Centennial Florin

These 'proof-like' Centenary florins aren't just business strikes that look like proofs, they are special strikes with unique characteristics the mint produced to fulfil overseas orders. They are by no definition business strikes and command strong premiums regardless if the market accepts them as 'proof' or not (a good portion of the market is still accepting them as proofs).

They aren't technically proofs because the Melbourne mint never classified them as such but the same could be said for almost every other pre-55 proof which McD does list as proof. I am stumped as to why McD would specifically exclude these when so many other years weren't technically issued as proof either (at least these MC 'proofs' look proof, most of the other years don't even look proof).

In any case they are special strikes that deserve their own pricing category and while McD has specified its own category for these, the values are grossly underrated (e.g. a PF62 sold at HA in January for US$11,500).

I believe they do (though I may be wrong on this). Can you post up some photos? The issue is very scarce and a lot of the 'proof-like' examples I've seen on the market are just cleaned business strikes. An easy way to identify them is by their thick, wire rim (the business strikes have a beveled rim).

I'll wait for your better pics before I confirm, but I'm pretty sure yours is a special strike - the lighting is making the rim look beveled (at the top-left of the obverse), similar to the top of the reverse on that NGC one on ebay.

That's correct, but the NGC coin doesn't have a beveled rim. It appears to be beveled at the top and bottom as the light comes in from the top, look at the left and right sides of the reverse, it's the thick-wire type rim.

Appleangel, you've got 3 of these? Good job!

I was thinking the same as Trout about the beveled rim on that ebay coin. It is hard to tell.

Screw it, I contacted the seller for a picture of the rim. See what he says.

Sorry for the stupid question, but what exactly is the difference between the proof-like rim and business strike rim. I have often wondered if my centenary florin is a PL strike, because the fields on the reverse have a mirror like appearance.

It's not so much certain details indicate a PL strike, certain details indicate an MS strike, etc, but rather certain coins were produced for certain purposes (collectors/records/presentation/circulation) and historians work out how to differentiate between them from diagnostic markers. In the case of the Centenary florin, the wire rim is one of these diagnostic markers.

There's a good article in the CAB magazine on differentiating the various types (unfortunately I'm away from my library at the moment otherwise I'd look it up for you) - I'm sure someone here would be generous enough to look it up for you.