Is it worth checking bullion sovereigns for errors?

[ZRPMs]

Having been collecting bullion sovereigns for a few years I've now started to try to complete a collection of all years and mints. Now some of my coins are well circulated coins some are un-circulated and less are proof. I have just under 400 now and have been recently watching videos and reading about error coins. My question, as per the title. Is it worth searching for error coins from a bullion collection? Whilst the books and the videos say they put some extra value to the coin, I've not really come across increased premium on a sovereign due to an error.

Any thoughts or advise on the matter would be appreciated. Not that I would come across any significant error coin but what would be the next step. Especially as the coin may be one of my more heavily worn coins. As a side bar. Would they be worth grading to log the error coin more than any grade it might obtain.

[Foster88]

I think you may have to be a bit more specific, are you asking about a particular sovereign or just sovereigns in general?

I’m not sure what you mean by ‘some are less than proof’, they’re either proof or they aren’t.

As you say in your post, ‘error’ coins, on the topic of sovereigns are few and far between. Many of the ‘error’ sovereigns have already been logged, recorded and spoken about. However that isn’t to say that there aren’t more examples out there. There are many unrecorded varieties still to be discovered.

With all due respect, your post is very vague. If you maybe rephrase your post or ask yourself what it is that you’d like to know about your sovereigns, myself and as I’m sure other members will gladly help you.

Are there any specific dates, Mint marks or die numbers that you’d like to discuss?

[ZRPMs]

@Foster88I think you you have miss read the post. I didn't write  ‘some are less than proof’, what I put was "some of my coins are well circulated coins some are un-circulated and less are proof." meaning

a, There is a quantity of well circulated (some of my coins are well circulated coins)

b, There is a quantity of un-circulated (some are un-circulated)

c, There is a smaller quantity of proof (and less are proof.)

Admittedly, perhaps I should have used some comas.

"Error coins" Coin's, for example with an inverted 'A' instead of a 'V' in Victoria. Dates with over strikes '8' over '7' or '3' over '2' the list goes on. I believe there are a large number of dates that have variants with "errors". I'm not looking to find new as yet undiscovered errors. I'm asking about my own coins. " Is it worth checking bullion sovereigns for errors?". As most of my collection are only bullion coins, is it worth checking them to see if I have one of the error coins. I realise this would be a time consuming enterprise and just wondered if any one else check's theirs or even if it's worth it at all. For example, from The Gold Sovereign Series book by Micheal A. Marsh (Revised by Steve Hill), No 59A, 1872/1, Obverse overdate 2 over 1 is down as a R4. or even the 1881 sovereign that has the inverted 'A' in Victoria. numbers 62, 62A, 77, 77A these are all R2. There are numerous 'Error' coins that are recorded for many of the variants of sovereigns. Whilst they are rare for a specific coin, Errors do happen quite often.

My question was just a question in general. "Is it worth checking bullion sovereigns for errors?" I wasn't trying to be vague. I thought by asking about specific errors might make the post too long, and then, what if I missed an error, like 11B, 1826, 6 over small 6 and GEOR over small GEOR not that I have many of these coins and of course this is R6. Or if I was unaware of one, how would I know.

I've asked myself again " what it is that you’d like to know about your sovereigns," and the answer is still "Is it worth checking bullion sovereigns for errors?"......... Probably not. 

 

[shawy2510]

If you have the spare time why not. It will be fun to look through them & see if you have any. Granted they may not be worth alot more on alot but you could seperate them away from the main collection. I am always on the lookout for error or weird sovs so there are people out there who wluld buy them.

[SeverinDigsSovereigns]

7 hours ago, ZRPMs said:

I've now started to try to complete a collection of all years and mints.

That is rather ambitious I daresay. 

[ZRPMs]

41 minutes ago, SeverinDigsSovereigns said:

That is rather ambitious I daresay. 

Defiantly. Aim high. I know I'll never reach the goal, but it's been fun so far. Short of about 110. Sounds a lot but leaves me something to look for. 

[Aldebaran]

2 hours ago, ZRPMs said:

@Foster88I think you you have miss read the post. I didn't write  ‘some are less than proof’, what I put was "some of my coins are well circulated coins some are un-circulated and less are proof." meaning

a, There is a quantity of well circulated (some of my coins are well circulated coins)

b, There is a quantity of un-circulated (some are un-circulated)

c, There is a smaller quantity of proof (and less are proof.)

Admittedly, perhaps I should have used some comas.

"Error coins" Coin's, for example with an inverted 'A' instead of a 'V' in Victoria. Dates with over strikes '8' over '7' or '3' over '2' the list goes on. I believe there are a large number of dates that have variants with "errors". I'm not looking to find new as yet undiscovered errors. I'm asking about my own coins. " Is it worth checking bullion sovereigns for errors?". As most of my collection are only bullion coins, is it worth checking them to see if I have one of the error coins. I realise this would be a time consuming enterprise and just wondered if any one else check's theirs or even if it's worth it at all. For example, from The Gold Sovereign Series book by Micheal A. Marsh (Revised by Steve Hill), No 59A, 1872/1, Obverse overdate 2 over 1 is down as a R4. or even the 1881 sovereign that has the inverted 'A' in Victoria. numbers 62, 62A, 77, 77A these are all R2. There are numerous 'Error' coins that are recorded for many of the variants of sovereigns. Whilst they are rare for a specific coin, Errors do happen quite often.

My question was just a question in general. "Is it worth checking bullion sovereigns for errors?" I wasn't trying to be vague. I thought by asking about specific errors might make the post too long, and then, what if I missed an error, like 11B, 1826, 6 over small 6 and GEOR over small GEOR not that I have many of these coins and of course this is R6. Or if I was unaware of one, how would I know.

I've asked myself again " what it is that you’d like to know about your sovereigns," and the answer is still "Is it worth checking bullion sovereigns for errors?"......... Probably not. 

 

I fully understood your question and it has made me think about our sovs and perhaps checking them at some point.

I would of thought that it would be great to add an error coin alongside your date runs.

To me, the bottom line of your enquiry is, what is the general market for error coins, is this a productive way to spend my time and can I increase the value of my collection both financially and in pleasure of ownership terms.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

 

[ZRPMs]

7 minutes ago, Aldebaran said:

To me, the bottom line of your enquiry is, what is the general market for error coins, is this a productive way to spend my time and can I increase the value of my collection both financially and in pleasure of ownership terms.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

For the small cost of a high powered magnifying glass or some equipment to view the coin in detail, and of course a bit of time. I might be able to discover a hidden gem. Just wasn't sure if it was worth the time or if it was something any one else does. I know I have some coins on the more heavily circulated side of things also.

[AaaGee]

You have almost 400 sovereigns? 😲

[SeverinDigsSovereigns]

1 hour ago, ZRPMs said:

Defiantly. Aim high. I know I'll never reach the goal, but it's been fun so far. Short of about 110. Sounds a lot but leaves me something to look for. 

Some dates alone are in the 6 digits, for example the 1819. Now let's talk about the likes of 1920-S, the 1953, or the Edward VIII. But it's always good to have something to work towards...

 

4 hours ago, ZRPMs said:

@Foster88I think you you have miss read the post. I didn't write  ‘some are less than proof’, what I put was "some of my coins are well circulated coins some are un-circulated and less are proof." meaning

a, There is a quantity of well circulated (some of my coins are well circulated coins)

b, There is a quantity of un-circulated (some are un-circulated)

c, There is a smaller quantity of proof (and less are proof.)

Admittedly, perhaps I should have used some comas.

I think it helps to say "fewer" are proof instead of "less" when it comes to countable nouns. I know people use the two interchangeably, but I recall getting roasted by my old school teachers.

 

Regarding your original question, some errors/varieties certainly add more to your collection than others, for example the 827 or the Ansell, or those William IV with a stray N. I personally wouldn't pay much attention to die cracks or weirdo letters, but some people will crave for them.

Edited May 28, 2023 by SeverinDigsSovereigns

[Foster88]

@ZRPMs Apologies if I misinterpreted your original post.

I would say that yes, it is worth checking your sovereigns. Especially if you have any dated from 1850’s - 1870’s. There are many ‘error’ coins and variations between those years.

[Spyder]

You have all your coins registered on a spreadsheet, so I would start from reading Marsh book and quoting years of coins rated Scarce, Rare and overdates. Start with those and you will find enjoyments when you find one. This would also help your or your family in the future to know these are worth more then the others when it comes to selling in the distance future.

Look at the coin from all angles as sometimes you see more when viewing the coin upside down. Photos will also make it easier as you can zoom in and get more details.  Have fun

[Aldebaran]

19 minutes ago, Spyder said:

You have all your coins registered on a spreadsheet, so I would start from reading Marsh book and quoting years of coins rated Scarce, Rare and overdates. Start with those and you will find enjoyments when you find one. This would also help your or your family in the future to know these are worth more then the others when it comes to selling in the distance future.

Look at the coin from all angles as sometimes you see more when viewing the coin upside down. Photos will also make it easier as you can zoom in and get more details.  Have fun

Great advice - I will do that with our coins.

[CazLikesCoins]

Yes I bought a Prince Charlie with a wonky head and it turns its more valuable than him being upright.

[paulmerton]

All errors are worth looking for, and I can't think of a more fun way to spend a day than staring intently at 400 sovereigns 🤣

Only the proper-juicy errors are going to add a significant premium to the value of a sovereign - things like being double struck, broadstruck, struck off centre, strike-throughs (depending on how interesting), dramatic die breaks and rotation errors. Things like inverted letters and numbers being overstamped feel more like variants to me.

[CazLikesCoins]

12 hours ago, ZRPMs said:

Having been collecting bullion sovereigns for a few years I've now started to try to complete a collection of all years and mints. Now some of my coins are well circulated coins some are un-circulated and less are proof. I have just under 400 now and have been recently watching videos and reading about error coins. My question, as per the title. Is it worth searching for error coins from a bullion collection? Whilst the books and the videos say they put some extra value to the coin, I've not really come across increased premium on a sovereign due to an error.

Any thoughts or advise on the matter would be appreciated. Not that I would come across any significant error coin but what would be the next step. Especially as the coin may be one of my more heavily worn coins. As a side bar. Would they be worth grading to log the error coin more than any grade it might obtain.

400! That's like £160000. At least. I hope you've got very good secure storage. Think Adams family Fester proof or Smaug level deterrents.

Edited May 28, 2023 by CazLikesCoins

[dicker]

It is worth checking all sovereigns for errors irrespective of years.  

There are many types of errors and oddities, and Marsh certainly doesn’t capture all of them.  Some are obvious, others less so…

There are also in my opinion more varieties out there to be found / identified…

Best

Dicker

 

[paulmerton]

1 minute ago, dicker said:

It is worth checking all sovereigns for errors irrespective of years.  

There are many types of errors and oddities, and Marsh certainly doesn’t capture all of them.  Some are obvious, others less so…

There are also in my opinion more varieties out there to be found / identified…

Best

Dicker

 

Yes, totally worth checking everything.

A strike through or planchet flaw can happen to any coin of any year, and by virtue of being a one-off, they are unlikely to be documented anywhere.

[dicker]

The errors that “get away” are die alignment errors because they are not always obvious.  The most impressive example I have seen is a die alignment error on a 1872 M Shield - others will exist.  

[dicker]

I have a list of “rumoured” errors, which I am looking for (not in Marsh / Sp / Bentley) notably few from the Aussie mints!

[Foster88]

53 minutes ago, paulmerton said:

I can't think of a more fun way to spend a day than staring intently at 400 sovereigns 🤣

I thought exactly the same. A day spent looking at sovereigns is a day well spent. 😆

[CazLikesCoins]

4 minutes ago, Foster88 said:

I thought exactly the same. A day spent looking at sovereigns is a day well spent. 😆

What do you do? Book an appointment at secure storage and take some snacks lol 🙂

[Orpster]

Definitely worth your time Zac, especially your young heads.

Things to look for, inverted A'v in place of V's (and visa versa), unbarred A's in GRATIA, over stamped letters and dates or Latin I used in place of 1.  Also worth noting if you have incuse WW or if it is in relief and what is should have been that year, I have a few years in the 1850's-1870's where I have managed to get both examples for the same year.  The list goes on and on.  And don't think because something is not listed in the Marsh book it is not a variant, there are hundreds of them and only a handful are listed in the Marsh guide.  Also look for any die alignment errors or even interesting die cracks.  It is also worth noting the die numbers on your IA shields, some sad people (like me) try and collect certain die numbers.

Some variants can be worth a considerable premium and some are just interesting, one of the most common is a O in place of an 0 in 1860 yet that still seems to get a very healthy premium over a standard for that year.

[GoldDiggerDave]

14 hours ago, ZRPMs said:

Having been collecting bullion sovereigns for a few years I've now started to try to complete a collection of all years and mints. Now some of my coins are well circulated coins some are un-circulated and less are proof. I have just under 400 now and have been recently watching videos and reading about error coins. My question, as per the title. Is it worth searching for error coins from a bullion collection? Whilst the books and the videos say they put some extra value to the coin, I've not really come across increased premium on a sovereign due to an error.

Any thoughts or advise on the matter would be appreciated. Not that I would come across any significant error coin but what would be the next step. Especially as the coin may be one of my more heavily worn coins. As a side bar. Would they be worth grading to log the error coin more than any grade it might obtain.

What do you want to know mate?   Is it worth checking bullion sovereign?......Hell yes.  Picked out an R4 Jubilee head last week.  

I'm more than happy to give you some pointers of what to look for. 

 

In short any sovereign in and around 1860's loads of errors.   First legend jubilee heads are a goo place to start.  

 

[ZRPMs]

4 hours ago, CazLikesCoins said:

I hope you've got very good secure storage. Think Adams family Fester proof or Smaug level deterrents.

@James32 has them securely on his Ireland, Not sure exactly but the west coast of somewhere. Handy for the boating accident when needed.