TomGoodheart

Well just to show people will buy anything, here's a rather fetching Westair Reproduction Commonwealth shilling that went for an eyewatering £180. Pewter obviously has more appeal than it used to! 300th post!

Yeaha! Women with oh THAT amazon... Well done Chris, on both counts!

Do they really think someone is going to be fooled by that? Jeez - ebay needs to get a grip on this shill bidding before someone is seriously amused...

And usually has some nice stuff, though I really don't know what to make of that one! I've seen stellate Roman denarii but a farthing...

OK .. I apologise. I did get a bit upset there. I have now had a chance to reconsider and think maybe a bit of 'toning' can be an asset. Like here.... A very nice improvement brought about by, admittedly artificially, toning gently with a blowtorch.. And here... Nice 'rainbow' (or perhaps 'rain forest'?) toning through loving and careful storage. Don't know how I could have been so wrong about all this... I just hope everyone can forgive me.... (hmm, doesn't that remind you of the beginning of this thread somehow...?)

AAAARgH!!! Puleeeze let these photos be retouched!!! I don't mind if they keep Artificial Toning over there, but if not, my view on 'Americans' (ie not Wybrit or anyone else on this forum!) is going to be like my view on dogs. I don't mind them at a distance, but when they start sh***ing on my lawn..... aaak! gonna p*ke....

And with all those sales you'd think he could afford a pair of spectacles!

Well, that's much easier to see - and a very nice coin Chris - congratulations! Out of interest, did you locate a specialist coin cleaner in the end or did you 'diy'?

Breakage surely!

Oh, I wasn't knocking a bit of toning Rob - I think ideally a 200 year old coin should look like it's been around that long, but this sort of thing.....? .....Nice...... not

Exactly my point Oli. People are getting carried away here. Since there are so many MS67 coins out there the only way to make a premium is to find something extra. Unfortunately as soon as someone is prepared to pay extra for a splash of colour then there's bound to be somebody else who will be willing to supply! I'm just sorry it has gone to such extremes someone's reputation is all shot and presumably there are people out there who feel they have been burnt.. Thing is, although I am having to suppress my serves-them-right smugness, I do worry that what catches on over the pond eventually makes it over here. Now I know slabbing isn't real big, but it can be found. I also know there are a few of you with a soft spot for some colour (though hopefully it falls short of those coins with all the colour and charm of a Christmas cracker!) I just hope that common sense wins out. In the meantime I am collecting up all the MS68 5p and 10p pieces I can find. Now, where did I put my old air brush....

That'd make an interesting resource when it's done, if you felt like posting them somewhere...

Bloody hell! What a can of worms!! Entertaining but depressing. Wasn't there something similar with tulips in 17C Holland?? Yeah... I think so

Well, it's nice to see there are other people out there with an enthusiasm for fakes! One thing I'm curious about is that, strictly speaking, is it not illegal to posess cointerfeit coin of the realm? I presume the fact that we're all demonstrably collectors might be considered a mitigating factor (plus the fact that my local boys in blue (and girls) have rather better things to do than pester numismatists) but I wonder if there's any risk if one's collection gets sizable? Are you planning on keeping the 'coins' you buy Chris, or put them up for sale?

Well, assuming you've already checked out Chris' selection here at Predecimal and his link to Vale coins, generally I find Vcoins has a decent selection, but prices vary a lot depending on the dealer. For example, Mike Vosper's prices are always competitive but Antony Wilson's (York Coins) are a bit high. I have always found Andy Bruce's site( Online Coins) has a wide selection at all prices (although Roman coins aren't my area). What I tend to do is to do an image search on the net, (I find Altavista better than Google, though recently I've found my searches sometimes hijacked by Yahoo!search which is c**p) then save pics of coins that interest me (with dealer, price and date details) so I can compare later when I find something I like. What you want is a really good example for a bench mark (plus price). Something like Roman coins you'll probably be spoilt for choice. Don't forget auction houses too! Good luck!

O kay... metal and dimensions would still help. And whether the coin is the same on both sides? I haven't a clue. However, I have a couple of guesses which I hope someone else on the site might dismiss or back up. First impression is along the line you have taken - mid European, possibly German. Around 15th century. Pfennig / 1/2 pfennig from one of the German city states? Certainly the monogram should be identifiable but so far I have failed to find a match. Regensburg seems logical with it's emblem of crossed keys but I can't see examples where the keys have been adapted like this to form letters. Perhaps another Burg or a Bishop's monogram? Certainly it was quite common in that part of the world to make a monogram out of someone's name or initials - some are more obvious than others. Course, it could be something else entirely..!

Yeah, I'd hate to have to take a 'new style' driving test. Especially with my recent dizziness and high blood alcohol levels... (No I REALLY shouldn't joke should I? - don't even have the one drink - ever)

The bust was modified in 1926. These muled coins therefore have the earlier bust type with a normal 1927 reverse. The most obvious change (but only on higher quality coins) is the shifting of the designer's initials (BM) from the 'middle' of the edge of the neck to the right hand side. 1920 1927 Full photos are available on Andy's site (Online and search for cointype "Pennies" with dates between 1920 and 1930 and with the gallery option checked ). (Sorry for nicking the images Andy, but they are such great coins!)

Gee Peter - not much detail! Please can you confirm the reverse design is the same as the obverse? Is the metal silver? And the size/diameter please?

Well, I certainly feel that I'm getting dumber at an alarming speed AAAArgH! (and the years seem shorter too - now how does that work...? )

Hey ! Congrats Oli! Sickeningly good results and great about the driving test too! (Of course - these things are much easier than they were in my day !!)

What the h*ll are they about? And why on earth would anyone buy one???

Does anyone else think these bidders look suspicious? lindah4786 burdale2 lucky anglo1948 to be so popular.....

Post script: Got out my big lens and decided it's not good enough for a proof - just a nice coin that's now been used as change. I am however still interested in if anyone else thinks there has been a recent influx of counterfeit quids into circulation?

Two questions, as this isn't quite my area! First - on proof coins people talk of 'mirror' like fields. Does this mean the field is flat? I have just been given a 1997 £1 coin with very shiny fields. However when I hold up the coin the reflection is distorted. The coin has been circulated and I'm just curious if it might be an escaped proof or just a specimen coin someone had liberated from its packaging? Sadly my scanner just can't show shine accurately! Second - I have just received my third counterfeit £1 in the same number of weeks. The E of ET is botched and the S of DECUS smaller than the rest of the lettering. The cross is off centre. Plus it's heavier than it should be. Anyone else find there seem to be more of the things around than there used to be?