Uncirculated?

[Genie]

Hi Im new to this. My aunt passed away recently and Ive found a a few old coins, a lot of them are scrap but Ive got a sovereign and a half sovereign found in a little leather pouch which look 'perfect' but I know nothing about grading - saw one on ebay for a lot of money that said uncirculated but it had a couple of 'chips' on edge. Can an uncirculated coin not be 'perfect'. I bought a copy of latest Spinks book but a bit of a minefield as you still need to have some idea of what/how coins graded.

[Peter]

Higenie...couldn't resist that.

To be uncirculated the coins must be perfect.Gold is very soft and the fact they have been stored together probably negates UNC.

Most 20C sovereigns are worth bullion unless you have a rare mint.What dates are the coins.The mint (if not London)will be indicated just above the date.

[Hello17]

i think it would be a EF if it had knocks.

i have a 1929 Shilling which has at least 75% lustre. but its got one mark (not a scratch just a mark like its been drawn on ) and spink lists it at 6x what i paid.

you say your coin is perfect. i wouldn't say purfect as that doesn't exist in the coin world. you coins should be worth atleast £300-400 together. depending on the year, they could be worth £2K

[Peckris]

Hi Im new to this. My aunt passed away recently and Ive found a a few old coins, a lot of them are scrap but Ive got a sovereign and a half sovereign found in a little leather pouch which look 'perfect' but I know nothing about grading - saw one on ebay for a lot of money that said uncirculated but it had a couple of 'chips' on edge. Can an uncirculated coin not be 'perfect'. I bought a copy of latest Spinks book but a bit of a minefield as you still need to have some idea of what/how coins graded.

Indeed - an uncirculated coin need not be perfect. But it MUST NOT show any signs of wear (rubbing, slight flattening, or worse). Modern uncirculated coins can show what are generally referred to as 'bag marks', which your two coins in their leather pouch MAY have, from rubbing together (pictures would be good if you can get them). Bag marks can be minor abrasions, scuffing, very light small scratches. Chips on the edge should not be present.

But as I say, we would need to see some pictures to be sure. By the way, what are the dates of your coins?

[Genie]

Hi Im new to this. My aunt passed away recently and Ive found a a few old coins, a lot of them are scrap but Ive got a sovereign and a half sovereign found in a little leather pouch which look 'perfect' but I know nothing about grading - saw one on ebay for a lot of money that said uncirculated but it had a couple of 'chips' on edge. Can an uncirculated coin not be 'perfect'. I bought a copy of latest Spinks book but a bit of a minefield as you still need to have some idea of what/how coins graded.

Indeed - an uncirculated coin need not be perfect. But it MUST NOT show any signs of wear (rubbing, slight flattening, or worse). Modern uncirculated coins can show what are generally referred to as 'bag marks', which your two coins in their leather pouch MAY have, from rubbing together (pictures would be good if you can get them). Bag marks can be minor abrasions, scuffing, very light small scratches. Chips on the edge should not be present.

But as I say, we would need to see some pictures to be sure. By the way, what are the dates of your coins?

[Genie]

I will do some photographs and get dates of coins etc. I meant that the one I saw on ebay had little chips on the edge but was described as uncirculated. Is it just an 'opinion' on the grade or is is measurable?

Hi Im new to this. My aunt passed away recently and Ive found a a few old coins, a lot of them are scrap but Ive got a sovereign and a half sovereign found in a little leather pouch which look 'perfect' but I know nothing about grading - saw one on ebay for a lot of money that said uncirculated but it had a couple of 'chips' on edge. Can an uncirculated coin not be 'perfect'. I bought a copy of latest Spinks book but a bit of a minefield as you still need to have some idea of what/how coins graded.

Indeed - an uncirculated coin need not be perfect. But it MUST NOT show any signs of wear (rubbing, slight flattening, or worse). Modern uncirculated coins can show what are generally referred to as 'bag marks', which your two coins in their leather pouch MAY have, from rubbing together (pictures would be good if you can get them). Bag marks can be minor abrasions, scuffing, very light small scratches. Chips on the edge should not be present.

But as I say, we would need to see some pictures to be sure. By the way, what are the dates of your coins?

[Peter]

I will do some photographs and get dates of coins etc. I meant that the one I saw on ebay had little chips on the edge but was described as uncirculated. Is it just an 'opinion' on the grade or is is measurable?

Hi Im new to this. My aunt passed away recently and Ive found a a few old coins, a lot of them are scrap but Ive got a sovereign and a half sovereign found in a little leather pouch which look 'perfect' but I know nothing about grading - saw one on ebay for a lot of money that said uncirculated but it had a couple of 'chips' on edge. Can an uncirculated coin not be 'perfect'. I bought a copy of latest Spinks book but a bit of a minefield as you still need to have some idea of what/how coins graded.

Indeed - an uncirculated coin need not be perfect. But it MUST NOT show any signs of wear (rubbing, slight flattening, or worse). Modern uncirculated coins can show what are generally referred to as 'bag marks', which your two coins in their leather pouch MAY have, from rubbing together (pictures would be good if you can get them). Bag marks can be minor abrasions, scuffing, very light small scratches. Chips on the edge should not be present.

But as I say, we would need to see some pictures to be sure. By the way, what are the dates of your coins?

Ignore the grades most ebayers use.

[VickySilver]

Ditto. Please post dates, and especially good quality pictures. A few of us may actually know a thing or two...

[Peckris]

Yeah, eBay grades should be taken with a large mountain of salt. We've seen coins that aren't even Fine described as "high grade", Fine coins described as EF, etc. The best thing is to look closely at enlarged pictures and decide for yourself , and never ever buy a coin where the picture is poor (unless you're taking a cheap punt hoping for a bargain, but even then it should only be done with experience).

[Peter]

Yeah, eBay grades should be taken with a large mountain of salt. We've seen coins that aren't even Fine described as "high grade", Fine coins described as EF, etc. The best thing is to look closely at enlarged pictures and decide for yourself , and never ever buy a coin where the picture is poor (unless you're taking a cheap punt hoping for a bargain, but even then it should only be done with experience).

:D

In the earlier days of Ebay even without a picture I have checked out feed back and picked up some steals

I think Genie wants to sell.

Pop some pictures up and dangle the carrot I say.

[SEnumis]

Most sovs have spent their lives sitting about somewhere, rather than being circulated so are usually in good condition (I don't mean the coin grade Good - which means terrible). Pennies tend to pass around quickly so get very worn down. Unless the sovs have been in jewellery or are worn so much to make them light, they will be worth a minimum of Bullion value.

[Red Riley]

The approach I have used is to never, EVER take an e-bay seller's description of Unc at face value. Unless you have reason to believe the contrary assume it is no more than EF and certainly never more than GEF. Yes, you may lose a few auctions but as often as not, you will have saved yourself from buying a pig in a poke. And if it does turn out to be Unc when you get the coin in hand, then you have got yourself a bargain!

On the other hand, it really winds me up when I have sold a coin at say, NEF and see it a week later on e-bay still using my photo but described as AU. Dave's friends that use the asterisks in their names are good for that... (where's the angry emoticon when I need it?)

[FiftyPercentSilver]

Uncirculated means that the coin is basically perfect, to find out what the coin is worth, buy a price guide

[azda]

Uncirculated means that the coin is basically perfect, to find out what the coin is worth, buy a price guide

A guide won't show you a perfect coin, ist will however give you a price guide for said perfect coin. Its what you attribute it as that will give the Price. As a buyer, its always lower, as a seller, its always higher