Jester

Picked this up from the folks at Auction World Japan.  A well-graded RD example of a fairly recent (well, if 100+ yrs old is recent) issue.  I didn't have this year so a nice addition to the Farthing collection at a great price even with the BP and shipping from Japan.  I'd rather not have the smudge to the left of the king's nose but it's not a scratch so I can live with it until a better example comes up for sale/auction.

After stepping back from the Forums a few years ago, I swore off all modern coins/rounds and began putting together a high grade British Farthing collection from 1821-1956 when the coin was removed from circulation.  Below is my latest pick-up and I couldn't be happier.  Amazing toning on this copper cutie and in-hand, the toning is swirls of purple and blue (which you can kinda pick up on the obverse photo).

50 minutes ago, GSstacker said:

I thought I would recommend the New Zealand HMS bounty silver coin cheapest gov minted item I have found. You can purchase in the us from money Metals.

Welcome to the Forum from one Yank to another!  Just a heads up, this really isn't the proper thread for buying tips.  We have a Silver thread where it may be more appropriate.  Perhaps @morezone or one of our other friendly neighborhood moderators can move it there.  We also have a "Welcome New Members" thread where you can tell us more about yourself, your interests, collecting/stacking goals, etc.  Otherwise, someone may mistakenly get the impression that you're just trolling for a dealer.

If you have any questions, please let us know.  This joint is chock-full of numismatic wisdom and unique personalities!

Really stoked about this purchase...

A beautiful 1902 Half Crown

The grey-scale toning on this 1900 Florin's reverse is mesmerizing.

The other elusive EVII Sixpence, the 1905, in good condition with an even gunmetal tone.

In planning for the completion of my EVII Sixpences (1902 - 1910), I've been on the look out for good examples of the harder to find rare 1904 and scarce 1905.  I was able to talk the seller down on this nice example of the 1904 6P in pretty decent condition based on general availability and the condition of those I have seen for sale.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

1887 Double Florin w/ Roman "I" in date

1887 Proof Sixpence (Withdrawn Type) Shield & Garter Reverse

Bookending my EVII Sixpences with this 1902

2 hours ago, SilverTanner said:

Very nice, they look great. I guess you went to the right place!

My 1909 is currently at NGC thanks to Numistacker.

Thanks so much for the positive feedback SilverTanner. It's definitely a bonus to get a kind word from the Forum's King of 6P!  I look forward to seeing the results from your NGC submission.

6 minutes ago, sovereignsteve said:

Aussie sovereigns (and presumably halves) were used extensively at the time for circulation but mainly for trade payments especially with India, China and the Far East. Is it not inconceivable that most were melted at some point to use the gold for other things and that the few that survived will show their age. Wear was exacerbated by the composition of the alloy which contained mainly silver not copper. It was a feature of the early Aussie sovs that they wore out very quickly and needed relacing.

Your surname is Hill isn't it?  When I received the Gold Sovereign guide from Token this weekend and noticed it had been enhanced from the original text by Steve Hill, my first thought was..."I think I know that guy!"  Thanks for the additional information Steve.  Certainly makes sense.

Ladies and Gents...I'm super excited to share with you my most recent acquisition and easily one of the rarest coins in my young collection...the 1866 Sydney Half Sovereign.

TLDR: I got a rare coin cheap.

Per the updated Marsh Sovereign guide, this coin is rated R2 - Very Rare.  I was initially put off by the grade but additional research revealed that there are around 1,000 specimens of this coin surviving and it is most often found below VF.  Downies, an Australian dealer, has one in aUNC and they're asking £7650 and one in VF asking £590.  Drake Sterling has a specimen in PCGS F15 condition asking £265.  The best part is I picked this one up for £243.

Here's a bit more information I found while researching the coin...

"Royal Mint reports indicate that no half sovereigns were minted in 1866 but 62,000 were minted in 1867 and a further 154,000 in 1869. As it is known that there are no 1867 or 1869 dated coins, it is presumed that they were struck with 1866 dies, indicating a total mintage of 216,000* which would seem consistent with the relative survival rate of the date. The date is one of the easier pieces to source with an estimated survival rate just shy of 1,000 and examples do turn up around XF from time to time, though finding examples at AU and beyond can be quite a challenge. The date is often found with a bold obverse rim paired with an undetailed central reverse strike. These examples came off the recycled proof dies of the year as during the year the Sydney mint struck two proof half sovereigns for the Inter-colonial Exhibition in 1866 and the International Exposition in 1867 as products of New South Wales."

*The Marsh Sovereign guide places the total original mintage around 154,000.  

The pieces of information I didn't find that I'd be very interested in learning is, if over 150,000 were minted, how are there only around 1,000 surviving today?  Were they melted down (this appears to be the case..."as the gold coins became worn, they were withdrawn and melted down")?  And why is the avg condition of the coin so low (was it truly a circulation coin)?  A census search of both NGC and PCGS has just 28 coins in better condition with AU58 and MS64 being the best examples between NGC and PCGS respectively.

Not anything shiny but an equally treasured gift extended to a Yank across the pond from Token Publishing.  A free copy (not even a shipping charge) of Coin News and Medal News.  These are beautiful publications and I'm seriously considering an overseas subscription.  Many thanks to the outstanding folks at Token!

BTW...check out that very interesting Isle of Man coin pictured at the bottom right of the Coin News cover.

1 hour ago, Numistacker said:

Picked up this little beauty at heritage tonight...

 

 

 

 

 

Stunning coin Numi! Very Art Deco/Art Nouveau in design. Well done and congrats on a great score.

@Goldfinga, if @muenzdachs has what you're looking for, I can't recommend them highly enough.  The client service and pricing (even with me being across the pond) is top notch.  I don't think you can go wrong picking either of the two you mentioned (the 1/4 oz or 1/10 oz BU).  Good luck with the search and let us know what you pick up!

33 minutes ago, Ansel said:

Thank you. I'm really looking forward to my Marsh Sovereign book arriving so I can learn a lot more about all these little variations. 

Ditto...except mine had to travel across the pond 

13 minutes ago, Pampfan said:

An unopened GSA Carson City - Morgan silver dollar - the question now is should I open it?

 

And if you don't even peek inside, isn't it kinda like Schrödinger's Cat?  Is the coin even in there?  If so, how does it look?  Is it toned?  Etc.  You're a good man to have restrained yourself this long   I would have torn into that thing like it was December 25!  Well, maybe not torn into but you know what I mean...

5 minutes ago, Numistacker said:

Bought a 2008 1/4pf gold Libertad to add to my collection




800 minted and rarely seen so semi-key

Beautiful pick-up Numi!  If you had to say, what would be your call on its condition?  Is it safe to assume our good friends at NGC will be seeing this stellar coin in the not too distant future? 

2 hours ago, Sovereign said:

It's here! 

What a coin  

1911 Proof Full Sov , NGC PF65 Cameo

will do a youtube video soon ,, 

Stunning coin @Sovereign!  Congrats.  That's a completely different look than what I'm used to seeing when hunting the GV Sovs.  Thanks so much for sharing.

42 minutes ago, shortstack68 said:

Either does a coin company

A wise Scotsman once told me, "The secondary market for these types of things is a specialist market, not everything with a low mintage is **** hot, there are also the duds out there." 

Only giving you a hard time. It's a good looking coin and hopefully at an absolute minimum, it can ride the wave of popularity the lunar rooster earned.