Britannia47

Moroccan Gold even?

Picked out the Coronation 1/4 as a favourite, and a 1976 £1 banknote I bought in Jamestown a few years ago, and with a super low serial number! Unfortunately there were no signs of any E.I.C. (East India Company) gold Una & the Lion, 3 graces etc, who tend to mint these coins on behalf of St Helena, of exceptional good quality! St Helena shares its currency with T.D.C. & Ascension Island, who are also targets for other marketing companies. Wonder how much commission these Islands get?…..

Just look what TRM is asking for theirs…..! Overinflated price as usual?

This is really about the iconic 1957 gold ‘Gillick’, but the first QEII coloured £5 note was also issued in 1957 ‘til 1967 - one of the best designs for a banknote. Excuse the ‘82 Quintuplet - I only want to show off the Sovereign! Just look at that combination of matte finish & gold lustre not seen on today’s bullion sovereigns…..

As it’s a very hot day I’ve decided to let my girls out to play on the ‘Sea-Saws’ in the sunshine! Three other girl are waiting their turn on the balance - No plastic containers, just good ‘ol’ fresh air outdoors.☀️👯👯‍♂️👯‍♂️😀

The Pobjoy, one of the ‘other’ marketing mints was responsible for the Isle of Man coinage but eventually went out of business last year, having lost the contract to the Tower Mint, a company set up by Maklouf! However, it did produce the first recently modern ‘Yellow Gold’ Sovereign, using the same alloy as later used by TRM in some 22ct Britannias. Later this year I would expect the RMs new ‘yellow’ sovereign to look the same. TRM will have to keep churning out more and more ‘Specials’ though, simply to survive IMO…..!

One Boomer to another, although it’s a bit early in the morning for my eyes! I’ve sharpened up the image to help with the focus and zoom. Your image has made me feel hungry with the crispy bacon & beans etc. - There are a couple of shields & late Victorias….so Zoom in and finish your breakfast,😀!

Easy to see the difference between these ‘Silver’ half-crowns in .925, .500, & in Cupro-nickel debasement. Numismatic Silver, in general, is just as important to me as the Sovereign, so have included my 1887 silver set! 🙂

Up until about 1870 Australian sovereigns had a higher silver content in the alloy, making them more yellow. Silver was mined with the gold and simply left in the mix as it was not commercially viable to remove it - until the gas-chlorine process was implemented by Francis Boyer Miller. After that the Aussies started to use more copper in their sovereigns, whilst the London Mint started to experiment with using Silver… The photo of the 2005 commemorative proof was tested and found to have all silver in the alloy, thus being much lighter in colour aka ‘Green gold’

How easy?! This is one of mine - been in the capsule for 8 years, and just noticed the ‘cumulo-nimbus’ cloud in the field! Have taken the ‘lid’ off for the photo. Any tips appreciated - Thanks…🤔

….even better when given the ‘Midas touch’ - superb reverse!👍

If you’ve got a spare £70,000, It’s no larger than a bar of chocolate. Feels good though in hand😃🤥!

Just love those 1/4s! Apologies for the changes….😁

A mixed bag of 1/4ozers which is as small, and as large as I collect these days. Certainly can’t afford any more 1 ozers, or interested in tiddly-diddly gold such as 1/10, 1/20. 1/40, 1/4 Sovs etc. or anything with a diameter of about 11 mm. Sorry if that makes me sound like a gold snob!…..☹️ I think 1/4s are just right for me though 😀👍

This photo might help. To my knowledge the Krugerrand uses ‘Red’ gold and always has done! However, the 1974 photo suggests that ‘Yellow’ gold has been used. This may not be the case. I will have it tested in due course, but would not be surprised if silver is not detected! More recently, I’ve had sovereigns tested using XRF to find out the exact alloy. Eg a Gillick sovereign with no silver whatsoever! My belief at present is that the change of colour happens naturally over time (45 -60yrs) by oxidation of the copper. Krugerrands started in 1967. I’ve owned the 1974 quite a few years so it’s now 51yrs. Maybe it’s lost its original Red ‘Caramel’ looks!😀 I will keep you posted.