Struck during a relatively short period from 1887 and 1893, the Jubilee Head series is arguably one of the more popular half sovereign series to collectors, partly due to its affordability, but also to its numerous varieties which have fascinated collectors for decades. (more)

What's wrong with cleaning coins?

It is a question that has been debated in numismatic circles for decades, while there are many points to either side of the debate, at the end of the day, most forms of cleaning destroy the top layer of the coin in order to reveal the bright surface below. While many argue that this is a microscopic level of damage and therefore insignificant, it has macroscopic consequences to the same degree as circulation wear. (more)

When you first start collecting world coins, it can be quite a challenge. Sure you first buy yourself a fat copy of Krause which is a great reference for identifying coins, but what about valuing them? Sure you can go for the local references, but aside from Canada, United States and more recently Australia (thanks to our Blue Sheet reference), what countries have reliable valuation references for certified coins? (more)

When we talk about lustre on a coin, we numismatists refer to the original mint lustre, the way light reflects off the coin's original surfaces. This is caused by the light reflecting off the naturally grooved surface of most coins and gives off a unique pattern of light known as cartwheel lustre. (more)

If you already have a vague idea on grading, you probably know the importance of strike and probably define it as how well the detail was struck up at the time of a coin's strike. While this is an important part of assessing strike, it represents only part of the picture. The grade awarded by strike assesses all parts of a coin's strike. Everything from the centring of the design on the planchet to the effects from contaminants on the planchet during strike. Strike is an important factor in grading mint state coins but is generally overlooked in the circulated grades usually playing only a minor role. (more)

The discovery of gold in the colonies of New South Wales and Victoria caused heavy migration from the other colonies and the rest of the world, with individuals pursuing the chance of achieving great wealth through the discovery of gold. This migration had caused voids in their home economies with reductions in workers, jobs and of course they had withdrew their savings in gold coin, causing a number of problems for banks (as they could no longer keep their banknotes in circulation as they required gold reserves). South Australia was hit particularly hard by this with an estimated 16,000 people, half the male population of South Australia having left for the gold fields, and by 1852 it had seemed that total economic collapse was unavoidable. (more)

While probably the most common date in the series in lower grades, the case is perhaps very different in mint state. With the highest mintage in the series, there is no doubt that sorting through a sack of circulated shillings will yield numerous examples of this date, however the case in mint state is often very different. The reason being is that mint state quantities are generally defined by the notable hoards that turn up. For example, the Vienna hoard brought about many 1944 San Francisco mint shillings contributing to their availability, a few mint rolls of 1941 shillings have turned up also, but just what has turned up of the 1943 San Francicso mint shilling? (more)

We've just listed a run of rare gold half sovereigns on eBay, including the 1857/5 Overdate, an 1880-S crenualted reverse Young Head, a top grade 1879-S half sovereign and an ex-RBA 1906-M Half Sovereign in AU58, these are available on eBay over the next 10 days: (more)