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Hello all. my name is Garry and I am 52. I live in Newbury Berks

I came in to ask what this means SN5355/77, to me it's all gobbledygook. I now have a rather evil confession to make.

Many years ago I had a friend who's father had passed away, this friend asked me what to do with 2 rather large ammuniton boxes of old pre decimal coins, I took a look through them and took out a couple of pretty ones and told her to throw them.... she did, into a skip. A while later I found out that her father had served in both wars and he was a very astute collector of both rare and common english coins. Many of these coins I had looked at were really old even to me, 1800 - 1979 kind of era and even further back. I have kicked myself for years over it.

I have had a thing for coins for a few years now and as a kid was banned from the slot machines in Bognor for bumping them to get the threepenny bits or pennies, I never spent them though!, I was fascinated by the designs and how shiny they were. Recently I had the desire to start collecting them, and I dragged out the few I had kept. I have also been banned by the wife from shopping with her as I scan the change at the shops which she finds embarrasing. I don't really have any aim at hand except to collect a set from each year as much as is possible ( untill I found out that that could be never ending !), i didn't realise they had so many variations in some years. I have been scrounging as many as I can from friends as well but think I am becoming the party pooper now ( I can imagine them screaming at each other to hide the family silver upon seeing me arrive ! ). I intend to make a mahogany cabinet soon as I have a bit of that laying in my garden from old wardrobes or cabinets. I have no interest in the value of coins as such I just like shiny things and I am as happy to get a bucket of dirty mangled ones as any other.

I would also like to know what this BU BM stuff means as well if anyone wants to explain it to me.

Thanks

Garry

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Hello all. my name is Garry and I am 52. I live in Newbury Berks

I came in to ask what this means SN5355/77, to me it's all gobbledygook. I now have a rather evil confession to make.

Many years ago I had a friend who's father had passed away, this friend asked me what to do with 2 rather large ammuniton boxes of old pre decimal coins, I took a look through them and took out a couple of pretty ones and told her to throw them.... she did, into a skip. A while later I found out that her father had served in both wars and he was a very astute collector of both rare and common english coins. Many of these coins I had looked at were really old even to me, 1800 - 1979 kind of era and even further back. I have kicked myself for years over it.

I have had a thing for coins for a few years now and as a kid was banned from the slot machines in Bognor for bumping them to get the threepenny bits or pennies, I never spent them though!, I was fascinated by the designs and how shiny they were. Recently I had the desire to start collecting them, and I dragged out the few I had kept. I have also been banned by the wife from shopping with her as I scan the change at the shops which she finds embarrasing. I don't really have any aim at hand except to collect a set from each year as much as is possible ( untill I found out that that could be never ending !), i didn't realise they had so many variations in some years. I have been scrounging as many as I can from friends as well but think I am becoming the party pooper now ( I can imagine them screaming at each other to hide the family silver upon seeing me arrive ! ). I intend to make a mahogany cabinet soon as I have a bit of that laying in my garden from old wardrobes or cabinets. I have no interest in the value of coins as such I just like shiny things and I am as happy to get a bucket of dirty mangled ones as any other.

I would also like to know what this BU BM stuff means as well if anyone wants to explain it to me.

Thanks

Garry

Firstly, welcome to the forum.

I think you are going to have to post some images related to SN5355/77. My gut instinct was that it would be item 5355 out of the 1977 volume of Spink's Numismatic Circular, but that is a medal - Waterloo 1815 to William Groves 2nd Batt. Coldstream Guards with steel clip and ring suspender, not a coin.

If you want to understand coins and their grades, buy this forum member Red Riley's book on grading. As it appears you will be concentrating on 20th century items in all probability, this would be your first appropriate purchase before any coins. Grades will be explained fully and show the points which wear first on a coin so that you don't overgrade potential purchases, nor what you already have. Get yourself a reference book such as CCGB (published by the owner of this forum), Spink's Coins of England (latest edition out this week) or Coin Market Values. All will cover the basic items such as a list of the years in which coins are available for any denomination. Not all coins are produced in all years.

As for grading, BU refers to brilliant uncirculated, but you also get grades such as uncirculated, extremely fine, very fine, fine, good, fair and poor. There are also intermediate attributions such as near, almost or good. The first two are lower than a particular grade, the last higher. Without an endless list of images it would be impossible to portray what they mean, which is why you should get Red's book as a priority as different types of coin wear on different high points of the designs. BM refers to the British Museum,and is not a grade.

Edited by Rob

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Hello Rob. It relates to a QE2 half crown on fleabay. item 35b5938691 if that works.

I have lined up CCGB 2011 and the one about check your change on amazon, but I prefer e-books for my kindle etc ( easier to carry them all if you know what I mean ). Spinks is a bit high for me right now so will have to wait.

Thank you for the Grading advice, I wondered what it meant !, I wont be doing that for many years i think, I just like the coins and whilst serious collectors like yourself find it important i dont as long as they are not counterfeit. Kind of like art for arts sake I guess.

I will be around for a long time because whilst i say that above I am going to be hard at work hoarding !.

Regards Garry

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I would also like to know what this BU BM stuff means as well if anyone wants to explain it to me.

BM can also refer to the initials of the designer Bertram McKennal which appears on the truncation (the angled surface at the bottom of the neck) of the portrait. McKennal designed the obverses used during the reign of George V.

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Hello Rob. It relates to a QE2 half crown on fleabay. item 35b5938691 if that works.

I have lined up CCGB 2011 and the one about check your change on amazon, but I prefer e-books for my kindle etc ( easier to carry them all if you know what I mean ). Spinks is a bit high for me right now so will have to wait.

Thank you for the Grading advice, I wondered what it meant !, I wont be doing that for many years i think, I just like the coins and whilst serious collectors like yourself find it important i dont as long as they are not counterfeit. Kind of like art for arts sake I guess.

I will be around for a long time because whilst i say that above I am going to be hard at work hoarding !.

Regards Garry

You are in very good company in that case. Petitioncrown on this website also likes coins for their artistry. He also hoards. :ph34r:

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Thank you Nick. I thought it was someting serious as I had seen it about on there a number of times, I don't buy of off ebay but use it as a guide to what i have so far.

Rob. I thought I was weird, nice to know I am not.

I do have one criticism, and that is of the CCGB book, I would like to see perhaps one page scan and the number of pages in the book on the forum, for someone new like me it would show us what is in it in relation to content and how big it is. I have been caught before on books that are, skinny , have no real content that I am looking for and dire pictures etc.

Nice to know I can be abused or harrased for buying duds in here though :). Might keep me on my toes should I get too serious about it.

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I do have one criticism, and that is of the CCGB book, I would like to see perhaps one page scan and the number of pages in the book on the forum, for someone new like me it would show us what is in it in relation to content and how big it is. I have been caught before on books that are, skinny , have no real content that I am looking for and dire pictures etc.

You can peruse a non-current CCGB guide here

smile.gif

David

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Thank you David...Made the difference in my umming an ahhing, and now purchased via amazon :)

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Can anyone tell me if tis book is of any use, Seaby 19th Ed Coins of England and the united kingdom or is it now superseded by something else. It was only 10p in my local hock shop, so I got it, as well as a 1959 half crown as that is my year of birth, still haven't found a florin or penny from then though.

Also is there a web site or source that will tell me what coins were minted in which year. I never knew that a crown was not minted in 1959 and I now feel like complaining to Her Majesty for that oversight.

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Oh I forgot I also picked up one of those 1971 sets in the big plastic boxes for £2.00 is that good ?. Not that I mind what their worth but I hate to be ripped of for something thats worth 50p

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Can anyone tell me if tis book is of any use, Seaby 19th Ed Coins of England and the united kingdom or is it now superseded by something else. It was only 10p in my local hock shop, so I got it, as well as a 1959 half crown as that is my year of birth, still haven't found a florin or penny from then though.

Also is there a web site or source that will tell me what coins were minted in which year. I never knew that a crown was not minted in 1959 and I now feel like complaining to Her Majesty for that oversight.

Seaby's 19th edition will be from 198? (22nd is 1987) - 10p isn't the end of the world! This is why you desperately need a coin value book as these will list the years in which each denomination was struck. The Seaby you have acquired will give the info you need. There were no 1959 pennies other than maundy, though florins were struck.

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Oh I forgot I also picked up one of those 1971 sets in the big plastic boxes for £2.00 is that good ?. Not that I mind what their worth but I hate to be ripped of for something thats worth 50p

Yes it is.

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Thank you Rob.

Much appreciated. I just started reading my book and now i see why I can't find a penny from 1959, I must look completely dumb to you lot. Anyone want to sell me their counterfeits at genuine prices, DOH!

I like you guys, even if I am patently stupid.

Edited by momo33

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Thank you Rob.

Much appreciated. I just started reading my book and now i see why I can't find a penny from 1959, I must look completely dumb to you lot. Anyone want to sell me their counterfeits at genuine prices, DOH!

I like you guys, even if I am patently stupid.

Hi Gary

You seem to be doing alright with your purchases.You can't lose much if you are only lashing out £2 & 10p's.

Don't try and run before you can walk.

The 1959 2/6 is not very nice (typically a circulated coin).Don't pay these silly amounts for crap coins that you can pick up by the bucket load for a couple of £.

Maybe have a search around a car boot or junk shop and get a feel for what you like.

A mahogany cabinet is a good idea (only use this or rosewood for coin cabinets)

Peter Nicholls web site may give you some idea's (although mine is a one off) for which I will pay dearly in the January sales & Mrs Peter's uncanny spending ability. :(a

Get a couple of books...keep spending on cheapies until you find something that really interests you.Free advice is only a post away. :)

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Hello all. my name is Garry and I am 52. I live in Newbury Berks

I came in to ask what this means SN5355/77, to me it's all gobbledygook. I now have a rather evil confession to make.

Many years ago I had a friend who's father had passed away, this friend asked me what to do with 2 rather large ammuniton boxes of old pre decimal coins, I took a look through them and took out a couple of pretty ones and told her to throw them.... she did, into a skip. A while later I found out that her father had served in both wars and he was a very astute collector of both rare and common english coins. Many of these coins I had looked at were really old even to me, 1800 - 1979 kind of era and even further back. I have kicked myself for years over it.

Welcome to the forums Garry :)

You shouldn't kick yourself too much. A really astute collector of rare coins certainly wouldn't store them loose in old ammunition boxes - they would have been carefully labelled and stored, either in cabinets or albums or even in special boxes in small plastic envelopes. You wouldn't have thrown out anything presented like that. I'm also not convinced that such a loose accumulation would have been particularly rare, but of course that's not a given.

Good to know you're getting enthusiastic about the hobby. Just a quick piece of info about that eBay halfcrown : it is a date that ever since the late 1960s is supposed to be scarce in high grade (in my opinion it's nowhere near as scarce as 1954 or 1958). In strictly Uncirculated it might fetch £25 or £30. In EF (which that one is) it's still a lot lot better than the average crap you see on eBay, but its value would drop to around £5, a long way from the £15 being demanded.

I endorse everyone else's views about collecting for coins' attractiveness - you can't go wrong on that basis as long as you don't go paying way over the odds!

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Peter, I wish I knew anyone that would throw old bucket loads of coins at me for a £1.... I used to see them on every second hand shop counter I went into, now they have big signs saying 30 coins for £30 or such like. I never have any luck like that. If you have such bucket loads let me now :)

Peckris. The coins where in brown paper packets and tissue paper in those boxes, I feel such a fool for it now, but back then I didn't give them a second look because I had rather a naughty childhood bumping fruit machines for the pennies and half pennies in bognor that landed me with many smacked backsides ( and bannned from the arcades, but they shone and called to me and I was hooked )until I wanted nothing to do with coins. I did manage to keep a worshipfull company of foresters medal type thing from them too as it looked different to me, I also noticed it had a hallmark on it so that made me even more interested at that time, I still have it.

I already have a half crown from 1959, I was just asking about it because of that SN number, I have bought only 3 coins at over the odds on the bay ( my Id is scorpin912 ) but only because of their date and not value, don't ask me why but I am trying to get a nice(ish) set of coins from that year mainly because it is my year of birth.

I have another question for you all, if you do not mind. I have just emptied out a large bottle ( I mean LARGE )of coppers onto the table tonight and sorted them through. I find that I have none from around 1980 -84, was there a problem at the mints around that time, I find it weird that I would not have at least 1 or 2 coins from that period. Or is this something that is obvious to all apart from me.

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I have another question for you all, if you do not mind. I have just emptied out a large bottle ( I mean LARGE )of coppers onto the table tonight and sorted them through. I find that I have none from around 1980 -84, was there a problem at the mints around that time, I find it weird that I would not have at least 1 or 2 coins from that period. Or is this something that is obvious to all apart from me.

2p :

1980 & 1981 - common enough

1982 - 1984 - only issued in sets

1p :

1980 - 1983 - common enough

1984 - only issued in sets

You would expect 1p & 2p from 1980 and 1981, and 1p from 1982/83. But it's probably just coincidence.

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Thank you Peckris, I will store that for later, I just find it strange, not one coin in that period. Like I said, I never have any luck, I am the original Jonah.

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Hi Garry and welcome. Sounds like you have caught 'the bug'! As others say, keep cheap until you've built up some knowledge!

My main interest is hammered coins (ie old enough to have been made individually by taking a disk of metal (silver) popping it between two dies and impressing the design by bashing the coin 'sandwich' with a big hammer!) however I'm glad Wifey doesn't know how many ££s of nice coins I've picked up from my change and keep in a drawer! And as for the fake £1 coins ..!

We're all enthusiasts here, albeit with differing interests and budgets. Sounds like you'll fit right in!

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Hi Tom. I'm worried about my wife finding out how many £'s I have spent too !, well actually, more to the point, I am worried about when she opens her purse and finds I have ransacked it and stolen all her coins like a viking pilager on a beer fest .... Was good fun though, I left her an "I.O.U £3.28p" note :lol: .

Well it was in a good cause, I wanted the coins to fill in gaps, so I will just have to tell her I will give her duplicates when I have any, but that of course could be never as I don't have any as yet and still have lots of spaces to fill in. Think we could be on gruel for xmas B)

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Ah, well, the good thing about picking coins out of change is that you can always just spend them if you have to. Which reminds me I still owe my wife some money for the last purchase. Perhaps I should actually count up all those different date/design £2 coins the Mint keep churning out and see if they add up to enough to pay my bill!

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I have another dumb question obviously asked a million times, Why do they call the side of a coing bearing the head of the current ruler the obverse, I am curious as many people I know use the term "face value" when talking of a coin or note, so why did it not get called the face and reverse ?.

Amazon are annoying me now, I want my CCG2011 and it is takng soooo long....erm 2 days now. Mr Perkins, if your reading this, can we have it for the Kindle please or pdf format ?.

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I have another dumb question obviously asked a million times, Why do they call the side of a coing bearing the head of the current ruler the obverse, I am curious as many people I know use the term "face value" when talking of a coin or note, so why did it not get called the face and reverse ?.

Amazon are annoying me now, I want my CCG2011 and it is takng soooo long....erm 2 days now. Mr Perkins, if your reading this, can we have it for the Kindle please or pdf format ?.

That's just the way it's always been, since time immoral. Personally I'd favour 'heads' and 'tails', but there you go! Blame the Eighteenth Century use of posh words, or Dr Johnson, which amounts to the same thing.

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