I think I have an error here, but I'm not sure how common this type of error is on the specimen I have. It's a 1871 B.P. 1 Sovereign I toned down the color on the zoom, so I hope it makes what I think is a crack in the die a little more aparent. opinions?
and I don't know what that spot on the reverse is, but it is very concerning to me, as I don't recall it being there when I purchased the piece a year or so back... not that it wasn't there, but if it was, my memory is (again) failing me.
Have always loved that reverse design Pretty sure I see what ya mean but can't really offer an opinion based on the pic. But it's easy for you to tell. If the line you see is raised - it's a die crack. If it isn't - it's a scratch
Me too! Well, it's definitely raised - so I guess that's good news in comparison to a scratch. I wonder, though, if die cracks are common in these pieces, or if I have something that might make it a little more desirable. Good news, the spot on the reverse is not on the coin - so it must just be how it sat against the flip and the light in the scanner picked it up funny. That concerned me a lot, when I reviewed the image.
With older coins, the rules change a bit. Today, things like die cracks, chips etc are popular. But a few years ago, there were very few error collectors. Part of the reason for that is that the errors were more common so they weren't really considered unusual. Now I'm not really a collector of British coinage, I have a few pieces but not many. But I'd have to say that this doesn't really add any value to the coin, but it may add appeal to some collectors. But when it get's right down to it - the only collector that matters is you
right on that score! This is one of my favorite pieces - until I get my hands on a reasonable guinea... or two.
Die Crack Yes - die cracks were a lot more common in Victorian times - especially on the Young Head coinage - prior to 1887 as the image of Queen Victoria was in relatively high relief. I don't think it would add anything to the value of the coin.
