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 Replies: 8 / Views: 2,086 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
17960 Posts |
This was my most ambitious survey ever - 20,000 5p coins checked in 1989, the year before the new small-size 5p was introduced. Coins minted before 1947 are 50% silver - I only found 4. There was a much greater chance of finding a foreign coin than a British silver shilling. In fact the variety of shilling-sized foreign coins, plus the English and Scottish varieties for each George VI and Elizabeth II date, made these coins great fun to search through!
The WP and RP varieties on 1953 coins refer to the weak and recut portrait of the Queen. On the weak portrait, the hair details are fuzzy and the designer's initials MG on the truncation are indistinct.
The 1955 English shilling exists with a narrow or broad rim, whilst the 1955 Scottish shilling exists with the I of 'DEI' over a space or over a tooth (denticle).
The 1980 Proof Reverse 5p was struck with a proof reverse die, which has exaggeratedly long serifs on the letters of 'NEW PENCE'.
Coins listed as 'NIFC' were struck only in Proof or Uncirculated sets. It should be pointed out that the 1983 Uncirculated set had a much higher mintage than usual - around 600,000 instead of about 100,000 - and that many of these sets were given away as promotions by food and drink companies, to promote the issue of the new £1 coin. Obviously many of the people, who saved their bottle tops or canned food labels and sent off for one of these sets, just regarded them as money and spent the coins!
Shilling Survey 1989
GEORGE V (50% silver)
1931 - 1
TOTAL - 1
GEORGE VI (50% silver until 1946, then cupro-nickel)
1938E - 1
1939E - 2
1947E - 68
1947S - 53
1948E - 270
1948S - 276
1949E - 131
1949S - 146
1950E - 117
1950S - 94
1951E - 62
1951S - 67
TOTAL - 1287
ELIZABETH II
1953E (WP) - 184
1953E (RP) - 92
1953S (WP) - 162
1953S (RP) - 67
1954E - 255
1954S - 198
1955E (NR) - 352
1955E (BR) - 31
1955S (I/S) - 207
1955S (I/T) - 22
1956E - 374
1956S - 363
1957E - 342
1957S - 147
1958E - 113
1958S - 321
1959E - 169
1959S - 2
1960E - 222
1960S - 112
1961E - 337
1961S - 15
1962E - 311
1962S - 147
1963E - 436
1963S - 263
1964E - 75
1964S - 37
1965E - 75
1965S - 18
1966E - 109
1965S - 123
TOTAL - 5681
£ s d TOTAL - 6969
DECIMAL
1968 - 864
1969 - 1103
1970 - 2121
1971 - 788
1972 - 0 NIFC
1973 - 0 NIFC
1974 - 0 NIFC
1975 - 1193
1976 - 0 NIFC
1977 - 239
1978 - 619
1979 - 1511
1980 - 2391
1980 Proof Rev - 2
1981 - 0 NIFC
1982 - 0 NIFC
1983 - 2 NIFC
1984 - 0 NIFC
1985 - 0 NIFC
1986 - 0 NIFC
1987 - 546
1988 - 1527
1989 - 92
Decimal Total - 12998
FOREIGN
Australia 10c 1967 - 1
Belgium 5F 1972 (French) - 1
Belgium 5F 1975 (Flemish) - 1
Canada 25c 1968 (nickel) - 1
Canada 25c 1973 - 1
France 1F 1977 - 1
Ireland 5p 1971 - 1
Ireland 5p 1974 - 1
Ireland 5p 1978 - 1
Ireland 5p 1980 - 1
Ireland 5p 1982 - 1
Isle of Man 5p 1975 - 2
Jersey 5p 1968 - 4
Jersey 5p 1980 - 4
Netherlands 1G 1967 - 1
Netherlands 1G 1979 - 1
Spain 5Ptas 1957 (*74) - 1
Spain 5Ptas 1975 (*76) - 1
Spain 5Ptas 1975 (*77) - 2
Spain 5Ptas 1975 (*79) - 1
Spain 5Ptas 1980 (*81) - 2
Spain 5Ptas 1980 (*82) - 1
Spain 5Ptas 1983 - 2
Foreign Total - 33
GRAND TOTAL -20,000
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
560 Posts |
Interesting that only 65% of coins were the current issue, and a lot of pre-decimal coins. Whats the issue with current small 5p coins.
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Bedrock of the Community
 United Kingdom
17960 Posts |
Enlil - Use of the 5p / shilling denomination declined quite a bit in the 1970s and 1980s - many of the slot machines that accepted the coins were changed to accept higher value denominations as inflation took off. I think they just minted enough new 5p's to replace the pre-1947 coins that were being withdrawn for their silver content.
I've never done a survey of the new small 5p coins, but I suspect that now it would be heavily dominated by 2012, 2013 and 2014, as the earlier cupro-nickel ones are being rapidly withdrawn.
Edited by NumisRob
07/31/2014 5:30 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
837 Posts |
Quote:
Obviously many of the people, who saved their bottle tops or canned food labels and sent off for one of these sets, just regarded them as money and spent the coins! Fascinating stuff !  That is very interesting , based on what you have said then theoretically there must be a 1983 dated 2 pence or a few somewhere out there in circulation  When I read the part about people spending the coins from the sets I didnt know whether to laugh or cry - what were they thinking ?   I am fascinated by the proof coins you found , what condition were they in by the time you got them ? How did you store them ? Edited by DaytR
07/31/2014 2:53 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
17960 Posts |
DaytR - I am sure there must be some 1983 2p coins in circulation, perhaps even with the 'NEW PENCE' reverse! I also found some 1983 10p coins when the old size 10p was still circulating. I don't think any of the coins I found were actually proofs - the two 1983 5p's were about GVF-EF and had probably come from The Royal Mint Uncirculated sets. One is still in my collection and I gave the other to a friend who collects coins. The 1980 'proof reverse' 5p coins could have been impaired proofs, I suppose, but this variety was reported in the now-defunct British coin magazine 'Coin Monthly', so I kept a lookout for it! |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
298 Posts |
I'm amazed you could still pluck silver coins from UK loose change (albeit a very small chance 1 in 5000 it seems!) as late as 1989.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
837 Posts |
Quote:
the pre-1947 coins that were being withdrawn for their silver content What year did they start withdrawing pre-1947 shillings ? |
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Moderator
 Australia
16842 Posts |
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What year did they start withdrawing pre-1947 shillings ? 1947. They needed the silver to pay the Americans back for their war loans. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
837 Posts |
Interesting stuff ,thnx |
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Replies: 8 / Views: 2,086 |
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Posted 07/31/2014 02:55 am
