TomGoodheart

Many if not most dealers will welcome 'wants' lists from clients Wayne. However it'll come as no surprise that clients that regularly spend money will be remembered more quickly when that key coin turns up! Having said that, I've had some excellent help from some dealers (locating old sales lists etc) who I've not recently bought from. It's a business so keeping the customer is (usually!) a priority. So in theory your scheme could work. Some dealers even have a commission page on their website where they will list client's coins. It's certainly a safer step than going straight into trying to deal for yourself. Though a fair few dealers are, or have been, collectors too of course...

Mmm .. not sure if I'm quite getting the turnaround time here. For example, Alan Morris collected coins of Charles I for over a decade or more. A lot of them he bought from the dealer Lloyd Bennett. He had a good relationship with him so, years later when Alan decided to sell up he asked Lloyd to sell the bulk of his collection, which Lloyd did. But if you're thinking of a timeframe more like months between purchase and sale, then surely it would be just as easy for the dealer to hold onto the coins themselves and sell for a bit more than the original budget? Otherwise it sounds like quite a bit of paperwork/admin for the dealer to me. Unless he sells to the customer but doesn't actually send him the coins but immediately puts them up for sale on his website? In which case I guess so (for example the auction house Heritage allow you to buy coins then put them straight up for sale through their "Make Offer to Owner Option") That way the dealer gets the money, the seller can ask for coins to be returned if they decide not to sell or get a bit of profit. Win, win. BUT does require trust, particularly on the part of the customer!

I knew we could sway you from George V to the dark side sooner or later Wayne!

If you just want to see coins of Charles I then, as Paul says, Brooker (Coins of Charles I (1625 - 1649). ) is still a good reference, though black and white illustrations only. However it doesn't cover the post-Royal period. Besly's, Coins and Medals of the English Civil War is a smaller volume but gives more history. Both can be picked up second hand. The first for as low as £10-£12, the second might be trickier .. £15-£20. One of the members here (who is also a dealer) has an interest in the period and has written a few articles: http://www.mhcoins.co.uk/category/articles/ Of course, the British Numismatic Journal has numerous articles which can be viewed online here: http://www.britnumsoc.org/publications/Digital BNJ.shtml You can link to a pdf of the Index of contents from that page. Pages 30-31 of the Index list Charles I related articles.

Not mine Weaver. I only collect shillings! Still for sale at £3000: http://www.amrcoins.com/coins-for-sale/HG-1280/ Auctions are probably the way to go for cost effectiveness. But you'd need a bit of knowledge first to decide how much to bid. That's why a reputable dealer doing the work for you can be worthwhile. Of course, some dealers will look out for coins for customers. Give them an idea of what you want and a budget and let them loose!

Ah, but wouldn't you really rather have something like this? Still 20 shillings worth. But miles away from a bit of bullion.

As a collector, the profit I've made is generally from spotting something rarer or in better condition than usual at a reasonable price. And then knowing another collector who might be interested helps! Although I also favour part exchange. If I want a coin from a dealer then sometimes they will be willing to offset some of the price in exchange for a coin I no longer want. Though of course, that doesn't always work! Generally coins I've tired of are lacking something so there's a risk they won't appeal to others either. Thing is, with the sort of coins I collect, coins in 'better than usual condition' don't turn up so often. And if they do it's worth paying a premium. But with more modern coins like GV onwards, I think it was Declan himself that reminded me, they were minted by the thousands, if not millions. Consequently there will be far more examples in better condition. This not only means that you ideally want a really nice example to ensure it keeps its value, but also that it's worth taking time and waiting until that nicer example turns up! In both cases it's key to have a good idea of what an 'average' example looks like, in order to spot the better than coins. Maybe that's the attraction of proof sets, in that they contain presentation grade coins that show all the artistry of the designer. Although personally, I like a coin to have some evidence that it's circulated or passed through people's hands. The history is part of the appeal and a 350 year old coin should look different from one struck today IMHO. .

Thanks. There's always a slight risk buying from photographs .. the 'worst' was a coin I bought from Stacks in the US which looked very different when it arrived. Fortunately I still liked it, but it was a bit of a surprise! Photos can hide a multitude of flaws, even quite unintentionally by being slightly out of focus (softening or blurring surface marks) or give an impression of toning that isn't true in 'normal' conditions.

Ah, no. Another auction that happened to pop up on a search. There were a couple of decent coins at DNW, but they went for decent prices! But yes. Any unsolds, no harm in asking. Some consigners will consider selling rather than getting coins back they are then stuck with.

Gold coins are obviously linked to the melt price of the metal. Hence common dates will never fly, but they will always be worth bullion. Bullion price however goes down as well as up. Rarer dates/ mints are like any other numismatic item. Subject to the market (number of collectors, sentiment, and what's in collecting 'fashion' (though gold seems to have remained reasonably popular over the years). But can be expensive at the offset so again, an area (talking about rarer gold here) that really requires knowledge before you spend any money IMHO. Oh, here's my "gamble" purchase ... I aim to post photos of the coin in-the-hand to compare with these when it arrives:

Interesting thread Weaver. Returning to the original topic, I kinda feel that unless you spend serious money or have a good eye and knowledge it' difficult to actually invest in coins. A £70 coin that puts on 50% over 10 years still becomes a just-over-£100 coin. Allowing for inflation that's probably not going to feel like much profit by then. To make investment type money I think you need to buy cheap and turn around quickly for a profit. Which is needless to say, not simple or everyone would be a coin dealer! It's taken me over five years to make money back on some coins and to learn to buy better coins that will hold their value. Largest loss? Nearly £180 on a coin bought on impulse and sold too soon. It would have taken a lot of good 'investment' to make that back had I been collecting for profit... A fair price for a fair coin is my principle. But to echo everyone else, a bit of a haggle is very rarely a bad idea. Just don't expect dealers to do much more than 10% on the majority of coins. Or that's my experience at least! An offer can also work elsewhere. I saw a coin in an auction listing, thought "that doesn't look too awful" then realised the auction had actually been that morning! Curious to see what it had fetched I checked the prices and there was none. So I sent an email asking if it had sold and making an offer quite a bit below lower estimate (though for a coin I'd not inspected in person I thought acceptable). Lo and behold I got quick reply saying the consigner was prepared to accept my offer! OK, a bit of a risk and I've yet to see what I've actually bought, but here's hoping ...

That's how started Benio. I found a book about shillings and.. well, I decided to collect shillings! .. Just a nice example of each major redesign of each reign. Not looking for minor varieties. I also picked up examples of shillings struck for Commonwealth countries out of interest. In the end I thinned it down and now only collect hammered (hand struck) shillings from one reign. That's because I not only got to like the look and history of hammered coins, but it was too expensive on my budget to buy all the milled (machine made) types too. Not suggesting you should do the same. Just an example of how I got going..

My first impression is that it is a modern replica. The design looks more as if it was struck using tools than from a single die to me. However, I've no real experience with the series so am happy to be corrected. I think a photo of the obverse might help clarify things.

Whereabouts in Scotland are you GL? Just that I know one of the members here who is also a dealer is based near Newcastle if you aren't too far North. If a collection is decent dealers will sometimes travel to take a look. Might be worth contacting him for a chat? John Stevenson (Argentum & Coins) You can send a message via this forum from his profile: http://www.predecimal.com/forum/profile/4546-argentumandcoins/ I've also bought from Scotmint in Ayr if you want another Scottish based dealer.. though I've not sold to him. Though I'd just restate that photos would help us establish whether we are talking auction house material or ebay..

Oh, that's' definitely an "Out, Out, Out!" Colin!

I admit to knowing insufficient about the issues. However David makes some very good points. Daughter dearest went to France and Spain as part of her degree. In France she not only received EU funding via Erasmus, but French housing benefits to pay the cost of her lodging and a salary from the school she worked at. She needed no visa to travel in or out of the country, had no problems (other than natural French bureaucracy) with issues such as registering with a doctor. If we were 'out' I can't imagine that being the case. I remember holidaying abroad as a kid. The restrictions on taking Sterling out of the country and the hassle of multiple currencies. Seems to me that our kids live in a better time with freer access to travel and jobs in Europe. We live in a world where travel for economic reasons has become commonplace. This benefits not just those who come to Britain from abroad, but us and our children. I would be very sorry to see this situation change. Yes, EU bureaucracy is unwieldy and the power balance unfair. I'm not saying that changes aren't needed. But in an increasingly 'global' world, becoming more isolated (whether politically, physically or psychologically) seems to me to be a retrograde step. Better in with influence than out I reckon. .

It's impossible to be certain. But I can imagine that I can see the following outlines: .. which might make it Canterbury, if that helps?

Very nice coins John. And not slabbed (also nice IMHO)! Welcome.

I feel foolish for only just realising this but of course, the question also comes down to what sort of collector we are. When I started I was I guess a 'completist'. I had a book with all varieties illustrated and I wanted to assemble a collection, like that. One example of each type/ variety. Hence I was prepared to accept this: A coin for which three examples are known. Now? I wouldn't bother. Because my focus has shifted. I realised that while I do get a slight thrill from owning one of the very few examples of a really rare coin, I get far more pleasure from better looking coins. And on my budget I can't afford to collect both, so there are some gaps that will remain until budget and opportunity come together. And if they don't? That no longer troubles me as much as it once did. I am happy to have a representative collection of the types, sometimes several, as hammered coins are never perfect and different examples can have different pleasing strengths.

This. Eye appeal for me is everything these days. If I don't like the look of it I will inevitably want to get rid of it further down the line. For example I just exchanged a very rare coin (3 known) for a lesser rarity (perhaps as many as 20 examples) because I couldn't live with it any more. Neither is a 'perfect' coin, not by a long shot. Almost no hammered coins are! But I like the look of my new acquisition and can see myself happy with it for some time to come. As to a scale, well, it's really difficult to generalise. Better grade coins usually appeal more, but 'faults' will count against it. It's possible that in my head there's a system of awarding plus and minus points (nice toning/ good portrait/ full flan, plus. Cleaned, blotchy/ poor or weak portrait/lopsided strike/ small flan, minuses) but I've tried in the past to summarise it in words and failed. When it comes down to it, it's really a matter of looking at two coins and, almost inevitably, one will stand out as my preference. And as Jaggy says. I'm generally prepared to wait to fill a gap. While I may stray, my aim is never to buy crap again and I'd rather have a gap for years than something that I can't bear to look at... however rare.

My worst (to date!) was a shilling I bought for over £200 and sold for .. .. under £40

I think if the cleaning removed gilding to the extent the underlying metal showed through it might detract a bit. As Rob says, they were made to be worn so some signs of that are to be expected. But an "uncirculated" one would surely command a premium?

The bust and shield are wrong for the Rose mint mark, even given artistic licence ... so while it's not illustrated as Briot's characteristic harp, the Daisy mm seem the most likely option to me. Curious ... And a shame this doesn't have a KI (K1) mark ... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1634-39-GREAT-BRITAIN-CHARLES-I-SHILLING-COIN-/191808545943?hash=item2ca8ae2497:g:KIAAAOSwKtVWxNnz LOL

In case anyone is interested I spotted this copy of the Brooker Collection (SCBI 33) on eBay. Usually goes for £20ish so this is a decent price and still a useful reference for Chas I coinage: 262301009757

LOL The advantage of hammered coinage is that I can get away with just using one of these. Never felt the need to look much closer than identifying a mint mark: