Question about a "Vermontensium" - Off-center and clipped
Windycity
Posts: 3,525 ✭✭✭✭✭
I know with modern coin, off-center and clipped make them errors and often more valuable. My understanding is this does not apply to Colonial coins. Here is a Vermontensium with an off-center strike and a clip. Graded AU Details "burnished" by NGC. Does the off-center and clip negatively impact value?
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Comments
Probably a bit, the date and lettering partly off the planchet isn't ideal, but what a beautiful coin otherwise!
It does have a price impact to be off center depending on the variety. This variety is often known to have clips and most of the date off the planchet, however there are known examples that are fully struck, full date and no clips. Clips are par for the course so to speak on VT landscapes in general, but the strong demand is for fully struck, no flaws and well centered examples. Those rare pieces bring a very strong number. So to actually answer, yes it does have a profound difference in pricing regardless of the grade. This is a series that cannot be priced by grade on the holder, one of the series that is truly priced based on the coin and not the holder. I’ve seen F15 examples sell for the same or more than XF45 graded examples just based on strike and appearance. Hope that helps!
I will add that from appearance the example you posted looks quite nice. But with the burnished holder, etc. it will have a strong downgrade in price in that holder versus other ones. On the flip side, many collectors of colonials enjoy their coins raw! I would suspect it is over 50% that buyers will just crack out the coin from the holder anyway! A clip of that size on this coin does not really impact the value as much as the burnished surfaces would.
I like it...the burnished thing, though it will impact value to some extent, doesn't bother me all that much on pieces of this vintage. Plus it isn't offensive. As to the clip and being off center... Error collectors would look at those as positives. Cool piece. I've always liked the sound of VERMONTENSIUM...
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
Agree being burnished will impact it more that the O/C and clip; I have seen "burnished" early copper that look much more noticeable than I see in these images. I actually like a slightly O/C strike on these that show full dentilation like this one.
The clip and the off-center strike are still legitimate "mint" errors. However, that does not increase the value of the piece and may negatively affect the value as mentioned above.
Also as mentioned above, the "burnished" description has a greater negative impact upon the piece.
Despite all that, I love the coin for the great face on the sun and the decent hills, and would be pleased and proud to own this coin, warts and all. Numismatic should be about the appreciation of coins as they are, and not the worship of perfection.
MOO