TomGoodheart

I quite fancy something that isn't really a coin. Well, it is, in that it's a gold Angel, however I'd like one that has been pierced as a touchpiece. I also collect amulets, talismans and religious medallions too, you see. Here's a rather nice example off Antony Wilson's site. Though a silver one would be nice also!

I guess that'd be up to Chris. The only problem I can see is that someone would have to 'approve' the newcomers and Chris isn't on here much. I forget who else is a mod/admin, but assuming there are still a few active, or we get volunteers it could work. Again, it would be Chris who would need to set the level of what admins can and can't do in terms of deleting posts / members etc.

It appears we have had another (rather busy) unwelcome visitor. I deleted around 20 spam messages this morning. I believe I have blocked the 'member' from posting any more. But I've left the last posts that arrived after I'd cleared up in case Chris can glean anything from the IP address and block it. I'll tidy up the last posts later today or tomorrow. If you want to reply on the threads feel free, though I'm pretty sure it's just a bot. I suggest nobody clicks on links as I'm sure you can buy your viagra cheaper elsewhere. Plus any replies will be deleted when the post goes later. Richard

Which will have to do instead of the jaw drop smiley I would have liked. I'm sorry I didn't list anything this weekend as clearly there are idiots about. For I can't believe that eight people would bid on a coin that they haven't seen, let alone one that the seller has illustrated with a picture of a WRL replica. I just wish I'd thought of it, then I too could be £160 better off! hammered 1653 shilling Scam, do you think? Or stupid?

Oh, I thought they were modelled on Stephanie from Lazytown .. ...... ..................... Stephanie from Lazytown ................ Some groat or other

Thanks! It can just go back in the drawer then. I just found it in my browsing (looking for a tray to put the State Quarters Wifey brought back from the US) and thought if it was at all interesting someone here could have it.

Bog standard I presume? It's from two scans. The colour of the reverse is closer to the obv in real life.

Ah, that Sir, is an example of what the coiners at the Mint were capable of, if they took care over hammering a coin! Of course, it's been fortunate in starting it's life as a decent circular flan (most weren't towards the end of Charles' reign and it has to be assumed that quality control at the Mint just got forgotten) It also clearly never came near anyone tempted to clip it. And having never hammered a coin myself, I wonder if a bit of luck didn't come into the fact that the dies were nicely aligned to give a central strike on both sides. But those are the factors that make it a rarity. Less so for the number produced than for the fact that, as Rob says, most of the output was crap to start with and time has not then improved them at all!

Indeed, and Spink's sale in March (1236, Lot 128) was also pretty decent. I guess I just started thinking what a shame I wasn't collecting at the time of the sale (a thought that possibly occurs to us all at some point!), though whether at the time I'd have paid the Hughes price ... not so sure! btw Rob, I don't suppose you have any intel on the Shuttlewood sale? I'm curious about HS0329 (Shilling type 4.4 m.m. ® Untidy strike on squarish flan)) Sadly not illustrated, so unless someone has a coin with the Spink tickets may be impossible to track .. just I have a coin that is on a squarish flan ... (Yeah, I know, very ebay: assuming one's bog standard piece of junk just has to be that coin from that collection, but yanno .. one can hope!)

Well, last night I sat down again and took another look at my little collection, with a few auction catalogues to compare my coins against and ended up thinking that perhaps I hadn't done quite so badly as I occasionally feel! But I was reminded of this little gem. Now as I think I've mentioned before, I'm not a lover of numismatic perfection. I like my coins to have a bit of character - to look as if they were made to circulate and I have no problems if it shows that they have. So this to me is the best I could aim for. It's certainly the best example I've seen. And I'd not say no if I were offered it, though it might make a few of my other coins look rather .. poorer! In fact I'd be pleased to pick out a number of coins from that collection (Martin Hughes'), he had a very good eye for a nice coin!

As Rob mentioned, I guess I'm an inverterate collector. I collect all sorts, but coins are the one thing I spend money one. If it wasn't coins I suspect it would be something else. I guess I got it from my Dad though his enthusisasm was stamps. However, like most of his generation he also picked coins out of change and kept them. When he died I cashed in all the 'hands' 50p pieces (£50+) and took the silver bits to a local coin dealer and ended up with around £100. Looking through the library to see what the coins might be worth I came across a book called The Splendid Shilling and that was it. Shillings were a fond memory to me as I'd spent them in my childhood and I liked smaller coins and when I found the book I decided that's what I'd collect. Well, like everyone else I was restricted by budget and when I discovered the appeal of early milled I realised the best I could do would be a coin from each reign (ideally the first date issued) and possibly an example of each major bust change. Oddly I resisted Charles I because of the complexity of the series - Dad had bough the Coincraft book and that was my guide. Eventually I found ebay and my luck changed because there I met a couple of Charles I enthusiasts (it's not a big world really) who recommended a couple of books. At around this time Wifey found out I'd spent a decent amount on coins and was none too pleased! But since it was Dad's money really she asked how much I reckoned I'd need to form a decent collection. She allowed me half! It was the book of the Brooker collection that really did it since that meant that I had a guide as to what was available and what a coin in (generally) decent condition looked like. I'm sure most of us wouldn't be the collectors we are if it wasn't for a Brooker, a Peck or a Gouby. The idea of collecting cold is frightening to me, but with effectively a catalogue to shop by ...! My friends continued to teach me and it has to be said, some of the rarer pieces I wouldn't have (or know about) if it wasn't for them. Some I've picked up because of knowledge. Yes, condition is important (and I would love to upgrade a few of my commoner pieces and shed some poor examples) but sometimes rarity means you have no choice. I have a couple of coins for which I only know of one other example. Should I have waited until a better one came along? I guess that's a choice we all have to make at some point. Mostly my collection is about getting a representative coin for each known variety and finding any unrecognised ones! Where the coins are common enough then yes, I'm after better ones but 'finest known' isn't something I worry about (nor can I afford on my budget!) I dare say my little collection would look different if I had bought the book first or had patience (even now when I am aware that if you wait better examples do turn up eventually, I still buy too soon!) but .. that's collecting and that's me. I'm moderately happy with what I have. I'd just like some more money to spend, but I'm also aware that it's probably lucky I started collecting when I did since if I had to do it all now my budget wouldn't stretch, nor would some of those opportunites be there!

It is indeed Charles I. The reason it has a Scottish shield is because it was produced for Scotland, which during Charles' reign (and in fact, up to the union in 1709) had its own issue of currency. Scotland was odd because its coinage was worth a twelveth of that of England and so this is actually a Two Shilling piece (worth (in England) as Peckris says, twopence). If you look closely you might see that not only dies it have the Scottish reverse but Charles is wearing the crown of Scotland. The difference being that the English crown has two lys on either side of a central cross. The Scottish crown is reversed with the lys at the centre and a cross on each side! Scottish on the left and English on the right: I believe this coin is numbered 5594 in Spink (who use a different numbering system for the coins of Scotland, Ireland and the Islands than that for England), since it has a smaller mark of value. The privy (mint) mark is unclear but I'd guess it is a triangle and the coin would have been issued in 1642 (Fourth coinage). Hope that helps!

Oh, and if we're talking impossible dreams, one of mine is not finding new coins to buy. Instead I'd be satisfied with a time machine which would return some of my coins to how they were when first issued; before someone clipped the edges off, carried them around in a bucket of sand and folded them in half! Alternatively I'd like it to take me back - so I could pick coins I most like out of my change, like my Dad used to. Somewhere between 1640 and 1660 would probably do. I'd find a money changer and swap some gold for a few hours looking through all the shillings! *drool* (I can't believe I'm having wet dreams over coins!)

They used cut up silver plate, weighed it and stamped the value. That is why you get the odd denominations. No melting involved. And if you're really lucky with your obsidional (seige) coinage, you can see traces of the pattern of the original piece of plate remaining under the coin design. Some even carry signs of gilding. I sometimes think a collection of money of necessity/notgeld etc would be most interesting! Sadly the price of siege pieces is higher than I usually want to pay!

LOL To be perfectly honest the whole thing irritated the hell out of me years ago. Why, oh, why did we not go the whole hog and properly adopt the metric system instead of retaining mph, pints of milk and beer (isn't a litre of beer better than a pint? Of course it is!) I used to ask. But now I'm older I kinda like the eccentricity of a system based on 12s and body part lengths. I actually do wonder if it didn't keep us all more mentally agile having to work in feet and pints and ounces. And most certainly, as I watch for the billionth (US) time the checkout assistant looking to see how much change the machine says I need, I think we've gotten used to not having to use our brains. Whether £SD would make a difference I'm not sure. (LSD might!) Maybe there's a good case for cashing in on our british eccentricity and reverting to a monetary system nobody else uses? Then when the EU says "You vill be oving us der twohunnert million Pfunds" we can reply "so, that's ... (licks end of pencil and scrawls on back of ciggy pack) .. 400 Guineas, fifteen groats! No problem Guv, the cheque's in the post, or if you're willing to forget the groats you can have cash?"

LOL I miss the old days when we all knew how many groats to the pint, measured cricket pitches in Avoirdupois and gross meant a dozen dozen, not horrid! It's not surprising that kids nowadays have difficulty working out how many units of alcohol they've drunk, they can't bloody count without an iphone. And while I'm on the subject, whatever happened to those five men that used to fill baths so we could work out the lengths of their trousers or something? I guess they got laid off with the miners or something ... fings just ain't wot they used to be, are they?

Hi and welcome Stuart. The problem with your question is that different auction houses will have different advantages and disadvantages. Spink or Bonhams have international presence that London Coins or Lockdales might not command. The sorts of coins you're presenting will also be a factor. Are we talking hammered? Early milled? Modern? Some auction houses sell £1M coins in one auction. Others will be lucky to do that in a year, so if you're aiming to offload £40-£60K of coins a year you'll need to be sure your market can bear it. You'll perhaps have seen from tv shows like Cash in the Attic, Bargain Hunt and so on that auctions can have off days too! Sometimes you'll get little interest, but on others two buyers can send prices sky high! And of course, there's the sellers' fees to pay. Remember hammer price is before deducting commission plus possibly photography fees and other little extras that can get sneaked in (and VAT of course!) There are other ways to sell. For example most dealers will sell on your behalf, either buying a collection or selling on commission. If your dealer specialises in the types of coins you have, this could prove a better outlet. But dealers can take time to turn around stock, sometimes retaining coins for years before they sell. As for slabbed coins, that also depends on your market. Most collectors here in the UK are just not bothered and many will buy with the intention of breaking the slab if they want the coin. Americans on the other hand appear to buy the slab and it's questionable how much attention they pay to the coin! In which case, who has slabbed and graded your coin will be a factor, some companies having a better reputation than others or being better known. And if your coins aren't already slabbed, you'll need to pay to have them entombed. A bit pointless if they are just going to get broken out again! It would help if you can give us an idea of what coins you intend to sell, maybe a photo or two to establish grade (as "High" can be meaningful, or not, depending on the accuracy of the grading!) and number. For example the advice concerning selling ten coins for £1000 each will be different from if you want to sell 100 at £100 each! And of course, I'm curious where these coins are coming from. If a large old collection then the advice will be very different from if you intend to buy your stock specifically to auction it!

It's a Russian 2 Kopek coin. Not sure what mint or value I'm afraid. Compare with this: 2 Kopek .

Mmm .. I was staying out of the predicting because I didn't have much more to add. However I have just received (as no doubt, a few of you will have done) an email from CNG concerning the possible restrictions on the import of Bulgarian coins to the US. Now why should that matter you might wonder, but of course Bulgarian doesn't just include recent issues and ebay fakes, but also incorporates parts of the Ottoman and Byzantine empires, coins of Thrace, Eastern parts of the Roman Empire, coins of the Emperor Constantine and of Alexander the Great to mention but a few. If significant swathes of the ancient and medieval numismatic world start to close up to collectors, where will their interests turn? Perhaps to the 'Old World' and the parts of Europe that are not so strongly enforcing the the International Cultural Property Protection programme? To England and it's rich heritage of relatively cheap, accessible and historically interesting coins? I wonder.

Oh, it's possible Geoff. Whether the grade is significant in this case ... that's another matter. I tend to use the 'old' style descriptions. Spink for example call Fine as "Showing quite a lot of wear but still with design and legends distinguishable". Doyle & Finn "a worn coin: most of the detail of the design will have worn away or be fading, nevertheless the main features will still be quite bold and clear" So Fine seems about right to me. But sometimes the actual grade is rather less important than the question of whether you will ever find a better one, isn't it?

One of the most useful sites I have found is (was) CoinArchives where you could search and view archived auction data going back years. Unfortunately they now charge and while the cost may be reasonable for an auction house or major dealer, I am not going (or able) to pay US$600 (443 €) a year for the pleasure. For someone like me, while I take my collecting very seriously, the cost would need to be minimal to be attractive, whatever type of gadget (yes, I'm showing my age!) it's aimed at.

??? I must get my eyes tested. I'm sure it says EDWARDVS VIII, but all I can see is GEORGIVS VI. Or perhaps it's the wrong photo?

OK. I'm just ... bemused. Does anyone know (or can anyone think) what on earth buyers of WRL replica coins actually do with their purchases when they have spent this sort of money? OLD COIN NEWARK 1646 HALFCROWN CHARLES 1 DIAMOND SHAPE Any sensible dealer will just sympathise (or laugh) so the only way to get the damned things off your hands would be to go back to ebay or whereever and keep your fingers crossed another idiot is prepared to pay. But do people really expact to get a genuine coin from this sort of listing???

When new coins are just issued or if I find a circulating older one in particularly excellent condition I put it aside, but only ever one because generally speaking they are only of interest to me! To anyone else they are worth no more than face value. That isn't likely to change in the next half century, whatever people think about the Darwin £2 coins! Counterfeits are of a different interest. The earliest fake £1 coin I have is dated 1989 and is made of lead that has been painted gold! A truly wonderful example. To me that is. To anyone else it's pretty much worthless .. or less, since it would be retained by any bank and you wouldn't get back the quid. There is also the fact that strictly speaking it's illegal to retain such things (counterfeits of circulating currency). I was tempted to keep one of the two fake £20 notes I received a while back (in the Post Office!) just out of interest, but I was collecting someone else's money so pointed it out to them and they exchanged them for proper ones. So if your £5 is fake Boomstick, then by all means keep it out of interest. Just remember it'd be illegal to try to sell it so the 'value' is questionable. Plus there's always the grey area of once we know a coin is fake we could be accused of .. whatever the relevant crime is. So really it's just that such things have historical interest from the point that counterfeits have been made ever since coins were struck. As to confused question, a pic would help. But quality control for currency coins isn't great at the Mint and it may be a simple manufacturing weakness; never going to be worth that much to the vast majority of collectors I'm afraid.

Nice Wolsey groat Geoff. A little brother for the Tournai!