I recently purchased a Centenary Florin presentation box (box only). It is 2" wide,2.75" long and 1" deep with a brown and black mottled outside and a blue fabric holder for the florin. It was eBay item 231371124484.
It is not the You are the star box but is some sort of unrecorded official or semi official box as on the bottom is written From Cr. Nettlefold 1934+5
Councillor Nettlefold was the chap in charge of issuing the florins.
Klaus Ford has seen the box and he doesn't recognise it, he suggests it might be a generic box for florins.
He may be right, but if so then who was manufacturing boxes then with an indent to perfectly hold florins? There would have been little demand except possibly for the Centenary florin or possibly by the mints in London or Heaton or the major dealers (Spinks, Baldwins) for distributing either proof or specimen florins between the wars.
So has anyone seen a similar box? Possibly holding a non Centenary florin or even with a different sized insert to hold another denomination (farthing to crown).
looks like it doesn't belong, to me the style of the box is wrong
photo?
hi Tezza! :sun_bespectacled:
Quote from: 'tezza' pid='62496' dateline='1416211846'looks like it doesn't belong, to me the style of the box is wrong
In what way? Wrong era?
I've done an online search to see what other boxes looked like. The blue lining seems common to some other coins (such as the Waitangi proof set of 1935) but that had a red box. The English crown of 1935 also came in a kraft box, again red in colour (so does that mean the boxes from London mint would be red?)
all ok
found the listing with the multiple photos
I'd continue to look at New Zealand, and in particular
one H Williams a very prominent numismatic/dealer
of that time. Looks like a piece of his value adding. :angel:
(http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv160/ford_prefect/ACF%20Odd%20Stuff/34_35FlorinBoxA_zps647fc0dd.jpg)
(http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv160/ford_prefect/ACF%20Odd%20Stuff/34_35FlorinBoxB_zpsa6caa7b2.jpg)
(http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv160/ford_prefect/ACF%20Odd%20Stuff/34_35FlorinBoxC_zps7c50c062.jpg)
its not a official mint product, as there is no name on it, more like a jewellers or gift box
(http://downies.com/aca/Auction314/aca/images/lots/314/1823.jpg)
well there you go a quick search says the boxes were made for a newspaper competition
http://www.sterlingcurrency.com.au/research/who-will-it-be-it-turns-out-it-was-mr-les-cobon-port-melbourne
Thanks Fordie, that is the box, how did you get those photos? Do you have an idea what the word above 1934+5 reads?
What makes you suggest H.G. Williams? Also why would a NZ coin dealer pencil in From Cr. Nettlefold? That implies that it was some sort of gift or an annotation for a single sample coin, not something to put on 50 or 100 boxes. Plus I doubt the name Nettlefold would have any meaning to his customers and they would prefer a neatly written description of the florin.
Even if it is an unofficial commercial box; well that also applies to the unofficial commercial Foys bags and those common flimsy bags sell for what this box cost (but I still want to add those 2 bags to my exonumia collection).
AC,I have seen the Sterlingcurrency article, but again I have not seen the particular image that you have posted.Is there a logical explanation for why your image has black velvet but the Sterling image has royal blue? The lighting has made your boxes cover a brighter blue, so that would make a royal blue paler and not black:huh:
Wow Neal, keep sleuthing.
if you right click on a picture, and look at properties, its a old downies catalogue link pic
Quote from: 'Australian coin' pid='62505' dateline='1416215574'its not a official mint product, as there is no name on it, more like a jewellers or gift box
What a sweeping statement. :dodgy: Lack of printing isn't proof of anything and you have no idea what the mint were issuing their coins in back then.
There was a You are the Star box in an Edlins auction a few years ago (If the Andrew Crellin article pic is not the same).
Quote from: 'purplepennyhunter' pid='62512' dateline='1416218187'Wow Neal, keep sleuthing.
Indeed Neal, keep us all updated.
Quote from: 'markn' pid='62514' dateline='1416218241'Quote from: 'Australian coin' pid='62505' dateline='1416215574'its not a official mint product, as there is no name on it, more like a jewellers or gift box
What a sweeping statement. :dodgy: Lack of printing isn't proof of anything and you have no idea what the mint were issuing their coins in back then.
my understanding is that the Melbourne Mint at the time was shovelling the coins back into the furnace - my coin dealer knew a man who did exactly that!
so i'd guess that any 'mint cases' (if ever made), would have been another numismatic failure to attract custom from the struggling Australians of the day
probably would have been tossed into the furnace with the coins
but I am not aware of a Mint case for these coins ?
http://royalcoinsandbanknotes.com.au/researchmcf.html
that's all I could find on the web, maybe a library or something might be your next step
As Neal already knows Nettlefold was a Melbourne City councillor and future Mayor at the time and head of the Centenary committee. Is that right Neal? In that case it's not going to be any generic bulk issue box, it's special.
this page has some wording at the bottom that might be something to look at
http://www.triton.vg/F35.html
Quote from: 'purplepennyhunter' pid='62520' dateline='1416219266'As Neal already knows Nettlefold was a Melbourne City councillor and future Mayor at the time and head of the Centenary committee. Is that right Neal? In that case it's not going to be any generic bulk issue box, it's special.
Yes, he was in the centre of things. He had been head of Hume concrete, was on lots of committees and ended up mayor. So this florin was likely a gift from him to a staff member or present/former colleague or business associate. I'll bet he purchased a number of the florins (didn't want to be embarrassed by how many were not being sold) and gave them out. The recipient couldn't have been a relative or personal friend (who calls their uncle or mate Councillor?) so that suggests he knew the recipient in a professional manner.
From what I have been told the florin was a nice circulation strike coin.
I followed that Downies link, sold for $1100 so I did well at $340 for possibly a rarer box with Nettlefold connections.
I'm troubled by the velvet colour, are my eyes deceiving me and it isn't black? The pale ribbon in a blue holder might be the same for both my box and the Sterling box, suggests the boxes were made in Melbourne and by the same maker.
My box isn't well made, the maker likely made a batch in a hurry as there are traces of glue on both the lid and base with evidence that boxes were stacked on top of each other before the glue dried. A rush job?
I'll check out Melbourne jewellers of the mid 1930s to see if I can match my box (or the newspaper box).
ah ha
the missing link
I wondered why you'd pay so much fro a crumbly box
pity the coin wasn't in it
one would assume that by now it would be beautifully toned if it stayed in the box all these years