richatthecroft

I think for the money we pay to grade older coins, NGC should exemplify/ justify the decision in writing- a sentence or a paragraph would be sufficient. My take on the graders decision making, is them knowing the grades that were achieved on the preceding graded coins for a particular year date- and slotting the grade in accordingly- the 1902’s appear to be particularly difficult for them to assess.

I agree with what you say, I think there is something about the 1911 year date that sets it apart in terms of grade predictability as opposed to other year dates- your Silver coins from the same set at 62’s is alarming, there’s usually some uniformity between the coins within a set. Importantly your Sovereign got a Cameo designation- I would always prefer the Cameo rather than a higher numerical grade, but I acknowledge a higher number coupled with a Cameo designation would be preferable. I think I was extremely fortunate with my 1911 Sovereign at PF64 UC, there’s only 9 designated UC including mine below- but I would say your Sovereign looks comparable to mine- my Half achieved a PF64* the Reverse clearly let it down.

I saw this Sovereign when you posted it several weeks ago, presumably when you first acquired it raw, and I thought it was an Ultra Cameo example all day long. Don’t be disappointed with the grade, It’s a fantastic Sovereign, I think NGC has been extremely harsh.

Bought at auction and repatriated to the UK from the USA: Charles II. 1660-1685. AR shilling. 4.74 gm. 28 mm. Third Issue. mm: Crown Dies by Thomas Simon, created quickly after Charles' return from exile to assume the throne. Bust of Charles left, XII behind, inner circle; BRIT FR ET HIB, no stops at mintmark / Square topped shield; small harp (a rare variety not listed by Bull). S.3322 (R3). Good Fine; clear details. Several tickets including Ex Seaby, early 80's ticket.

Thanks Kevin. My interest in the Hammered coins started when putting together a Type Set of Sixpences from the inaugural Edward VI to date- and it’s got me hooked! Particularly Charles I issues, so many varieties. But I still intend to continue to collect Sovereigns that I like 👍

No coins today but sharing this great Charles I reference to help with the thrill of the chase.

Thanks @entsor for the Halfcrown & Shilling 👍 And a snap of the growing collection of Charles I coinage.

I have been several times to Istanbul. The gold market is stocked full of Gold & Silver jewelry and chains sold by length. There are a few stalls selling bullion and proof coins- typically local coins but also the odd coin such as mainstream Eagle, Britannia, Libertad etc. and the odd Silver and gold bar- but not in any kind of quantities- looked like they were just reselling what they had traded in.

Yes. Enjoy yours 😉

Thanks @Clockpuncherfor this lovely Sovereign.

I think you are correct, a stock response. I would follow @BackyardBullion's advice.

Mmmm…can’t see a Gold coin on the Royal Mail’s prohibited item list… https://www.royalmail.com/sites/royalmail.com/files/2022-04/royal-mail-prohibited-and-restricted-items-april-2022.pdf Sorry to hear about this frankly, ridiculous situation.

The Mary coin is a Mary I Groat of her Sole Reign 1553- 54. Also known as Mary Tudor or 'Bloody Mary' by her protestant opponents. Her rule continued following her marriage to Phillip II of Spain, her Consort, between 1554 until her death in 1558 under the reign of Phillip & Mary.

Elizabeth I (1558- 1603) Shilling, Second Issue (1560- 61) Type 3c without Rose, mm Martlet. S. 2555 Meet The Tudors 👋

Leon, thanks for your kind words, it’s flattering but I’m pretty certain I don’t own any collection that’s the finest in the UK.

Received today. A bold portrait of the boy King, a 1551- 1553 Edward VI Shilling, ex- Spink. And a 1574 Elizabeth II Sixpence. Hammer time 🔨

I think you might need to just bide your time in order to find these Piedforts, without paying huge premiums- I see sellers on eBay are asking £250- £500 each for them. Its been a popular series and unusually the 3 Crowns issued, with a 4k mintage each sold out, and the mintage of the Piedforts was well under 2k. I think what's affecting supply on the Secondary market, aside from perhaps people hanging on to them following Her Majesty's passing, is that people who bought from the Royal Mint are still waiting to receive the first issue! As exemplified by @Shinus73's frustration. I only received my third coin issue on Thursday this week. I think patience will be the key to getting this series collected up.

If you scroll down to the Specifications on the links you provided, you’ll see that @paulmerton is correct in terms of the weight of a Crown/ Piedfort.

Picked these beautifully made coin trays up, they are felt topped and bottomed, a nice way to safely view and photograph coins. And a couple of stragglers from the Royal Mint. The Queen’s Reign three coin series is lovely 👍

That was an extremely nice collection you had there, and nice grades. I would need to do a lot more research to go down the Medieval Rabbit hole, but I can see the attraction of those older coins. I look forward to you perhaps returning to the Sixpences.

I agree that the adjustment marks are part of the minting process, but in terms of eye appeal/ potential future value of the coin, I would much rather own a coin without.

Thanks. Wow, that will be a fantastic collection. Update us along the way 👍 Yes, I think a similar project collecting Shillings might well be my next target.

Why a bonus Lawrence? Doh! I didn’t see your quote featuring the Briot, are you a Charles I fan? Such an interesting and vast array of coin types, so interesting, particularly the Provincial/ Civil War issues and Siege piece coinage.

Hammered? Yes, the difficulty with them is 'one man's meat, is another man's poison!' Each type can be so different- I dare to say unique! it's nigh on impossible to find one that meets all your requirements. I set my stall out on the Portrait/ detail of design, rather than an 'all rounder'. Out of all the Sixpences I have two favourites, both Charles I - The Hammered 1664 York, mm. Lion- and topping my list is the 1631- 32 Briot 1st milled issue, what a coin, I'm a lucky man- scarce in this condition, and no adjustment marks that plague nearly all of this issue. Out of the early milled issues, I think weighing up scarcity/ condition, the Charles II and the James II are my top two, the Charles II getting my top of the list award. Of the later coins, and likely in keeping with many a coin collectors view, the Victoria YH Proofs are lovely, and given that only a tiny amount of Sets were issued in both 1839 (the Una and the Lion Set) (c.300) and 1853- Sovereign down to Half Farthing and Maurice Bull citing the mintage as 'very few' c.20- 50 sets issued**, then the 1853 with the Reeded Edge is my favourite, particularly because of the Emerald tone my coin exhibits in the fields, and a 'two tone' Victoria Portrait. The photos below are more representative of my coins 'in hand' rather than the photos above, which I had to magnify somewhat to use my cropping tool on the computer. The Hammered Charles I has a very deep grey tone, but uneven on both the Obv. & Rev. between 10 O'clock and 2 O'clock- perhaps some environmental damage to attract such uneven tone? **(but also acknowledging individual coins could be bought contemporaneously, but no records kept (Bull, English Silver Coinage since 1649)).

Thanks-it is a nice set of coins. With hindsight, Sixpences might not have been the best choice of denomination to collect for an inpatient collector like me! I guess the lower the denomination, the more hammer (forgive the pun) coins got during their time in circulation- Shillings might have been the sweet spot? I have seen several William & Mary Sixpences come up for sale either at dealers, and one or two at auction, but none of a decent grade, or at least a grade I would have been happy with- I set my stall out at only buying at EF or above in terms of Milled Sixpences. Having said that, I consider myself extremely fortunate in being able to purchase my EF+ grade Charles I Briot Sixpence- albeit I had to purchase from an auction in the USA. My pig-in-the-poke has been a Phillip & Mary- there's an absolute dearth of this Sixpence, and I think I'm going to have to wait quite a while to find a decent VF example. Like you say, James II coinage is a nightmare to find- I think I very lucky to find one in such lovely condition, and without the usual and almost obligatory adjustment marks. How far did you get with your collection? What parameters did you set in terms of Grade/ Date range? I would love to see them. Unlike your experience, I found Charles II extremely difficult to find- and when I did find the right one, I had to pay big for it- the photo above is not too flattering- the one below is more representative of it in hand, it has a lovely pastel green tone. I am on the look-out for a Hammered Charles II which again, are a bit of a rarity. Agreed on the George I- mine is the 1723 😂 but like you say, try find an alternative year date, they are in hiding!