Victorian Jubilee set silver - help

[Guest J]

I have a full set of 1887 Victoian jubilee coins in silver

my quandry is their grading they look either EF or UNC to the untrained eye, and I was recently told they were in ??mint condition by an antiques expert.

As I research this more the difference between EF and UNC appears to have a large effect on their value.. I have tried taking photographs to post on the site (I have just joined) however they came out too blurred.

The lustre appears to be mostly intact and the wear minimal as they have been stored away in a box for the past 100+ years

Who should I approach or how should I go about getting a rough idea of their grading...local coin dealer was very unhelpful.

I don't wish to sell them as they are far too lovely I just want to know roughly how valuble they are so I can assess if I have to lock them away.

[TomGoodheart 446]

Hi there. Do you have a scanner with your computer? If so you can make quite acceptable pics using this.

Broadly speaking, any visible wear, knocks or scratches will reduce the grade. Compare them with the new 5p coins that have just started circulating. If they are about the same you may be able to claim UNC but even movement around a box can reduce this to EF quite quickly I'm afraid.

You don't say if this is an 'offical' boxed set (ie in a custom made case) or not. Nor what denominations you have. If you have all seven coins from Crown to Threepence in a made to measure case it could be a proof set.

You may find your household insurance covers such a collection, but whether to lock them away or not depends on what you want to do with them. Handling, however careful, will eventually reduce their value.

[Hussulo 6]

Hi I find the best way to get pictures is to scan the coins, but you have to take care whilst handling them some people use cotton gloves because this prevents acids and greases from your fingers damaging the coin. If you have the 1887 Maundy coins (4 coins) 1,2,3,4p in Ef they are worth about 100 pounds and in Unc about 160 pounds. If you have the set which consists of the Crown down to 3p set (7 coins) then in FDC (fleur de coin) i.e. top condition they are worth about 1250 pounds. As you rightly pointed out though condition is key to value (as is rarity). If your local dealer is no help you should ask another dealer or auction house they may help you in assessing their grade. If you get into this great hobby you will soon get quite good at assessing grades yourself.

P.S. You should consider joining this forum as everyone is so helpful, and if you are interested in buying a book on coins follow this link http://www.rotographic.com/ it is written by the person in charge of this site and is priced very reasonably.

[Guest Guest]

thanks for the advice..

the set is the seven, crown down to threepence

The detail is amazing on them...i need to get my hands on a scanner...

They were not in a presentation box but carefully stored away in an old metal container in a writing chest i inherited (lucky me)

[Guest Guest]

but after reading lots of the posts i havn't dared clean them even in water...any advice?

[Hussulo 6]

but after reading lots of the posts i havn't dared clean them even in water...any advice?

NEVER CLEAN COINS! No mater how you do it or what you use you will always damage the coin to some extent! Most collectors like there coins with the aged look this is called toning in the coin collecting world. If you found a rare coin which does need cleaning then I am pretty sure a museum would do this for you. Be aware experts can tell a cleaned coin a mile off, and this will dramatically reduce its value and some collectors wouldn't buy a cleaned coin.