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Not many collectors get every last variety of their specialism, Bruce. Even if they have the money, very often the very rare type they want just doesn't come up for sale. You can literally wait decades in some cases. Or they might lose at auction. But of course, the missing pieces remain an aspiration, which is half the fun of coin collecting.

Depends on the dates and denominations. For example, for the George V shilling, you have the following mixes: 1920-22 Silver 50%, Copper 40% and Nickel 10% (Some 1921 shillings contain a small amount of Manganese) 1922-27 Silver 50% and Copper 50% 1927-36 Silver 50%, Copper 40%, Nickel 5% and Zinc 5%

I liked the way cats in Istanbul don't have specific owners. Community cats really, cared for and fed by many.

Andy Pipkin has a lot to answer for

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134155113006?hash=item1f3c44922e:g:bPEAAOSwVnpitcJr "I need the money to pay for my carers,and nurses" Honest reason for sale, at least.

My god what did they spend it all on ? Most folks of that era lived quite frugally as they lived through the war years - bet they had a lovely garden and nice holidays !! Exactly!! When we cleared the house, we found fifteen potato peelers in the kitchen!! I mean the utensils, not hired staff:-)

I agree, and particularly I feel "going cashless" represents the ultimate victory for the big-brother nanny state we now find ourselves living in. If everything is done on a card, the banks and by extension the government and anyone else bothered to find out, know exactly where we are and what we are doing all of the time. At that point I think I will go and find some jungle to live in somewhere, miles form this dysfunctional world!

If we ever go cashless..... ....don't think it'll make that much difference. People will still collect coins as icons of a bygone age. I hope we don't go completely cashless, although I accept there are those who are strongly pressing for us to go down that road, regardless of other's opinions. It irritates me that so many things are now enforced as cashless. Even the canteen at work has now gone cashless, with payment by contactless or via one of those infernal and vastly overrated "apps". Being able to pay by notes and coins is quite possibly the last bastion of true personal anonymity we have.

Could do. Scrapping is environmentally friendly as it saves digging up Africa or Chile un-necessarily.