I fondled my Onzas today. Honestly, you’re right about wanting to enjoy and handle historical coins. They’re a piece of history, like stamps or collectible firearms. They’ve been places and done things. I love that aspect of coin collecting. I wish we still used big chunky silver. I’m a hopeless romantic.
Why you'll probably never see me wearing gloves. I'm careful, but I (and many museum curators) feel accidents happen when you lose your sense of touch.
That is an incredible collection of Crowns! You have a greatstack there. I always like learning from videos. And i learn from yours. I have always loved Crowns and did not realize the breadth of the category. Thank you!! Stay Cranky my friend!! 😠👍
Thanks again ! The history and foreign countries does make them exciting to look at and enjoy ! There are a couple that I would like to have in my collection.
I just discovered your channel tonight and you are doing excellent work! Thank you! New subscriber now! It’s a pity that the ancient Crowns like Athenian Owls don’t have the same low premiums!
Hey man, just gotta say that this is one my favorite videos to watch. I really just like looking at all those cool coins and feel inspired to get my own coins. I really hope for more crown coins content in the future. Stay great
Really great video and a great look at comparing “big silver” world coins. This gives us some new ideas on what and how we collect, and interesting to think of them all as “Crowns”. Just found a late-1500s “three brothers” Saxony Thaler and a late 1600s Nurnburg Thaler in a big mixed World Silver box at our local coin shop and snapped them up. We appreciate your sentiments on keeping them raw so you can handle them but that wildman Thaler in the monster slab is stunning.
I also wonder if you have the inventory, or interest in making a video about chunky copper coins? Lol. Cartwheel pennies, 10 kopeks, some old Egyptian copper coins are pretty big too. Thats a video I would enjoy too!
I love the cartwheels and big kopeks. So impractical as coinage but such an interesting amount of metal. Unfortunately I don't have any examples currently.
Whyte!! I'm up to 13 crowns! I'm having a really fun time. My goal is to fill a tube with crowns. My LCS is down to help me gather what I have on my wish list. I really appreciate your knowledge.If you ever get out to Northern California, I'd love to buy you a pint. I feel like I owe you one.
My slabbed El Cazador 8 Reale may not be the most valuable piece, but it remains the crown of my stack. It's amazing to hold authentic history in your hand.
I noticed in your silver coin collection, Queen Victoria, Silver Double Florin coin, on the right hand side and you did not talk about that coin. I have that coin in my collection. It is a nice coin to own and have in my collection.
Great eye! That's actually a full crown. 1890 Jubilee Head S-3921, KM#765. It's EF condition but it's been cleaned at some point. Got it from Harlan Berk several years ago for $40 or so. That said, I do think one of the most interesting British releases is the double florin--the Barmaid's Grief. Thinking about doing a video with several coins that have storied backgrounds!
Alright u got me with this one Subd. Not a fan of crowns nor would I buy butthe content and format of your vids is great. Keep up the good work sir. Vid suggestion vintage silver bars. Johnson and Matthey, Engelhards, Hoffman and Hoffman, WSR to name a few. Thanks W.C. enjoyed the show.
Awesome! I think I might have mentioned the Lydian Hoard videos? Tons and tons of Hoffman & Hoffman, WSR, Star Metals, and International Vaults Refining: th-cam.com/video/J-BJR8mSLwk/w-d-xo.html
I'm not seeing the low premium that you reference at the beginning of the video ($3 to $5 premiums). Like the 8 Reales... I'm seeing 300% premium on the low end to upwards of 1000%+ premium. And even Morgans, are 50% premium on average for common circulated pieces, unless you want slick (cull) coins. Can you share where you are finding such deals or which ones were you speaking on with the low premiums? Thanks for showing off some cool coins!
Thanks. I wasn't talking about Spanish 8 reales having a $3 to $5 premium. Those run me about 2, maybe 3 times melt. The low premium is for the more common pieces. For example, I picked up a well worn 1907-S Philippine peso two days ago for $14.70. That was its actual silver value. And a month ago I picked up three Mexican Republic 8 reales and a later Spanish 8 reale for $28 each. How do I do it? I find them at my local shops. I'm persistent, I visit often, I buy a lot, and I pay cash.
Thanks for all the content you put out. Very informative and helpful. Learning something new every time. Do you have any US/Philippines silver coins? That would be awesome. I like that they were struck D,S, and M.
A great suggestion. The fact that they were struck at the US mint is really cool, and that so many of them are really rare is neat, too. I've had several pass through my collection but unfortunately I've sold almost all of them. Let me rustle around and see if I can come up with something. Thanks for the comment!
Great video here good sir. What do you figure the rationale for the various fineness of these coins was? How would a mint come to determine what the alloy was going to be and was it always silver and copper?
These are great questions! It's my understanding that many of these purities and weights went back hundreds of years are were ultimately pretty arbitrary: One region's agreed-upon coinage was used as the foundation of another's in order to trade. For example, the Latin Monetary Union countries (France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, etc) and those who participated without signing all agreed to the French standard with the main gold coin (the 20 franc) being 6.45161 grams of .900 pure gold. They all released gold coins of this weight, purity, and even thickness and diameter. From there they decided to set a ratio of gold to silver. That ratio was 1: 15.5. The gold and silver were both 90% pure, so its' a straight 1:15.5 ratio. The math gets a little convoluted, but bear with me. A 20 franc gold coin weighs 6.451 grams. So one franc's worth of gold weighs .32 grams (6.45 grams / 20 francs). With a ratio of 1 gold to 15.5 silver, you multiply that .32 grams of gold by 15.5 to get 4.999 grams of silver for 1 franc's worth of silver. The French silver crown was valued at 5 francs. So multiply your one franc's worth of silver (4.999 grams) times 5 francs, you get 25 grams. And that's exactly what the Latin Monetary Union crowns all weigh.
Fascinating. I could see much of the purities being landed on by chance or circumstance and then kept the same (or as close as possible). As for the franc, your explanation makes a lot of sense. Seems like some odd measurements but perhaps a round number in a different unit. Your a wealth of knowledge indeed! Thanks for the reply and thanks for the greatly educational and intriguing content. I look forward to more. Cheers
Is there a place to go to find a list of what the crown size coins are called in various countries for example British Crown, US Morgan Dollar, French 5 Franc etc. What reference book would you recommend for further study
That's a tall order. The real book on these is the Standard Catalog of World Coins from Krause Publishing. They break it down into eras, so you'd probably want 1801-1900. It'll run about $150! And it also includes just about every coin, including smaller copper coins and gold coins, from the same period. Best bet? Just cruise eBay. Select a country you like and dive in. Coin shops and coin shows are also a good source.
That's an area that I just don't have much experience in. Large cents and small cents both. I really like the FE cents and I've been collecting red or red-brown Unc examples of the memorial cents from circulation for the last 10 or 15 years. But I bet you're right: Silver and gold gets all of the videos.
Are there any reputable websites that you could recommend! I’m so scared of being scammed but I really wanted to start collecting quality silver coins from throughput the world and every century! Romans, medieval all the way up until the 1800s
Don't be scared of crowns. Check eBay--but only buy from sellers with feedback in the hundreds if not thousands. Check with local dealers. Some of the most affordable crowns that I've found include Panama (Balboa), Mexico ( pesos or reales), Canada (dollars 1935-1967), and French (5 francs). Those should all be available affordable--the Canadian dollars are 80% pure and often sell for less than $20 US.
I personally only use crown for 1/4 pound/ 5 shilling coins. The rest i just use their specific denomination or say crown sized... maybe im just a picky nerd.😯🤓
Understandable. I think anything with a sovereign is a pretty strong candidate for a "crown". Especially those pieces that actually have a crown on them.
I can’t even find coins like those that aren’t in the hundreds of dollars for one! I understand that there’s a price variation for quality but I don’t have any good places to buy!
It might take some legwork. One of my best suggestions is to shop locally and just ask your local dealer. Do you have any foreign silver? You don't even have to specify that you want crowns.
I tried to limit this group to pieces from before WWII--really even WWI. There were a couple of slightly later pieces hiding out on the board. I love the earlier design of the Balboa with the full standing woman. That's an awesome piece!
The Maria Theresa Thaler 1780X - X for minted later! Some say the most beautiful coin in the world - I say the opposite! Wait until you see a Victoria Gothic Crown, or Florin. I have an UNC 1824 George IV Shilling, another beautiful coin, especially with lots of blue toning! Slabbing, or Plastic Coffins as I call it, is THE single worst thing in numismatics - FAKE 'grades', FAKE everything. Only a Crown is a Crown, I've always known Dollars as Morgan Dollars, or Peace Dollars etc. A Morgan Crown and a Peace Crown??? I don't think so.
I dont really like the term 'Crown'. I mean i get the denotation, but really most countries would never would of referred to other large silver coins as crowns. More likely they would of referred to them in their own denomination, like reale, thaler, dollar, crown(for Britain), kroner, etc. You hear the term crown sized silver more from American coin collectors. Not nitpicking or being rude. I personally collect thalers. Nice coins!
I never buy coins to stack. You wish you could get some of those crowns only double the melt price... you wish. If I was to buy coins to staack I would probably go Austrian. Stacking silver is just too boring and there's nothing of value to them outside of content. I have been collecting since I was 12. I'm over 60. I enjoy collecting foreign coins more than US. The prices for the US silver is exaggerated. I buy my US coins when I go overseas where it's closer to actual value. Scotland is one of the best countries to go to for that.
The 1673 is great! AND THE KING GEORGE IS VERY NICE!
🌟Your best vid yet!🌟
Thanks. Love the older stuff. Just be careful: It's addictive and those types of pieces aren't cheap!
Thank you for the consistently great content!
Always love big chunky silver, no matter where it’s from.
Nice collection and loved the historical presentation
I fondled my Onzas today. Honestly, you’re right about wanting to enjoy and handle historical coins. They’re a piece of history, like stamps or collectible firearms. They’ve been places and done things. I love that aspect of coin collecting. I wish we still used big chunky silver. I’m a hopeless romantic.
Why you'll probably never see me wearing gloves. I'm careful, but I (and many museum curators) feel accidents happen when you lose your sense of touch.
Love your videos! Thanks for taking the time to create such wonderful content.
Aww. Thank you!
Thanks for another great and informative video
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!
That is an incredible collection of Crowns! You have a greatstack there. I always like learning from videos. And i learn from yours. I have always loved Crowns and did not realize the breadth of the category. Thank you!! Stay Cranky my friend!! 😠👍
Thanks again !
The history and foreign countries does make them exciting to look at and enjoy !
There are a couple that I would like to have in my collection.
Pace yourself and keep your eyes open.
Glad you liked it!!
Great video! Thanks
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Interesting, thanks for the subject 😊 I subscribed.
Glad you liked it. Appreciate the subscription!
Crowns are cool. I still love Aussie Florins best. Sovereigns are great too, but the cost is brutal with gold around $2500 these days.
that's a cool story about Willy Wonka and a nice looking coin. I like the original too!
I just discovered your channel tonight and you are doing excellent work! Thank you! New subscriber now! It’s a pity that the ancient Crowns like Athenian Owls don’t have the same low premiums!
One of my bucket list coins. Lost a gorgeous example at auction a few years ago and it still hurts! Thanks for joining us!
I love the big world silvers
Hey man, just gotta say that this is one my favorite videos to watch. I really just like looking at all those cool coins and feel inspired to get my own coins. I really hope for more crown coins content in the future. Stay great
Awesome! Glad you liked it. Working on a second one!
New subscriber. I appreciate the 🪙 content.
Hey thanks! Welcome aboard!!
Love these videos… spent the last few years amassing a decent haul of “crowns” have over 200 😁
WOW! That's a haul of crowns!
@@Dub-C_Coins thank you… think my dates range from a 1654 French 1 Ecu to a 1979 10 kwacha commemorative from Zambia
Some serious depth to that group. Love the early French piece! @@WWFCOHIO
Great video but I'm seeing crowns on ebay going for 2x melt at the bottom end.
True! You have to be persistent and shop local if you can.
Thank you for the advice!!
Really great video and a great look at comparing “big silver” world coins. This gives us some new ideas on what and how we collect, and interesting to think of them all as “Crowns”. Just found a late-1500s “three brothers” Saxony Thaler and a late 1600s Nurnburg Thaler in a big mixed World Silver box at our local coin shop and snapped them up. We appreciate your sentiments on keeping them raw so you can handle them but that wildman Thaler in the monster slab is stunning.
I just started a list of Crowns I need to add to my coin collection! Thank you for the inspiration
Awesome. Enjoy the hunt!
I also wonder if you have the inventory, or interest in making a video about chunky copper coins? Lol. Cartwheel pennies, 10 kopeks, some old Egyptian copper coins are pretty big too. Thats a video I would enjoy too!
I love the cartwheels and big kopeks. So impractical as coinage but such an interesting amount of metal. Unfortunately I don't have any examples currently.
Whyte!! I'm up to 13 crowns! I'm having a really fun time. My goal is to fill a tube with crowns. My LCS is down to help me gather what I have on my wish list. I really appreciate your knowledge.If you ever get out to Northern California, I'd love to buy you a pint. I feel like I owe you one.
Cheers 🥃
My slabbed El Cazador 8 Reale may not be the most valuable piece, but it remains the crown of my stack. It's amazing to hold authentic history in your hand.
Can't beat spanish colonial silver!
I agree, I have a slabbed 8 Reale 1783 mo xf Cazador coin that is also one of my favorite pieces. Ship wreck coins were what got me into stacking.
I noticed in your silver coin collection, Queen Victoria, Silver Double Florin coin, on the right hand side and you did not talk about that coin. I have that coin in my collection. It is a nice coin to own and have in my collection.
Great eye! That's actually a full crown. 1890 Jubilee Head S-3921, KM#765. It's EF condition but it's been cleaned at some point. Got it from Harlan Berk several years ago for $40 or so. That said, I do think one of the most interesting British releases is the double florin--the Barmaid's Grief. Thinking about doing a video with several coins that have storied backgrounds!
Nice bunch of coins.😃 love the napoleon 5 lire coins. I haven't found the right one yet though...
Alright u got me with this one Subd. Not a fan of crowns nor would I buy butthe content and format of your vids is great. Keep up the good work sir. Vid suggestion vintage silver bars. Johnson and Matthey, Engelhards, Hoffman and Hoffman, WSR to name a few. Thanks W.C. enjoyed the show.
Awesome! I think I might have mentioned the Lydian Hoard videos? Tons and tons of Hoffman & Hoffman, WSR, Star Metals, and International Vaults Refining:
th-cam.com/video/J-BJR8mSLwk/w-d-xo.html
I'm not seeing the low premium that you reference at the beginning of the video ($3 to $5 premiums). Like the 8 Reales... I'm seeing 300% premium on the low end to upwards of 1000%+ premium. And even Morgans, are 50% premium on average for common circulated pieces, unless you want slick (cull) coins. Can you share where you are finding such deals or which ones were you speaking on with the low premiums? Thanks for showing off some cool coins!
Thanks. I wasn't talking about Spanish 8 reales having a $3 to $5 premium. Those run me about 2, maybe 3 times melt. The low premium is for the more common pieces. For example, I picked up a well worn 1907-S Philippine peso two days ago for $14.70. That was its actual silver value. And a month ago I picked up three Mexican Republic 8 reales and a later Spanish 8 reale for $28 each.
How do I do it? I find them at my local shops. I'm persistent, I visit often, I buy a lot, and I pay cash.
Thanks for all the content you put out. Very informative and helpful. Learning something new every time.
Do you have any US/Philippines silver coins? That would be awesome. I like that they were struck D,S, and M.
A great suggestion. The fact that they were struck at the US mint is really cool, and that so many of them are really rare is neat, too.
I've had several pass through my collection but unfortunately I've sold almost all of them. Let me rustle around and see if I can come up with something. Thanks for the comment!
Great video here good sir.
What do you figure the rationale for the various fineness of these coins was? How would a mint come to determine what the alloy was going to be and was it always silver and copper?
These are great questions! It's my understanding that many of these purities and weights went back hundreds of years are were ultimately pretty arbitrary: One region's agreed-upon coinage was used as the foundation of another's in order to trade. For example, the Latin Monetary Union countries (France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, etc) and those who participated without signing all agreed to the French standard with the main gold coin (the 20 franc) being 6.45161 grams of .900 pure gold. They all released gold coins of this weight, purity, and even thickness and diameter. From there they decided to set a ratio of gold to silver. That ratio was 1: 15.5. The gold and silver were both 90% pure, so its' a straight 1:15.5 ratio.
The math gets a little convoluted, but bear with me. A 20 franc gold coin weighs 6.451 grams. So one franc's worth of gold weighs .32 grams (6.45 grams / 20 francs). With a ratio of 1 gold to 15.5 silver, you multiply that .32 grams of gold by 15.5 to get 4.999 grams of silver for 1 franc's worth of silver. The French silver crown was valued at 5 francs. So multiply your one franc's worth of silver (4.999 grams) times 5 francs, you get 25 grams. And that's exactly what the Latin Monetary Union crowns all weigh.
Fascinating.
I could see much of the purities being landed on by chance or circumstance and then kept the same (or as close as possible).
As for the franc, your explanation makes a lot of sense. Seems like some odd measurements but perhaps a round number in a different unit.
Your a wealth of knowledge indeed! Thanks for the reply and thanks for the greatly educational and intriguing content. I look forward to more.
Cheers
very very cool!
92.5% if before 1920, 50% after 1919. A Crown was 5 Shillings or 60 old pence.
Is there a place to go to find a list of what the crown size coins are called in various countries for example British Crown, US Morgan Dollar, French 5 Franc etc. What reference book would you recommend for further study
That's a tall order. The real book on these is the Standard Catalog of World Coins from Krause Publishing. They break it down into eras, so you'd probably want 1801-1900. It'll run about $150! And it also includes just about every coin, including smaller copper coins and gold coins, from the same period. Best bet? Just cruise eBay. Select a country you like and dive in. Coin shops and coin shows are also a good source.
I would love to see a video on U.S. Large cents. Not hardly any videos on these.
That's an area that I just don't have much experience in. Large cents and small cents both. I really like the FE cents and I've been collecting red or red-brown Unc examples of the memorial cents from circulation for the last 10 or 15 years. But I bet you're right: Silver and gold gets all of the videos.
Are there any reputable websites that you could recommend! I’m so scared of being scammed but I really wanted to start collecting quality silver coins from throughput the world and every century! Romans, medieval all the way up until the 1800s
Don't be scared of crowns. Check eBay--but only buy from sellers with feedback in the hundreds if not thousands. Check with local dealers. Some of the most affordable crowns that I've found include Panama (Balboa), Mexico ( pesos or reales), Canada (dollars 1935-1967), and French (5 francs). Those should all be available affordable--the Canadian dollars are 80% pure and often sell for less than $20 US.
Mmmmmm silver 😋
I personally only use crown for 1/4 pound/ 5 shilling coins. The rest i just use their specific denomination or say crown sized... maybe im just a picky nerd.😯🤓
Understandable. I think anything with a sovereign is a pretty strong candidate for a "crown". Especially those pieces that actually have a crown on them.
I can’t even find coins like those that aren’t in the hundreds of dollars for one! I understand that there’s a price variation for quality but I don’t have any good places to buy!
It might take some legwork. One of my best suggestions is to shop locally and just ask your local dealer. Do you have any foreign silver? You don't even have to specify that you want crowns.
You need to start writing books. Some fantasy or adventure stories 🙂
That's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me 😀
No balboa on the board?
Crowns are my fetish but far far from inexpensive in my neck of the woods
I tried to limit this group to pieces from before WWII--really even WWI. There were a couple of slightly later pieces hiding out on the board. I love the earlier design of the Balboa with the full standing woman. That's an awesome piece!
Just as expensive as morgans or peace dollars on ebay, i'd rather stick to American. Much easier to sell if needed.
The Maria Theresa Thaler 1780X - X for minted later! Some say the most beautiful coin in the world - I say the opposite! Wait until you see a Victoria Gothic Crown, or Florin. I have an UNC 1824 George IV Shilling, another beautiful coin, especially with lots of blue toning! Slabbing, or Plastic Coffins as I call it, is THE single worst thing in numismatics - FAKE 'grades', FAKE everything. Only a Crown is a Crown, I've always known Dollars as Morgan Dollars, or Peace Dollars etc. A Morgan Crown and a Peace Crown??? I don't think so.
Have had Gothic florins and crowns on a couple of occasions. And I've got examples of MT thalers but they don't do much for me :)
I dont really like the term 'Crown'. I mean i get the denotation, but really most countries would never would of referred to other large silver coins as crowns. More likely they would of referred to them in their own denomination, like reale, thaler, dollar, crown(for Britain), kroner, etc. You hear the term crown sized silver more from American coin collectors. Not nitpicking or being rude. I personally collect thalers. Nice coins!
Thanks for the perspective!
I have 223 pice
Most of those aren’t Crowns.
Thank you for your perspective. PCGS and I disagree : www.pcgs.com/news/collecting-world-crowns
I never buy coins to stack. You wish you could get some of those crowns only double the melt price... you wish. If I was to buy coins to staack I would probably go Austrian. Stacking silver is just too boring and there's nothing of value to them outside of content. I have been collecting since I was 12. I'm over 60. I enjoy collecting foreign coins more than US. The prices for the US silver is exaggerated. I buy my US coins when I go overseas where it's closer to actual value. Scotland is one of the best countries to go to for that.
Монеты в таком состоянии - это нумизматический мусор!
Фашисты, вторгающиеся в другие страны, - мусор.