Looking for a new hobby, wife inherits a half-sovereign and... abracadabra! Here I am.
I see coins as tangible, and sometimes beautiful, artifacts that are representative of ages, events and historical figures; Something you can hold in your hand that has passed through the pockets and purses of ordinary people of times past. I've also decided to collect a small number of meaningful coins rather than going for bulk. With this in view, I'm focusing, perhaps unwisely, on Australian proclamation coins.
I'm less than a week into numismatics. I foolishly purchased earlier in the week a 1794 guinea. From eBay. From an unknown seller. Without research. Without photos. My monthly budget is about 50 pounds. I spent about 430 pounds on this coins. A bit of retrospective reading revealed that, apparently, "good very fine" doesn't mean what a layman would expect.
I'm about to start looking for a 1787 shilling. Here are a few questions:
How do I tell the difference between a poor strike and coin wear?
I'm aware of some of the pieces of evidence of cleaning/dipping. Is there a comprehensive, illustrated guide somewhere?
Do you have a preferred variant of this coin? If so, which and why?
Could I get one in extra-fine condition for somewhere in the range of 100-150 pounds?
Are there any trustworthy sellers you could recommend?
It will take me between two and three months to save, so plenty of time for reading.
Thanks! Looking forward to learning from this community of friendly experts.