Cow Bay Bob

[Cow Bay Bob]

Totally new at this please tell me if I go wrong. I have a 1938 2 shilling coin from the British Republic of West Africa . Tried to find a Valuation and got Instantly confused . How can I tell if its 1938 H or 1938 KN and what is meant by a "Grained Edge"

[Conder101]

OK I think the mintmark is at the base of the palm tree, either an H or a KN.  As for a grained edge I can't say for sure and I don't know what the normal edge is for this coin.  I suspect it is either plain or reeded.  If yours isn't plain or reeded we will need a picture of the edge.  It gets confusing because different books call edge devices by different names.  As for value it will depend on the condition of the coin.  The book I am looking in is older and it gives values from $1 to $28 depending on condition.

[Cow Bay Bob]

Thanks Mate   I'll see if I can send a Photo.  It came up on aNGC page . Said if it had a "Grained Edge" it could be worth $300+ . Hence the intrest Cheers

[Cow Bay Bob]

Is this KN at the base of the tree and is this what they call a grained edge

[JKK]

Yes, that is the KN mint mark, and yes, I believe 'grained edge refers to this security edge (found on a number of coins of the former British colonies, particularly Hong Kong). Cool piece.

Looking at Krause, which is typically very high, mine has it for $30 in unc. I can't assess the grade satisfactorily from the picture except to say it looks well preserved. Catawiki sees it as E15 in unc, which I think is closer to reality if it is in fact an unc. Not surprisingly, ngccoin.com says what Krause says. To ring the bell for $200, it'd have to be a proof, which I'm not able to ascertain whether it is or not.

[Conder101]

That is normally called a security edge.  At least when used on Hong Kong pieces.

[Cow Bay Bob]

Thanks for the help fellas.  Do you think it would be worth it to submit it to NSC and NGC  for cleaning and grading. And any Idea what the whole process will end up costing ??   Cheers

[JKK]

28 minutes ago, Cow Bay Bob said:

Thanks for the help fellas.  Do you think it would be worth it to submit it to NSC and NGC  for cleaning and grading. And any Idea what the whole process will end up costing ??   Cheers

Highly unlikely it would be worth sending in for grading, unless somehow you are convinced it's a proof. Maybe not even then. It just is not that rare or special, objectively speaking. It's cool, if one collects that sort of thing (as I do) and likes colonial coinage, but not a big ticket item.