Rarity ratings...

[Sylvester 15]

Can someone explain exactly how far the rarity ratings go up, is it R-1 to R-10? (As the US does) or have we got something a little different?

And what are the approx figures for the rarity ratings, e.g in US for R3 it requires between 500-999 coins in existence, what's ours like?

DON'T HAVE THIS INFO AT HAND...

[Emperor Oli 0]

Never heard of a rarity scale but I notice you're discussing this on Conipeople! I would also be interested to know - perhaps they should publish it in Spink's?

[Chris Perkins 228]

Well I imagine every publication is slightly different. In 'The English Silver Coinage since 1649' by Rayner, and published by Spink, it says:

C3 Extremely common

C2 Very Common

C Commom

N Normal, neither scarce or common (Hmmmm!!???)

S Scarce

R Rare

R2 Very Rare

R3 Extremely Rare

R4 11-20 examples known

R5 5-10 examples known

R6 3-4 examples known

R7 1 or 2 examples known.

I think Very Rare must be a mintage of around 1000 or less, because the 1934 Crown is R2 (mintage 932). So perhaps Extremely Rare is 30-100, and maybe Very rare is 101-1000, or something like that.

[Sylvester 15]

  Emperor Oli said:

Never heard of a rarity scale but I notice you're discussing this on Conipeople! I would also be interested to know - perhaps they should publish it in Spink's?

Yeah i've heard of it, buit i never knew how far it went or what the quotas were...

I know Coincraft uses them from time to time, i though Mr Hawkins did too but 'i've lost the page...

[Sylvester 15]

  chris said:

Well I imagine every publication is slightly different. In 'The English Silver Coinage since 1649' by Rayner, and published by Spink, it says:

C3 Extremely common

C2 Very Common

C Commom

N Normal, neither scarce or common (Hmmmm!!???)

S Scarce

R Rare

R2 Very Rare

R3 Extremely Rare

R4 11-20 examples known

R5 5-10 examples known

R6 3-4 examples known

R7 1 or 2 examples known.

I think Very Rare must be a mintage of around 1000 or less, because the 1934 Crown is R2 (mintage 932). So perhaps Extremely Rare is 30-100, and maybe Very rare is 101-1000, or something like that.

That's what i thought, i thought it went to R7 but i was beginning to think i'd dreamt it up!

So my Stephen is R3!!! At last i own an Extremely Rare coin!!!

[Emperor Oli 0]

It would be nice if they could affix concrete mintages for them and then grade the rarity accurately but alas, they haven't!

[Chris Perkins 228]

I suppose it also depends on how many are out there. It's all very well stating the mintages left right and centre...But how many were melted down later on, lost at sea, buried in the ground, or found their way down the back of antique sofas etc.

The rarity is a rough measure of how many are out there, and that, in the case of Extremely Rare and the commoner, is not really all that important, because they could probably never all be accounted for anyway.

Well done on your extremely rare coin Sylvester, I think the 1868 Cu-Ni Proof that I got from Dan is also R3.

[Sylvester 15]

  Emperor Oli said:

It would be nice if they could affix concrete mintages for them and then grade the rarity accurately but alas, they haven't!

Aye but with coins as old as the 12th century there were no mintage figures so it'd be hard to tell which category they'd fit into anyhow even if they did put the figures down in concrete.

Although i have a feeling Chriss that R3 is probably more likely to be 20-250 or the like.

Or 20-500

and R2 as 500-1000

Just a guess!

[Sylvester 15]

What were all those Charles II sixpences again? And what about James II ones? Just so i know what i'm letting myself in for.

And whilst we're at it what about the William and Mary variants, 1693 (inverse 3) and 1694? or a plain old 93 for that matter?

[Geoff T 3]

  chris said:

I think Very Rare must be a mintage of around 1000 or less, because the 1934 Crown is R2 (mintage 932). So perhaps Extremely Rare is 30-100, and maybe Very rare is 101-1000, or something like that.

Yes you would, but ESC gives R2 to the 1930 half crown, which had a mintage of 809,510, and which in my experience isn't as difficult to come by as is often made out. At the same time it grades the 1925, which is also a low mintage, as no different from 1919-1924, ie. all S. ESC's R2 must be a pretty broad range if R4 is "eleven to twenty examples known" and R2 can go as low as 932 for the 1934 wreath crown and still take in the 1930 2/6d. That would make R3 something like 21-931 at the outside.

It would be great if ESC gave mintages as well, but you can cross check them in Marles.