South Sea Company coins

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The SSC (South Sea Company) coins were minted in 1723, after they discovered silver and shipped it back from Indonesia in 1722. The coins minted were Crowns,Half Crowns,Shillings and Sixpence. The Crown is the rarest coin altogether, although the Half-Crown is also excessively difficult to find in higher than VF condition. The shilling is common, with even mint state examples being available. The sixpence is common in most grades, but mint state examples can carry quite hefty prices. All these coins carry SSC in the reverse quarters of the cruciform shields

Several die errors and corrections of interest exist on the shilling, including the slightly scarce error SS/C where an engraver accidentally punched the C in the wrong place and then stamped the SS over it. On these pieces you can see a faint C under the SS. There is also a far rarer variety, which catalogues near £100 in F condition, where the whole collection of shields is rotated.

[edit] External links

• British Coins - Free information about British coins. Includes an online forum.