Shilling Grading

[britcoinz 0]

I have a set of c.1910 to the 1960s British coins that were collected from the 1940s and on and have been kept in Collectors folders. The oldest are fairly worn whereas the newest are almost unblemished. From grading guides like

http://coins.about.com/od/coingrading/qt/coin_grading101.htm

I think they lie imbetween "Good G-4" and "Very Choice About Uncirculated AU-58" but am not at all sure so would appreciate checking my interpretation of the grades with others that are more experienced.

I have attached a piccy of 3 shillings dated 1914, 1940 and 1965.

My interpretation of their grades is:-

1914 - Between Good and Very Good (as writing is merging into edge but most of detail is still visible)

1940 - Extremely Fine (no major wear but has lost its lustre with a few minor scuffs)

1965 - Very Choice About Uncirculated (still has its shine and with almost no wear)

Is this grading about right or am I way off the mark? Thanks

[declanwmagee 122]

About right on the 1914, you may have been too generous on the 1940, and the 1965 is probably aUNC, but please, drop the Very Choice nonsense!

Obverses tend to be easier to grade, I find, and a quick look at the head side of the 1940 would give a much better idea of where between VF and EF that one is. You do want to see very good hairlines on an EF.

[britcoinz 0]

Thanks. Here is a piccy of their Heads sides

The 1914 Head side is a bit better than its Tail side, whereas the 1940 one is worse imo.

[sound 25]

Hi Britcoinz,

Declan's assesment is about right IMO.

Do bear in mind that grading is a opinion and you would do well to err on the conservative side. Most of us start a little optimistically and tone down in time. Truth be told we are all probably a work in progress.

Of course as to describing coins we are free to use what ever terms we choose. Might be best to use "choice" for special coins that exceed normal expectations for a grade. Perhaps using it for high grade coins exhibiting particularly attractive features. However that's just an opinion others will differ.

Kind regards

Mark

[damian1986 142]

On 1940 how about VF for the obverse and gVF for the reverse?

I've never known a grading company grade both sides of the coin but I prefer it when dealers grade both sides.

[britcoinz 0]

Do bear in mind that grading is a opinion and you would do well to err on the conservative side. Most of us start a little optimistically and tone down in time. Truth be told we are all probably a work in progress.

Would it be correct to say that it is the detail that is most important and not the colouration? The following page has a supposedly EF 1886 Halfpenny and it looks pretty grotty to me colour-wise but admittedly has sharp detail.

http://wybrit.com/info/Grading.html

[britcoinz 0]

On 1940 how about VF for the obverse and gVF for the reverse?

In terms of valuations do people pay imbetween prices, i.e. if a coin is worth £10 VF and £20 EF, would a gVF coin exchange hands for £15?

[Paulus 1,975]

On 1940 how about VF for the obverse and gVF for the reverse?

In terms of valuations do people pay imbetween prices, i.e. if a coin is worth £10 VF and £20 EF, would a gVF coin exchange hands for £15?

A typical scenario might be £10 VF £16 GVF £28 NEF £40 EF

[britcoinz 0]

A typical scenario might be £10 VF £16 GVF £28 NEF £40 EF

I feel a headache coming on! To cut to the chase I want to sell my coins without getting ripped off so want to have a fair idea of their catalogue values. This would be easy if there wasn't so much variation in value between conditions!

Is there an easy way I can do this? If I started a thread and went through the collection chunk by chunk would I get good advice here?

[Paulus 1,975]

A typical scenario might be £10 VF £16 GVF £28 NEF £40 EF

I feel a headache coming on! To cut to the chase I want to sell my coins without getting ripped off so want to have a fair idea of their catalogue values. This would be easy if there wasn't so much variation in value between conditions!

Is there an easy way I can do this? If I started a thread and went through the collection chunk by chunk would I get good advice here?

Yes you would, probably the best there is. Good pics of both sides will be the key

[Peckris 579]

You've been unfair on the 1914, which I'd rate as Fair (averaged between obverse and reverse - the obverse is better). You're right about the 1965, but you've overgraded the 1940, which I'd rate as VF.

Would it be correct to say that it is the detail that is most important and not the colouration? The following page has a supposedly EF 1886 Halfpenny and it looks pretty grotty to me colour-wise but admittedly has sharp detail.

http://wybrit.com/info/Grading.html

Yes - detail is all-important, while colouration determines how much 'eye appeal' the coin has, which could affect its selling price by typically -/+ 20% (whereas a coin in a more worn grade might be worth anything from one half down to one fifth of the higher value).

I don't agree with everything Wybrit says on that page - his bottom grade is better than Poor IMO, and would certainly be collectable if rare. I can't see the 1886 halfpenny in-hand, but it does look better than EF to me. However it may not be in-hand, and I suppose that's his point.

[britcoinz 0]

Thanks Paulus & Peckris. Will start a new thread with details fo my collection to see what estimates we can come up with.

[azda 979]

People will pay more for an inbetween grade if they think they can sell it on at the next grade up. A good collector would pay the lower of the inbetween grade.

[Chris Perkins 228]

I can just see 'bullion' grade pre 1947 (and pre 1920) and a nice enough 1965 shilling, but I have hundreds of those already so wouldn't really want to pay much more than face value.

From experience it looks to me like a very average selection that would have been taken from change in the 60s (not the 40s, or that 40s coin wouldn't look like it had seen 20 years of use), and I would be very surprised if the value doesn't rest entirely on the silver content of the pre 1947 silver coins.

I buy an awful lot of pre 47 silver. Try me!