Chris Perkins

Well it's fine by me because while personal purchases are down. I'm having a right blindin' run of accessory sales for mainly husbands and sons! Chris

Absolutly right, might as well call it slagging, because it's just coin prostitution! Making money out of packing a coin into a plastic thingy, those huge differences in price between grades are laughable and manufactured by the industry. To a degree they take the actual learning and knowledge of grading aspect away from the coin collector for profit. It should be about how much you are willing to pay for a coin based on how much you want it and how much other people have paid for it on the open market. Creating miniscule varities of Uncirculated inflates prices beyond real worth. It is about feeding the needs of the people that are perhaps unsure and need 'official' aknowledgement of what they have. Preying on uncertainty. Take a coin to any dealer and he (she) will usually grade it well and for free! Learn about your coins, study the differences between types, strikes etc. Appreciate the history, the designs, the building a collection. Organise and love your coins and they will always have a much higher value than being sealed in a plastic thing! All my coins are graded CP and that's the way they will stay. Have you ever tried to get one of the coins out of those slags? I got a George V Half Crown from my good friend the late Mark Rosner once, graded by one of them as AU......It was scraping a GVF! It took so much smashing carefully with heavy items to crack and completely remove the coin to be properly graded, it was untrue! Chris

Yes, she has but picked a coin that wasn't mine! I also got the impression she didn't want to spend to much until Christmas was out of the way That right Eliza? Chris

They base their prices quoted on what they and other dealers are selling those coins for. The demand for any particular coins, auction results past and present, inflation etc. In short, they are based on what is available now, nothing to do with how many were minted. I suppose the quanitity of a particular coin available now is in most cases relative to the numbers produced I have noticed that American price catalogues religiously show mintage numbers for everything. Spink have never done that, apart from recently they have started to show issue numbers for certain proof coins. Sometimes I think that it would be a good idea if Spink did likewise but perhaps this would lead to frenzy like up and downs in prices that US coin collecting seems to see often. Chris

Hmmmm, Sometimes I think the Isle of Man exists only for the TT race and to produce ridiculous Cat, Harry Potter, TT race coins and an uncollectable amount of 'commemorative' tosh. I hope I am never forced to sell new issues!!! Chris

I expect they make minor modifications to the alloys used with different years??? Chris

No, the 73 hands was a million times better than a runner with no body! Like I always say, just a money making ploy. It won't be long until we start seeing celebritys on coins, holograms and more sickly colourisation. Chris

What a stupid 50p! Perhaps you should also pop that image in the debate section so the voters can see it. Chris

When you make a normal post it should say: 'You may attach a file to this message. Maximum file size (in bytes): 51200000' Browse your Hard drive and select any .jpg or .gif you want to display with your post. Not too huge! Chris

I've always maintained there are for too many commomorative coins these days and they are all about making money for the mint. I cringe when someone contacts me saying they have a lot of Westminster collection coins to sell. It's over priced, and sells very slowly when it isn't new in my experience. People that religiously buy every new issue are being mugged, and their coins will probably be worth less than they paid for them for the next 70 years at least. I too would like to see pictures of htese new issues. Chris

Exactly, Everything is rare and overhyped. Like the rare 1964 pennies they found in the cellar, that were put there some years ago wrongly labeled as 1967! What a load of poop. Chris

Yes you're right, it's a good catalogue, i think I have that edition too somewhere. Unfortunately I don't know when they will be printing another. In fact I am very suspicious about Coincraft, the catalogue is good. However, in my opinion the coincraft website is full of over priced over hyped, mostly rubbish coins and I don't agree with how they may catch novices out with that kind of stuff! They are a huge money making advertising machine and I don't like it! Chris www.predecimal.com

Well you have been busy Oli, and what a delicious idea. Pity you can't vote for more than one, as I tried to do. I am touched by the good vibes and remarks about the site I'm getting lately. Some days it counteracts all the bloody 'New Pence' 2p emails nicely! Chris www.predecimal.com

When you two have done your sums I'd be only too pleased to publish your findings on the site. Chris

Oi Cheeky, That veneered wooden specimen is pretty popular and I haven't even listed the new wooden trays yet! But it's all about price at the end of the day. Some people are very happy to pay a little over a hundred pounds and have plenty of safe, chemical fee space for their collection. Chris www.predecimal.com

Good idea. Probably one of the ancient Greek coins I have which if I can confirm it's authenticity should be worth about GBP15,000! It looks very real, and my friend at www.coinsforsale.co.uk who has been an ancient coin dealer for 40 years also says it looks very real. Next time in in the UK i'll pick it up and take it to the British Museum for verification. If it isn't that one it could be another Greek Decadrachm I also need to get verified. If both of those were made by the same bloke that seems to be producing all the dodgy pound coins these days then it's probably my 1937 Proof Sovereign (Spink 2004 GBP750.00). I have seen them sell for GBP1000.00 Or perhaps it could even be my 1927 halfpenny struck shilling size with a milled edge! Who knows. Chris www.predecimal.com

Chaps, I've often wondered about the differences too. I know that Spink have been going for ages etc but even a lot of their prices are well under/over what some coins sell for. It also seems to me that the Spink market values pay no attention to the prices acheived in online auctions which I've often seen go far higher than the stated prices. They monitor the major World auction houses I'm sure but i'm convinced some international sales of British coins get away. The Collectors coins books give another opinion drawn from British dealers lists and auctions in the real world and as far as I know they pay no attention to online goings on either. The Spink catalogue is really much more than a price guide, it shapes the market, because most dealers price their coins using it. So whatever is in there is probably what you'll see coins being sold for! So perhaps the Richards book reflects true worth with some coins. You just need to find a dealer without a Spink copy! And you won't. Chris www.predecimal.com

Well it's looking increasingly like no one knows the mintage figures! I have a copy of 'English Silver coinage' and it just gives silver coins a rarity scale, no mintages as far as I can see. Perhaps the only figures are by weight or face value. Chris

Dear Anna, Yes I agree, the site and forum are becoming larger and perhaps need a little re organisation when i get a mo. I have however replied to your email. Chris www.predecimal.com

Good question. From personal experience the people that buy most of the early milled coins are dealers. I once bought a James II Guinea from a US dealer and sold it to another dealer, so by the time it gets to a collector 3 dealers have all made a profit on it! I think the steady rise in internet auctions and sites like mine have fuelled it a bit, the easy availabilty has grown. Also there have been rumours abound that investors are getting a sniff of coins in there 'portfolios'. The buzz creates an extra demand and an extra demand sees higher prices and therfore more people wanting to sell I suppose. maybe also the realisation that these mini works of art have been under valued for year. Those are my thoughts. Chris www.predecimal.com

She must do something for him that Diana didn't do, and I'll say no more! Chris

Eyes peeled on my accessories, SAFE have just launched a wooden stackable coin tray of the same dimensions of the NOVA range. Some people prefer to buy plastic as they get a lot more trays for their money and it is just as safe for the coins. Chris

Was he really! Well i never, and he seemed such a nice chap. Chris

Perhaps I'm not down with the kids, but what exactly is a Crusty? is it a badly corroded coin of some kind, or a character from the Simpsons? Chris www.predecimal.com

Well you get that on ebay. People use the same pictures to sell different coins. I'm sure even some ameteurs steal other pictures thinking that as long as it's the right date it'll do. I hope you sent them back for a refund. Chris www.predecimal.com