1834 William IV Shilling

[Guest Mark Jones]

As a novice coin collector, I'd be very grateful for any comments on the following.

I have recently acquired an 1834 shilling from a reputable dealer.

On careful examination I was surprised to find that the vertical axis of the reverse does not seem to coincide with that of the obverse.

The axis can most easily be defined on the reverse, which is nearly symmetrical. I'm taking a line through the centre of the crown and the centre of the date as my reference.

Projecting this line through the coin, this defines a vertical axis on the obverse running from a point just to the left of the B in 'Britanniar' to a point just to the left of the G in 'Gulielmus'.

If this is taken as the true vertical axis of the obverse, Billy has his nose in the air, looking towards 2 o'clock rather than 3 o'clock.

I see the same orientation in a coin currently for sale on e-bay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1834-silver-shilling...=item2eaa1783f3

but it seems a little odd to me.

[Peckris]

As a novice coin collector, I'd be very grateful for any comments on the following.

I have recently acquired an 1834 shilling from a reputable dealer.

On careful examination I was surprised to find that the vertical axis of the reverse does not seem to coincide with that of the obverse.

The axis can most easily be defined on the reverse, which is nearly symmetrical. I'm taking a line through the centre of the crown and the centre of the date as my reference.

Projecting this line through the coin, this defines a vertical axis on the obverse running from a point just to the left of the B in 'Britanniar' to a point just to the left of the G in 'Gulielmus'.

If this is taken as the true vertical axis of the obverse, Billy has his nose in the air, looking towards 2 o'clock rather than 3 o'clock.

I see the same orientation in a coin currently for sale on e-bay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1834-silver-shilling...=item2eaa1783f3

but it seems a little odd to me.

This is a very common phenomenon. Many coins of Edward VII and George V seem to leave the monarch with his 'nose in the air' - it just means a slight misalignment of the dies. What would be more notable would be if one face was out by 180 degrees, that's usually regarded as deliberate and results in a higher value.

[Guest Mark Jones]

As a novice coin collector, I'd be very grateful for any comments on the following.

I have recently acquired an 1834 shilling from a reputable dealer.

On careful examination I was surprised to find that the vertical axis of the reverse does not seem to coincide with that of the obverse.

The axis can most easily be defined on the reverse, which is nearly symmetrical. I'm taking a line through the centre of the crown and the centre of the date as my reference.

Projecting this line through the coin, this defines a vertical axis on the obverse running from a point just to the left of the B in 'Britanniar' to a point just to the left of the G in 'Gulielmus'.

If this is taken as the true vertical axis of the obverse, Billy has his nose in the air, looking towards 2 o'clock rather than 3 o'clock.

I see the same orientation in a coin currently for sale on e-bay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1834-silver-shilling...=item2eaa1783f3

but it seems a little odd to me.

This is a very common phenomenon. Many coins of Edward VII and George V seem to leave the monarch with his 'nose in the air' - it just means a slight misalignment of the dies. What would be more notable would be if one face was out by 180 degrees, that's usually regarded as deliberate and results in a higher value.

Many thanks for your help. I find this sort of detail fascinating.

I'm surprised that the milling process did not include a mechanism to prevent mis-alignment of the dies.

On the other hand, the process evolved in an era when machine-made goods were the exception rather than the norm and I guess people were just not bothered by a slight mis-alignment.

I shall enjoy my shilling all the more for your explanation - thanks again.

[scott]

that error never went a way, i have examples from 1917 egypt and even 1994 ireland, its interesting. in copper though its hard to come by, no idea why it happened in silver.