Zebo

Happy St. Patrick's Day

with the virus dying down and states opening -- what coin show is top on your list? I haven't had the itch to attend one in a while, but the warm weather is taunting me to go out. Auctions have been fine up to today!

Its on my calendar!

I was hoping for a bit more participation. I've decided to end the poll a bit earlier than planned to not keep some of the regulars in suspense. My next poll may be on the coinage of the Isle of Man. I cannot see who scored the best - so grade yourself. Thanks for participating - I hope you had fun. 1) What was the most comprehensive collection of sovereigns that has gone to auction? Hemisphere, Quartermaster, Park House, Bentley, George Correct answer: the Bentley Collection auctioned by Baldwins in three parts. 2) What is the main difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Sydney sovereigns? Obverse, Reverse, Alloy Used, Weight, Legend Correct answer: the Obverse. Type one (1855-1856) included a portrait of Queen Victoria that closely resembled the ones being minted in London at the time. The Type two (1857-1870) incorporated a sprig of Australia’s native flower, the banksia, in the Queen’s hair - a unique Australian portrait. 3) How many sovereigns are known to have been melted by the Bank of England in 1930 and 1931? None, 24,335,000, 52,000,000, 71,900,000, 84,665,000, 100,441,000 Correct answer: 100,441,00. The number was originally thought to be a bit less. 4) In what year did the Royal Mint stop minting the shield reverse? 1817, 1823, 1853, 1874, 1933 Correct answer is 1874. The Australian mints continued to issue the shield along with the St. George reverse until 1887. I do not count the commemorative issues minted in 1989 for the five hundredth anniversary of the sovereign or the 2002 special issue for the Queen's golden Jubilee. 5) In what year did the so called "Modern Sovereign" come into existence? 1817, 1823, 1853, 1874, 1933 Correct answer is 1817.

I was hoping for a bit more participation. I've decided to end the poll a bit earlier than planned to not keep some of the regulars in suspense. My next poll may be on the coinage of the Isle of Man. I cannot see who scored the best - so grade yourself. Thanks for participating - I hope you had fun. 1) How many countries has the Sovereign been minted in under the auspices of the Royal Mint? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Correct answer is 5: England, Australia, Canada, India and South Africa - Listed in the order they opened for business. 2) How many mints issued sovereigns? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Correct answer is 7: London (now Wales), Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Ottawa, Bombay and Pretoria - also listed in order that they opened for business. 3) What is the gold purity associated with current day sovereigns? 18 carat, 20 carat, 22 carat, 24 carat, none of the above Correct answer is 22 carats. 4) How many different tail lengths were minted? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Correct answer is 3: Long, Medium and Short -- although I tend to question the medium. 5) In what year was the sovereign first struck? 1489, 1523, 1633, 1712, 1817 Correct answer is 1489 under the rule of King Henry VII. The sovereign changed names leading to the Unite, first issued by King James I with the intention of uniting England and Scotland; followed by the Guinea. Partial credit given to those that picked 1817, as it was the birth of the Modern Sovereign. Answers for Part II of the quiz - also listed in the Part II Poll 6) What was the most comprehensive collection of sovereigns that has gone to auction? Hemisphere, Quartermaster, Park House, Bentley, George Correct answer: the Bentley Collection auctioned by Baldwins in three parts. 7) What is the main difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Sydney sovereigns? Obverse, Reverse, Alloy Used, Weight, Legend Correct answer: the Obverse. Type one (1855-1856) included a portrait of Queen Victoria that closely resembled the ones being minted in London at the time. The Type two (1857-1870) incorporated a sprig of Australia’s native flower, the banksia, in the Queen’s hair - a unique Australian portrait. 8) How many sovereigns are known to have been melted by the Bank of England in 1930 and 1931? None, 24,335,000, 52,000,000, 71,900,000, 84,665,000, 100,441,000 Correct answer: 100,441,00. The number was originally thought to be a bit less. 9) In what year did the Royal Mint stop minting the shield reverse? 1817, 1823, 1853, 1874, 1933 Correct answer is 1874. The Australian mints continued to issue the shield along with the St. George reverse until 1887. I do not count the commemorative issues minted in 1989 for the five hundredth anniversary of the sovereign or the 2002 special issue for the Queen's golden Jubilee. 10) In what year did the so called "Modern Sovereign" come into existence? 1817, 1823, 1853, 1874, 1933 Correct answer is 1817.

Some hits and some misses, I'll post the results in a couple/few days allowing others to vote.

Some hits and some misses, I'll post the results in a couple/few days allowing others to vote.

Yes they are. There is one correct answer to each question. No trick questions.

There are ten total questions contained in the two parts of this quiz. Some a bit harder than others. After the poll runs a bit, I will post the correct answers to all of the questions. These are off the cuff questions that I came up with to help me gauge the knowledge level regarding sovereigns. It will also help me adjust a presentation I have started, but have been sidetracked on many times. This is meant to be educational and fun at the same time. Score yourself and see how you performed. The below scale is just for fun and not meant to be a real gauge of anything: 0 correct - you are undoubtedly unfamiliar with one of the world's most influential coins. 1-2 correct - you have a little basic understanding, but not enough to be considered dangerous 3-4 correct - you have a bit of knowledge - a book on the sovereign will help 5-8 correct - you know your way around and are at the intermediate level 9-10 correct - well done, you obviously know your sovereigns and are ready for the advanced quiz

There are ten total questions contained in the two parts of this quiz. Some a bit harder than others. After the poll runs a bit, I will post the correct answers to all of the questions. These are off the cuff questions that I came up with to help me gauge the knowledge level regarding sovereigns. It will also help me adjust a presentation I have started, but have been sidetracked on many times. This is meant to be educational and fun at the same time. Score yourself and see how you performed. The below scale is just for fun and not meant to be a real gauge of anything: 0 correct - you are undoubtedly unfamiliar with one of the world's most influential coins. 1-2 correct - you have a little basic understanding, but not enough to be considered dangerous 3-4 correct - you have a bit of knowledge - a book on the sovereign will help 5-8 correct - you know your way around and are at the intermediate level 9-10 correct - well done, you obviously know your sovereigns and are ready for the advanced quiz

No looking up the answer or checking out the submitted responses in advance. This is a general knowledge quiz - advanced questions comes later.

No looking up the answer or checking out the submitted responses in advance. This is a general knowledge quiz - advanced questions comes later.

“All that glisters is not gold; Often have you heard that told: Many a man his life has sold But my outside to behold: Gilded tombs do worms enfold Had you been as wise as bold, Your in limbs, in judgment old, Your answer had not been in'scroll'd Fare you well: your suit is cold.' Cold, indeed, and labour lost: Then, farewell, heat and welcome, frost!” I thought about reading the book, but too many are in front of it.

Lets see your baguette collection - would be an interesting conversation ... Liked the 1940s video

Or maybe I should say -- Mike will.

I think he Goldberg"s lot was the first time the 1984 1/2 IOM Sov is the first to be auctioned. I've seen two others for sale - but that's it. I saw a half 1965 in MS65 sell for $1,500 and thought that was high. $1K for the much rarer 1984 is a decent price. as for the 91s - let me know if you'd like to sell one.

The story of Una and the lion dates back to the sixteenth century and Edmund Spenser’s poem ‘The Faerie Queene’. Una, a young princess, undertakes the challenge of freeing her parents from a dragon that has imprisoned them. On her journey she encounters a lion who is so charmed by her beauty and fairness that he decides to become her protector. The poem inspired a number of works of art by British artists, including William Bell Scott’s pre-Raphaelite Una and the Lion painting. Wyon’s work interprets Una as a young Queen Victoria. Here, Una is a more knowledgeable princess and the lion is as much a subject as a protector. Una’s hand is gently placed on the lion’s mane, as if she is leading or guiding him, and the power of the lion is clear in the detail of the design. Almost 200 years on, the modern minting processes in use today are beyond anything Wyon and his contemporaries could have imagined and allow for even greater precision, accuracy and clarity. In 2019, The Royal Mint invested tremendous time, energy, dedication and love into remastering Wyon’s work, bringing it to life in a contemporary work that pays tribute to his mastery and is testament to both Wyon and The Royal Mint’s dedication to quality and accuracy. Copied from the Royal Mint"s article.

There definitely a need for more I-O-M sets. Also nice pick-up.

Very neat - I haven't see either of these. Thank for posting them.

Welcome back - good to see you.

Old PCGS slabs will fit fine into NGC boxes, newer ones have to be angled to fit (one slab takes up two slots). Unless there is an even newer PCGS slab which is larger. ANACs fits fine. ICG??? Never tried.

Congratulations to all - all well deserved. @FenntuckyMike - It's nice to see the I-O-M receive some recognition. This may be a first.

First and foremost, I like the coin and it is attractive. I am unfamiliar with it, but with a quick search I see that it was minted in Austria and has a mintage of two million - unless this is a special issue that I am unaware of and not mentioned in my research. Secondly, pieces of your argument are not relevant. Taxes, super bowl, saving a cat? Greatness is determined by many factors and agreed upon by many people. You could say that nothing is great or everything is great - or something in-between. I do not believe that the Chinese bullion coin posted is in the book - but, I may be wrong because I skipped over it. I will leave it up to you to research the list, borrow the book or look back within this thread to see some of the coins listed. Some are unique, others played an important role in the history of the world, some have a very significant collector base and others have sold for huge amounts of money. Most have very nice designs, some are innovated and most have several of the characteristics going for them. I do not agree with several on the list and would argue that others should be on the list, but there was a set of criteria that the author used along with research and expert opinions. In the end - it is a list of significant coins that is open to debate and published for the enjoyment of the masses.

The term greatest always is open to subjectivity. Scarcity or rarity without demand is meaningless. To be considered great - some if not many of the criteria above should apply. There will never be 100% consensus on the list, but there can be a logical discussion. Please make a case for your omitted contenders and we can discuss how they may or may not meet the criteria.

Why would these coins deserve to be on such a list? Are they significant on the world stage? Are they extremely Rare and if so, is there a collector base for them of significant size? Are the innovated? Is there a great story associated with them? Do they have an unbelievably impressive design? Are they associated with an historic event? Have they sold at auction or by private treaty for an incredible amount? (disclaimer - while these are my criteria - they may not be the authors) And to have up to three of them in the top 100...