TomGoodheart

Are you going to get it slabbed Dave? You know, .. to keep it shiny?

Are you sure Clive? I don't see an arrow in Harold's eye. Something FAKE about that I feel. Bad. Very bad.

I guess as beginners, most of us like the feel that the collection is growing so picking up what's available is a way to ensure that. Of course, those expensive gaps will need filling eventually. But I know for myself there was also reticence to spend serious money and I'm pleased that in some cases that meant I waited until I had more knowledge. Generally my more expensive coins will be the last to go because I know how difficult it would be to replace them!

Not always, at least with hammered. Scarce coins that are listed as scarce will attract attention. But some are very difficult to find and not recognised by most people as rare and so command low prices. And condition (unlike I believe 30, 20 or even 10 years ago) beats rarity all the time. A very rare battered coin will never reach the price of a common coin in uncommonly good condition. A recent sale (Lyall) had rarities flounder unsold and yet a £500-£600 coin go for £2000+ (Might have been useful if I'd realised that a decade ago!) Edit: I've just remembered that, for me, there was a vast difference in perception when I first started collecting from today concerning rarity. If I could not find an example of a coin I'd noticed in a catalogue for a few months I was keen to snap up the first example I could find. Now I've realised that it might be years before I see a particular variety or type and even then it might be so unappealing I can't bring myself to buy it! People have heard of the '34 Wreath and it's 'rarity'. Maybe (lack of) patience and beginners over-enthusiasm comes into play more than we (I) realise in these things?

Spink Coins of England does not list a silver proof issue for 1985. I therefore guess the answer is no. Hope that helps.

People who don't have a huge amount of money might only want one example of a reign. That's how I started with shillings. I aimed to find the first issue of a monarch and then first issues of any major design changes. That might in part explain the 1821? Yes, condition and scarcity affect prices. But so do other things. Such as breadth of the potential collector base. As happens with Newark (hammered) shillings. They appeal to shilling collectors, those interested in the Civil War, they have a romantic aspect (kept as 'souvenirs' by survivors of the siege). Makes them far more popular (and so sell for far more) than you'd think, based on how many examples survived.

Only other thing is that the Royal Mail collect charges on behalf of HM Customs & Excise for which they charge a bit under a tenner. Which is small on a £2000 coin, but annoying if you buy a low value item for which duty was not payable and can't reclaim it! I've had very few problems over the years, although sometimes things get through without any charge and sometimes they try to claim 20%. But you can reclaim for an overcharge. Only real issue was something posted via USPS which then became a package when it got to the UK and was given to Parcelforce. Wouldn't have been a problem but that the address I gave the seller was a PO Box. To which Parcelforce don't deliver. Fortunately the dealer tracked it for me and I got my coin in the end! Good service from York Coins!

Well, you can always post a pic here for opinions! You'll find a fair few Chas I here Lloyd Bennett in various conditions and might find it interesting to look through to get an idea of how they vary in condition and price. Lloyd sold the Alan Morris' collection of coins (mostly shillings and half crowns) of Charles I over a number of years and it's a good representative selection I think. There are also auction catalogues with a high proportion of Chas I shillings, but unless you wanted to specialise it's easier to use an online reference.

Yeah, I copied it from the 2015 Spink Coins of England for quick reference. To be honest, a handful of pics like that probably aren't all that helpful to you. Perhaps better to check a dealer website that has a variety of stock and reasonable grading skills. Also (I think) it's important to remember that strict grade (ie the amount of wear a coin has been subject to since it was made) isn't always the best measure with hammered coins. Individual variations can mean an unworn coin which was weakly struck is less appealing than one that was stronger and has circulated a bit. Then there's toning, how a coin compares to the usually encountered examples .. I (and a few people I know) tend to talk more about 'eye appeal' than grade with hammered coins. The above shilling for example, is worn (easiest to see on the rim which can be almost sharp enough to cut your fingers on truly unworn coins) and is weak in places (such as the shoulder) where the flan is thinner. I grade quite strictly, if at all, and I guess I'd personally call it nVF if I was feeling generous (it was sold as VF). And it's also double struck (another challenge with hammered coins!) and has a flan split! However the portrait is (fairly unusually) clear and it's pleasantly toned and on a nice broad round flan and so I like it better than other, more crisply struck or higher graded coins. For me it has good eye appeal. If that makes sense?

Very nice Cameron. If only later issues such as the Plantagenets were as crisply struck I might be tempted to take up collecting pennies!

Yours is at least nEF Dave. Theirs probably gVF by Spink but lacks eye appeal. IMHO

Buying from a reputable dealer who offers a simple return policy suggests you can have confidence in their stock. And I don't really mean eBay. While there are decent coins and sometimes even bargains there, it's better to have some experience under your belt before spending serious money. A coin fair might give you an opportunity to meet dealers and inspect some coins up close. There's nothing like seeing the real thing to develop an eye for something a bit dodgy. The internet is a remarkable resource. When considering a purchase (and I've been collecting nearly 15 years now) I still check auction site records, old sales catalogues and reputable dealers sites to compare the coin I'm interested in with others in terms of condition and eye appeal. You also have to remember that the vast majority of coins are genuine. Yes, fakes are a problem for some series, but not most. Provenance will help reassure, there although most coins will have little unless rare and it's generally a lot easier to spot earlier sales of a hammered coins (because each is unique in its quirks) than milled ones. More important then is spotting a coin that has been cleaned, checking for edge damage and trying to buy the best you can afford. And as Paulus says, posting a picture of a potential buy here for opinions can be very helpful. Oh. And we all make mistakes. Buy coins that we later regret or that turn out not to be the bargain we thought. All you can do is mark it up as a learning experience and try to make the mistake an inexpensive one! Welcome to the forum and have fun!

I was looking for pics of home but they must be on my old laptop. So here's a pic of somewhere I went running back in the summer. Mid-Wales, not far from Dolgellau and jolly nice it was too ...

Ah. I had some of those too! But I can't see any rules were broken and it seems to have generated a good discussion, so I'm inclined to let it stay.. all agreed?

That's pretty much spot on Sword. A quick glance through John Brooker's collection gives a range from around 14.5 - 15.3g. Actually the legal requirement, tested at the Trials of the Pyx, was 232.25 grains (which = 15.0495 grammes). (Another snippet from the Brooker book which can sometimes be picked up cheap on eBay).

I think you're on the right lines Sword. With hammered, my view is that grade is not always as important as 'eye appeal', by which I mean for example that a slightly more worn coin that is centrally struck can be more pleasing than one that is crisper but has bits missing or a weak area. Obviously full flan, nicely toned EF examples are ideal, but generally I've found some compromise is usually needed! I suspect everyone has their own criteria as to what is essential in a coin and what weaknesses are forgivable, though it takes time to develop an eye for this and views can and do change with time. In other words, collecting hammered is a much more personal and subjective thing than with later milled coins. That said, your round / well centred / no weak areas / decent enough grade, with rather good details and / full flan covers the main areas well enough. Now you just need to buy a few more! I guess the only other thing I would add is that I have found comparison useful in my own collecting. A few (more modern, as they tend to be more fully illustrated and sometimes in colour) auction catalogues for decent collections can be a useful investment, enabling you to see what discerning collectors selected as an example (or in some cases had to make do with) of a particular coin. Then you just have to look for similar or better! Obviously it's easier if you have a particular area that interests you. Any idea what you'd like to buy next?

Mmm .. I tried to remove my Title and got 403 ERROR Sorry but the page you have requested has encountered the following error: Forbidden Please feel free to browse the rest of my website You may also use the "Search" feature to find the product you are looking for I apologise for the inconvenience. Any ideas Matt?

Welcome Stephen. A fair number of dealers will value a collection for insurance purposes, either with a fee or sometimes a charge for travel expenses. In such a case receipts wouldn't really be needed. Years ago I had mine valued by the local Numismatic Society. Of course, I've sold a few and bought others since. Hence I do keep receipts and provenance information. As my coins are all effectively unique (being hammered) I keep photographic records of all of them so if they ever did resurface on the market they would be easy enough to identify. You can also get stuff like SmartWater .. I don't see why it would mark coins and it's linked solely to you, so again if stolen coins turn up they could be identified as such. Mine are covered by my household insurance policy, though they do require anything over a certain value to be listed separately. How well a lump of cash would compensate for the work of 10+ years of collecting however I'm not sure. And hope never to need to find out. Insurance is good to have, but other precautions (such as not advertising you collect, keeping the collection out of sight of casual visitors etc) shouldn't be overlooked.

I know I'm coming into this late in the day. It's not something that really affects me. However I do find the whole thing very odd. Surely, from a marketing point, one of the selling points of a CGS (or NGC, PCGS etc..) entombment is that, should you decide to sell your coin, potential buyers can then find it on the grading service's database, confirm it's the same coin (and have the possibility of inspecting photographs of it) before committing their cash? Now that is surely impractical, unless you're a dealer. For a casual occasional buyer, paying £50 to validate a coin seems daft. To me, what LCGS seem to have done is made their service much less attractive an option. If you want a database of coins, you'd surely be better off photographing them yourself. Protection? The afore-mentioned Quadrum capsules sound ideal. Certification and grading? NGC or PCGS are better known and grade to an internationally understood scale. Even if their current customers are the loyalest of the loyal, I just don't get how CGS think this is going to be viable.

I quite understand Pete. As my fussiness has increased, the number of my purchases has decreased. One year I bought just two coins. Then Daughter was studying the French revolution and I got interested in the symbol of the Republic, Marianne. She's obviously used widely on French (and French colonial) coins. But also other 'revolutionary' states, such as Cuba, Civil War era Spain. Plus of course, the US. They come in copper, silver, nickel brass, aluminium, zinc ... It provided me with a new theme, the coins are generally cheap (you can add in advertising tokens, jetons and American Civil War Tokens if you like ..) Not suggesting you do the same. Just that you might like to look beyond one denomination or nation for something that takes your fancy?

Ah, thanks Peter! Good idea!

My exhaust fault light went on. My garage were busy so I took it to a place that do performance retuning. They checked it and say it's the actuator which, if it was a newer model would just need replacing, but as mine is an early version might entail the whole thing. They are checking to see if they can source a repair kit, so fingers crossed ..

I like my Octavia. Cheaper than an Audi, decent build quality, VAG engines ... I've got a 1.4 TSI saloon. Good size boot (popular as taxis here). First car I've owned from new. Good luck with the car shopping! .

I only post when something interests me. Which tends to only be in my rather narrow collecting area I'm afraid ... And to keep on topic, the turbo in my Skoda might need replacing. Not as pricy as a new car, I know. But ..