TomGoodheart

To be honest Colin, I'm not sure. I'm guessing there will be either a lot of comments or virtually none at all. Certainly I think us Brits are not as bothered about such things as our American cousins. We'll see!

Amongst my other 'hobbies' I frequent the 'Religion and Spirituality' section on Yahoo! Answers. (Was that the sound of a jaw hitting a desk?) Ok,it's out now. Laugh if you want. Anyway. There has been quite a lot of 'discussion' about the fact that the recent issue of dollar coins have a) had the 'In God We Trust' removed from the front and put around the rim and b ) some have escaped the mint without the rim legend at all (hence the 'Godless' dollar). I'm just curious if anyone (especially our friends over the pond) have any views on this. To put this in perspective there were several horrified posts from Americans when someone mentioned that our £10 note carried a picture of (gasp!) Charles Darwin. I kid you not. .

Yeah. A bit sad, but perhaps inevitable. And now you can buy viagra at Boots I doubt anyone will miss the spam Apart from THIS of course! And this one has Japanese subtitles, just in case you didn't get the joke!

Damn! This seems to be the disadvantage of storing my 'minor' collection in drawers, jean pockets and at the bottom of rucksacks! While I have found two round edge 5ps the sharp one is eluding me. I don't have a camera either so have tried scanning the edge but with little success. So if it's any use at all Chris I'm happy to post you a round edge 1990 5p which you can then photograph at your leisure. Just let me know. I'll keep looking for the sharp one just in case too! Richard nik. Half term is it? Only joking! We all had to start somewhere (and early Georgian bronze certainly is an ambitious start!). Welcome to the forum! If you get a camera or access to a scanner I'm sure we'd all love to see your aquisitions to date. Just remember, there are always coins but money runs out! Take your time!

I have to say that although I've seen forgeries of Geo III shillings (usually brass) I've not come across a sixpence. Very curious and an interesting piece of 'numismatic' history. Do let us know anything more you find out about it won't you Ken?

That's a bit like asking how long is a piece of string nik! There are no 'best' coins to collect because collecting is a personal thing. You need to find an area that you like. Everyone here no doubt likes their particular coins 'best'! Some people collect all coins from a reign, others by denomination (face value). Some by date and others by appearance (type - where there is a major change in say the ruler's portrait or reverse design, or variety, where the changes are more subtle, maybe a change in hairstyle or lettering). Some people like the challenge of just collecting. They aim to get perhaps a coin for every date. Others like the history behind the manufacture of coins so chose those that are interesting in some way, such as the odd 'cartwheel' coins or even tokens. Some like the idea of the people who may have handled and used the coins, so they want something that has seen some use. Others want their coins to look as if they were made yesterday! Collecting all the coin values from all the Georges I to IV (ie 1714 - 1830) (this doesn't include V and VI (1910-52)) would be a challenge. There are some interesting series, plus counterfeit coins which were made and circulated at the time which some people collect too! It also depends a bit on your budget! Cu/ bronze coinage comes in a vast number of varieties but can tarnish fairly easily, which detracts from eye appeal, if not value. Silver is pricier and gold even more so! Generally the older the coin, the more of a challenge finding it in really good condition. But that's not always the case! Everyone here has no doubt different reasons for collecting what they do. I personally started with shillings because I liked the size, they were not as pricy as something like crowns, but came in a decent variety of types. I tried to collect major bust/reverse styles from each reign, but even this proved a challenge and costly. Most people have probably 'redefined' what they collect a few times as they find their likes change. I seem to remember Chris on this site sometimes sells a mixed bag of coins of various dates. Why not pm him and see if he can put together a selection you could look through and find out more about for starters? Or how about taking a look on the 'gallery' and see if there's anything you like the look of? I'm sure anyone here would be pleased to tell you more about their particular area! But most of all, remember it's a hobby! Do it for fun! Good luck!

No. It could be a turkey with flu. .

I generally agree with Geordie. But then I too am a collector of hammered coinage. My main aim in trying to get the best possible grade is because I am aware that the fine details that can identify a variety disappear with wear. As a variety collector, within a pretty narrow range, I try to collect the known varieties and hopefully new ones! In most cases I simply don't have the option of looking for a 'better' example due to scarcity. But for the common issues I do look out for upgrades. And even then, I just don't see the attraction of things like 'fine issue' coins struck on specially prepared flans and never circulated. They are just patterns really and, as Geordie says, don't have the 'history' of a circulated example. Below is a 'fine work' coin and a similar one of mine. Mine's on the right! This is about as good as I'm likely to get, there's no sign of wear even on high points. But what attracted me to pay a bit over the odds for it was that these particular coins are very rarely as well centred or on such an evenly round decent sized flan. Even then, variations in flan thickness have led to weak patches where the striking wasn't hard enough. The obverse die has corroded or started to crack and the flan has jumped between strikes so some letters are 'doubled'. On a milled coin these would be unattractive faults. But on a hammered coin like this they simply illustrate the multitude of factors that make collecting such coins a challenge! But I can see that such a monstrosity won't appeal to everyone! As for grading, I bought it as VF, but given that under a lens no wear and only a few 'bag mark' scratches can be seen you could go higher. But what on earth does nEF or UNC mean for a coin like this when the beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder? Though if only I could be bothered to get it graded, it would be interesting to see what PCGs made of it!

So a 'new variety' then? .

Estate agent talk. "Crisp but double struck,particularly on obv. Weak in places and on an uneven flan, but quite pleasing. gVF." would have done just as well I think.

There is always a certain amount of risk in acquiring anything ostensibly of value, and the only mitigation for that risk is to become knowledgeable enough to not have to depend entirely on another's opinion. That being said, it increases one's comfort zone, at least for me, to have another, supposedly authoritative, opinion that reinforces my own. In the end, I make up my own mind about a coin first, then look at the slab grade to see if it makes sense. If I like the coin enough, I will buy it regardless of what the slab says. I agree with the comments above and with Geordie. Here (again) is a coin that fascinates me. Graded NGC MS62 and sold with the following description for $1050. But is it a 'nice' coin? One you would want in your collection? I doubt it somehow, at least not for that price. So what is the advantage of the slabbing? - around $900 I'd say. "Great Britain. Charles I (1625-49) silver Shilling (1643-44). S-2843. Tower Mint issue, under Parliament (1642-48). "P" in brackets mm (Spink #98, struck 1643-44). Extremely elusive variety, the first time this cataloguer has ever seen this peculiar mintmark on a superior coin! The standard catalogue describes this issue as "coarse work" and that is clearly an understatement, for the die-work here is almost comical. The reason, of course, is that the talent escaped London with the king at almost the same moment this very coin was struck. The king was under threat of life and Crown even at the outset of the Civil War, when this coin was minted. He was as yet not disowned as Monarch, however, and the weak Parliament which preceded Cromwell's rise to overlordship was the official issuer of this coin, or "in the king's name" as the saying went. If you understand this groundwork, this historical context, you must perforce be impressed by this extraordinary specimen! NGC graded MS62 but the cataloguer is at a loss to explain the number. The coin is clearly Choice and without wear, peering at it under magnification. The surfaces are original and elegantly toned a medium gray color. While crudely cut, the portrait is extraordinary, suggestive of the strife of its day; the king's bodice shows some fascinating little details, vague emblems of majesty. The shield is equally interesting and well struck. So too the legends, although they are only partial, some letters being off-flan because of its shape. The rarely seen mintmark is crisp in detail. At first glance this coin looks like nothing, a crude cobbling of elements. The more you study it, though, the more you realize it's a simply superb example of this emergency coinage, made at one of England's most horrific moments, outbreak of its disastrous Civil War, which when it ended in 1660 brought back a monarchy totally different in power and attitude from that which prevailed in 1643, when this coin was made, almost even then "in memory" of once-mighty kingship. NGC graded MS-62. "

I've picked up one of these with frosted bust and bridge design and one with unfrosted. The RM website only pictures a frosted version. Is there any significant difference (ie should I put one of them aside for posterity!)?

The buyer buys antiques but very few coins. I wonder if they will regret the purchase?

"Good condition for it's age" The portrait is worn, apparently.

Me too. It looks too much like the gold painted lead counterfeit £1 coin I have in my fakes collection. Though if I collected fake Vickies I'd have a bid in the assumption that was what it was. Up to £10 for curiousity value.

DEI then. On the face of a Queen Victoria (old head) halfpenny (1885-1901). So much for imagination!!

Well, using a good deal of imagination and the colour reversing facility of Paint I could be persuaded I can see the letters DEC starting at 1 o'clock on image 2. So purely on this (and a lot of guesswork), you have a (maybe brass Centenionalis) coin of Decentius, brother of Magentius, usurper in the West, who temporarily detached Britain from the legitimate rule of the Constantinian dynasty. Ie: it's a coin of Roman Britain. You may be able to make out more detail with the coin in the hand. And I may be talking complete twaddle. But your coin is a bit less then VF condition so I've had to use my imagination!

I think it depends on your coins josie. For modern coppers and such that I don't want to tarnish too much and that I have picked out of change I use paper envelopes. I got mine by post from Colin Cooke I seem to remember you're based in Ireland (?) so it shoudn't cost too much. Mahogany cabinets can be bought second-hand at auctions but I had mine made, since I wanted specific sized holes in the trays. A bit indulgent but I had the money at the time and I fancied one! Old coins in poorish condition I just use the plastic flips that my nicer coins were supplied in! And of course Chris has those nice trays, which is the sort of thing I used before the cabinet (when the collection was worth rather less than now!). .

In the old days Colin, I used to use the Hartberger plastic flips so I could let my daughter's friends see the coins without the risk of sticky fingers and dropping. Now I don't let anyone else see my 'preciouses'. MINe! All Mine I tell you! Mwa ha ha ha ha! ,

Ah! Perhaps I should have said josie that the greater part of my 'collection' (ie the non-Charles I stuff), is stored in flips, biscuit tins, envelopes, wraps of paper and (my Dad's favourite) old cigar boxes!! My cabinet is not much bigger than a few paperback books, even though I love it dearly! .

Well I would say that, if it were not for new material coming on the market, then the hobby would be in the situation it is in the US, where collecting largely centres on modern coins (of the last 100 years or so) with more emphasis on new varieties, colour and condition of coins. People like myself would be stuck because of the breaking up of the last great collections in the 1950s. Any gaps in the collection and it'd be a matter of waiting until the remaining Lingford, Brooker or Lockett coin comes back on the market or tracking down the owner and make a private deal. And someone like me has neither the money nor influence to pull off something like that! Yes, every now and then a bit of farming or land development would turn up a hoard but that wouldn't be a drop in the ocean compared with the current market. And single coins like the Coenwulf gold penny? Forget it! Of course, being a non-detectorist, I was under the impression everything was registered with the PAS. I think I thought 'legal obligation' meant 'recording'. I guess I am now wiser on that count! .

I'm not quite sure what's going on here. Is there a problem with discussing detecting? I can't add anything about the price of "Porcupine" sceattas; not my area. However it makes sense that a greater supply of an item will affect prices. I understand that the price of one of the coins I bought from the Prestbury hoard is lower in the latest Spink (haven't bought a copy yet myself!) than it was. This is not surprising though, since there were four known and now there's six! Quite frankly, I'm happy with new coins coming on the market, providing the find details are recorded properly. It makes more material available to collectors and adds to our knowledge, both with the appearance of previously unknown varieties and with find location. As many of you will know, the Victorians et al were mostly uninterested in where a coin was found and much valuable historical information was lost. It's only with more recent finds that people can start piecing together ideas about different mints/moneyers and information about the people of the time themselves, for example, how much they may have travelled. And as for smithers and Jerry Morris, either explain what you're talking about in reasonable terms or keep it off the forum please. Ah! OK, Paul. The link worked so now I understand. I guess my point about 'properly recorded' stands.

I agree a cabinet is nicest. I like being able to arrange the coins and see related varieties at a glance. I too went for a wooden one a while back and am very pleased with it. The only thing I don't like is those empty spaces! Gonna have to do something about those I think!

Vive la difference! Sounds like a great idea to me. We will have Burgundy and France can have Burnley (!).

Yup. The internet sure is wonderful! Glad you found out some more Chris!