UK Grades In ... ATS

weresteve

Received 11/12
Shipped 12/3

001 1926 G.BRITAIN 1/4P MS 65 RB
002 1938 G.BRITAIN 1/4P MS 65 RB
003 1944 G.BRITAIN 1/4P MS 64 RB
004 1947 G.BRITAIN 1/4P MS 65 RB
005 1932 LATVIA 5L AU 58

Farthings came out a little bit better than I expected ... Latvia 5 Lati as expected.

Part will be crossed with one University of Jena and a University of Breslau ... working on registry sets for the Farthings which may be further curtailed by recent hikes in fees.

Steve

SYRACUSIAN

Nice results Steve. But if you intended to have the farthings included in the PCGS Registry sets, why go to so much trouble and expense with the crossgrading? Slabbed Geo V and even more Geo VI farthings are seriously underpriced IMO. They barely sell for the certification cost in red gem.

BTW, I've recently got a 1929 PCGS MS65RD myself.

weresteve

I have a couple of NGC slabbed German Empire that I wanted to cross ... cost for submission of two coins to cross vs five or more at the appropriate service level ... well. This will most likely be the last crossover that I do for a long while due to the additional surcharges after the first of the year.

I have been trying to stick to finding some nice raw examples for submitting to PCGS, but in my neck of the woods they are few and far between. The inventory for most of the dealers in my area really hasn't changed very much in over a year ... at least as far as the ones I do business with the most at the local monthly coin show. So ... I keep my eyes on a couple of eBay dealers who do grade fairly when it comes to raw coins.

When it comes to slabbed farthing prices ... I have been checking eBay as of late and there have been a few that would have filled holes in the MS64RD and MS65RD ... but wasn't too exicted about the $60+ asking price for the ones I am missing.

SYRACUSIAN

Got you. Libertycoins had a nice batch of 1919 farthings in 63RD, 64RD and 65RD but they were selling them by groups of three, practically at certification cost alone. But what am I going to do with the other two?

This 1924 PCGS MS64RD has been on my watchlist for a while, but I wouldn't call it a top priority either. Geo VI is much easier (www.colincooke.com for ex., raw only), and Teletrade also offers chances of getting them at the same price (if not cheaper) and slabbed in 64-65 RD or RB. Patience is the key word.

weresteve

This group of farthings was from Colin Cooke ... usually try to get 2-3 of each date I want from them depending on price and then pick the best example to submit. I will probably be looking at another order from them this weekend since I picked up a nice 1904 Hesse Darmstadt 2M and a 1952 British East Africa 1 Shilling at a local coin show last weekend and could stand to start building another darkside submission to PCGS.

SYRACUSIAN

This group of farthings was from Colin Cooke ... usually try to get 2-3 of each date I want from them depending on price and then pick the best example to submit. I will probably be looking at another order from them this weekend

If this is true, then Libertycoins bought the group of 1919 farthings at an amazingly low cost, at dealer to dealer prices, otherwise their selling price wasn't making any sense. I was recently happy as Larry when I had bought a raw Geo V 1928 farthing from them, in BU full luster, only the price was £10. After I got it, I realized upon closer inspection, that the coin was ~97% red, with 2-3 minuscule copper spots that would have graded 64 RB if submitted, and frankly, I couldn't afford to order 2,3 or 5 Geo V examples at £8 or £10 a piece, in order to find the one that was absolutely perfect, to which I'd have to add certification, handling and both ways shipping cost, especially since the site rarely has images of the coins that they sell at this price level.

That's as far as Geo V and Edward VII are concerned. Hence my excitement with my purchase of a readily slabbed PCGS 65RD 1929 farthing at 30 euros. My experience with their BU full luster Geo VI and Eliz. II examples was very different, because these coins were much cheaper, and most of the times, the BU full luster description corresponded to a 64-65RD grade.

And of course, once you hit the Victorian category, the game is totally different. For instance a BU full luster 1862 farthing (from a small hoard) is selling at £45, when the same coin in (almost full red) 65RB or in 64-65RD can sell for $150-$350+ (in the roulette site that ebay has become). In any case, best of luck in your searches.


PS: Wybrit recently sold an excellent group of five Geo V farthings, very nicely imaged, at an average of $4 a piece, raw, but unfortunately, I already had 4 out of 5 dates that were in the group.

weresteve

Since I am only working on George VI Farthings right now, most of the examples Colin Cooke has aren't that high so getting a couple isn't too bad a prospect. Although, I am starting to get into the £8 to £10 a piece range at which point I try for one specimen and hope for the best. Still need to check their website sometime this week and compare with the current holes in my collection to see if there are any that I want to fill.

Once I start going further back I am sure things will prove to be a bit more challenging ... tho' I have picked up a few nice specimens from Queen Victoria through George V on occasion at local coin shows.

Last couple of good picks were
1860 1/4d Toothed Border MS64RD
1918 1/4d "Bright Finish" MS64RD

Tho' at this point I do have one coin I am thinking of possibly trading out for more farthings.

1904 4d Maundy MS66PL

Picked it up on a whim for about $15 ... not quite expecting the grade.

Steve

SYRACUSIAN

PM sent.