Chris Perkins

Am in invisible or something? The coins above and a large number of others were just added to the website. New additions can be seen from here: http://www.predecimal.com/products_new.php The first 15 and a half pages of coins are new.

I thought Cisse was the long dead Kaiserin of Austria.

Thanks.

My mum was born close enough to the Bow Bells to have been a cockney, but she's poshed up in Dorset now. Dad was born in Lewisham but all his family were from the East End, in fact the Perkins line from at least 1750 onwards were all born in London, starting in the City and each generation getting a little further out. I was born in Sidcup, just on the fringe of the outer most SE London Borough (Bexley).

All of them are right. Pete Tong being a relatively modern one. You're probably right Broomstick. Even though SE London is cheaper than SW generally, I couldn't afford anything larger than a broom cupboad so had to get something in Kent too. Not as nice as Tunbridge Wells though, as you can gather from the recent tenant and shooter incident described elsewhere. I have never counted the millings on a 10p.

The first word in a cockney rhyming slag pair is only there to lend a connection with the 2nd noun, which will invariably rhyme with the thing being referenced. Apples and Pears Rub a dub Skin and blister Frog and Toad Pete Tong Gypsy kiss Butchers hook Are some of the most well known. These are often shortened and just the first word is substituted for whatever you want to say. Am I the only Saaf East Londoner here? I often wondered why there are not more London area members. I know Derek is. Or is coin collecting more a provincial thing, like ferreting and pigeon keeping?

Thought you might. What's it worth in that sort of nibbled condition?

It sometimes is used as am indicator or authenticity, handy if you have a known genuine item and a suspect coin of the same type.... and a lot of patience!

Why not just have a pound made of 20 shillings (re-named 5p's) with the shilling the lowest circulating denomination and the penny still existing but only in accounting/digitally etc. The pound will still be 100 pennies. And no doubt the Royal Mint would make special proof pennies forever anyway so you know it'd never go away!

Yup. And Tristan Da Cuhna has a population of a few hundred and those people share just 8 different surnames, I read. Officially I think they use the ZAR Rand, when they even need to use cash! The coins and stamps issued on their behalf (often with just TDC on them rather deceptively) are probably not even accepted on the island as currency.

I don't know. Both tenants certainly had keys to both front and back doors. Yesterday I asked Mr Green (over text) whether he intended to go back to the now empty property and if so, when. If not, then I asked him what I should do with his belongings. No answer yet. Realistically, if he's gone then I have no chance of getting the rent for April. If he pays his rent for April, and now also for May, then he can stay and I'll pay the boarding bill but will ask him if he can source a front door and fit it (I believe his parents have a DIY shop). I just heard from the police confirming that the tenants have moved out and that it is safe for me (or someone on my behalf) to go to the property. I also spoke to the local council and the tenants are shown on the system as seeking temporary accomodation, so that backs-up and confirms 100% that they're gone.... problem is that no one apart from Mr Green knows how long for!

Don't touch anything from 'TDC' (Tristan Da Cuhna) they aren't even worth what's written on them, not to mention the fact that they're utterly ghastly! If you must go modern, buy stuff when it's a couple of years old for the metal value.

I got this with some other bits. There is a piece of paper with it detailing the Middleham Hoard found it 1993. It was over 5000 coins totalling over £300 face value, which must have been an obscene amount of money in 1647. This shilling is one of those coins (although impossible to prove), Spink 2799, MM is a triangle in a circle. In case he wants it, Tom Goodheart gets first pop!

That's a point, if they thought there was a gun in there they must have been armed and have numbered more than 2 officers (the police gave me the rank numbers, or whatever they're called, of 2 officers, there may have been others)? I suspect they were a bit gung-ho and with a gun involved they didn't want to knock politely or ask Mr Green for my number in case his girlfriend was nipping out the bathroom window with it. I expect they just broke straight in and make a lot of noise and a bloody mess. I hope they didn't ruin my car mags in the loft. I've got the first volume of Practical Classics up there. I waited all day but didn't hear anything from the officers involved.

And did I end up buying it when you sold your milled shillings?! I've got one of these Edward fantasy Maundy sets that I got with a large collection from Belgium recently. Didn't Coincraft have something to do with them originally? Anyone want it? £25 seems fair. They are quite pretty for what they are.

And the 1857 shilling obverse.

And as a taster, here's the obv of the 1819 sixpence. I know some people have a problem with the AUNC grade, but I only ever use it for coins that clearly have seen no use but have a slight rub or loss of lustre due to storage. Anything with the slightest wear is GEF, or EF accordingly.

I've got the following, just in. All of the GIIII shillings, the 1889 broken 'I' double florin, the 1925 shilling and the 1918 florin are virtually reserved, so basicially someone else has first call on them. Crown 1932, key date VF/GVF £310. Crown 1933, NEF tiny mark on rim (from production) £300 Double Florin 1888, Inverted '1' for 2nd I in Victoria, AUNC, only wear is minimal slight rub from storage £400 Double Florin 1889, Inverted '1' for 2nd I in Victoria, Choice UNC, prooflike fields, best i've seen of this variety £550. Florin 1879, EF 39 arcs (listed as 38 arcs in Spink somehow) £250. Florin 1918 UNC, £90. Shilling 1745, VF, non LIMA £120. Shilling 1816, UNC £130. Shilling 1817, Choice UNC beautiful £150. Shilling 1819, GEF/AUNC £100. Shilling 1820, odd minor mark prevents UNC £120. Shilling 1824, GEF with purples and green natural toning £300. Shilling 1825, 1st head, strong EF £250. Shilling 1825, 2nd head, AUNC/GEF (only wear is to Lions nose), incredibly prooflike with shimmering mirrored fields £250. Shilling 1826, GEF purples and blues toning £200. Shilling 1834, AEF/GEF £200. Shilling 1835, GVf/EF £140. Shilling 1857, EF+ £200. Shilling 1925, AUNC slight cabinet rub to cheek £100. Sixpence 1787, with hearts EF £90. Sixpence 1816 AUNC (due to cabinet friction) £90. Sixpence 1817, GEF £75. Sixpence 1818, AUNC £100. Sixpence 1819, small '8' AUNC £80. Sixpence 1820, AUNC £120. Sixpence 1825, EF £140 Sixpence 1826, 2nd head, EF £100. Sixpence 1831, EF+ £170. Sixpence 1834, EF £170. Sixpence 1851, EF+ very pretty £150. Sixpence 1920, .925 Choice UNC £80

The police were looking for a shooter. It seems Mr Green was involved in a shooting to do with rival car related businesses, which I think may have involved his brother doing the shooting, or being shot. There were no fatalities and 2 injured men are now out of hospital. On the 17th April (a couple of days after the incident) Mr Green went to the police station of his own free will to help with enquiries, and I know this to be true. From what I can make out, it was whilst he was there that they raided my house, looking for the gun. I suspect he was arrested, as a section 18 search of a house has to involve an arrest as far as I can tell. They didn't find a gun and tenant Mr Green was released, because (he assures me) he didn't do any shooting. Him and his girlfriend have now been moved into a council house in another area and due to the feud/rivalry with this other business, the police really have warned him to stay away from the house because there's still someone out there with a gun that doesn't like him much. So, nevermind about potential loss of a tenant/rent etc, the thing that concerns me most is the damage to my property. Why should I have to pay £200 for a bit of board and another few hundred (at least) on top of that for a new front door and lock when it seems that the police had the wrong man and didn't find anything? How can I appeal against this invoice from the company employed by the police to board up the door?

I'll take a chance. I want to do this properly, without the need for forced entry.

Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I'm sure I can drag her along in an official capacity with a view to becoming my agent and finding new tenants. I'll be over a few days before the London Coin fair on the 26th May.

I actually would tend to believe that they are locked out already. Personally I always used to leave the back door key in the house, hanging up somewhere. If they do the same and it's inside, then they are already locked out due to the front door being blocked up. When I'm over there in a few weeks, do I have the right to enter the property? I've got a back door key, so it won't be a problem assuming the lock is the original.

It was on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement, originally for 12 months, then another 12 months (to Sep 2011) and since then it hasn't been renewed as it's a such a bloody pain getting them to sign anything, unless I actually go there and hold the papers and a pen in front of them, and i've got better things to do. Last time they claimed they had returned the docs back twice but nothing ever came. So technically there is no valid contract. Where do I stand? Does that make them sort of legal squatters? I don't suppose they kept copies of the tenancy agreements and he always pays cash into my bank account (which is odd these days) so they probably have no evidence that they were authorised to live there. They get benefits, but stopped them coming directly to me after one payment, prefering to pay the cash in at the bank down the road. This has worked off and on for 2.5 years, but please don't think it was plain sailing! At no stage during the 2.5 years have I been able to rely on the money going in at the agreed time to cover the mortgage. He pays in dribs and drabs, sometimes nothing for months despite many reminders. Anyway, I'll hopefully hear from the PC's that carried out the search tomorrow. I suspect they have weekends off. I've just remembered actually that the loft had a padlock on it because it contains some of my stuff (nothing valuable) in storage that was too bulky to take to Germany and has been up there for years. I wonder if the police went through that as well!

My friend has been to the house, there was no signs of life and none of the cars were outside that are known to belong to Mr Green or Ms Brown. The upper pain in the front door has been replaced with a secure board, the door is dented and the lock is removed, but it doesn't open so must be secured from the inside. The back door looks normal, so do the windows. I'm pleased the house is secure at least. I suppose if Mr Green didn't happen to have a back door key with him whilst out and about on the 17th when the Police visited, then he's locked out. I wonder if it's something domestic, but I have no idea why he should say his life would be at risk (unless it's at risk from a father or brother of someone he has in some way inconvenienced)! He's simply not communicating, but I haven't tried further today. I'll send him an ultimatum text and also try email. I'm not over in GB myself for about 3 weeks. The rent for April was technically due at the end of March, but he's hardly in arrears and hasn't been so bad lately, despite loads of unreliability in the past. I found him and Ms Brown privately and they've been there since Sep 2009, so it's a good 2.5 years worth of rent paid to date. I dislike agencies as they (last time I looked/used them) charge a months rent per tenant change (which is usually fairly frequently) and the % each month, and in the event of a problem you still have to stick to the procedure, and I'd rather deal with such issues personally too. The only benefit they offer is that they vet the potential tenants. The 2.5 years paid to date must mean that my own vetting based on instinct couldn't have been far out. I must say that Mr Green did oringally re-decorate and do quite a few odd jobs with materials that he paid for himself, although somehow the work hasn't stood up to the test of time very well. I always found him a good bloke really. His communication has always been pretty awful and he seems very good at losing my numbers (and post actually) and making me chase up the rent because he tends to stick his head in the sand rather than face up to things like a real man. This time though, it's really not good enough. I need to know what's going on. Actually, I've just remembered a girl I know is an estate agent who specialises in rentals in the same area as my house. I'm going to get onto her tomorrow! (steady).

Hmmm, where do I start. This post is by way of a general moan really, but perhaps certain forum members may have advice on the matter. My dad got a bill for me today at his London address that I use for UK correspondance. A bill for £202 odd from a company called Rapid Secure working under instruction of Kent Constabulary. It seems that on the 17th April the company secured my house in Kent which is rented to a Mr Green (which may or may not be his real name). This was the first I'd heard of it! I called the company and then the police and it seems that the police had to force entry to search the house under a Section 18 (which seems to mean that they were looking for evidence or dodgy stuff in relation to a crime for which someone living at the house had been arrested). Due to the data protection act I had to email them to find out this information, even though I pointed out that an email is just as annoymous as a voice on a telephone. I tried to call tenant Mr Green and there was no answer. I sent him a text asking if everything was alright and mentioning the £202 odd bill. He replied quite quickly and said that the police had broken the front door down, boarded it up and told him not to go back there 'for threat to his life' (not sure what that's supposed to mean). He says he's not been there for weeks and that he now can't get to his belongings and that he'd lost my contact details due to this, although clearly he's got his phone. I tried to call to find out more, but generally no one answers, except for once an hour or so ago when a female voice answered that sounded like a very sleepy Ms Brown (which may or may not be his girlfriend's name). I asked if Mr Green was there, she mumbled 'he's on the ....' and then it went quiet. I asked 'is that you Ms Brown?'. But it was quiet and then went dead. I called back right away and it rang for some time before going dead again. Something is clearly awry. I'm waiting to hear from the 2 Constables that carried out the Section 18 on 17th April and in the mean time I've sent a friend to the house (he lives a good 45 mins away but is the closest person I know) to have a look. I imagine this is a good reason to kick out tenants? He owes this months rent and surely must also be liable for the securing of the property and a new door? As a landlord, what rights/chances do I have of taking his belongings as payment? Obviously that would need to go to court I suspect. Sounds like a lot of hassle, whatever has gone on here.