I saw and was educated by @Jack D. Young and his recent shilling counterfeit post (Aug. 23, 2021), recent in that it was added to in the past week. This shilling is a few years earlier but I used the info from Jack's post to verify that it isn't counterfeit... As you can see in the next pic, the eye and end hair curl correspond to the authentic characteristics: As well as the wreath leaves don't have a "spiky" look to them and the O/ONE is shaped right. I've included the date and the die number pic as well as the horizontal double arrow which both look kosher as well. This was bought for $60 by my brother before he passed away but I have no idea what year he bought it. I have assigned a grade of XF40 but I am open to lower assessments; at XF40 the coin would have appreciated to around $100 per current NGC World Coin Guide. Does anyone know of any other special attribute I need to look for? Hope everyone enjoys the post...Spark
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/suspect-certified-1882-gb-shilling.385319/page-2 is what you're refering to? I think as long at it looks roughly right and it's probably real - I don't think the 1878 shilling is rare at all, so you'd be unlikely to come across a modern counterfeit.
Mmm, a bit cleaned there and harshly so. This would be a coin right up my alley, and looks good as far as authenticity. Value? Well as a cleaned VF it might be 20 or so USD, hate to say. As Mr. T has pointed out, this is not a rare date even though there are a few scarcer varietals but in general collectors of such (well, like me perhaps) would be looking for a somewhat more attractive piece. Glad you were up to doing a bit of homework. What were you concerns? Colour? Cleaning? Worn "cameo" effect? Weight?
Yes, this is the post I read last week. Thank you for your reply. I merely applied the info to my coin and, in doing so, was confident of it’s authenticity.
My concerns were doubling or clashing information. Below the 7 of the date is a triangular bit of metal which could be a die chip or doubled numeral. Also, I was wondering about the rarity or scarcity of the “Die 65” component. In my research I saw examples of Die 1 and Die 16, so that made me question how many Die 65 may have survived the past 144 years. I agree the coin has been improperly cleaned, possibly several times, I don’t see any other evidence of clashing elsewhere, if clashed at all. Just that bit under the 7. Thank you so very much for your reply and information…Spark
No worries. Many thinks that Victorian England was flawless, but it was not and neither were the coins. Generally there is no real collecting by die numbers although they are recorded in some sources. I only talk this way because I have been collecting Vicky silver for more than 25 years...
Yes I think most collectors don't care what the die number is - there are a few years where there are both die numbers an no die numbers and that generates some interest. I think some references document which die numbers are known but I don't think I've seen any rarity comparisons (except for maybe the pennies with die numbers).
