1888 Queen Victoria "Jubilee Head" Crown, Wide Date Variation - Choice Unc

Hi Steve

Firstly, to me this looks like a narrow date specimen. Compare it with this wide date crown listed on ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GREAT-BRI...AOSwpLNX9Td3

This is the date area of the crown on ebay:


Compare it with the Etsy coin:


I also wouldn't grade it anywhere near UNC. I'd call it near VF. There is considerable wear on the portrait and on the higher points on the reverse such as St George's leg and sword. This coin has seen quite a bit of circulation.

The wide date variety is pretty hard to find, but I've seen quite a few in dealers' lists. One auction house in England currently has one in Fine with an estimate of £30 - £50. The 2017 Coin Year Book prices the wide date coin at £25 in Fine, £60 in VF and £300 in EF. The commoner narrow date variety is £20 in F, £35 in VF and £90 in EF.

That AIN'T a choice Unc crown !
Fine in British grading if your're lucky.

Stuffin' if you wish, dunno about the Hohen part.

Even if it were a wide date/UNC it still wouldn't be worth €9,245, get real. I'd be paying bullion only as it grades Fine whether it's a British, French, German or North Korean grade.

The fact that it looks as though it could be a narrow date but no one here definitively replies that it is one I think justifies my keeping the price very high out of caution.

I'm looking at other narrow date examples and it's still not definitive to me, as it may be a matter of perspective in the photos. I may not be able to determine it myself through pictures.

https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/pa...Default.aspx

My coin is much finer that this example on VCoins and has a profusion of Mauve and Ice-Blue toning. I've never seen a silver coin this purplish before and for the collector of toned silver I do believe it to be worth some greater premium than those mentioned here. No one here mentions the toning.

What I would like to understand more is what the valuation-difference is when a coin is worn versus contact marks. This coin has no wear visible to the naked eye. When you look at it with no loupe, the surfaces appear smooth and liquid-silver, again a unique quality. There are some areas on the chest of St. George that, yes, do seem problematic, but it almost looks as though this was the result of being set down on a hard surface (contact) and not circulation-wear.

And as for the individual who seems skeptical of my German high-born ancestry, I'm a Sephardi whose ancestors sold white eunuch slaves for over 900 years in Al-Andalus, so I understand why you have resentment and want to get back at me with some trolling. ;)

The liquid-silver quality and the toning to me are unlike any that I've seen of this issue. I agree that I would take down the price but I'm not going to get common about it and sell it for $25 USD.

In terms of British valuations, keep in mind that Anglos are ruled by Saxe-Gotha, so again, I might be working on a different plane of monetary matters than an Anglo...

The dealer who sold it to me said that this was part of his private collection and initially did not want to sell it to me, believing it to have some special significance, but not knowing what. I think he was an elderly gentleman who had forgotten the specifics about the narrow vs. wide date matter of this issue year. It was not initially for sale and he seemed very reticent to even put a price on it.

With the VCoins example at $370 USD and with it being such a lesser example in terms of toning, wear, and of Narrow Date variety, even if this were a Narrow Date I wouldn't sell it for less than double the VCoins one's price. If it's a Wide Date, then it is easily a 4-figure coin.

Somehow, your photos make the coin look well circulated and much worse than the VCoins example. If the coin can be removed from that plastic flip/enclosure, you might do well to take another set of photos. In your current photo it almost looks like there's obverse rim damage at 3:00, but it could just be distortion from the curved plastic.

Pepactonius -- Yes, there is no rim damage on the obverse at 3 o'clock but the reflection off the plastic holder in the photo makes it look as such and very bad. If I look at it from that perspective, yes I see why the ppl in this forum are so thrown off.

What is your assessment of the Narrow vs. Wide Date variety? There still does not seem to be a definitive consensus.

sel_69l and trout1105 are both Australians whose idea of integrous behavior is to go around talking trash about people's surnames. I love that. This is very fun forum.

Pepactonius, thank you for suggesting counting the denticles. At some point I will take better pictures with my real camera and out of the plastic holder and follow-up with them on this thread.

The liquid-silver quality is what led me to the UNC grade as it seems to be representative of its original...Fleur-de-Coin. It just doesn't look like its surfaces have ever been touched, just set down on hard surfaces.

The VCoins example may have less wear but its surfaces look very muted with a very circulated look, grey, dusty. The liquid-silver luster of my example outweighs the wear.

Maybe UNC emphasizes the "wear" aspect too harshly, causing feathers to ruffle. There has to be some other qualification for its original liquid-y luster...Maybe FDC?

The writing in the description is also throwing people in this forum for a loop. On one hand, there's the coin and other the other, there's this frustration with my writing style. Very emotional, passionate forum!