A Hoard of Coins

[BenByfield]

I got to look through a veritable hoard of coins. It had all sorts in it (the best being an 1874S sovereign amongst a load of manky pennies). I was asked to try and sell whatever I could and I can take a cut as commission!

Heres the most curious one, posted on CCF:

(as a note I didnt want to handle it, so I put it in this holder, its been transferred now as I reckon this thing is PVC:)

So, a mint state 1875 penny - whats it worth? How should I sell it? Does anyone here want it, that would save me a lot of hassle.

[Accumulator]

It's an 1875 wide date, dies 8 + J, Freeman 82. Clearly it has plenty of lustre and so I would expect it to be in EF or better condition. Viewing the coin through plastic it's impossible to accurately judge, and there may be knocks etc. which would affect the price significantly. Typical sale prices for the EF - UNC range on eBay would be £150 - £350.

[TomGoodheart]

Welcome Ben! I thought you might get a more detailed answer about your penny here. Though a sharper photo would help the price estimates I think.

I hope you find it interesting. I know I'm always learning.

And .. had you thought of asking if you could have a coin as your commission (or part of)? This penny could be a nice start to a collection of Victorian bronze?

Tom

[Peter]

Welcome Ben

Pity it wasn't Freeman 80 because they are worth considerably more.

[BenByfield]

Thanks for the replies guys, heres a better picture. The thing is really dirty - Is there any reliable way of cleaning it without 'cleaning' it? I hear Verdicare works well, but id be concerned with using it. Any knocks are probably from when all the coins were poured out of the tin. Theres a small dent on the neck, but it doesnt look like recent damage, I think it came like that:

Couldnt spot any marks on the obverse:

So, how should I remove the gunk, or should I leave that to the buyer? Is it worth removing before posting for sale? What grade am I looking at here?

[Coinery]

Thanks for the replies guys, heres a better picture. The thing is really dirty - Is there any reliable way of cleaning it without 'cleaning' it? I hear Verdicare works well, but id be concerned with using it. Any knocks are probably from when all the coins were poured out of the tin. Theres a small dent on the neck, but it doesnt look like recent damage, I think it came like that:

Couldnt spot any marks on the obverse:

So, how should I remove the gunk, or should I leave that to the buyer? Is it worth removing before posting for sale? What grade am I looking at here?

Ignore verdicare, just a bit of water! If it's really stubborn, you could use acetone ( not the nail varnish type with conditioners included) but, be warned, some coins can occasionally finish with a light purplish tinge when tipped in the light! It's not terrible, and doesn't happen that often! I acetone all my copper, bronze and .500/CuNi coins, just to rid them of any invisible grease!

If you've got gritty gunk in your beading, don't rub the coin, but swish it to remove what you can. The main point being, don't rub the gritty gunk all over the surface of the coin and hairline scratch it.

My actual advice would be to leave any clean to the buyer, I wouldn't play around with a valuable coin unless you've experienced a number of failed attempts on some lesser-valued coins!

Welcome! I'd keep it and start a Victoria or penny collection!

[pies]

Do nothing to the coin by way of cleaning. I'd pay £200

[Peckris]

Thanks for the replies guys, heres a better picture. The thing is really dirty - Is there any reliable way of cleaning it without 'cleaning' it? I hear Verdicare works well, but id be concerned with using it. Any knocks are probably from when all the coins were poured out of the tin. Theres a small dent on the neck, but it doesnt look like recent damage, I think it came like that:

Couldnt spot any marks on the obverse:

So, how should I remove the gunk, or should I leave that to the buyer? Is it worth removing before posting for sale? What grade am I looking at here?

I'd say - looking at very slight wear on the highest points on the reverse - that a grade of AUNC would be in order.

You could dip it in surgical spirit to remove any film or grease, and dab it dry with very gentle wipes using a microfibre cloth (spectacles cleaning type) - any surface dirt would come off. Or, you could leave it to a buyer.

From what I can see of it, I'd say a £200 offer is fair (assuming no damage e.g. verdigris and lots of lustre).

[BenByfield]

Thanks for the replies - I cant see any wear, thats probably just my sucky photography skills. £200 is a very fair offer and ill have to talk it over with the owner - Any other offers are welcome.

[azda]

Thanks for the replies - I cant see any wear, thats probably just my sucky photography skills. £200 is a very fair offer and ill have to talk it over with the owner - Any other offers are welcome.

£200 IS a very fair offer, i'd give the coin good EF as the hair Detail is not fully struck, so in my opinion £200 is quite good. Bear in mind, if it were to auction on ebay and made the same, you'd lose £20 straight away for ebay fees bringing the total down to £180 and if were paid by PayPal it would reduce further by 3.5% on the £200so, you'd lose around £27 if it sold on ebay for 200 quid.

Oh and FFS, don't mention the words clean and coins in the same sentence

Edited June 23, 2013 by azda

[pies]

Im grading it EF on the reverse and aunc on the obverse , and Ben it wasn't really dirty thats where the lustre has toned

I'm happy i now have a 175 wide date,narrow date and 'H' (ok the 'H' is no better than gvf)

[Danz]

Im grading it EF on the reverse and aunc on the obverse , and Ben it wasn't really dirty thats where the lustre has toned

I'm happy i now have a 175 wide date,narrow date and 'H' (ok the 'H' is no better than gvf)

I have none. Still on the to get list. The coin in the pic is a very nice one. I would be happy if I picked one up like that for around £200.