Is it worth checking bullion sovereigns for errors?

[ZRPMs]

Not sure about this. The 5 looks strange. There is a 6 over 5 in the book but only on die 11. The coin is die 11 but not sure if it is 6 over 5. once again sorry for the picture.

 

[Orpster]

1 hour ago, ZRPMs said:

Not sure about this. The 5 looks strange. There is a 6 over 5 in the book but only on die 11. The coin is die 11 but not sure if it is 6 over 5. once again sorry for the picture.

 

That's a die crack not a 5 over 6 unfortunately

Edited June 3, 2023 by Orpster

[Upsidedown]

"Is it worth it" let me work it 🎶 

I put my thang down, flip it, and reverse it.

[ZRPMs]

Quick update. I've looked at the first 102. Using the Gold Sovereign Series revised by Steve Hill 2021. The break down looks like 35 X Common, 31 X Normal, 29 X Scarce and 6 X Rare with an un-documented over strike and a possible proof 1883 at R7. Will try to take a picture of it in natural light. I will caveat my finding with I'm no expert. However pleased with the out come so far. Even if the 1883 is only a proof like early strike in the die's life. 

Edited June 4, 2023 by ZRPMs

[SidS]

4 hours ago, ZRPMs said:

Quick update. I've looked at the first 102. Using the Gold Sovereign Series revised by Steve Hill 2021. The break down looks like 35 X Common, 31 X Normal, 29 X Scarce and 6 X Rare with an un-documented over strike and a possible proof 1883 at R7. Will try to take a picture of it in natural light. I will cavate my finding with I'm no expert. However pleased with the out come so far. Even if the 1883 is only a proof like early strike in the die's life. 

So it was worth checking then! 😁

[ZRPMs]

Oh, bugger. I think the potential R7 1883 proof is only a first or early strike from a new die. I have an 1885 one that's similar.

[ZRPMs]

Had a cheap digital microscope from the little one for fathers day along with some sweets. The sweets have long been eaten by the little cherub (apparently it was to save me from getting fat). Anyhow, I still have the microscope. It's only cheap but I'm going to have to go through the ones I've already looked at with a magnifying glass. I grabbed a random sovereign that I'd looked at but found that it looks like that date has some overstrikes as well. The picture quality isn't great but will try to get some pic's posted for all to judge, comment or just tell me to get a life.

It makes me wonder. As most of my coins are only bullion, How many times have they been struck/ pressed? I thought It was only once, but to have an over strike it must have been lined up and struck again with a different die.

[Spyder]

Have a look at this, very cheap and will make your life much easier.

https://www.temu.com/uk/endoscope-camera-5-5mm-mini-lens-3-in1-type-c-micro-usb-car-inspection-borescope-6-led-waterproof-for-pc-android-g-601099514302553.html?top_gallery_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.kwcdn.com%2Fproduct%2FFancyalgo%2FVirtualModelMatting%2F2d78a02114844039b571208a52eca340.jpg&spec_gallery_id=22911450&refer_page_sn=10005&refer_source=0&freesia_scene=1&_oak_freesia_scene=1&refer_page_name=home&refer_page_id=10005_1687115330790_638qnfggdq&_x_sessn_id=9qwxc7p3ee

 

I bought one months ago to be able to read hallmarks in jewellery

Edited June 18, 2023 by Spyder

[ZRPMs]

Thank @Spyder. I think that's the site this thing came from. Just getting to grips with it. Its quite good really.

[Spyder]

Like I previously said, sometimes if you take a photo of your coins upside down you get to see over strikes easier sometimes. Look at the fist photo, difficult to make out. Same coin upside down, stands out like a sore thumb. 

[Midasfrog]

A Crowned King Charles Memorial 2022 bullion sovereign would be a cool and valuable mule 🧐

[ZRPMs]

Its been a while. I've had a cheap digital microscope for my birthday. Wow. About a third of the ones I've looked at have some sort of overstrike. But I must say. The coins when they go under the lens are not flattered at all. I know most of mine are bullion or circulated coins. Happy to also report that the one's I've checked look genuine. I have tested them all with the sigma but I suppose they could still be non genuine coins even with the correct amount of gold in them.

I'm struggling to get pictures of the coin from the microscope. As I mentioned it's only a cheap (made in China) item and although I can take pictures, the file won't open unless the program for the scope is open.

[Skyfiller]

14 hours ago, ZRPMs said:

Its been a while. I've had a cheap digital microscope for my birthday. Wow. About a third of the ones I've looked at have some sort of overstrike. But I must say. The coins when they go under the lens are not flattered at all. I know most of mine are bullion or circulated coins. Happy to also report that the one's I've checked look genuine. I have tested them all with the sigma but I suppose they could still be non genuine coins even with the correct amount of gold in them.

I'm struggling to get pictures of the coin from the microscope. As I mentioned it's only a cheap (made in China) item and although I can take pictures, the file won't open unless the program for the scope is open.

Can you not screen shot them from the scope program?

[Silverlocks]

15 hours ago, ZRPMs said:

Its been a while. I've had a cheap digital microscope for my birthday. Wow. About a third of the ones I've looked at have some sort of overstrike. But I must say. The coins when they go under the lens are not flattered at all. I know most of mine are bullion or circulated coins. Happy to also report that the one's I've checked look genuine. I have tested them all with the sigma but I suppose they could still be non genuine coins even with the correct amount of gold in them.

I'm struggling to get pictures of the coin from the microscope. As I mentioned it's only a cheap (made in China) item and although I can take pictures, the file won't open unless the program for the scope is open.

Can't it export to some standard format?

[ZRPMs]

9 hours ago, Skyfiller said:

Can you not screen shot them from the scope program?

I hadn't thought of that. I should be able to to that I think. Although, I am like a cow with a shovel with anything remotely connected to tech. 

 

8 hours ago, Silverlocks said:

Can't it export to some standard format?

I've tried and the other half got more frustrated with me when she had a go and she works in the I.T. dept at her place of employ.

[Silverlocks]

5 minutes ago, ZRPMs said:

I hadn't thought of that. I should be able to to that I think. Although, I am like a cow with a shovel with anything remotely connected to tech. 

 

I've tried and the other half got more frustrated with me when she had a go and she works in the I.T. dept at her place of employ.

That's got to be deliberate - for an imaging system with an interface to a PC not to be able to export images can't be happenstance.  Maybe there's some add-on the manufacturer provides for that.

[ZRPMs]

37 minutes ago, Silverlocks said:

That's got to be deliberate - for an imaging system with an interface to a PC not to be able to export images can't be happenstance.  Maybe there's some add-on the manufacturer provides for that.

You could be correct. I need to have another look through the instructions but they were very hard to make sense of. I believe it was wrote in university level chinglish. 

[ZRPMs]

Screen shot of an 1844 sovereign. It show's some quite heavy copper spotting. The other pictures are of the coin using my phone camera. Not a great looking coin. Quite a lot of wear. I think this was a coin I bought years ago when I started collecting. 

I'll try and sort out some more now I've got a way of doing it. However, I think I'll have to look into getting something a lot better for the pictures.

[Silverlocks]

1 hour ago, ZRPMs said:

Screen shot of an 1844 sovereign. It show's some quite heavy copper spotting. The other pictures are of the coin using my phone camera. Not a great looking coin. Quite a lot of wear. I think this was a coin I bought years ago when I started collecting. 

I'll try and sort out some more now I've got a way of doing it. However, I think I'll have to look into getting something a lot better for the pictures.

You could do what I did and get a camera and macro lens.  Mine is a Sony A6400, and I got a 30mm macro lens that will take a picture of a sov about 1,200 pixels across or so at a distance of 15cm, which allows you to get the right lighting in and is plenty of resolution to get a good look at the details.  With a bit of compromise on the lighting you could probably get the camera a fair bit closer.

It also plays nicely with tethering software, and Sony provides a passably good tethering app as a freebie.  If you wanted to save a few bob you could get an older model such as an A6300, which would work just fine.  If you've already got a camera, you can probably get a basic macro lens for a couple of hundred quid.  Tripods and lights for desktop macro shots would probably cost another couple of hundred quid or so, depending on what you got.

 

Edited June 25, 2023 by Silverlocks

[ZRPMs]

@Silverlocks. Many thanks for the info. I don't currently have anything other than my phone and this cheap digi microscope. As mentioned before. I'm not that tech orientated. I can build a vehicle from a pile of scrap, Make furniture from a tree and repair most broken machinery or equipment, but Tech. That's another issue. The other half thinks my O.S. is Victorian or possible older. 

[SidS]

47 minutes ago, ZRPMs said:

Screen shot of an 1844 sovereign. It show's some quite heavy copper spotting. The other pictures are of the coin using my phone camera. Not a great looking coin. Quite a lot of wear. I think this was a coin I bought years ago when I started collecting. 

I'll try and sort out some more now I've got a way of doing it. However, I think I'll have to look into getting something a lot better for the pictures.

I like it. I really like the copper spots too, it adds character. I like freckly gold.

[Silverlocks]

10 minutes ago, ZRPMs said:

@Silverlocks. Many thanks for the info. I don't currently have anything other than my phone and this cheap digi microscope. As mentioned before. I'm not that tech orientated. I can build a vehicle from a pile of scrap, Make furniture from a tree and repair most broken machinery or equipment, but Tech. That's another issue. The other half thinks my O.S. is Victorian or possible older. 

It's easier than it sounds - with a few minutes frigging to unpack it and set it up, I got this closeup shot of the date on a sov with the macro lens and a cheap ring light and panel.  The coin is just sitting on a square of black constuction paper on a stack of books.

 

Edited June 25, 2023 by Silverlocks

[ZRPMs]

6 minutes ago, SidS said:

I like it. I really like the copper spots too, it adds character. I like freckly gold.

It is mad to think about the hands this has been through in it's 179 years of existence. The deals and trades this would have been exchanged for. Looking over and surviving the historical events that have past during that time, The war's, etc. Its amazing really that its escaped the melting pot being so worn. I do like the history of old coins. Even if it is only in my unsubstantiated imagination. I love a mint condition coin as well, but worn coins have had a life not just been stuck in a draw or vault. 

[Silverlocks]

This is not exactly the setup I'm using now (different lights and the books aren't stacked as high) but the basic setup I've been using to capture shots of coins looks something like this.  The tripods and gear run to about £300 or so (not including the camera) but you don't necessarily have to have all of it and could likely shave about £100 or so off the cost by getting just the essentials:

From the left:

• A tripod sturdy enough to hold everything.  This was about £50 or so from Amazon.
• A chunkier ball mount for the weight of the camera and macro adjustment rail.  About £35.
• The macro rail (that's the thing with neewer written on the side) and a third party plate for the arca clamp on the ball mount.  About £60 + 20 for the plate.  In practice, this probably isn't really necessary as I almost never have to use it to adjust the camera.
• An L clamp for the camera that holds everything tight.  I got this because the plate that came with the clamp was a bit too small and tended to come loose and wobble about.  About £30 IIRC.
• Cheap ring light: About £25 or so.
• Adjustable clamp: About £10.
• Key light (you can use a spot or flat panel) plus a tripod and clamp - £25 + £10 + £10.
• Tripod for the ring light: £30.

It took a few iterations and some advice from @Charliemouse to figure out how to do this, but it's not beyond the wit of man.

Edited June 25, 2023 by Silverlocks

[ZRPMs]

2 minutes ago, Silverlocks said:

This is not exactly the setup I'm using now (different lights and the books aren't stacked as high) but the basic setup I've been using to capture shots of coins looks something like this.  The tripods and gear run to about £300 or so (not including the camera) but you don't necessarily have to have all of it and could likely shave about £100 or so off the cost by getting just the essentials:

From the left:

• A tripod sturdy enough to hold everything.  This was about £50 or so from Amazon.
• A chunkier ball mount for the weight of the camera and macro adjustment rail.  About £35.
• The macro rail (that's the thing with neewer written on the side) and a third party plate for the arca clamp on the ball mount.  About £60 + 20 for the plate.  In practice, this probably isn't really necessary as I almost never have to use it to adjust the camera.
• An L clamp for the camera that holds everything tight.  I got this because the plate that came with the clamp was a bit too small and tended to come loose and wobble about.  About £30 IIRC.
• Cheap ring light: About £25 or so.
• Adjustable clamp: About £10.
• Key light (you can use a spot or flat panel) plus a tripod and clamp - £25 + £10 + £10.
• Tripod for the ring light: £30.

 

 

I like it. Love the stack of coins. Even the copper bar. I have a brass paperweight