Chris Perkins

Me too, it's a complete load of tosh without exception! I think I've aired that opinion often enough. Essentially they are not coins, they have become medals. 'Coins' made off-metal on purpose with no intention of them ever being circulated as money. Stupid designs commemorating stupid things that are not worthy of being commemorated.....and that no one really cares about (especially on the 50p - I repeat: 'what a load of tosh'). And they are specially packed in little box with a numbered certificate that might as well say 'Well done on buying this novelty medal, it'll never be worth anything like what you paid for it'. To summarise: More Tosh than a 1990s episode of The Bill!

I think that even if they did do away with F, VF, etc prefixes and just used numbers that someone somewhere would translate them to what they are on the usual F, VF etc scale (they'd probably have to translate the numbers for people themselves). People are simply very used to the established scale and with everything else that isn't slabbed being graded using said established scale it's silly to start grading things using just numbers. We need our F, VF, EF, UNC!

And talking of rare pennies, I have an 1849 winging it's way to me as we speak. Looks around Fine.

I got a 2009 coin in the Czech Republic last weekend! A 2 Kc from a Billa Supermarket. It looks like it's been worn on a camel foot and marched through the sahara already!

You're plain crazy! It could have simply been in a different environment and toned differently. Or it may be a slightly different metal mix (they made enough of them to not have been able to make all the blanks in one go).

And before Gouby they were published in 'British Silver Coins Since 1816' by Peter Davies.

This has been brought to my attention recently as a fake: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=230360894117 Certainly looks a bit odd around the date, and the surfaces are odd too.

I've moved it to the right place! But, you really have to do better than 'I've got a coin with xxxx Emperor/King on it, what's it worth?'. What about perhaps mentioning the denomination, or the size, metal type and perhaps even a date if you really want to go to town!! That helps because it means people don't have to waste their time asking.

Yes, I have lots of fakes from that era. Some are good but clearly not official dies. And others are so good that either the forger was as talented as Wyon/Briot/Crocker/Simon etc, or they were nicked dies!! I wonder if they were stolen some time afterwards when the dies would have no longer been in use. During a later reign.

Bronze pennies are usually still worth pennies, unless they are better than average. Older ones (1860s to 1880s approx) can be worth up to 50p each if they are all readable. An 1896 Crown in the condition you describe would be worth about £5.00.

100% a contemporary fake! Fakes from that era (1816 to 1820) are very common. Usually they are copper of brass coins covered with a thin silver wash.

Yes, you're right. £200 was an awful lot of money 50 years ago (when a new large saloon Austin A55 was £685... in 1958).

You think it's better than VF? I'm no hammered expert, but I would have thought it too worn.....willing to learn though.

In my 2002 Coins of Scotland, Ireland and the Islands book it says £250 Fine and £575 VF......Actually, looking again, it's £235 Fine and £525 VF because it has the revaluation stamp of 1578. You can't really call it VF (usually you never can with hammered!) and it does have some flan cracks. To be honest, even though I am no Scottish expert, I would tip that your grandfather had paid too much 50 years ago and that the value today is not much higher, perhaps even the same. What say thee 'Scottishmoney'? (a member here)

The standards are very high! Shockingly high for newbies. For grading British coins check out this book I publish: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0948964...ASIN=0948964839 It's also available on www.predecimal.com and you can see a picture of the cover at the top of the forum. I've sold 600 of these books in 3 months and they go down very well. Great value too for a hardback. Oh yes, if you want a signed one, let me know as the author has some signed copies available (same price).

I think technically the first prefix to see circulation was HC. They also made a special one which was HA so I suppose it's only logical that there was also an HB, even if it wasn't the first to appear. In Collector's Banknotes the HB is included because I think that book was printed later than CYC. Sorry MikeCoin, but I'm afraid you may as well spend it (especially in that condition even though it has clearly had it's serial rubbed).

I'd also tip 2008 as it looks like it's seen plenty of circulation (from the scratching) and I'm not sure if 2009 £1 coins are out there yet. I suppose it's interesting enough to be worth more than £1. I'd offer £5.00. Maybe someone else somewhere would offer more, it's often a bit hit and miss with errors.

I think it's a mint cock up. Struck with a blockage of grease, or not enough pressure, or both.

They are pretty common. I think (again from memory) there is a half lepta and a full lepta. Sounds like yours is the half as it's quite small. Usually they are just worth a couple of quid in average condition. But there may be scarcer dates. Anyone got a Krause (world coin book), mine is not to hand?

Yes, sounds about right. If it has Greek writing and Britannia then I think it hails from the Greek Ionian Islands (from memory).

It has a very weak 'I' too. But it's pretty worn so you may never know for sure what has gone on with the 'L'.

I think it's more likely someone has planed it down just for something to do! British error coins are usually pretty good value (even cheap) so it wouldn't really be worth the effort to try and create one.

Demand dictates price and not everything (not just coins) that is rare is in demand. It fascinating that the mule 20p hype caused so many people to suddenly think they wanted one that the prices went barmy! I see they are down around the £100 mark now. The old design 2008 50p is a nice thing to have, especially in BU if it's difficult to find, but I shouldn't think it will ever make waves. The next edition of Check Your Change will have massively overhauled decimal pricing in it. CCGB is not really about decimal and I must admit the decimal section has been neglected of late.

And don't the blanks already have the rims on them before they are struck with the images? I say that because I have a couple of blanks with rims.

700,000 is indeed very low for a circulating coin, but it's still plenty to go round as there are not 700,000 coin collectors in the UK! The only way it would be worth significantly more is if that so called London Mint outfit go on telly and offer people money for them! It's just like the 1988 £1 coins. A lower mintage, attractive coins....but 21 years later they are worth £1 in circulated condition.