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TomGoodheart

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Everything posted by TomGoodheart

  1. TomGoodheart

    Online coins website

    The one Andy Bruce used to run? I think it went. Unless R Ingram incorporated it into his site as he was another of the main sellers. Last time I checked (some years ago) Andy was selling antique furniture...
  2. TomGoodheart

    EU referendum - in or out?

    I just think it's shit that my daughter's generation will have to deal with the fall-out of this when they didn't vote for it. The old fogeys swung it. HOW AGES VOTED (YouGov poll) 18-24: 75% Remain 25-49: 56% Remain 50-64: 44% Remain 65+: 39% Remain As for my view .. well, let's just say I'm unlikely to be buying any coins from overseas for a few months.
  3. TomGoodheart

    Auction Catalogues

    LOL Sounds like you need more bookcases Rob!
  4. TomGoodheart

    Auction Catalogues

    I just thought I'd bump that I'm still looking for a copy of Mark Rasmussen's (Numismatist) List #1 (Summer 2001). Yes, I know it's not an auction catalogue, but .. Just in case anyone trips over a copy while tidying their library or something.
  5. TomGoodheart

    SPINK

    It's not even clear from the website if the Numismatic Circular is still going. As far as I know it ceased publication some time back, but anyone know for sure? Rob? I re-read the issues I have regularly. And equally regularly, wish I still had the option of buying some of the coins listed.
  6. TomGoodheart

    SPINK

    Last time I tried their website was unusable. Mind you that was about a year ago. But it was so bad I've just not bothered since then. I can view their offerings on sixbid, though the fact that they couldn't sort out something like a website doesn't recommend them to me as a buyer or seller ... .
  7. TomGoodheart

    I hope my Kew 50p is not fake

    I don't suppose it's much comfort to know we've all made mistakes in collecting Dave. I've bought coins that were overgraded, others that were cleaned and in one case when I came to sell one I made a huge loss ... yes, it hurts. And sometimes you don't know if the seller knew what they were selling wasn't worth the money or not. Honest people can still sell you duff goods believing them genuine themselves. I'm sure other members will have similar stories to tell. But I'm sure we've also got more confident as time has passed. And if uncertain about a coin, well, there are always people here who will give an opinion. Plus trustworthy sellers. It would be a terrible shame if you stopped collecting because of this, just as you find this forum and were finding it fun.
  8. TomGoodheart

    I hope my Kew 50p is not fake

    http://www.checkyourchange.co.uk/50p-coins-in-circulation/2009-fifty-pence-fake-kew/
  9. The countermark looks recently struck to me. Very clean ...
  10. While not my area at all, if someone suggested that this was a genuine chop marked coin that someone has (recently) added a pseudo-Georgian countermark to, I'd not disagree with them ... Countermark: duff. Coin and chops: possibly ok ... But as the 'value'/interest is in the countermark ... .
  11. TomGoodheart

    Cataloging a collection

    Bear in mind for the short term that something like Microsoft's standard Paint package will accept quite long names for images. I can fit most provenance information in which then provides me with a very useful photographic record of any coins that might interest me. A trawl of auction archives and similar sites has resulted in a personal reference of almost 1800 images I can refer to within seconds either on my laptop or via the cloud ... (I think I forgot to add that I also keep decent quality images of every coin I have for my records too!)
  12. TomGoodheart

    Cataloging a collection

    I've thought about the website idea myself Ian, but am both lazy and lacking in confidence to make a start yet! So currently I keep details on little paper tickets, stored with the coins (traditional!), I retain all the receipts for the coins I currently own and record details on two Excel spread sheets. Details are the usuals such as cost, where I got the coin and when and any provenance. One ("Listing") is arranged to tell me what the total cost of all the coins comes to. Not a perfect means of valuation, but it's a start, should I ever want such a thing. The other spread sheet ("Remaining") starts with the lump sum I used to start collecting and ends up with how much I have currently left available to spend. Both get updated whenever I buy or sell a coin or receive cash at Christmas or my birthday. Both are, for simplicity, arranged by Spink number and then the specialist Sharp number used for such coins. All very basic (and clearly a simple matter if you only have a small number of coins as I do). I used to keep occasional printouts of the spreadsheets, but now tend to rely on copies stored on various memory sticks etc... Ultimately, I feel I want something that's simple to maintain and tells me (or family) what they might need to know. A website would look nice, but what I have does the job for now.
  13. TomGoodheart

    Unknown Coin

    Yes, a commem medal of some sort. Brass or gilt rather than gold I'd say. Unfortunately not an area I know anything about I'm afraid: Anyone else?
  14. TomGoodheart

    Beginner errors

    Hi and welcome Bob. You omitted to say what coins you're collecting! However .. assuming you are looking at pre-decimal coins, you could do worse than hunt out a copy of Derek's book Nons mentioned. Look in the banner for The Standard Guide to Grading British Coins: Modern Milled British Pre-Decimal Issues (1797 to 1970). Not sure about Cardiff but Lloyd Bennett is based in Monmouth an is a reputable dealer with some nice coins. However there may be little there for you until you feel more confident about spending larger sums I'm afraid. eBay? Can be hit or miss, again, if you know what you're doing then it's a huge showcase with everything from total cr*p to the most amazing coins. However there are many people who overgrade, post poor photographs and claim everything is rare (not me of course!) and so there are pitfalls too. However, you could always post links or pictures of coins that interest you here and people are always willing to give advice! There are people here with years of experience covering pretty much every type and denomination of British coinage (except pennies. Nobody here is interested in pennies) and you'd be hard pressed to find their combined expertise in an entire library of books .. So ask away! Other things to consider are .. buying from dealers via the internet opens up enormous possibilities. I've bought British coins from as far away as Australia and NZ as well as the US and within Europe. Use the internet as a reference .. when you decide you'd like a coin search for similar and see how condition and price of other sales compare with yours. Coin fairs. A way to see a range of coins, meet dealers (and often members from here).. And finally (for now) remember excessive rarity does not (sadly for me) equal excessive value. Almost all today's value is based on condition (/'eye appeal' for earlier coins where simple degree of wear is not always the final decider as to a coin's desirability). And there are fashions in coins, like anything else. What is today's hot may be tomorrow's not ...
  15. TomGoodheart

    Charles I Tower shillings

    A few more Charles I Tower shillings listed on eBay. If anyone is interested, message me: 152102026706 S.2782 Sharp A2/1 Cross Calvary over Lis 152101973822 S.2799 Sharp G1/2 Star 152101926510 S.2799 Sharp G1/2 Triangle-in-Circle 152101884443 S.2791 Sharp E1/1 Bell SOLD 152098838778 S.2799 Sharp G1/2 Triangle
  16. TomGoodheart

    Charles I Tower shillings

    I'm after some cash so thought I'd see if anyone is interested in some coins. Probably nothing to excite most people, but there are some trickier-to-find types although all are in well circulated condition! If anyone is interested, pm me. Payment ideally by bank transfer. #1 Spink 2789 Sharp D1/1 (as Brooker 468,469) Difficult to find this first bust in any condition. Ex Spink Sale 1010 24 Jun 10, part Lot 142 (only the reverse of the coin illustrated) £90 #2 Spink 2795 Sharp F2/1 'Aberystwyth' bust series. (Oddly, no example in Brooker) Comes with both small and large mark of value, this one is small. Ex Clarendon Collection (Bonhams Oct 06 Lot#1329) £120
  17. TomGoodheart

    EU referendum - in or out?

    And I think that's in essence the key here. Personal opinion. We are all being asked to decide on an issue when it is pretty much impossible to tell what the long term effects of staying or leaving will be. There will be waves in the short term either way. Eventually things will stabilise and Britain will survive depending on how we all do within the World economy, as happens at present. When it comes down to it I think it all boils down to how you feel about the power balance within Europe and whether you're more a nationalist (small n) or federalist I guess.
  18. TomGoodheart

    EU referendum - in or out?

    Bit of a contrarian view it appears, but I'm for in. I have no real problems with a federal Europe, generally feel that the freedom to travel, simplicity of getting a job and convenience of a single currency are good things, particularly for my daughter's generation who I'm sure see the world in different terms than us oldies. Imagine the hassle if we had to obtain visas and be anally probed biometrically recorded for each European country we might wish to visit as is now required for the US. Imagine the inconvenience of different purchase taxes/ vat whenever we buy something from a dealer or auction house in Spain or Germany. The loss of the convenience of low cost phone roaming, drawing your pension or receiving free-at-point-of-treatment medical care ... Add to that working time directives, maternity policies/ parental leave .. all covered by EU legislation and things that as an employee I am pleased to see in place. People talk of 'faceless bureaucrats', but who here could identify many of our UK senior Civil Servants if shown a photo? Our democratic system is based on bureaucracy so to say the EU should be different is daft. Sure, it may not be a perfect set-up, but then what is? I personally think it's better to be in and able to influence things than out and subject to policy changes but without a voice. Can I guarantee that if we left major companies would move to where it's more convenient to do business? That prices of goods on the high street would go up? That Britain would lose a degree of international influence? No. But those are things I fear. It's not perfect, but it ain't broke to my eyes and leaving won't 'fix' it ...
  19. TomGoodheart

    siege coin images

    Very nice kal. Worth the wait!
  20. TomGoodheart

    Elizabeth I Shilling martlet?

    I haven't any reference books with me right now but yes, I see a martlet mark too.
  21. TomGoodheart

    Literature recommendations

    How far back did you want to go Matt? There are roughly three periods, from hammered (hand struck) coinage (- 1662), through early milled; use of mechanisation (rollers and presses) in the mid-1500s to the modern machine made milled coinage we have today (1816-) Some people probably don't worry so much about the hammered as it produces very different looking coins from the current ones. There are different books covering the different periods.. In the meantime have you seen this: http://www.predecimal.com/p1celtic It's a short overview of the history of British coinage written by Ken Elks. You might find it of interest?
  22. TomGoodheart

    Strategy & etiquette for purchasing coins

    They occasionally go for as little as £8 on eBay if you are prepared to wait a bit. Otherwise Lloyd has it listed at £18 (which I believe is new, if in stock): http://www.coinsofbritain.co.uk/pages/books/books-details.asp?ID=5
  23. TomGoodheart

    Strategy & etiquette for purchasing coins

    Only on here! (It's Richard)
  24. TomGoodheart

    Strategy & etiquette for purchasing coins

    LOL Two things to remember about the gold coins of Charles I. 1) As Rob touched upon , the earlier privy (mint) marks are generally commoner, almost the reverse of the situation with the silver coinage where the first few issues are scarcer (although quality control seems to have gone down as output of silver coinage from the Mint increased, making nice examples of some later marks much trickier to find in pleasing condition than would be expected from the mintages). And 2) before you buy it's worth checking out the size of the coin against a modern one. Gold was way out of most people's reach at the time and some of the coins, such as crowns are quite small by our standards. (Tiny by comparison to their silver counterparts). While they are nice, you don't want to buy a lovely looking example from online images only to have a nasty surprise as to how small it is when it arrives! 3) Hammered coinage has it's own quirks and challenges way beyond those struck using machinery. Almost no hammered coin is perfect and so compromises usually have to be made. But each collector will develop their own standards, views about which quirks they can and can't live with, what about a particular coin appeals or not and that takes time. There's always the temptation to rush in and buy something. In fact we all (probably) have to make a few mistakes to learn from on the way. But if you think of collecting as a long term, if not life-long hobby it might help a bit. And of course, people here are always happy to offer an opinion on a coin before you buy! Or even after
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