vickycoins

Thanks, here are the other two coins. I don’t think the half sovereign would be worth trying to grade as it has quite a few scratches and some edge nicks? The 1857 is quite nice though.ugh

Thanks, I forgot to mention In the original post I actually found three full and one half sovereigns at once, the files were to big to load them all in here, but the other two don’t have as much detail though they are still both quite scarce coins, 1857 full and 1858 half, both Sydney mints. Yes they were loose in the ground, there were also some very worn silver coins with them so I am guessing they were probably buried on purpose a good while ago. As far as grades, to my untrained eye the best I could hope for would maybe be AU for the 1861 and Ef for the 1852? I could be miles off.

Hi folks, I was lucky enough to find some pretty nice looking sovereigns with my metal detector a few weeks ago, two of them look to have very good detail that I feel could possibly grade quite highly but I am certainly no expert. My question is is it possible for a coin found in the ground to pass the grading process? There are some light marks on them but I was very careful when washing the dirt off not to damage them, there is still dirt in the lettering as I am not sure how to remove it. Maybe the 1852 shield back would not be worth grading as it is quite common and had some scratching on the obverse? Does look to have nice lustre remaining though. The 1861 Sydney looks to have the best detail and lustre but there is a small mark or graze on the cheek. From what I could see online the early Sydney sovereigns are rather desirable especially in good grades. As a side note I am not interested in selling for now, was just thinking grading could be a good option as it would be nice to know for sure about the grades also the slab would keep them well protected. Look forward to seeing your opinions. Caleb PS, my phone camera severely oversharpens the photos so not the best representation

I’m sure they are there to be found mate, really just comes down to putting in the hours and quite a lot of luck

Hi folks, Caleb here from New Zealand, As my display name suggests I am particularly interested in coins from the Victorian era, particularly British and Australian. My interest started when I bought a metal detector three years ago and started finding some interesting old coins. I have been lucky enough to find some very nice ones including recently some sovereigns. I am looking forward to reading through the forum and learning as much as I can and also meeting you guys.