Help with "Extremely rare" SOVEREIGN

[NumisMattist]

Hi, just wanted some help with this coin of my parents' ownership (mother's) - albeit probably mine in my will one day

OK basically, I understand how the grade seriously affects the value of a coin but it says in "Coin Yearbook 2007" this is an "extremely rare" date coin and so it doesn't even give a value. It is surrounded by coins of values which are very high, hundreds or several thou' in their UC state. Of course coin is circulated, this being a present bought by my late nanna on my mother's side for her daughter in the times of yore. It has plenty of small scratches but no really big ones and no serious tarnishing - it is at least in F condition and I would hazard a guess at VF probably not EF....Okay so this coin would have to be auctioned or better sent off for valuation to the professionals for the true value to be ascertained I know this much. Is there anyone who is an expert on Sovereigns who can help me? It is 1889 full sovereign

Thanks,

Matt

[josie]

Picture will help a lot for the sovereign expert have to see the coin in pictures, also they will grade it by themselves.

[Chris Perkins]

I don't know where you've been looking, but 1889 is a bog standard rather common jubilee head sov. Even the Australian mint coins are only a little bit more valuable that the London one.

Have you not already got a copy of Collectors' Coins GB 2007 (see link above, 2nd book image from left)? It might cause less confusion in the future.

[NumisMattist]

No it's an extremely rare coin in one of the mintages - check Coin Yearbook 2007 and you will see what i mean. By the way, don't forget to check my wonderful site and auctions on ebay - buy! buy! buy!

-Matt

[Chris Perkins]

I don't have a Coin Yearbook 2007. But I can assure you, there are no rare 1889 Sovereigns. It's either a printing error, or you're looking at the wrong coin.

Get yourself one of these (seriously):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0948964...ASIN=0948964537

Once you have that you'll never need another Coin Yearbook!

[E Dawson]

Quite. I do think that some of the so-called "commom" sovs are actually much scarcer if one can manage to find them without hairlines, rub, cleaning or bagmarks....

[coin watch]

I am far from being a sovereign expert but going by the Spink catalogue it very much depends on where the coin was minted and which variation in design it has.

Spink suggests that if the coin has a M { for Melbourne} mint mark or S {for Sydney} mint mark AND it has a variation in the J.E.B. initial then it is rare, but other than this it is of a standard type.

Its worth studying Spink or Coincraft for this info!

[Chris Perkins]

Ah yes, that'll be where he's going wrong! Like most people that find an unknown coin that has a rare variety, they always assume that thier coin is one of those rare varieties without having a comparison and in many cases without even understanding what the variety concerns!

I'm afraid the chances of your 1889 Sovereign being worth much more than bullion value are pretty slim.

[E Dawson]

Chris, what I was thinking was that these sovs may be so-called condition rarities. This has not particularly caught on in the UK, but is big stuff over here in the States. As an example I have an 1894 London sov that is prooflike with the most minimal of bagmarks and have not seen one so nice. It was cheap in price but scarce in presentation.

This may be a thought for discussion, that of preservation and value with regards to many issues, though I must admit the third party graders have perhaps spurred this on a bit too aggressively with the US example.

[josie]

EU gold coin is more like a bullion price unlike the phenomena in US gold coin and price of gold is rising now.

[Chris Perkins]

You're right E Dawson, the gold coins, which would have been all too tempting to spend at the time are often never seen in true BU. And with gold being so soft it usually always has marks.

[NumisMattist]

Yeah I realised this way before your replies - there was no need to get all bigheaded after all, I was first to point this out to myself haha so I win!

Edited April 27, 2007 by NumisMattist

[Chris Perkins]

Very well done NumisMattist.

[ken46]

Chris, what I was thinking was that these sovs may be so-called condition rarities. This has not particularly caught on in the UK, but is big stuff over here in the States. As an example I have an 1894 London sov that is prooflike with the most minimal of bagmarks and have not seen one so nice. It was cheap in price but scarce in presentation.

This may be a thought for discussion, that of preservation and value with regards to many issues, though I must admit the third party graders have perhaps spurred this on a bit too aggressively with the US example.

Eric, it took many lookers and close to 20 years before I got my current 1895L sov. Just a common

date but almost impossible to find in unc.

[E Dawson]

Ken46, hope you also got a good price on that! One author over here who harps on "cherrypicking", that is finding rare coins/varieties for the same as common when a series is treated generically pricewise, is Q. David Bowers. He has written many columns and even books about it and the interest for those of us who collect British coins is developing the philosophy of figuring out those bits to cherrypick.

I was doing it before ever reading his commentaries, and try to run away from the series that everybody else wants. I know that is one reason that I have stayed away from Gothic Crowns - a large supply but everybody thinks they want one so run up the price; I think this may be true for the other currency young head Vicky crowns to an extent despite their relatively low mintages...

Good work on getting your '95L! I find it interesting that Marsh et al seem to have not really considered presentation/wear in writing their books and so many condition rarities seem to be out there.

[Red Riley]

I was doing it before ever reading his commentaries, and try to run away from the series that everybody else wants. I know that is one reason that I have stayed away from Gothic Crowns - a large supply but everybody thinks they want one so run up the price; I think this may be true for the other currency young head Vicky crowns to an extent despite their relatively low mintages...

Perhaps this is a case of aesthetics over rarity. 'Everybody' wants a Gothic crown not because it is rare, but because it is unbelievably stunningly beautiful and ultimately transcends mere numismatics. In my book, worth more in non-monetary terms than any number of rare dates or possible mis-strikes.

[E Dawson]

Ah yes, but the Gothic Florin is available as well....Also, Pistrucci not too shabby an engraver!