Help me pick!

clarkbar04

I plan on buying my last high end coin for awhile, and of course I can't decide which one. So, I'll leave it to the goodship darkside to decide. I don't want it in poll form, because I just want to hear which one you like the most and why if you have a reason. Or, if you have a similar one for sale or one you think I'd like based on these and other pics I've posted, feel free to post it up.

RareBronzeCollector

I like the Swiss 5 Franc for aesthetic reasons..... It's a classically beautiful coin......

clarkbar04

Not so surprising that its also the most expensive one!

coinpictures

Easily one of the 2 Swiss pieces. I lean towards the 1872 piece. It looks like it may have very nice surfaces...

ArgentumRex

I think the obverse of the escudo is the nicest design of the three. It's a great depiction, and the way the various elements are arranged just looks really cool. She looks like she's reaching out with some real passion, while the other two look like they're posing for a sculpture. However, I think the reverse is a little ho-hum compared to the flowing elegance of the obverse.

I think the bottom 5 Fr. has the nicest reverse of the three, and is the nicest looking coin overall (as far as I can tell from the pics). And the more I look at it, the obverse becomes more and more appealing (though still a bit stuffy), especially in combination with the reverse. I think it's a very attractive and well-balanced overall design, front to back.

The middle one...I just don't connect with it on any level.


As they say, "there's no accounting for taste."

clarkbar04

Thanks for your input thus far. Here is my take on the 3 coins.

Portugal escudo. 1000 coins minted, nice obverse, OK reverse
1863 shooter - uses the same design as the regular 1 and 5 fr. pieces of the era, so the cool factor isn't that great. Also, crappy pics, and highest price. Plus, the noise above liberty's head has me a bit concerned. The third one I like alot, but what are your takes on the few lines to the right of the standing figure. Just a few innocent contact marks, or has this been lightly curculated?

Burks

I'd pick the 1872. Just something I've never seen before and I love it.

ArgentumRex

There are definitely hairlines, and I see them on the left of the figure, too. They're all running perpendicular to the light source. I'll bet if you moved the light, you'd see a bunch in the new direction too. Cleaned or consistent with light circulation, it's hard to tell. The middle coins also looks a bit scuffed up in the fields. I can't tell on the escudo. The three coins are imaged with different styles, and all are somewhat sub par images. It's tough to make a comparative assessment, or even assess them in absolute terms.

RareBronzeCollector

<< <i>Not so surprising that its also the most expensive one! >>




I never even looked it up.... How much is it?????

I just picked it because I liked it......

clarkbar04

<< <i>
I never even looked it up.... How much is it?????
>>



$375

spoon

Honestly, I would save my money and hold out for better examples.

The Portuguese is nice, and it is scarce, but I saw a better example recently for around that price. The chatter in front of her face seems distracting and I'm worried that there isn't much lustre. With patience, I'm sure you'll find a better one.

Both the Swiss ones scream "problem" to me. The seated Helvetia is definitely cool, being the same obverse as the circ 5Fr, but the dull spots in the photo make me wonder if it's been cleaned. And while the 72 is attractive, there are better designs out there for less money. I strongly agree with the suspicions above that that one's hairlines would stand out in a different light.

Overall diagnosis: wait for better specimens or find something else. There are tons of attractive coins out there for the same or less money. If it didn't seem such a mediocre example of the type, the Portuguese would be my pick.

koincollect

I like the Portuguese one. I like the obverse and the reverse is not too bad. The coins looks better than the other two and the low mintage also helps!

lordmarcovan

I like the Swiss pieces. Upon hearing that the Portuguese piece had an estimated mintage of 1,000, though, that is something.

PCI gold label plastic might as well be raw, but still, it's a free plastic holder.

Tough call. I would have said one of the Swiss ones but upon further consideration I might just go with the Portuguese one.

josemartins

Note that the Portuguese coin has a mintage of 1.000.000, not 1.000...

Jose

clarkbar04

<< <i>Note that the Portuguese coin has a mintage of 1.000.000, not 1.000...

Jose >>



How can you be certain? Even my krause says 1000.

newsman

It says 1 million (expressed as 1.000).

BTW, you can do better than that one for $175.

hockeyfan9

I like the 1872 Swiss piece. It is the nicest of the 3. Good Luck and enjoy which ever you buy!!!

josemartins

<< <i>

<< <i>Note that the Portuguese coin has a mintage of 1.000.000, not 1.000...

Jose >>



How can you be certain? Even my krause says 1000. >>



It's like newsman says, Krause (still) didn't update a lot of their "." for "," and i definitely see more than a thousand of those in the same place at least once a month.

175$ is too much for that coin, even if the coin looks better in hand i wouldn't pay over 125/130 for that particular coin, for that price the coin should be BU.

Jose

clarkbar04

Thanks for the heads up, I wouldn't pay that much money for it with a mintage of a million either!!

clarkbar04

I went with "none of the above". See my other new thread for pics and a fun game of "guess the grade".