EF, and looks attractive - there's a lot of dull EF coins around from 1947 on).

Yes, I'd say it's easier to find a good '45 than a good '49

[HistoryTreasures]

Kids only being able to afford 8 quid these days? haha..!

[Peckris]

Kids only being able to afford 8 quid these days? haha..!

I know! To think when I were a nipper I could change my five bob into a bag of pennies to sort through, take it back, get another bag, and so on ...

[scott]

you can get some great coins for 8 quid

trust me i know.. i rarely spend over 8 quid on one coin and i got some rares and coins of decent value

[Hello17]

i actually have £15 and i might spend some at the museum though ?-?

[1949threepence]

is it worth 5/6 pounds as i am going there with my pocket money (im a kid) and only have £8-10 to spend and i like this.

is it worth it

it is graded UNC and it would be a good starter for me

(from Cambridge Coins)

i do not have other side becausew it was not there

Nice coin & a good starting point for a collection. I agree with others who say that colleting UNC examples is definitely a good thing, even though it may take you longer because of higher prices. It will certainly save you having to upgrade later ~ and trust me, you always want to upgrade eventually.

Good luck

Hi Hello!

Interesting article on British Rarities

Very interesting article. I never realised that a 1958 threepence in true BU was so difficult to come by. Ironically enough a BU 1958 threepence was one of the first coins I ever bought way back in 1992, at the age of 14.

[scott]

heh thats cool, always nice to find out that your early buys, you knew nothing about at the time, are rare

[Peckris]

is it worth 5/6 pounds as i am going there with my pocket money (im a kid) and only have £8-10 to spend and i like this.

is it worth it

it is graded UNC and it would be a good starter for me

(from Cambridge Coins)

i do not have other side becausew it was not there

Nice coin & a good starting point for a collection. I agree with others who say that colleting UNC examples is definitely a good thing, even though it may take you longer because of higher prices. It will certainly save you having to upgrade later ~ and trust me, you always want to upgrade eventually.

Good luck

Hi Hello!

Interesting article on British Rarities

Very interesting article. I never realised that a 1958 threepence in true BU was so difficult to come by. Ironically enough a BU 1958 threepence was one of the first coins I ever bought way back in 1992, at the age of 14.

The 1958 3d was a much-hyped 'scarcity' in the late 60s. I always thought later it must be a bit of a myth, like the 1946 BU halfpenny. But now you come to mention it, I've hardly ever seen one (unlike the 1946 halfpenny...)

[1949threepence]

heh thats cool, always nice to find out that your early buys, you knew nothing about at the time, are rare

Absolutely. I got it at an antiques/general bits and bobs/coin sale held in a local Church hall one Saturday afternoon. Cost me just £1.50 !!

The 1958 3d was a much-hyped 'scarcity' in the late 60s. I always thought later it must be a bit of a myth, like the 1946 BU halfpenny. But now you come to mention it, I've hardly ever seen one (unlike the 1946 halfpenny...)

When I was assembling my threepenny bit collection, I found the most difficult of the Elizabeth ones in BU was 1954, oddly enough.