The only coin I've picked up so far in Germany...

Darkhorse

Yesterday I went to Stephan Sonntag's coin store in Stuttgart... some AMAZING and NEAT stuff in there. So much better than the crap Canadian coin shops I'm used to. So much great stuff... but I didn't want to spend too much so I bought this little Defeat of Napoleon zwei mark coin. I took the picture with the lamp in my hostel room... I had to improvize. The grade is fast Stempelglanz, litteral translation is almost stamp brilliance or something... I'm not sure what that is in north American terms, perhaps a choice uncirculated... looks too good to be an AU, mayyybe a high grade AU. It cost about €20.

cosmicdebris

That is a nice one! Does he have any Goetz Patterns?

python

Nice coin and picture. If you get a chance could you please get and post some castle pictures?
If you get some good ones I'll send you a piece of celtic wheel money when you get back.

Shipcoin

Great coin, Darkhorse! The "coat of arms" looks familiar --as on Mexican coins

I think, Elverno will be glad to put that coin to his Napoleonic collection..

oldshep

Very nice DH - Glad you can contact the forum from there. Stuttgart is a very interesting city.
Shep

MacCrimmon

Fast STGL is an AU-50 to AU-59 coin in German-speak. Notice the wide range. It may also be expressed as VZ-ST or VZ-Unz.

One listed as unz-stgl is simply and uncirculated coin but not necessarily choice (MS60 to MS63).

Generally, if a coin is described as stempelglanz, you can expect a coin grading from MS64 to MS67.

Smart dealers will know what they have and even though they may only grade two identical coins as fast STGL, one may be priced at say, €17 while the other is priced at €20. The same holds for purely stempelglanz coins, although three solid coins grading as STGL may in reality be MS64, MS65, & MS66 as viewed by an experienced collector or professional grader. The good news is that with the STGL grades (at least in my experience) there will be little difference , at all in pricing.

Jump to a really knock-out, eyepopper MS66 or MS67 coin and you'll see a difference, but maybe only 20-40% higher, not the usual 1000%+ as with the lightside. Note: these are general guidelines as to grades/pricing....nothing hard and fast.

spoon

Awesome Funny thing is that was my first coin bought at a German store too

Yeah, Sontag does have an awesome selection.. just too much stuff that I can't afford (some overpriced I'd say) [Y'all can see their website here.] I usually wait out for something nice to show up at the other shop.

And what Mac said on the grading..
Just for reference the other grades are schon (s,=F), sehr schon (ss,=vf), and vorzuglich (v or vz,=xf). Often you'll come across twenty different ways of saying vz. And like Mac said, vz-st is AU, that or fast stempelglanz. Depending on who you're dealing with the grades might be stricter than American, but not always. Plus, it's common for folks to finger their coins. In stores you usually wont find anything below ss for sale unless it's old or special somehow. Umm...

Oh yeah, cosmic, that dealer did have some silver Goetz medals a while back.. I don't recall him having the patterns though? Which ones are you still looking for, or is it just upgrades now?

1jester

Hey Darkhorse! Glad you're doing well, and have found the coin shops at least as fast as the Bierhalle....

SYRACUSIAN

Nice little coin DH and thanks for the link spoon.


Have you two met yet?

Askari

I have also come across German dealers who use vz-St. for AU-55+ and f.St for what we would call MS-60-62.

Darkhorse

<< <i>Nice little coin DH and thanks for the link spoon.


Have you two met yet? >>



We planned to meet each other but I got lost or something.

trozau

The only coin I've picked up so far in Germany...

OK, what about non-coins? Glad to see you posting from there.

shirohniichan

Yo, wassup, Darkhorse?


Was ist loss, Dunkelpferd?