TomGoodheart

And I've added a book on the coins of Charles I (of course!) By the way - is there a way to edit an entry? I also tried to add a photo but it doesn't seem to have uploaded. Good luck with the site!

For a chocolate coin! But then someone obviously thinks it's worth a few bob - not my area so I have no idea if it's ok or not. ebay is a real 'curate's egg' - you get some stinkers and some gems. I'm smiling cos I just bought two of the gems but tomorrow I might get my fingers burnt... who knows? caveat ebayor!

Happy Birthday Chris!! Hope the BBQ went well and you had a great day!

Well I'm pleased to see some nice person has put exactly the same two pewter replicas on eBay, labelled as such so hopefully the bidders on the earlier 'coins' will spot them and twig - if they don't what can I say? (I was a bit horrified to see Thistledonicely had bid earlier - I'd have hoped he'd know better!) Trouble is I have quite a few of these things myself and if some fool was prepared to give me £100 for them it'd go some small way towards my next purchase - OH! THE TEMPTATION!!!!

I don't know if it's more worrying that Rockinghorsepoo is buying this stuff or is curently bidding £107 for a pewter reproduction of a civil war coin (8312146592). Back to my earlier theme of should we warn these people or let them get their fingers burnt?!!

The very same... and now there are two on eBay (neither one is mine though!)

Wey hey!! eBay item 3973731654 Over £60!!! Strangely, I have one of these too (in fact I have two)!! Would anyone like to buy it? To you... only £30 (plus P+P) Do these people not know what they are doing? (duh!) I don't know whether to feel sorry or laugh. No seriously... the topic for this thread is... as numismatists, do we have any responsibility to advise people not to waste their hard earned pennies on dross or should we breath a sigh of relief and say " there, but for CCGB2005 and a few years experience, go I?" For what it's worth, on the few occasions I have tried to 'interfere' in market forces it has proved a thankless task... Anyone else had any more positive experiences?? Oh - for anyone who doesn't recognise it.. the 'coin' posted is available at the Jorvic centre in York. While excavating the site two coin dies were found and duplicates were made that visitors can use to strike their own 'coins' out of pewter blanks for £1 or so.

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....