TomGoodheart

This appears to be a third coinage (1619-25) quarter-laurel (=crown (v or 5 shillings)) of James I. It appears to have a spur-rowel (star) mint mark (the small mark placed at the edge of hammered coins which identifies when they were issued) dating it to 1619-20. See Spink Coins of England S2642 It isn't uncommon for coins to have been pierced though it reduces their attractiveness (and value) somewhat. Hope that helps

Indeed. Thank you for letting us all know Chris. It's sad to hear of the death of such a well known and respected figure.

Well thanks for that Oli - it was most interesting. I appear to be some kind of anarcho -leftist. Along with my friends, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and the Dali Lama. I can live with that. No wonder I find all this election stuff irritating - Labour are just too far right wing for me and as for the others.... Free health care, scrap the bloody trend towards everyone and their dog to go to university, make school about educating children to remain curious about the world around them and caring about their fellow human beings rather than about passing exams. Make prison about rehabilitation, work to reduce drug addiction to reduce crime. Reduce the pension age to 50, increase National Insurance contributions to cover it (triple should do). Of course what we really need is for a change in public attitudes so that being a teacher, doctor, nurse, train driver or dustbin (wo)man, is more likely to be a childs aspirations than being a vacuous celebrity. Oh yeah - I read about this place called Utopia - sounded good - I think we should have that too. We could pay for it by levying a tax on political hot air.

Oh dear. The seller found the reverse mark. And the 'coin' looks more and more like the real thing each time it's listed. I give up

Oh pooh! I missed my anniversary! Happy 'birthdays' to the rest of you though and thanks for the entertainment, companionship and education (especially Chris - hip, hip....hooray...!)

Well, I see that elena's listing has ended early. Sadly however I am now suspicious about the remaining listing #3968648666 (aren't I terrible - do I have no trust in ordinary decent honest people at all??). It's a 1902 Russian 37.5 rouble, slabbed by a company called PCI. The only thing is, if you had a coin of which only 225 were minted and worth in excess of $65,000 (apparently), wouldn't you set a reserve?? But then, hey, I know nothing - these coins aren't my area at all. Maybe someone else would like to take a look? Oddly, I have found restrikes of this coin (albeit in silver not gold) for sale on the internet from bullion dealers. (Just happened to be surfing and somehow came across them...) But then a certification service would recognise a restrike wouldn't they? Particularly if it had been gilded. Please reassure me they would someone! Pleeeaze!!!

There is indeed an extra mark which the seller perhaps hasn't noticed. Of course, it's more likely that the second coin that they are so lucky to have (fancy having two of these rarities - that's a turn up for the books isn't it?) just doesn't have the obverse marks but still has those on the reverse. A die sinker's error I think they call it. The company that makes these 'coins' have said they will take up the issue of this item with eBay, so hopefully that will resolve it. In the meantime I agree with Chris that there would be a lot less entries on a 'dodgy' list than an honest one. I don't think anyone can object if we chose to share honest observations about listings or sellers, so long as everyone sticks to the facts.

Ah - the joys of eBay! Would you believe there are eBay sellers called Real_Dodgy and Dodgydealer!!! Perhaps I'll change my name to youreallsuckers or perhaps Youdhavetobemadtobuyfromme lol!

Just a bit! I think it will be most interesting to see what eBay does about it. I have sent both them and the people who make the reproduction coin emails, so I shall be waiting to see if the listing lasts for the full 10 days! Anyone who wants to follow it the listing number is 3968725927.

And I'm (still) busy searching for rare Charles I shillings (finding an 'allegedly' 'dodgy' eBayer in the process)! But 'hi' to everyone anyway! What's the job MM?

Another seller to avoid! elena2632 - who had the bright idea (after I sent an email mentioning that the 'coin' on sale was a reproduction) of 'painting' out the identifying marks! Spot the difference!

It isn't so much that particular 'coin' that worries me - as Kuhli says education will sort that out - it's things like this Warrens Replica Coins that make me wonder if there shouldn't be a requirement to make repros more clearly.. well, repro!

Hmmm... OK Matty. First things first. In most cases a hole does not recommend a coin. It can reduce the value considerably. Second things second. To get any idea about the value of a coin you need to identify it. If you have a digital camera or scanner you can post a pic here and someone like me could take a look. Sharp decent size images please (of both sides!) Finally, not all coins have the value on them, so the diameter in mm would help to distinguish between say a crown and a half-crown. Alternatively try searching online sites like Andy's (online coins) to find a coin that looks like yours. Finally, nobody here can give you an exact value. That depends on demand when you come to sell it. The commoner the coin the easier to determine an accurate potential value. The less frequently a type of coin comes on the market the more difficult it will be.

Hmmm.. sorry, still trying to do the math here Chris.

Cool!! A whole new (admittedly incomprehensible) world!! (Nice site Berg)

Damn! I thought they rode around in ambulances rescuing sick coins that have been run over or dropped on their heads. So much for my career plans... A sick coin in need of help......

An even more belated happy birthday Oli! Hope it was a good one!

Yes, I have found this too and especially look for sites from dealers overseas as often they do not know what they have in stock! I have recently bought a coin from someone in Germany - he paid the same for the lot of 9 coins at an auction that I paid him (and I think I paid a fair price!) for just one of them. If only I spoke more languages....

Looking good JMD! Your website's coming along nicely!

'Cept about grading Chris....Chris having said that JoW - a crown weighs 28.2 grammes and until 1902 it WAS silver (well 92.5%) so they are a popular collector's item. It's from the reign of Geo V (1927) that they were debased to only 50% silver and subsequently from the 1951 crown you posted issued in 100% 'fine' cupronickel.

The counterfeit coin club webpage suggests 1% of £1 coins are fake which, considering how common they are is quite a number. This one is in lead and gold paint and no, I doubt it would have lasted much longer if I hadn't taken it 'out' of circulation.

Hmm... can't say I entirely agree with you there JMD. While modern 'reproductions' (the sort of thing one sees in the gift shops at historical houses etc) are just a novelty and modern counterfeits (produced to cheat collectors out of their hard earned pocket money) are a nuisance, I think there is a place for the study and collection of contemporary (ie produced at the same time as the original) counterfeit coins. I guess if you want to split hairs you could call it paranumismatics, but copies are a part of the history of coinage, just as much as Krasnaya's tokens, defaced or engraved coins or coins with adjustment marks and haymarking. For example, counterfeit coins of George III are quite common and make an interesting study if you like that sort of thing. I collect (of course) counterfeit Charles I shillings as a sideline but am quite happy if I get a fake £1 coin in my change because I find them interesting. My final word (for now!) JMD - if someone offered you a Dutch copy of the Oliver Cromwell crown would you turn it down?

Yes. I found myself upping my bid on this little thing rather more than I should. Happily I got it for a lot less than my max (and rather less than Spink wanted for a similar one a month or two ago so I'm quite pleased!)

They're really rare then.....? (My personal view is that as long as you're happy with it, price isn't too important. Of course, we all learn lessons along the way and get better ideas about pricing, but temptation is a terrible thing!!!)

OK - I'm being lazy here! This one's for Anthony, Alex and James!! (Sorry I didn't post in each of your respective threads guys!) Anthony and Alex's forums first - a word of caution. Most of the time I'm on the web to search for new material for my collection not to chat. I found Chris' site either because I was looking for accessories (coin tickets I think) or because it had a link to Vale coins (hammered coins, my interest). I did some business with Chris and at some stage thought I'd look at the forum and found a thread I wanted to reply to. I occasionally "pop round" to catch up 'cause I find it entertaining. Your forums both look much like this one and I doubt I would spend much time there. Then, maybe I'm not a 'Forum' person - I have noticed the same 'faces' at other forums I've visited and nothing new in the threads to interest me. I stick with Chris' forum because it's active and varied even though there's not much chat on Charles shillings that's ok. My point is that I agree with Chris - if you want a succesful site you may need to think more about what you want out of it first - who do you want to visit and why? If you are happy to have all of these guys that's fine, though I suspect that, as with too many similar treads people eventually settle on one site and favour it. If on the other hand you want to attract new blood (newbies or otherwise) you need to offer something unique. Seems to me there's no point trying to replicate Predecimal. In summary then, my preferences for sites (and initial impressions) are: #1 - James' - a straightforward beginners site run by an enthusiast #2 - Alex's - a perfectly start for a site though I could do without popups! #3 - Anthony - a good start but I worry you're getting carried away with what you CAN do without planning WHY. There are plenty of UK coin sites out there and yours doesn't yet stand out for me. Speaking for myself, I like sites that have pictures of coins (or at least some, so you can get an idea of the seller's grading). Here are two examples you may like to look at: Coincabinet and Timeline You decide which is more attractive and easier to navigate. (Don't want to be mean Anthony, but it's a tough world out there!) I hope you take my comments as intended, as friendly advice and good luck to all of you!