Gothic Crowns

[numismatist]

Are GOTHIC CROWNS with Undecimo Edge PROOFS ?

I ask because Spinks and DNW etc no longer call them Proofs but ESC (1968 all I have )

Quotes Royal Mint Ex Chief Clerk Mr Stride as stating that ALL were struck in Proof state

and were never issued for circulation.

Why are they no longer refered to as Proofs if not the Plain Edge Type ? Anyone know why ?

[ski]

although there is that note about the comment from mr stride, the table still refers to them as proofs in esc, as does davies.

if their polished dies and not released for circulation, are they not proofs?

[numismatist]

I have always looked upon them as Proofs, but they never seem nowadays to be refered to as Proofs,

though the odd one that is very "frosted on the portrait" is sometimes refered to as "prooflike"

which all seems to indicate they are no longer thought of as proofs by the likes of Spinks and DNW ,

so I wondered why this was so ?

[VickySilver]

Yes, a bit of problem as are many proof or special issue coins. Many, including me think these were proofs but that the dies were not necessarily maintained to that standard. And evidently these crowns were struck for many years afterward. Sometimes were struck without edge marking and even evidently in pure silver.

As the dies aged and were not "reprepped" the cameo effect would gradually be lost and the resultant coins would lose some/most of their proof qualities, etc....

What to call them? If not of quality to be termed proof, I imagine few would quarrel with the label "specimen".

[Peckris]

It's not the only coin, crown even, to be shrouded in "proof confusion". A modern example would be the 1951 Crown which in the 60s was invariably referred to as a proof, but gradually over the years it's come to be reclassified as prooflike. It's even more confusing when you consider that absolutely identical specimens are in the 1951 proof set.

Edited December 29, 2011 by Peckris

[ski]

It's even more confusing when you consider that absolutely identical specimens are in the 1951 proof set.

no wonder us mere mortals struggle.

the gothic crowns are still may fav though, whatever their called, the design is amazing.

[Peckris]

It's even more confusing when you consider that absolutely identical specimens are in the 1951 proof set.

no wonder us mere mortals struggle.

the gothic crowns are still may fav though, whatever their called, the design is amazing.

No argument there!

[Mat]

Michael Coins has a very worn rare 1853 septimo gothic for sale but it has an inverted die axis which is unknown fot this strike as far as I know. Bit of a strange one.