Sideline collection ~ £2 coins

[argentumandcoins 70]

If I can't stimulate his interest in history at least he might learn some geography, which would be nice as most kids don't know their arse from their elbow these days!

For which I blame the teachers.

I think it probably started with legislation...

Once we removed the power to fully be "in loco parentis" (corporal punishment) it was the slippery slope, pardon the pun on slipper!

I used to be terrified of some of my teachers because I knew the slipper on the arse (junior school) or the cane (senior school) hurt, quite a lot actually.

The time I spent in the job just reinforced my belief that there is virtually a total breakdown in modern society with the "what are you going to do about it" attitude prevalent.

My eldest boy has a right mouth on him (he lives with his mother and I only get him in school holidays).

I wouldn't have dared speak to my old man like that and the tales he tells about school imply that he gets so much detention because that's how he speaks to teachers.

I'd knock seven bells out of him but he'd probably sue me..................

[£400 for a Penny ? 0]

Right, we must stop this, we are in danger of creating a parody of middle aged grumpy old men.

Enough.

[1949threepence 3,366]

Right, we must stop this, we are in danger of creating a parody of middle aged grumpy old men.

Enough.

But just before we do, I'm going to give my two pennuth. Corporal punishment had been abolished when I was at school, which was a pity in a way, because there was always a hard core of time wasting idiots messing about, flicking things at teachers and other students, and generally being a distraction. Although I had to admire our maths teacher who told one group of lads to piss off. When asked where they should go, he replied that he didn't care as long as they weren't in his classroom. When they'd gone, the rest of us applauded.

If the cane had still been around (bend down, boy ), I'm damn sure they would have been a lot better behaved. We definitely need more discipline.

I blame Tony Blair....oh, hang on, it was a bit before him. So much for the "iron lady" & her grey successor lol !!!

[scott 129]

everything is her fault anyway

[Peckris 579]

interesting point that florins and shillings passed as 5 and 10ps, might explain the reason the shilling was there in a moneybox of 70's and 80's copper, there was a 1950's florin around the house as well, i can only presume was the same reason.

I'd say that was almost definitely the reason. Scott.

It was always the plan that shillings and florins (unlike what they said on The One Show) would continue to circulate alongside 5 and 10 pences as they were identical sizes and equivalent monetary value. Which they continued to do until the size reduction of the early 1990s. It was therefore still theoretically possible to receive a pre-1947 silver coin until comparatively recently, as I did on one or two occasions, to my great happiness!

Sixpences were to have been withdrawn before D Day (1) but were reprieved and continued to circulate until ... 1980? (as 2 1/2p)

[andyscouse 0]

It was always the plan that shillings and florins (unlike what they said on The One Show) would continue to circulate alongside 5 and 10 pences as they were identical sizes and equivalent monetary value. Which they continued to do until the size reduction of the early 1990s. It was therefore still theoretically possible to receive a pre-1947 silver coin until comparatively recently, as I did on one or two occasions, to my great happiness!

Sixpences were to have been withdrawn before D Day (1) but were reprieved and continued to circulate until ... 1980? (as 2 1/2p)

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).

[DaveG38 385]

Just got a 2008 Beijing London 2012 £2 coin - first I have seen in change.

[1949threepence 3,366]

Just got a 2008 Beijing London 2012 £2 coin - first I have seen in change.

Well done, Dave

[scott 129]

i have 2 of those...

i plucked out an EF 1984 20p O.O

[1949threepence 3,366]

Got a 2009 Darwin £2 coin at the local spar shop in my change tonight. Never seen one before, nor indeed any technology £2.00 coins for 2009. No idea of the mintage for either.

[Bernie 188]

Sadly my own kids (now 27 and 24) couldn't give a toss.

I share your pain.

Mine are too busy fighting, shagging and doing things they'd rather I didn't know about to concentrate on anything so 'static' as collecting coins.

I can just about get them to play golf, but that's as far as they will go.

Shouldn't mind some of that myself, not the fighting or golf though.

Sorry but I couldn't resist that !!

[azda 973]

Sadly my own kids (now 27 and 24) couldn't give a toss.

I share your pain.

Mine are too busy fighting, shagging and doing things they'd rather I didn't know about to concentrate on anything so 'static' as collecting coins.

I can just about get them to play golf, but that's as far as they will go.

Just got my eldest boy (12) interested in fishing.

He told me you can do it on an xbox, ps3 apparently!

He even likes helping to sort my job lots from auctions and takes some for his "collection"

Sadly he has discovered girls and puberty now so I fear all may be lost!!!

Maybe you should show him what some of these old coins can make John, perhaps let him look at the Pennies on the Workman sale and show him what prices they achieved, maybe then kids will come to realise the value of these old coins

[Boomstick 0]

Going back to the £2 coins, I've been collecting them as a "rainy day" fiscal mechanism for three years now. My rule is to never spend one once I get given it. This does have drawbacks - I buy a copy of the Sunday Times with a tenner and get 4 back. It gets expensive! Got a few hundred quid's worth now.

£2 coins do stand out from the rest of the modern coinage in my opinion - the contrasting metals, large size and interesting designs do a lot to make people look twice at their change. Just looked at my collection and am missing three of the Commonwealth ones, the Olympic one, the Burns and the Florence. Oh, and I got a Guernsey one a little while ago, which was exciting!

[RobJ 0]

Over the years I have managed to obtain nearly all of the Commemorative £2 coins from my change.

With the exceptions being the 1986 Claim of Rights, 1995 United Nations, 2002 Commonwealth Games (I have never seen one let alone four versions! lol) 2008 Centenery of 4th Olympiad, 2009 Robert Burns and 2010 Florence Nightingale.

It has taken me many years to collect all of them. I started when I first saw the 1986 Commonwealth Games coin and I started to put them aside and replacing with better versions as and when I saw them.

I have also done the same with the 50p Commemorative issues and have obtained them all with the exceptions being the 1994 D Day, 2009 Kew Gardens and the 2010 Girl Guides.

I also have nearly all of the £2 and 50p Commemoratives in BU, but that doesn't count. lol

[1949threepence 3,366]

Over the years I have managed to obtain nearly all of the Commemorative £2 coins from my change.

With the exceptions being the 1986 Claim of Rights, 1995 United Nations, 2002 Commonwealth Games (I have never seen one let alone four versions! lol) 2008 Centenery of 4th Olympiad, 2009 Robert Burns and 2010 Florence Nightingale.

It has taken me many years to collect all of them. I started when I first saw the 1986 Commonwealth Games coin and I started to put them aside and replacing with better versions as and when I saw them.

I have also done the same with the 50p Commemorative issues and have obtained them all with the exceptions being the 1994 D Day, 2009 Kew Gardens and the 2010 Girl Guides.

I also have nearly all of the £2 and 50p Commemoratives in BU, but that doesn't count. lol

Have you got the 1992 single market 50p (mintage only 109,000) ?

Edited November 24, 2010 by 1949threepence

[1949threepence 3,366]

Going back to the £2 coins, I've been collecting them as a "rainy day" fiscal mechanism for three years now. My rule is to never spend one once I get given it. This does have drawbacks - I buy a copy of the Sunday Times with a tenner and get 4 back. It gets expensive! Got a few hundred quid's worth now.

£2 coins do stand out from the rest of the modern coinage in my opinion - the contrasting metals, large size and interesting designs do a lot to make people look twice at their change. Just looked at my collection and am missing three of the Commonwealth ones, the Olympic one, the Burns and the Florence. Oh, and I got a Guernsey one a little while ago, which was exciting!

Incredibly, I got Welsh and English flag ones within a few days of each other, from our staff canteen.

[RobJ 0]

Did you get all four 2002 Commonwealth games £2, Rob ? I managed to get three from change, but still trying to get the Northern Ireland flag.

Sadly I've never actually seen one. I have looked time and again over the years but to no avail!

I think I may treat myself to a BU set of all four when I see one for a reasonable price to add to my collection, but I will still keep on checking my change and hope for the best. lol

Also, have you got the 1992 single market 50p (mintage only 109,000) ?

With that I have had much better luck!

I managed to obtain one in my change in the late 90's. It was aUNC with just a few scratches but with very nice lustre. I'm thinking that someone either obtained one when they very first came out and put it aside but due to finacial needs had to spend it, or someone had opened a BU set for the same reason.

I was also very lucky in picking up the two coin BU set a while ago at a Boot Sale to add to my BU collection. I managed to purchase it for what I thought was a bargain price of £3.95.

(Oddly enough the same person at the Boot Sale had the 1989 Bill and Claim of Rights two coin BU set as well. Again I was very lucky in being able to purchase it for £8.)

And last week when I was looking around an Antiques Centre, I noticed another one in a tin of other large 50p coins and managed to purchase it for £1.

So now I have 3 of them. Only 108,977 to go. lol

[scott 129]

i have the 1985 50p

i have 2 olympic handovers

1 centenary

this... missing dot between DEF and elizabeth

1 slave trade

1 trevithick

1 DNA

also the Dday and a few others

50p's are meh, every time i get one it is 9/10 a boring 1997

[Boomstick 0]

i have the 1985 50p

i have 2 olympic handovers

1 centenary

this... missing dot between DEF and elizabeth

1 slave trade

1 trevithick

1 DNA

also the Dday and a few others

50p's are meh, every time i get one it is 9/10 a boring 1997

[Boomstick 0]

They've gone a bit mad with the 29(?) Olympic designs for the new 50p. They're in danger of turning into those Texaco World Cup coin series! If you bring out too many designs, people get the idea that you're just cashing in (which is probably the case, to be fair!)

[Rob 2,998]

They've gone a bit mad with the 29(?) Olympic designs for the new 50p. They're in danger of turning into those Texaco World Cup coin series! If you bring out too many designs, people get the idea that you're just cashing in (which is probably the case, to be fair!)

Correct. One of my collecting criteria is that of attributed designers. From Philip Aimer of Tours who designed the Henry II short cross penny in 1180 up to Anthony Foley who did the Biga crown in 1966, I have identified 84 different individuals covering a period of nearly 800 years. Since decimalisation the list has expanded by another 53, and that is up to the end of 2009. In less than 50 years the number of attributed designers is likely to have doubled. That's called taking the p**s.

[£400 for a Penny ? 0]

Compared to Australia where everything is commemorated, we are still fairly restrained. At least we haven't got onto silly 'privy' marks - yet.....

[Peter 615]

I just can't get excited about modern issues even the 109k issue 50p or the mule 20p.

[1949threepence 3,366]

Did you get all four 2002 Commonwealth games £2, Rob ? I managed to get three from change, but still trying to get the Northern Ireland flag.

Sadly I've never actually seen one. I have looked time and again over the years but to no avail!

I think I may treat myself to a BU set of all four when I see one for a reasonable price to add to my collection, but I will still keep on checking my change and hope for the best. lol

Sorry Rob, I misread your original post and must have edited mine, just at the time that you were replying to the original version.

Also, have you got the 1992 single market 50p (mintage only 109,000) ?

With that I have had much better luck!

I managed to obtain one in my change in the late 90's. It was aUNC with just a few scratches but with very nice lustre. I'm thinking that someone either obtained one when they very first came out and put it aside but due to finacial needs had to spend it, or someone had opened a BU set for the same reason.

I was also very lucky in picking up the two coin BU set a while ago at a Boot Sale to add to my BU collection. I managed to purchase it for what I thought was a bargain price of £3.95.

(Oddly enough the same person at the Boot Sale had the 1989 Bill and Claim of Rights two coin BU set as well. Again I was very lucky in being able to purchase it for £8.)

And last week when I was looking around an Antiques Centre, I noticed another one in a tin of other large 50p coins and managed to purchase it for £1.

So now I have 3 of them. Only 108,977 to go. lol

Very well done on that. I never managed to get one at all !!!

Prior to the 1997 & later issues, the only £2 coins I ever got, were the very occasional 1986 commonwealth games ones. Never saw a 1989 Bill of Rights.

[argentumandcoins 70]

I just can't get excited about modern issues even the 109k issue 50p or the mule 20p.

I'm with you on this one Peter. The only ones I have are held in stock. More often than not I just sort all of the decimal stuff into my dross bags and hurl back into auction, horrible stuff!