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 Replies: 18 / Views: 9,326 |
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New Member
Lebanon
9 Posts |
hello guys,i recently purchased a "queen victoria young head 1887 - st.george reverse- Sydney mint" gold coin. I know that this coin should weigh 7.98 grams. I weighed the one I bought,and it indicates 7.93, so that's 0.05 less than normal. I want to know if it's normal for coins to lose this amount of weight in a period of 100 years or so.. is this weight differential common? of course there's always the supposition that the scale needs tuning. I paid 475$ for this coin,a bit too much? thanks for all your answers in advance. Edited by new_user
05/16/2011 9:20 pm
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Moderator
 Australia
16830 Posts |
One thing you didn't mention is the wear. 0.05 grams is only 0.6% of the coin's mass; a worn gold coin can easily lose several percent of it's mass. If the coin is unworn, I would be suspicious of either the coin or the scale.
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
2830 Posts |
G'day, I have a text on sovs.
It says that, in the era when they were still circulating coins (upto WW1), the banks would withdraw any that were 1% underweight. If that is correct, then yours was still a healthy specimen, and fit for its purpose.
1887 was a big year for sovs -
two obverses;
two reverses;
three mints;
and just about every permutation of the above (twelve, I think) exists, but some are relatively scarce.
On top of that, of course, is grade.
And, with the recent volatility, one must be cautious about getting hung-up on "CV".
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
A new US nickel should weigh 5 grams. That's the standard US dealers use to check their scales.
As mentioned, your coin is within tolerance, espdcially if worn a little (age itself wouldn't matter, it's not like coins evaporate).
I dunno what collector value, if any, your coin has. Common date sovereigns are $371 retail, $351 gold content.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
All coins when struck have a tolerance range. I don't know what the tolerance range of the Sovereign was but the tolerance of the US half eagle of that period, which is the closest weight coin gold coin to the sovereign, had a tolerance of .032 grams. This means it could have weighed as low as 7.95 grams when it was struck ans still have been considered to be of legal weight. So if this coin has any wear at all you are talking having to account for .02 grams of weight loss. That is .3% loss in weight. If Peter Thomas is correct that means they wouldn't withdraw the coin until the weight dropped to 7.87 grams. I don't see a problem with your coin.
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Pillar of the Community
1283 Posts |
The sovereign is one of my favorite coins, and it is completely normal for the weight to be a little off.
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Valued Member
Ireland
131 Posts |
Perfectly within acceptable bounds if worn, I have a QVYH half-sov that has been around the block more than a few times so to speak and that's a full 0.2g underweight but is genuine.
Norm
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New Member
 Lebanon
9 Posts |
I appreciate all your answers,i believe you guys are right,it is still within a reasonable margin.. Below is the picture of the coin I was talking about   |
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New Member
Lebanon
9 Posts |
hey guys,the man who sold me this coin is offering to sell another sovereign,this time a "queen Victoria veiled head - 1900" ,and it also weighs around 7.92 ! I'm not an expert,I'm kinda new to sovereigns,but I think that the touch and feel of these couple of coins is somehow reassuring that they're authentic.However,can you tell by looking at the pics I posted above? I'm gonna upload more pics of the veiled head coin,and another king george coin that i'd love to read feedback about! thx a lot people!
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Pillar of the Community
1283 Posts |
If the price is right I would buy it. The first looks authentic it's been cleaned but still a very nice coin.
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New Member
Lebanon
9 Posts |
talking about "price",i read somewhere that numismatics can cost a minimum of 15% dealer profit. I'm paying a 20% for king george coins,but I paid around 33% for the victoria coin! the same price is demanded for the veiled coin (475$ !),i know it's a bit too much,but Victoria coins are a bit hard to find in my country. Any thoughts?
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New Member
Lebanon
9 Posts |
Here's a King George that I purchased a while back.. I was checking it the other day,and I noticed that the bridle across the horse's neck looks very weak! the coin's touch seems genuine to me,here are a couple of pictures! Man this whole genuine/fake thing really messes with one's mind! doesn't it?! makes me hate coins at times lool In Victoria's pics,the initials on the reverse under the dragon seem worn off. Why don't I invest my money in normal bars from banks? I guess I fell in love with this Coin World lol   |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2830 Posts |
quote: "... the bridle across the horse's neck looks very weak ..."
that's typical wear.
The first area to go is usually the straps on the greave on George's leg.
The obverse shows wear in the hair above K.George's temple. His beard is starting to show wear also.
"Why don't I invest my money in normal bars from banks?"
- I have read that in the First Gulf War, the U.S. Air Force issued its pilots with five KG5 sovs, as part of their emergency kit. Apparently, KG5 sovs are still good currency in that part of the world.
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New Member
Lebanon
9 Posts |
yes Peter,I'm aware of the wear,but it's not a deal breaker for me,what matters most to me is that it's genuine,I'm still new and obsessed with the fact that there are lots of fakes out there! lol.. what's your opinion on the Victoria coin up there?
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2830 Posts |
both of the above look genuine to me.
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New Member
Lebanon
9 Posts |
thank you for your replies
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Replies: 18 / Views: 9,326 |
Posted 05/17/2011 07:22 am
