But do you think this is a proof? It has a strong strike but it just doesn't quite look like a proof to me. I can easily tell proof pennies and half pennies but I have a hard time with proof silver coins from Australia They don't have quite the same luster as the american ones.
Looks like a nice strike from an older die - fields are too "grainy" to be a proof. Not even "proof like". Maybe buffed ??
That's the thing, a lot of these aussie proofs come out that way. They're not the best proofs in the world. They only made around 1000 every year.
haha alright alright. Still not that many though. @Markus1959 It's very hit or miss with aussie proofs some look fantastic and others not so much. Either way they're pretty expensive.
Here is some interesting information - quote - "The circulation strike 1956 Florin can be tough to find in higher grades with 1956 being the year of the Melbourne Olympics and many of the coins being souvenired by tourists. Additionally, the city was prepared for a higher demand on their proofs as "tourist collectors items". These proofs were specially struck and sold for premium prices" closed quote I want to share this webpage with you - http://www.australian-florin.com/elizabeth-ii-florins.php
That is very interesting. I never thought about that. So it's either a rare MS or a proof win win haha
The proofs are rather scarce, but I hope you stumble across one! One thing I remember that Aussie friends have told me--the proofs have very square rims. And since the mintage is only 1500, you probably won't see any die wear, ie flow lines on the coin. That said, I'm not qualified to know what a proof looks like--I'll just post a pic of a certified one:
Didn't the seller have any history on it? Perhaps he would tell you how he obtained it and you could back track from there. If there is so much confusion trying to identify their proofs, you would do well to have this graded just for authenticity, if for anything else.
I bet they're aware that if they got it certified, they could sell it for a lot more, hence their "I know..." To my eyes, the rims of the obverse look too rounded for an Aussie proof. It could easily be an early die state of a circulation strike. Another observation--with a mintage of just 1500, they probably used a single die pair for all the proof Florins that year. If that coin were proof, those die scratches and other marks should be visible on the certified one I posted.
The early Australian pre-decimal proof coins are actually somewhat hard to tell even though I have seen them in person. Here are some links that may be of use http://www.drakesterling.com/sold-coins/catalog/pre-decimal-proofs http://www.cruzis-coins.com/predecproofs/index.html http://www.cruzis-coins.com/predecproofs/19562.html In any case, it doesn't hurt to store it properly just in case it may be a proof. If it is, it's quite uncommon.
Exactly, that's why I'm hesitant to buy it. It's sitting at some low bids and the guy sells mostly low end world coins. I think I might pass.
