andyscouse

Fake indeed.

True enough; at the time, I did put aside about 4 in decent condition. They disappeared after a theft, then I lost interest in pulling from change. Now I just want to get one to say I have it, and they're just not there! Of course, there'll never be the demand like for £sd, but it'd still be nice to 'fill the hole'.

Yes, but only to say I have one from each date minted. Pretty much sorted 1968 - 1983 in Unc. They're pretty cheap, so keeps me occupied while waiting for new coins for the main collection [C20th date sets of all denoms] (complete back to 1929 in gEF or better for all, back to 1910 for 1d and 2/6!). I cannot, however, find 1981 10p in Unc for love nor money!! Nowhere have I ever seen any offered (mintage just over 3m).

azda Yes, that second 1945 is far better than the first! It definitely looks as though it'd been cleaned, but the second has its nice original colour.

I did! My budget was meagre, but I did manage to fill my 'decent 1945' hole with: BMC 2411. F231. Dies 2+C. Gouby A. Extremely Fine with good lustre, appears to be a bright finish? I emailed Neil at Colin Cooke about total amount with postage, and as I live in the US, I wouldn't expect to have it in-hand for a couple of weeks. That does, though, take my nice penny collection back to 1910 (of at least EF grade, mostly gEF or Unc - not H or KN, though!). So, I'm looking fwd to it ...

True! I have found that certain penny dates are difficult to get 'nice', the 1934 and 1944-46 included. I did win the 1945 Workman penny in EF, notation 'may not have been darkened'. I think it's better than the example I have currently - we shall see when it's in hand!

Living over in the US, I can tell you that $1 coins are rarely found in circulation, despite being minted since 2000 (ignoring the Susan B Anthony ones of 79-81 & 99). The situation is similar to the UK in 1983-85 - because the £1 note was still being printed, people simply didn't use the coins. It was only after the gov't decided to stop printing, remove old notes from circulation and then eventually demonitise them (1988, I think) that the coins came into their own. The US is about the only place that is more conservative about their coinage than the UK. So, they'll only start using $1 coins if they have to (ie, the $1 bills are removed - but that's unlikely). That being said, in NY and Boston, $1 coins are more often seen, as vending machines in their underground systems vend $1 coins as change (buy a ticket for, say $2 with a $5 bill, and you'll get three $1 coins back). Half-dollars are pretty much never seen, unless someone like me gets some from a bank (where they give you a strange look if you ask for them!) and then spend them. Then you have to put up with retailers (usually under 25) who have either never seen one or refuse to believe they're legal tender. The advantage to getting halves is that there's a real chance you can get silver ones (90% 1964 and before, 40% 1965-1970). You can still find the occasional silver quarter (25¢), dime (10¢) or nickel (5¢ - made with 35% silver 1942-45) in change. Unlikely, but possible. I've found two dimes in about ten years. Does that help?

The coin is dated 1896 ... the 29th year of the Meiji era (Emperor Mutsuhito, 1867-1912). The date part on this coin is the string of 6 characters together between dots. The first two are the name of the Emperor (or era), written in Kanji script. Modern eras are 1867-1912; 1912-1926; 1926-1989; 1989-date. The last is Japanese for 'year' ("nen"). There are then 1, 2 or 3 characters in between, denoting the Regnal Year. For this coin, the 3 numbers used are 2, 10 & 9. The first two are multiplied, then you add the third: (2 x 10) + 9 = 29. For reference, a a great site for dating Japanese coins. It explains the notation in greater detail.

Yes, it's Peck 407, described as "Silver Pattern Farthing, 1665. Peck-407. Charles II. Bust left. / Britannia seated". From a Long Beach 2005 auction, the following is stated on the sale of a toned specimen: Actually grades Fine-12. Actually graded by NGC Proof-12. Estimated Value $150-200. Realized $200. Link to 2005 auction page

Check out this link to medals and see if your one is on it; Investiture medals are listed under Elizabeth II, towards the end of the page ...

I just got this book from the website, and it's a great read! I'll have just over a week to sift change when I visit the UK for a week later this year Interestingly, it seems to be the case that "older" UK bronze is almost never found shiny ... but in the US, I continually find shiny 1¢ and 5¢ coins going back to about 1963/4, and shiny examples of the 70's, 80's and 90's are still pretty common. Of course, they all had huge mintages, but I just think it's interesting when compared to the scarcity of finding, for example, any 1970's UK bronze in lustrous condition. Even a fair few lustrous 1970s and 1980s 25¢ coins can be found in change. And the odd 90% silver!

Wow - £10 per access! In the US, you pay about $60 and up per year (depending on size) with free access as often as you like. The cost of rental can also be offset against your taxes (for what it's worth).

Using my newly-acquired "Grading British Coins" book from Chris Perkins, I'd say the coin grades F/gF. The values per Tony Clayton's site are: 5s 1819 F:25 VF:70 EF:250 Unc:700 And from Chris's Coin Values book, 1819 LIX mintage 683,496 F:£20 VF:£60 EF:£275 Unc:£400 1819 LX Inc above F:£20 VF:£80 EF:£200 Unc:£350 The last entries refer to the regnal year on the edge (either LIX=59 or LX=60). Hope that gives you a rough guide.

I agree - Tony's site is very comprehensive and up-to-date ... I reference it very frequently. Link to Tony's site (http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/coins.html) The link contains links to coin info and prices ... check it out!

Yes, sixpences were demonetised on 30 June 1980. I remember an article in one of the papers around that time alerting people to the fact, showing the tennis player Roscoe Tanner with a sixpence (a 'tanner') ... I found three silver coins during the late 80's - one florin and two shillings. Here in the US you can also occasionally come across silver (in my case, about 3 dimes and a half dollar in the last decade).

Oh, and yes, the Royal Family does have its own collection - most notable are a complete proof coin set of Edward VIII, plus the master die for the (unreleased) 1952 halfcrown (of which 1 circulated coin is known to exist - was owned by Colin Cooke for a while - and 1 VIP proof). Now that would be a collection to peruse!

Yes, I wonder what it'd sell for these days too! According to the latest info, there were 7 minted (it was always 6 when I started collecting, but concensus these days says 7). Three were minted specifically for foundation stones. Here are details of their history and whereabouts (taken from a Google search): The seven known examples of the 1933 penny are located in: 1. British Museum (a 'circulation' penny) 2. Royal Mint Museum at Llantrisant in South Wales (a 'circulation' penny) 3. One held in private hands (ex L A Lawrence, P G Smith and Mrs E M Norweb) (a 'circulation' penny) 4. Under the foundation stone of the University of London Building in Bloomsbury, London (a 'proof' penny) 5. One held in private hands. Ex St. Mary's Church, Hawksworth Wood, Kirkstall, Leeds. (Ex Sotheby 1972 in private hands ever since) (a 'proof' penny) 6. Whereabouts unknown, previously under the foundation stone of the Church of St Cross, Middleton - part of a 1933 year set which was stolen in August 1970 (a 'proof' penny) 7. One held in private hands in the UK (Ex Glendinings 1969 and in private collections ever since (a 'circulation' penny) From Tony Clayton's excellent website (http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk), the following is noted: One of the great rarities of the British series is the 1933 penny. None were issued for general circulation, but seven were made: three proofs to place in foundation stones laid by the King and four currency issues. At least one of the proofs has been stolen (from the Church of St.Cross, Middleton, in 1970), but the other six are all accounted for. Just three (including one proof) are in private hands.

That is very true. I found a jar of predecimal [mostly circulated] coins (including a silver '39 2/6) in my dad's cupboard when I was a teen in 1980; the halfcrowns in particlar caught my attention. The rest is history!

Hello, I'd go for it ... maybe you could see something else for a couple of pounds if you have spare cashola ...

Hi Hello! Welcome to coin collecting - I wish you the very best as you build up your collection. I'd agree with the other posters - that is a good price for a '57 Unc, and it is better to start with Unc early on! I wish I had done so, but eventually, we'll get there. Sometimes the guide books don't give an accurate picture of a coin's availability in higher grades. Here's an interesting article by an English guy in the US on his experiences with both: Specimens thought to be scarce/rare but are not Specimens thought to be common but are very hard to find Interesting article on British Rarities To quote from the "Thought to be common but aren't" bit: Halfcrowns 1926 through 1936 - easy to find in XF or AU, but very tough to find legitimate UNCs. It is well known that 1930 (809,501) is tough to find anyway. 1950, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960 - they have higher mintages but are tricky to find in BU because they do not command the premium prices found in 1954, 1958 and 1959 examples. 1957 (34,200,563) and 1956 (33,934,909) are the second and third highest mintages respectively of the period 1821-1967 but nice BU examples are elusive. .

What coin(s) and date(s) have you spotted this on? I'm in the US so don't get to see the new coinage in use ... (maybe this autumn on a visit!).

This is true, and you can (from certain banks) get rolls of half-dollars - and there, you may still encounter some real silver! I have had a couple this way. Most seem to be 1965-70 40% silver (and silver is silver!), but I have heard tales of getting 1964 or earlier half-dollars (90% silver) in such rolls!

I am However, an armchair supporter - not very sporty - I follow them via the Telegraph online. Mind you, their last season wasn't too hot ... let's hope for this year. I think if ever I do go for US citizenship, I'd fail ... being male, the first question they'd ask would be "Are you completely and utterly obsessed with sports?" - I'd have to say 'no', and that would doom the application!

You're quite observant, Peckris ... I am. And whenever I meet someone new over here, they always ask where I'm from (and often guess Ireland) ... when I say England, most ask if London. When I say Liverpool, they generally say - "Oh, the Beatles!!" I quite like having the different accent I know Liverpool quite well - which part are you from Andy? (Please don't say Penny Lane!!) Anfield. I get to go back every few years - hoping to visit this autumn. I was pretty gutted several years ago when I went back and they'd knocked my old school down! (Anfield Comprehensive on Breckside Park) Going back every few years I see such a difference in England each time!

The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers Henry II Part 2 ... Act IV, Scene II