My Day At The Midland

[shagreen 24]

Yes I would agree from the pics its not a 1853 6d proof, further to the above comments re edge and rim a key sign for a proof for this year (and most others) is the reduced narrow "flash" observed in the cartwheel lustre produced from coins struck with carefully polished dies.

These proof coins have a more mirror like finish which produce a very broad flash when angled under a point light source. The matte relief also stands out more against the polished mirror fields giving the proofs an enhanced cameo affect.

That coin does look like an early strike and has the narrow flash on the obverse indicating its a business struck coin

[Rob 2,996]

I did 3 laps in the time before they all started packing up. It was such a relief after years of wading through eBay dross looking for the gems - which of course, everyone else is always after too.

Sure, there was dross there too, but your eyes pass over it much quicker than an endlessly scrolling screen.

See, I'll wean you off eBay eventually. You can't beat a coin fair. What you see is what you get, unlike eBay where what you see you might get applies. Coin fairs also filter out the washers, because nobody wants to carry them around for the day. They go into the melting pot as a default action. It's actually quite difficult to find something in less than fine at a coin fair unless it is at the very least scarce or rare.

You will, Rob, of that there's no doubt! I even caught myself fantasising about having a table but I'd have to get into buying stock for stock's sake, and I'm not sure I want to do down that route. I have always avoided buying downgrades, so, unlike most dealers, I don't have sacks of junk in the cellar that I have cherry picked.

I'm not sure Gnome Cottage has room for a cellar.

[HistoricCoinage 115]

Blimey, Declan. Whose stock did you run off with?

Most dealers there I'd never heard of, Clive, and looking them up afterwards quite a few have no internet presence at all, which is remarkable. Quite old school in a way - it almost felt a bit "underground", compared to the mainstream I'm used to swimming in.

Welcome to the dark side, old chap.

[Peter 615]

Ian Pratt is my first port of call.

Trusting,fair prices and remembers retuning customers.

[Peckris 579]

Blimey, Declan. Whose stock did you run off with?

Most dealers there I'd never heard of, Clive, and looking them up afterwards quite a few have no internet presence at all, which is remarkable. Quite old school in a way - it almost felt a bit "underground", compared to the mainstream I'm used to swimming in.

As well as Rob, the other people who sold me stuff were:

David Craddock

Birmingham Coins

Ian Pratt

Paul Davis

Numismatic Legends

D T Peake

K B Coins

Dave Craddock and K B Coins are very much old-timers - I remember them from the mid-90s. Possibly Ian Pratt too? but the other names are unfamiliar.

Did you happen to see Dorset Coins, Carlton Coins, Lockdales, or Wayne Nicholls there? They were familiar faces to me all those years ago.

[Coinery 926]

Scary, that the mid-nineties are now seen to be old-times! There's a guy down the boatyard who wasn't even on the planet in 1993...he's just got married, drives a car, and has a child of his own! Jezzzzus!

[TomGoodheart 373]

Blimey, Declan. Whose stock did you run off with?

Most dealers there I'd never heard of, Clive, and looking them up afterwards quite a few have no internet presence at all, which is remarkable. Quite old school in a way - it almost felt a bit "underground", compared to the mainstream I'm used to swimming in.

As well as Rob, the other people who sold me stuff were:

David Craddock

Birmingham Coins

Ian Pratt

Paul Davis

Numismatic Legends

D T Peake

K B Coins

Dave Craddock and K B Coins are very much old-timers - I remember them from the mid-90s. Possibly Ian Pratt too? but the other names are unfamiliar.

Did you happen to see Dorset Coins, Carlton Coins, Lockdales, or Wayne Nicholls there? They were familiar faces to me all those years ago.

I bought some nice coins from Keith Bayford as he's (relatively) local to me. Before I started to concentrate on the hammered shillings, that was.

He's not long had a website and it still surprises me that there are dealers that don't ....

[Rob 2,996]

Blimey, Declan. Whose stock did you run off with?

Most dealers there I'd never heard of, Clive, and looking them up afterwards quite a few have no internet presence at all, which is remarkable. Quite old school in a way - it almost felt a bit "underground", compared to the mainstream I'm used to swimming in.

As well as Rob, the other people who sold me stuff were:

David Craddock

Birmingham Coins

Ian Pratt

Paul Davis

Numismatic Legends

D T Peake

K B Coins

Dave Craddock and K B Coins are very much old-timers - I remember them from the mid-90s. Possibly Ian Pratt too? but the other names are unfamiliar.

Did you happen to see Dorset Coins, Carlton Coins, Lockdales, or Wayne Nicholls there? They were familiar faces to me all those years ago.

Carlton Coins is Derek Peake

[declanwmagee 122]

Dorset Coins were there - I should have thanked him for his EF halfcrown groups that he's been knocking out for years. I made quite a lot of money splitting those up in my early days.

Lockdales were there, but only to show the lots in their upcoming auction - I did ask them if they had any for sale, because the pennies really caught my eye, but no. They did give me one of their glossy catalogues though, which is a lovely thing in itself!

I might try a bit of bidding on Lockdales on Sunday if I can work out how to do it - that's another new world to explore!

Carlton Coins - no website! Amazes me too.

[Rob 2,996]

Carlton Coins - no website! Amazes me too.

Websites takes too long to update. I set out with good intentions whereby I thought I could update every few days, but usually find there's no time. By the time you have got decent images, copy and pasted existing entries which are then amended to the new coin's spec, set the paths, upload the revised lists and new images to the host and then check everything is working - you can easily lose a day. The temptation to revert to playing with atoms in a vacuum is immense.

[declanwmagee 122]

Fair point Rob. It's easy for me to say when I let eBay do all the donkey work for me.

All I've managed to do is secure a domain name. (www.declanmageecoins.co.uk). Since then I've done precisely nothing on that particular project!

[Peckris 579]

Fair point Rob. It's easy for me to say when I let eBay do all the donkey work for me.

All I've managed to do is secure a domain name. (www.declanmageecoins.co.uk). Since then I've done precisely nothing on that particular project!

Securing the domain name is half the battle!

[azda 973]

Fair point Rob. It's easy for me to say when I let eBay do all the donkey work for me.

All I've managed to do is secure a domain name. (www.declanmageecoins.co.uk). Since then I've done precisely nothing on that particular project!

I've done exactly the same thing regarding a domain name Declan lol

[declanwmagee 122]

I've done exactly the same thing regarding a domain name Declan lol

Looks like you'll have to score another one now that MP has changed his eBay name again - keep him on the run!

[azda 973]

Nahhhh I like the domain name that I picked.

Although there is a huge sense of satisfaction from his 1827 penny auction last night, perhaps the penny has finally dropped to some of these ebayers who constantly bid with him. He's ruined his own eBay name, now he's started on his wife's name, a downward spiral

Edited September 13, 2013 by azda

[Nick 325]

Nahhhh I like the domain name that I picked.

Although there is a huge sense of satisfaction from his 1827 penny auction last night, perhaps the penny has finally dropped to some of these ebayers who constantly bid with him. He's ruined his own eBay name, now he's started on how wife's name, a downward spiral

Nice pun.

[1949threepence 3,366]

Some absolutely superb coins there, Declan. You certainly had a good day

[declanwmagee 122]

Yes, '49, I certainly did. I am saving hard for the York do in January now...

[Peter 615]

The only thing with York is it is over 2 days.

It would bug me if I didn't go on the Friday.

[declanwmagee 122]

I agree, Peter. Friday it'll have to be. By then hopefully I'll have given up the day job, properly!