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 Replies: 9 / Views: 4,490 |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
655 Posts |
I've been looking through a mate's coin collection and he has a few 1927 Commemorative Florins. They seem to have very few marks on them like they are almost uncirculated but they are also very heavily tarnished, almost black in fact except on the high areas. How does the tarnish affect the valuation of this coin? I realise cleaning is a mortal sin to coin collectors but these look like mud compared to the shiny appearance they must have had at the time of minting. If anything this scan is brighter than what they really are. Anyone care to put a rough value on this one? Image:  florinj.jpg37.53 KB |
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Moderator
 Australia
16837 Posts |
Hi Learjet, and a belated welcome to the Forum. I don't see anything wrong with that coin at all.   You're quite right. Most folks here would probably regard it as criminal to clean something like that. If you (or your mate) feel tempted to do so, just keep chanting, "Tarnish is good. Cleaning is bad. Oxidation is good. Silver polish is bad." Why? Well, it's basically too late. Any sort of cleaning powerful enough to take away that much tarnish will only make it look worse to a collector, and especially to a dealer when it comes time to sell. Absolutely nothing can reverse time and make it "look like new" again. Condition-wise, that one doesn't look too bad. I'd call it VF - Catalogue value (Maccas) is $20 or so, but that's dealer's selling price - don't expect ot be offered that much, cleaned or uncleaned, if it's going to be sold. 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
 Australia
655 Posts |
Hi Sap and thanks for the welcome and advice. I don't think he wants to sell them and I was just curious what they are worth because of the tarnish.
None of my florins are that tarnished, dunno how his got that bad. Then my florins are the more recent post war 50% silver versions.
I'll polish em up with some steel wool and return them to him. ;-) (joke)
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
541 Posts |
quote:
Originally posted by Learjet
Hi Sap and thanks for the welcome and advice. I don't think he wants to sell them and I was just curious what they are worth because of the tarnish.
None of my florins are that tarnished, dunno how his got that bad. Then my florins are the more recent post war 50% silver versions.
I'll polish em up with some steel wool and return them to him. ;-) (joke)
Alot of Canberra florins seemed to be toned like such. In my opinion a nicely toned piece can increase it's appearance greatly. See:  *prays the first image I post works* Compared with a lustrous example:  I'd pick the first one anyday, (keep in mind the latter has been cleaned as well). |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
655 Posts |
Hi wwwww and thanks. My scanner piccy is really bad so I mounted a camera on my copy stand and have taken another shot. A much better piccy this time. The reverse looks almost uncirculated to me, nearly like yours? But the obverse appears more worn. This grading thing of predecimal coins is very tricky. I notice in the coin books too that simply being one grade out can mean the difference between $250 and $1150! (Renniks 1911 florin) Yikes! Image: FLORINSj.jpg53.97 KB |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
541 Posts |
Well as a guide, the toned florin I posted is a little better than an Unc, and the cleaned one an aEF/EF.
In your example there's quite a high degree of wear (for the date) on the obverse, probably a gF at best. The reverse has some noticable wear on the date, and on the crowns and would grade around VF. So I'd say it would grade around gF/VF.
You need to consider that most of these Canberra florins were put away as they were a commemorative piece so most would be found in quite superior condition (as an example, that cleaned example was found in a bulk lot of florins).
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
655 Posts |
Ah ok thanks, I can see that now. So the actual toning itself doesn't devalue a coin? Here's another from his collection. Kind of similar. Image: FLORIN2S.jpg52.3 KB |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1079 Posts |
I perosnally think to much tonning does devalue a coin, a little tonning adds character and hence does not de-value it.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
541 Posts |
quote:
Originally posted by KLD
I perosnally think to much tonning does devalue a coin, a little tonning adds character and hence does not de-value it.
In my opinion it's not a matter of degree of toning, but moreso, the spread, and perhaps the color. eg. an uneven dark black tone on a silver coin, vs a lustrous one, I'd pick the lustrous one. However an even bluish-gray tone covering the entire coin fairly evenly with lustre prevailing beneath, I will probably choose over a plain, lustrous example. |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
655 Posts |
There was a bad example of uneven toning on ebay tonight on I think it was a 1927 commemorative florin. It was a beautiful silver colour mostly with very dark toning in tight dark spots rather than an even hue. It didn't look very pleasing to the eye. |
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Replies: 9 / Views: 4,490 |
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florinj.jpg
Posted 04/08/2006 10:47 am
FLORINSj.jpg
FLORIN2S.jpg
