TomGoodheart

Thanks Ian. After all that I finally managed to get Photobucket to work. It's been a frustrating day. I've spent most of it on the phone trying to get an appointment at my GP surgery. I feel like my Waiting XP have gone up by about 1000!

For illustration, the small number of last year's acquisitions. Shows the sort of grade / condition I might be interested in.

I know I don't post on here very much these days, so most people are probably unaware I collect the above shillings. And sadly I have reached a stage in my collecting where my fussiness about 'eye appeal' makes adding anything new a challenge. However I'm always interested in new dealers, sites or potential acquisitions, so if anyone spots a nice looking example of a Chas I shilling, I'd be happy to hear about it. Particularly as I don't have the research skills to track down all the current owners of coins that might improve my collection and people seem (to me at least) to be hanging on to nicer examples at the moment ... So though I know it's outside the interests of most members, there's no harm in mentioning it I thought! Don't ask, don't get ... as someone irritatingly said once! Thanks!

Thanks. Now if only there was a 'like' button!

Thanks Ian. Have done!

Nope. And because I can't upload images I can't even show you a screenshot of what I do have!

I don't get 'choose files' any more. In fact the forum is becoming increasingly difficult to use on my pc. As for my phone .. that's even worse. All I get is the option to load an existing upload or via a link. I also have no idea how to 'like a post' or various other features other users seem to have ... Anyone any ideas because it's pissing me off. Matt?

Oh, I'm not complaining, though I'm still not quite sure how they managed to pick such a contrasty image, it does highlight all the flaws. But it made it a difficult call, given I wasn't going to get a chance to see the coin in the hand as to how high to bid. In the end I suspect it being unslabbed helped me more than a little. Shame the obv is a bit weak, but the reverse is a bit better and it was a chance to get a NH coin within budget. Same dies as Brooker 407.

On the left, photo used by Stacks in their auction listing. On the right, coin I received. I think I got the better of the two...

Are you going to get it slabbed Dave? You know, .. to keep it shiny?

Are you sure Clive? I don't see an arrow in Harold's eye. Something FAKE about that I feel. Bad. Very bad.

I guess as beginners, most of us like the feel that the collection is growing so picking up what's available is a way to ensure that. Of course, those expensive gaps will need filling eventually. But I know for myself there was also reticence to spend serious money and I'm pleased that in some cases that meant I waited until I had more knowledge. Generally my more expensive coins will be the last to go because I know how difficult it would be to replace them!

Not always, at least with hammered. Scarce coins that are listed as scarce will attract attention. But some are very difficult to find and not recognised by most people as rare and so command low prices. And condition (unlike I believe 30, 20 or even 10 years ago) beats rarity all the time. A very rare battered coin will never reach the price of a common coin in uncommonly good condition. A recent sale (Lyall) had rarities flounder unsold and yet a £500-£600 coin go for £2000+ (Might have been useful if I'd realised that a decade ago!) Edit: I've just remembered that, for me, there was a vast difference in perception when I first started collecting from today concerning rarity. If I could not find an example of a coin I'd noticed in a catalogue for a few months I was keen to snap up the first example I could find. Now I've realised that it might be years before I see a particular variety or type and even then it might be so unappealing I can't bring myself to buy it! People have heard of the '34 Wreath and it's 'rarity'. Maybe (lack of) patience and beginners over-enthusiasm comes into play more than we (I) realise in these things?

Spink Coins of England does not list a silver proof issue for 1985. I therefore guess the answer is no. Hope that helps.

People who don't have a huge amount of money might only want one example of a reign. That's how I started with shillings. I aimed to find the first issue of a monarch and then first issues of any major design changes. That might in part explain the 1821? Yes, condition and scarcity affect prices. But so do other things. Such as breadth of the potential collector base. As happens with Newark (hammered) shillings. They appeal to shilling collectors, those interested in the Civil War, they have a romantic aspect (kept as 'souvenirs' by survivors of the siege). Makes them far more popular (and so sell for far more) than you'd think, based on how many examples survived.

Only other thing is that the Royal Mail collect charges on behalf of HM Customs & Excise for which they charge a bit under a tenner. Which is small on a £2000 coin, but annoying if you buy a low value item for which duty was not payable and can't reclaim it! I've had very few problems over the years, although sometimes things get through without any charge and sometimes they try to claim 20%. But you can reclaim for an overcharge. Only real issue was something posted via USPS which then became a package when it got to the UK and was given to Parcelforce. Wouldn't have been a problem but that the address I gave the seller was a PO Box. To which Parcelforce don't deliver. Fortunately the dealer tracked it for me and I got my coin in the end! Good service from York Coins!

Well, you can always post a pic here for opinions! You'll find a fair few Chas I here Lloyd Bennett in various conditions and might find it interesting to look through to get an idea of how they vary in condition and price. Lloyd sold the Alan Morris' collection of coins (mostly shillings and half crowns) of Charles I over a number of years and it's a good representative selection I think. There are also auction catalogues with a high proportion of Chas I shillings, but unless you wanted to specialise it's easier to use an online reference.

Yeah, I copied it from the 2015 Spink Coins of England for quick reference. To be honest, a handful of pics like that probably aren't all that helpful to you. Perhaps better to check a dealer website that has a variety of stock and reasonable grading skills. Also (I think) it's important to remember that strict grade (ie the amount of wear a coin has been subject to since it was made) isn't always the best measure with hammered coins. Individual variations can mean an unworn coin which was weakly struck is less appealing than one that was stronger and has circulated a bit. Then there's toning, how a coin compares to the usually encountered examples .. I (and a few people I know) tend to talk more about 'eye appeal' than grade with hammered coins. The above shilling for example, is worn (easiest to see on the rim which can be almost sharp enough to cut your fingers on truly unworn coins) and is weak in places (such as the shoulder) where the flan is thinner. I grade quite strictly, if at all, and I guess I'd personally call it nVF if I was feeling generous (it was sold as VF). And it's also double struck (another challenge with hammered coins!) and has a flan split! However the portrait is (fairly unusually) clear and it's pleasantly toned and on a nice broad round flan and so I like it better than other, more crisply struck or higher graded coins. For me it has good eye appeal. If that makes sense?

Very nice Cameron. If only later issues such as the Plantagenets were as crisply struck I might be tempted to take up collecting pennies!

Yours is at least nEF Dave. Theirs probably gVF by Spink but lacks eye appeal. IMHO

Buying from a reputable dealer who offers a simple return policy suggests you can have confidence in their stock. And I don't really mean eBay. While there are decent coins and sometimes even bargains there, it's better to have some experience under your belt before spending serious money. A coin fair might give you an opportunity to meet dealers and inspect some coins up close. There's nothing like seeing the real thing to develop an eye for something a bit dodgy. The internet is a remarkable resource. When considering a purchase (and I've been collecting nearly 15 years now) I still check auction site records, old sales catalogues and reputable dealers sites to compare the coin I'm interested in with others in terms of condition and eye appeal. You also have to remember that the vast majority of coins are genuine. Yes, fakes are a problem for some series, but not most. Provenance will help reassure, there although most coins will have little unless rare and it's generally a lot easier to spot earlier sales of a hammered coins (because each is unique in its quirks) than milled ones. More important then is spotting a coin that has been cleaned, checking for edge damage and trying to buy the best you can afford. And as Paulus says, posting a picture of a potential buy here for opinions can be very helpful. Oh. And we all make mistakes. Buy coins that we later regret or that turn out not to be the bargain we thought. All you can do is mark it up as a learning experience and try to make the mistake an inexpensive one! Welcome to the forum and have fun!

I was looking for pics of home but they must be on my old laptop. So here's a pic of somewhere I went running back in the summer. Mid-Wales, not far from Dolgellau and jolly nice it was too ...

True. Though of course, I'd prefer old toning with a few tickets from earlier collectors. I'm just too fussy for my own good, I know!

Yeah, sorry guys. I've just been busy elsewhere, only popping in occasionally. Sadly the Chas I shilling field has rather dried up for me, with the better pieces being held onto or going for daft money. Rarities in poorer condition are still occasionally about, but I'm looking to upgrade a fair few of mine and so have had no new purchases to talk about of late. I need both a large increase in pocket money and a reversal of the trend for only top grade material to be of interest ... neither very likely I'm afraid. Though I live in hope!