Nice Britainia..pity though..or is it ?

JamesMurray

Hi everyone , im seeking a bit of advice on a Britainia i recieved recently , its a beautiful 1oz .999 silver , stunning finish on it except down towards 7'0clock on the rim.It appears to have a slight discoloration , almost as if it toned somehow in that one small area.Bit like a nicotine stain really for want of a better description.Its not really so much on the obverse or reverse but mere the rim and ever so slightly on the obverse , its noticable and detracts from an otherwise beautiful coin.
Its a 2008 so im thinking toning that dark is unlikely , its in an airtite , i realise thats not alway been the case perhaps.

Heres my question , i feel i paid top dollar for this coin , and cant help wonder , is that mark or toning whatever it is going to detract from the value in your guys opinion ? Its quite out of place on an otherwise stunning coin.

PerryHall

It's essentially a bullion coin so I would dip it if it bothers you that much.

JamesMurray

Thanks Perry , it is just bothersome as it doesnt really seem to belong there , this type of bullion carries a significant premium so i was just wondering if it would affect that premium in the future if the day came i wanted to sell , ya know.

Thanks for the advice , i guess ill take it up with the seller as i cant really settle my mind on it , ill double check auction photos , if the mark is present ill accept that and can live with it.

PerryHall

Got a pic that you can share with us? Dipping shouldn't hurt this coin any so I would give it a try.

OPA

It may carry a "significant" premium over bullion value, but not issue price. We would storm the US Mint and burn it to the ground, if the premiums charged by the US Mint for the bullion SAE's were the same...

JamesMurray

Thanks guys , ill try to get a pic of what i am talking about , it doesnt show up as well under artificial lighting.
I appreciate what you are saying OPA but in my case im not talking about ASE's which i realise i can pick up for near spot , i tend to go for some of the more obscure bullion as well.Very often there is a considerable premium on those which id suggest can only have been put there by collectors such as ourselfs.

I didnt bid myself up to $30 so its clear there are others willing to pay that premium or very near it.What im worried about is will the colour blemish or whatever it is detract from the initial cost , having paid well over the odds i dont want to lose money on it before i kick a ball kind of thing.Sure it could be said ive already lost money on it paying over spot , thats not what im worried about.

jmski52

I bought some Proof Washington Commemorative Halves a couple years ago that were in capsules, but they had probably been in Katrina, because the boxes were kinda moldy.

Several of them had capsules that weren't completely air-tight, and there were dark spots on the edges of the coins. I'm thinking that your Britannia had such a capsule - not quite airtight, and that it wasn't stored in the best conditions.

A nicotine stain color would say "sulfur" to me, and if that's the case, a brief dip in thiosulfate would probably take it off. Thiosulfate is one of the active ingredients in Tarn-X, which is a silver cleaner. Do not use it in an unventilated area - it has been declared carcinogenic by the State of California. The other active ingredient is sulfuric acid, so handle with care.

This would definitely be considered "dipping" and it would not be adviseable for any numismatic item. Since we're talking bullion here, just remember that if your Britannia ever becomes collectible, it may suffer a discount for having been dipped, if it is detectible.

I guess that covers it.

asheland

Those Britannia coins are sweet!
I would just dip it. Make sure to rinse it off well.

1jester

Come on over to the Darkside!

JamesMurray

<< <i>Come on over to the Darkside!

>>



I will indeed , thank you. Also thanks everybody for valued advice , im just gonna accept it along with jmski52's tip to leave it be.I looked at it with a 16x loupe and just eyeballing it , its just slight discoloration , no damage to the coin.
Your right asheland , the britainias are way cool , interestingly enough ive accumulated some pre 1920 UK silver and on the reverses of florins is a stunning standing britainia..1910 in particular.

asheland

Yeah, most of the UK coins are beautiful. After American, that would be my favorite.
You should get a copy of Spink. It's like the British version of the Red Book.

halfhunter

<< <i>It may carry a "significant" premium over bullion value, but not issue price. We would storm the US Mint and burn it to the ground, if the premiums charged by the US Mint for the bullion SAE's were the same... >>



If the Mint only made 100,000 max, as is the case with Britannias, of the ASE what would the price be?

Kd5ddo

Kd5ddo

What do you mean by dip it?

pendragon1998

Sorry to chime in late here. The 2008 'business strike' (i.e., non-proof) silver britannia is quite common in PCGS MS69. Raw coins shouldn't receive much of a premium. Britannias, in general, will sell for a bit more than the average bullion issue (even raw) - say $25-30, or more for a very nice specimen.

Dipping this one shouldn't be a big deal. The 2008 MS69s aren't going for much lately, due to market flooding and generally depressed pricing.