Unwilling Numismatist

So I guess coin collecting must be subconsciously theraputic to the IT crowd

Me too, but until then I have to continue doing what I'm doing now. 'Er indoors said so.

I program the business systems for a well known yogurt manufacturer who has "cornered" the market.

Circled stuff

No edge inscription is normally indicative of a cheap copy as found here and therefore it's worth nothing at all

I'll have a look through all my crap boxes Larry, I know I should have quite a few lying about the place.

Kews seem to have been dropping with the introduction of prooflike fakes too. I think this years budget is becoming more flexible every week

Pure acetone on a cotton bud if the soap and water doesn't do it (warm+ water).

1917 ? thats about my best shot at these hammered types

Thanks Stu, that was indeed a good read!

I think anyone who pays that much for this fugly thing needs more than just shooting , I'm sure I'll find out soon if I need some ammo.

Virgin do this all the time, but yes - a 12 month contract is what it says. Virgin are trying to scrap a lot of their older contracts - many are only 2g or 3g so the coverage isn't great on them. By switching you should be able to get a 4g sim and better coverage but do remember to add a calendar event so you get reminded when it's up, as they'll knock off any loyaly discount and it'd probably jump to about £10 or 11 / month - something worth checking before you commit to it!

I have so much trouble spelling anyway that I probably wouldn't have noticed either way lol

Thanks @Paddy, as for the date, it's a bit too destroyed to read but all I've seen would suggest that it can only be 1691 for this coin. It was found in the trackmarks of a rather large excavator, so I think it's fared quite well! As for £50, if someone wants to pay that or more, I'll happily let them (Other forms of payment are also accepted lol)

I welcome some input please I found this while out walking with a spade and detector, and its actually not in terrible nick given what it appears to be. I'd be most grateful of some confirmation though, as I'm normally wrong with anything before 1722. As per the title, I think it's a James II Limerick farthing.

So the RM can package up the best ones and flog them for $$$ as "historic"?

This is the thing, I doubt there will have been many shields given that so many others have been minted, and along side the 2017's there were huge numbers of comems in 2016 too, so it could be that finding an escaped one might just be lucky!

I think I'll be waiting a bit longer yet. Coin distribution to "somwhere off the beaten track" is a little slow.

Oh, I got a Tom Kitten 50p today... just to be slightly coiny

I hate political correctness. I do however have a fullly formed appreciation of old fashioned good manners. My daughters are growing up in a different world to the one I did, and as much as I try to accomodate modern thinking, I struggle with the discrepancy between the new world, and the legacy I inherited from their grandparents. The world moves along, we just enjoy the ride.

I would just love to add (as I skipped a billion words in this topic) that 5 of my closest numismatically accomplished friends are female. While this forum may currently be a "mans' shed" mentality, it would be very nice if it could be far more inclusive, as many newer collectors are from a much more diverse society than us old dinosaurs, and they will be the ones who continue our great hobby. I say the above but I have barely broken 50, so I don't feel old, but I know that the baton must be passed, so that all of my collecting will not be in vain or become worthless. On another note I do however agree that daytime TV adverts can be somewhat repetetive and overbearing, but do not wish to be branded because I have seen them many times and feel that some times you can be exposed to something a little too much. Everyone should, in a free society, have the right to free speech, and alongside that, everyone who enjoys a service provided free by someone else with a vested interest should hopefully respect that freedom wisely. To everyone, Peace, love and happy collecting.

I concur, as for mintage figures I thik the RM gave a figure which included all the commemoratives for that year, rather than breaking it down. The 2017 shield definitely exists in the year set, but whether many more were actually minted it's hard to tell. I haven't found any in change, but then it's literally only this week that other 2017 50p's have started circulating - there were 4 more Beatrix Potter coins along with Isaac Newton. The don't currently show any mintage for Royal Shield for 2017, but now have the figures for all others for 2017 up Mintage Figures.

I think good hardware with a consistent setup will do far more than a good post-processing package. Polishing turds can be rewarding, but having something better to start with will always win!

I think @zookeeperz has one of those fancy ones?

You'd be suprised at just how much you can see with one of these £35 ones these days, they've come an awful long way.