London

[Emperor Oli 0]

I'm travelling to London soon for about a week. Does anybody know any good museums/shops that have coins on display or sell them? I've been to the British museum and was quite unimpressed with just one narrow room of coins. I'm going to the Bank of England museum and I've wracked my brains but can't think of anywhere else to go - other than Coincraft, just to see what they sell in the shop instead of on their site All input valued!

[custard1966 1]

I've never been there (planning a trip in September), but I imagine that Michael Gouby's shop

http://www.michael-coins.co.uk/shop.htm

will be worth a visit

[Chris Perkins 223]

And he's a nice enough chap too. I saw him at the last London Coin fair and bought my Peck off him.

[Half Penny Jon 0]

I'm travelling to London soon for about a week. Does anybody know any good museums/shops that have coins on display or sell them? I've been to the British museum and was quite unimpressed with just one narrow room of coins. I'm going to the Bank of England museum and I've wracked my brains but can't think of anywhere else to go - other than Coincraft, just to see what they sell in the shop instead of on their site All input valued!

Which week are you coming to London Oli, is it during the summer hols?

[Sylvester 15]

no no no no, i didn't see that, never saw it... that was NOT an EF 1687/6 sixpence you just imagined it... yeah imagined it... uhehehe.

[Emperor Oli 0]

Yeeees, Sylvester. Anyway I'm going on the 20th of this month.

[Sylvester 15]

No sorry i was just looking at the catalogue on the link above, i really shouldn't have.

[Emperor Oli 0]

Oh I thought you were dreaming or something

[Sylvester 15]

I might as well be Oli... £800 is well out of my league now...

[Master Jmd 50]

hmm...may i ask, is there any particular reason --other than coins-- that you are traveling to london?

[Emperor Oli 0]

Well I tend to go every year, once or thrice. I just love the city, there's so much to do - the museums, the art galleries, the theatres and playhouses, the architecture - everything is great (besides the pollution). Plus I think London has some fantastic hotels, which occasionally I get the chance to stay in.

[Half Penny Jon 0]

Go to the London Coin Fair in november, its better than all of the sights and sounds of London put together! It would be good to meet up with anyone who plans on going.

[Sylvester 15]

Wow i only go like once every 5 years or so, it's just so expensive to get to. £113 on train fare just to get there and back in Second class i don't think so...

Last time i went was 2003, time before that was about 1995 or maybe even 1994.

Time before that was '80 something.

I only think i've been three or four times max.

[Half Penny Jon 0]

Train prices are a joke on long journeys these days...........

[Emperor Oli 0]

Anything under First Class (and I'm not being snobbish here, it's the truth) for long journeys is frankly atrocious.

[Half Penny Jon 0]

Are you going by car then Oli because it will be very expensive on most other methods of transport?

[Emperor Oli 0]

Yes. The thing is though most central London hotels charge around £30 per day to park so it's rather an expensive trip!

[Half Penny Jon 0]

It's ok for me because I can just get into London on a £2.60 travelcard for a day trip!

[Emperor Oli 0]

We could fly down but we are visiting people on the way

[Sylvester 15]

I hear flying is cheaper indded!

There are cheaper options available on the train the price i quoted was for an open off peak standard return.

You can half that if you buy a standard super saver advance return. But you see doing that they have to reserve you a seat (usually next to people you dan't want to be next to), you are allocated which train you will go on there and which train back... that's all very well and good, but last time we did it we got shoved on the slow train down (not the express) took over 3 hours, coming back we got allocated on the express took about 2 hours.

The thing is if you miss your train you're stuffed cos the ticket isn't valied on any train but the one specified on the ticket. To hell with that! You'd have to fork out another £40 just to get another single then.

It's a bit impractical, oh yeah i could get there but i'd have nothing left to spend!

[Sylvester 15]

And do you know what the biggest irony is?

A return from Sheffield to Leicester (between a third to half of the distance to London) costs about £10.

Go figure...