what are these coins please and are they worth anything

Discussion in 'What's it Worth' started by sirkipalot, Nov 12, 2004.

  1. sirkipalot

    sirkipalot New Member

    Smee again I have 2 coins Dont know what they are perhaps you could enlighten me thanks OH WISE ones :)

    shinny gold coin is about the size of an old shilling

    george coin is size of old 10p
     

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  3. satootoko

    satootoko Retired

    Sorry Rich, your pictures don't provide enough information. The first coin is way too small and indistinct. You need to crop the pictures and only show the coin, although that might still be too small. Your second coin just shows two brownish blobs.

    Try posting closely cropped pictures of your coins on a website in .jpg format, and then posting the URLs, using the yellow square (when you hover your cursor it will read "Insert image") above the input text box.
     
  4. sirkipalot

    sirkipalot New Member

    are these better pics

    Tried to get a better set of pics hope they are ok

    Rich
     
  5. jody526

    jody526 New Member

    Hmm...
    The gold colored coin with George III on it is very interesting. It's dated 1701, and the king wasn't born until 1738. :confused:
     
  6. satootoko

    satootoko Retired

    Well, as Jody pointed out, on the date of the gold coin its subject wasn't even a potential gleam in his father's eye. :cool: Ignoring the date, the only George III coin in the 18th/19th Century Krause volumes with a reverse matching your picture is KM#609, a 25mm 8.35g .9170 gold Guinea, minted from 1787-1799. 1791 is the only year that ends in a "1". There are no mintage figures for the coin, and the '91 (like most of the others) is listed at $125 F, $175 VF, $350 XF and $650 Unc.

    Did someone tool the "9" to make it look like a "0", or do you have a counterfeit? Your guess would be better than mine, as you have the coin available for a microscopic examination!

    The other one seems to match KM#665, a 2.8276g Sterling silver 6 pence, although the reverse legends are unreadable on the picture in my Krause. That coin is 20mm wide, and the clear date 1819 (which yours appears to be), is listed at $7.50 F, $15 VF, $30 XF, $70 Unc. and $1,000 Proof . The mintage was 4,712,000 business strikes and 1.489,000 proofs. The business strike 1919/8 (no mintage listed) is slightly more expensive.

    It shares an obverse design with KM#666, a 24mm 5.6552g shilling, but the reverse legend is definitely different.

    (BTW - if they were mine, if I didn't have them in 2x2s or better holders, I would be wearing a cotton glove and holding them by the edge - especially the gold one. :D )
     
  7. sirkipalot

    sirkipalot New Member



    Thanks Roy

    The little gold coin is 25mm and the 0 is definately zero

    GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA

    S.UF.ST.DS.T.M.S.E.T. 1701. O.Y.I.ET.FG.REX.



    The other coin is is 32 mm and shinny copper/brass colour

    GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA 1819

    REX FID: DEF: BRITANNARIUM looks like a shield inside a buckled belt
     
  8. jody526

    jody526 New Member

    Very odd. Those specs don't match any of the info I have.

    This website might shine some light on the subject...

    LINK (click here)

    Maybe someone else can authenticate your "coins". Hope so, anyway. :)
     
  9. satootoko

    satootoko Retired

    Rich, Robby the Lost in Space Computer would agree with Jody, and say that your specs "Do not compute" for any coins listed by Krause.

    Except for the George III by the Grace of God King part, the comprehensive listings of coin legends in the 18th and 19th Century volumes do not show anything remotely similar to
    Everything about your other coin, except the size and composition, matches a genuine coin, but those are pretty big exceptions.

    You might try checking the coin shops in your area to see if you can find an expert on pre-Victorian British coinage and have him/her take a look.

    In any event, thanks for an interesting problem to consider, and good luck at finding an answer. :)
     
  10. Ian

    Ian Coin Collector

    Your `gold' coin does appear to be a bit of a fantasy coin, and i would think it rather fantastic if it turned out to be gold (especially with the green hues it seems to have to it). probabilities are extremely high that it is a brass gaming token. If I were you I would weigh it. If it weighs anything less than .246 oz then whatever else it may be it isn't a bona fide coin of the realm.

    As to your larger coin. It appears to be a half crown of George III. The way you describe it though makes me wonder if it too is not a conmtemporary forgery. There were/are exceptionally good forgeries of these coins. Most had either a copper or brass core which was silvered. Some are so good that you can only be 100% sure by weighing them (or after the silvering wears off). I have a couple of forgeries that look exactly the way you describe your coin. However, I also have a couple of genuine coins that have `toned' to look much the same way you describe the coin. Again, you are best advised to weigh it. If it comes out less than .42 ozs then its a fake.

    If genuine, your coin has a value of around about £10 -£15. Even as a fake someone might give you a couple of quid for it.

    Ian
     
  11. sirkipalot

    sirkipalot New Member

    thanks very much to all you guys and gals for your help .I will update you after some detective work
    Rich
     
  12. jody526

    jody526 New Member

    I'm pretty sure that everyone who responded was a man. :D
     
  13. the_highlander

    the_highlander New Member

    the first coin is indeed a shilling, common date 1819
    worth in that condition about 3usd, in ef worth about 40 usd.

    the second coin is a gaming token, a spade guinea,brass and reproduced these sell on ebay regulary for around 5 usd if your lucky.

    Auction URLs deleted

    MODS: not my auctions or anything to do with me only
    posted to show comparison
    Feel free to post direct links to the pictures, not the listings!
     
  14. murf353

    murf353 New Member

    The gold colored "GEORGIVS III" coin from 1701 that no one can identify seems to be the mystery coin of the century here, as I have 8 of them.
    They were from my fathers coin collection. He was born in 1924, and served in WWII, which is where most of the coins he had came from, based on dates, but those 8 coins have baffeled me for years.
    It is true that the 1701 date is long before George III, and it was eluded to that the "0" in the date could possibly have been a "9".. but for what purpose? It seems obvious to me that George III would attract a lot more attention than the date on the obverse side.
    I too see the greenish patina on these coins, and I can find no one who can definitively say what they are.
    Stay tuned. Perhaps a letter to the History Detectives on PBS might get answered.
     
  15. martin_lists

    martin_lists Junior Member

    S.uf.st.ds.t.m.s.e.t. 1701. O.y.i.et.fg.rex.

    Starting after the date, these initials (actually a G) stand for George Yorke Iliffe and Frederick Gardiner, Suffolk Street, Die Sinkers, Tool Makers etc. The REX was thrown in to make it look semi-authentic. These were written up in an article on bogus guineas and other fantasy coins in COIN Monthly back in the early 1980s - I think I still have a scan of the article somewhere.
     
  16. weryon

    weryon World traveler - In Thailand

    In my opinion the two coins are counterfeit
     
  17. georgiansilver

    georgiansilver Senior Member

    I too have one of the so called George 111 coin but it is not a coin... it is a gaming token and is made of brass. These are prolific in number and I see them at car boots, Antique Fairs etc.... of little or no value. Best wishes, Mike.
     
  18. martin_lists

    martin_lists Junior Member

    That's established as far as the "1701" goes - there are catalogues in existence listing the many different varieties of "bogus guineas and half-guineas" that are known - over 1000, I understand.

    I hope the original poster of the question appreciates the additional information - the person who sent me the link to this site (unconnected, as far as I know) has just blacklisted me from his on-line auctions for trying to be of assistance over here!
     
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