Expert: Brad Swain - 6/20/2010

Question
1893 LVI CROWN VICTORIA BRITISH SILVER COIN EF.
I have a coin I believe is the above.   Can you tell me what the
abbreviations mean?  ie  LVI    and EF      ????

Answer
H[ Ronnie, this British Crown coin was minted in 1893 but Roman numerals were added by the mint to note which half of of the year, the 56th year of the Queen's reign (1st half), in this case.
EF (Extra Fine) refers to the grading or amount of wear the coin has in their opinion.
If it is accurate the coin may be worth about $150. Cleaning coins that leaves them shiny or scratched, even if only by looking with a magnifying glass, will reduce a coin's value by at least half.
You might try Ebay.com for similar pieces for comparison.
Sorry, medical problems are causing delays in answering.
Brad