Removal of 5p and 10p from circulation

[Sylvester 15]

OK, to kids today I guess 1971 is 100 years ago, or I should say 1991 as you won't find any of the original pre-decimal sized 5p or 10ps any more ... but despite the Mint's best efforts(?) I can't see many people getting excited about coins stretching back all of 22 years ..

Heck, I can't even get excited about it either, and I collect coins. I still find it hard to get even remotely interested in the 1970s bronzes, let alone the small 5p. The only vaguely interesting things about the modern coinage to me is the 1988 £1 coin (not rare really, but cool to find one in circulation) and the 10p die varieties, to me that's like hunting down a rare coin, lets face it none of the dates of current coins are actually rare, or likely to ever be, so it's got to rivet counting... Of course with the cupronickel 10p coins withdrawn, well that just leaves the 1988 £1 coin as the little ray of sunshine. I can't get excited about the commemorative coins because I despise commemoratives, talk about forced... 250 years of some other event or person's birth/death that we neither care about or even were aware of. Please save stuff like that for stamps. Production of coins for commerce really seems like a second priority, and I seen more coins with flaws in the last few years than ever in my 20 odd years of collecting.

[Gary1000 41]

OK, to kids today I guess 1971 is 100 years ago, or I should say 1991 as you won't find any of the original pre-decimal sized 5p or 10ps any more ... but despite the Mint's best efforts(?) I can't see many people getting excited about coins stretching back all of 22 years ..

Heck, I can't even get excited about it either, and I collect coins. I still find it hard to get even remotely interested in the 1970s bronzes, let alone the small 5p. The only vaguely interesting things about the modern coinage to me is the 1988 £1 coin (not rare really, but cool to find one in circulation) and the 10p die varieties, to me that's like hunting down a rare coin, lets face it none of the dates of current coins are actually rare, or likely to ever be, so it's got to rivet counting... Of course with the cupronickel 10p coins withdrawn, well that just leaves the 1988 £1 coin as the little ray of sunshine. I can't get excited about the commemorative coins because I despise commemoratives, talk about forced... 250 years of some other event or person's birth/death that we neither care about or even were aware of. Please save stuff like that for stamps. Production of coins for commerce really seems like a second priority, and I seen more coins with flaws in the last few years than ever in my 20 odd years of collecting.

Consider 50 years ago, how many collectors collected then modern coins. Go back 100 years and how many collectors collected the then modern coins. It's not something new to call in coins to melt. There's still more than enough pre-decimal out there to keep us collectors happy forever. I don't expect the early decimal to be any different to the collectors of fifty year hence.

[Sylvester 15]

Consider 50 years ago, how many collectors collected then modern coins. Go back 100 years and how many collectors collected the then modern coins. It's not something new to call in coins to melt. There's still more than enough pre-decimal out there to keep us collectors happy forever. I don't expect the early decimal to be any different to the collectors of fifty year hence.

I think I didn't make my point very clear, what I meant was not that coins would be melted and thus unavailable for collectors to buy, collectors will always be able to buy decimal coins due to the huge mintages. What I meant was that they'd be nothing of great interest actually circulating (or say scarce circulating), say for you to hunt down and find in change. With this I very much agree with Tom, we have nothing compared to the US and Switzerland where you can pull coins 100+ years out of circulation (by that I mean coins that are circulating as legal tender as they were meant to).

How many collectors on here collect coins from change? Probably less than buy coins I suspect. Collecting coins through buying and collecting coins through change are two completely different experiences, at least for me anyhow. It's a bit like going to an auction/antiques house vs going metal detecting. One you know you're going to get something decent, the other you might find nothing. It's the thrill of the chase. British coins just don't have that, and for us folks born in the decimal era, we've never really had the chance to enjoy that. Personally I'd love to go to Switzerland and spend many hours searching through change, that'd be cool.

Actually the most fun I've had buying coins is searching through the junk boxes, that's fantastic, love it. Which probably surprises Chris considering the kinds of coins I have specialised in over the years.

[Peckris 579]

Consider 50 years ago, how many collectors collected then modern coins. Go back 100 years and how many collectors collected the then modern coins. It's not something new to call in coins to melt. There's still more than enough pre-decimal out there to keep us collectors happy forever. I don't expect the early decimal to be any different to the collectors of fifty year hence.

I think I didn't make my point very clear, what I meant was not that coins would be melted and thus unavailable for collectors to buy, collectors will always be able to buy decimal coins due to the huge mintages. What I meant was that they'd be nothing of great interest actually circulating (or say scarce circulating), say for you to hunt down and find in change. With this I very much agree with Tom, we have nothing compared to the US and Switzerland where you can pull coins 100+ years out of circulation (by that I mean coins that are circulating as legal tender as they were meant to).

How many collectors on here collect coins from change? Probably less than buy coins I suspect. Collecting coins through buying and collecting coins through change are two completely different experiences, at least for me anyhow. It's a bit like going to an auction/antiques house vs going metal detecting. One you know you're going to get something decent, the other you might find nothing. It's the thrill of the chase. British coins just don't have that, and for us folks born in the decimal era, we've never really had the chance to enjoy that. Personally I'd love to go to Switzerland and spend many hours searching through change, that'd be cool.

Actually the most fun I've had buying coins is searching through the junk boxes, that's fantastic, love it. Which probably surprises Chris considering the kinds of coins I have specialised in over the years.

The hyperactive Royal Mint issuing of proofs and commems has also had a knock-on effect in killing people's interest in collecting from change - why bother if you can buy a perfect set every year?

[Gary1000 41]

Consider 50 years ago, how many collectors collected then modern coins. Go back 100 years and how many collectors collected the then modern coins. It's not something new to call in coins to melt. There's still more than enough pre-decimal out there to keep us collectors happy forever. I don't expect the early decimal to be any different to the collectors of fifty year hence.

I think I didn't make my point very clear, what I meant was not that coins would be melted and thus unavailable for collectors to buy, collectors will always be able to buy decimal coins due to the huge mintages. What I meant was that they'd be nothing of great interest actually circulating (or say scarce circulating), say for you to hunt down and find in change. With this I very much agree with Tom, we have nothing compared to the US and Switzerland where you can pull coins 100+ years out of circulation (by that I mean coins that are circulating as legal tender as they were meant to).

How many collectors on here collect coins from change? Probably less than buy coins I suspect. Collecting coins through buying and collecting coins through change are two completely different experiences, at least for me anyhow. It's a bit like going to an auction/antiques house vs going metal detecting. One you know you're going to get something decent, the other you might find nothing. It's the thrill of the chase. British coins just don't have that, and for us folks born in the decimal era, we've never really had the chance to enjoy that. Personally I'd love to go to Switzerland and spend many hours searching through change, that'd be cool.

Actually the most fun I've had buying coins is searching through the junk boxes, that's fantastic, love it. Which probably surprises Chris considering the kinds of coins I have specialised in over the years.

The hyperactive Royal Mint issuing of proofs and commems has also had a knock-on effect in killing people's interest in collecting from change - why bother if you can buy a perfect set every year?

I did start collecting from change about a couple of years before decimalisation. I don't think the mix available was much different to now, ok you could find the very occassional pre-George VI but it was rare. Most of that kind of thing came from grandparents etc.

[Sylvester 15]

I did start collecting from change about a couple of years before decimalisation. I don't think the mix available was much different to now, ok you could find the very occassional pre-George VI but it was rare. Most of that kind of thing came from grandparents etc.

Ah but it's still different, because whilst it may have been rare it was still a possibility. For example in 1992 I saw a 1930s George V florin in circulation. So even though it was rare and only happened once in all those years, it did happen. The lady who worked at the local post office kept it. See that's not even a possibility now not with legal tender anyhow. The only thing you can get these days is predecimals used deceptively, such as farthings, halfpennies and shillings as 1p, 2p and 10p coins respectively, although that's seldom now. I remember it used to happen more frequently in the early 1990s. I can't remember the last time I got a predecimal in change (which I'd love to happen), or even an old 5p.

[Gary1000 41]

I did start collecting from change about a couple of years before decimalisation. I don't think the mix available was much different to now, ok you could find the very occassional pre-George VI but it was rare. Most of that kind of thing came from grandparents etc.

Ah but it's still different, because whilst it may have been rare it was still a possibility. For example in 1992 I saw a 1930s George V florin in circulation. So even though it was rare and only happened once in all those years, it did happen. The lady who worked at the local post office kept it. See that's not even a possibility now not with legal tender anyhow. The only thing you can get these days is predecimals used deceptively, such as farthings, halfpennies and shillings as 1p, 2p and 10p coins respectively, although that's seldom now. I remember it used to happen more frequently in the early 1990s. I can't remember the last time I got a predecimal in change (which I'd love to happen), or even an old 5p.

I was relating more to the collector of today collecting the coins of today. No one would expect to be able to pull pre-decimal from there change. And when I started collecting the chances of pulling a Victorian coin from your change had about as much chance as your 1930s florin. 90% of the coins were GVI upwards

[Peckris 579]

Consider 50 years ago, how many collectors collected then modern coins. Go back 100 years and how many collectors collected the then modern coins. It's not something new to call in coins to melt. There's still more than enough pre-decimal out there to keep us collectors happy forever. I don't expect the early decimal to be any different to the collectors of fifty year hence.

I think I didn't make my point very clear, what I meant was not that coins would be melted and thus unavailable for collectors to buy, collectors will always be able to buy decimal coins due to the huge mintages. What I meant was that they'd be nothing of great interest actually circulating (or say scarce circulating), say for you to hunt down and find in change. With this I very much agree with Tom, we have nothing compared to the US and Switzerland where you can pull coins 100+ years out of circulation (by that I mean coins that are circulating as legal tender as they were meant to).

How many collectors on here collect coins from change? Probably less than buy coins I suspect. Collecting coins through buying and collecting coins through change are two completely different experiences, at least for me anyhow. It's a bit like going to an auction/antiques house vs going metal detecting. One you know you're going to get something decent, the other you might find nothing. It's the thrill of the chase. British coins just don't have that, and for us folks born in the decimal era, we've never really had the chance to enjoy that. Personally I'd love to go to Switzerland and spend many hours searching through change, that'd be cool.

Actually the most fun I've had buying coins is searching through the junk boxes, that's fantastic, love it. Which probably surprises Chris considering the kinds of coins I have specialised in over the years.

The hyperactive Royal Mint issuing of proofs and commems has also had a knock-on effect in killing people's interest in collecting from change - why bother if you can buy a perfect set every year?

I did start collecting from change about a couple of years before decimalisation. I don't think the mix available was much different to now, ok you could find the very occassional pre-George VI but it was rare. Most of that kind of thing came from grandparents etc.

I started in 1968 - I found a few (worn) 50% silver coins, but I also found a 1949 brass 3d, a 1953 penny, a 1936 in EF, a 1926ME, a few 1946 mint flaw, a 1909 halfpenny in GVF+, and 1935 EF with lustre, a 1938 UNC with strong lustre, a 1952 GEF lustre.. I thought I did quite well, but I had to sift through one hell of a lot of bank bags!