TomGoodheart

Hi there. I wouldn't rush into auctions until you get a feel for grading and idea of prices. But the coin fair idea, to see coins 'in the hand' is a good one. I'm sure you're aware of the buy the best you can afford maxim. While budget comes in somewhere most of us here will agree that coins bought cheap are often relegated to the upgrade list later down the line. A good reason to start with (cheaper) more modern issues (nice examples of the commoner dates back to say, Victoria) at first. That will also help you develop a better eye for nicer coins ... and possibly a feel for how a coin can differ from a photograph of a coin! My only other suggestion would be to remember that the internet is an extraordinary resource. Checking out a few dealer sites or auction archives can give you access to many times the stock you'd see during a visit to one dealer or even a fair. And while photographs are never as good as seeing a coin in real life, it will help you get an idea of prices ... .

I'm guessing it might be the 1985 BNJ article? You can access that here http://www.britnumsoc.org/publications/Digital%20BNJ/1985.shtml Links on the left allow you to access an index to other digitised copies of the Journal. A useful resource to bookmark if you've not seen it before! .

The blurb is sort of amusing. But it bemuses me that people don't seem to be able to work out how to turn an image around so the coin is the right way up. That I find irritating!

I can see what looks like the very tip of the arrow just above the cross of the crown. I'd therefore agree with Rob. .

Ah, well.. although mainly a British forum, several members collect 'foreign' coins and we have a thread where members can post photographs. I'm sure many of us would be interested to see some of your collection and read a bit more if you'd like to add something: http://www.predecimal.com/forum/topic/6056-recent-aquisitions/ .

No help right now but quite a few members here are also coin dealers. Possibly one of them might help if they know to look out for a copy for you. A post here: http://www.predecimal.com/forum/forum/57-wanted/ certainly can't do any harm! .

Thanks Tom but if I am not wrong this lot has been sold not last Tuesday but last 21 April . Ah, yes. Sorry. I was confused by the website! However I suspect an auction search might be a good route. It seems to be one of the scarcer Sylloges. In that I haven't found it through any of my usual sources.

Hi Matteo.. A copy was listed (along with other books) for sale at a recent auction (Last Tuesday): http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/tooveys/catalogue-id-srtoo10050/lot-c3ed551f-129b-42a9-b094-a47c00ad463b The results do not have a price for that lot so maybe it didn't sell. You could perhaps email the auctioneers and see if it is available? A link to their email address appears on the Saleroom website. .

No problem with your English Matteo. And we all like talking about coins so hopefully you'll find people to answer any questions you might have. Welcome! .

That's terrible Peter. I'm so sorry to hear that. While none of us knew her, we sort of did, through your stories and anecdotes and I can't imagine how devastated you and your daughters must be. I'd give you a hug but it'd look stupid you being tall and me being a midget, not to say embarrassing. And Stuart said it better than me. But hopefully you'll get that my thoughts are with you. .

Always when I'm working.. Stupid rotas .. And yes, halfpennies are good. Nice coins. Not like shillings. Especially hammered Charles I shillings. Nobody wants those, so I'd steer well clear of them myself. I have three on eBay right now and each for well under a £grand and not a bite. Like I say, totally unwanted series, best avoided... .

Welcome Dan! Sounds like a good start. However, a small warning. I started collecting shillings with the aim of having an example of each major bust design and the main reverses but realised how deep my pockets would have to be if I wanted to go back to the Stuarts and the first (hammered) issues. I then got sidelined by the shillings of Charles I (I sold all the milled coins to Chris Perkins to finance them) and am still stuck here! So enjoy the journey, but don't be surprised if you end up with a slightly different collection from the one you first envisaged!

LOL There are two phrases that I think are useful you will encounter fairly frequently on the forum Jason. One is 'in the hand' and the other is 'eye appeal' I think you've possibly just had a valuable lesson in both! And we don't delete people. Everyone here started knowing little and most of us are still learning. No shame in that.

I don't have a club close to me and working shifts means I often can't get to evening events. However I have made contracts via the internet and correspond regularly with a few of them. One in particular I share new purchases and discuss all matters 'coiny' with. We've only met in person once but it's a good way to enjoy the hobby even if all by email. Virtually my whole collection has been sourced via the internet so I don't particularly miss meeting people while I have online friends and forums like this Not that I'm against the idea of clubs. If there was a convenient local society its quite likely I'd join. .

Cool! Yes, I think three strikes .. plus a bit if encrustation. I wonder how much they circulated for in England? .

aliexpress is a site where you can buy replica goods of pretty much any description. All made in China. The 10p listing I linked to appears to also be for replica coins, though their descriptions are never very clear as to exactly what you're getting .. maybe you have one of those too! All very curious. .

Not sure if it's related but it's interesting: 10 p .

I think it would depend on what was graded, at CGS91 isn't that a proof? Therefor the PCGS/NGC grade should be PF whatever. Just took a look at the CGS site and CGS91 is aFDC meaning the coin was a proof issueWell, I'm not much up on grading, so that could be the case. But if we drop down the table so proofs aren't a consideration, wouldn't the person with the CGS85 that graded US 64 be a bit unhappy that a GGS70 graded the same? Surely there's something odd going on there? .

A CGS 91 was graded lower than a CGS80?! Something very worrying there! Whether it's consistency or comparability, it does suggest you shouldn't make a decision about who you have your coin graded by lightly. It could have a dramatic effect, depending on where and to whom you might eventually wish to sell.

It should weigh exactly 8.0g

Just buy what you like. It isn't a job from which you earn a living, you are supposedly doing it for pleasure. What Rob says. All series of coins will have some dates/types or varieties that are eye-wateringly pricey. But you can avoid those at first until you're sure you want to concentrate enough to fill those gaps. Or collect widely. You don't have to focus on a reign, denomination or even metal. The key things I think are don't overspend until you feel confident you know those particular coins. Research can really pay off here. You can look at hundreds of coins from online dealers, from searching auction hosting sites such as sixbid, results sites like www.acsearch or grading companies and find what a really top example looks like before spending any money at all. Then buy coins you like. Yes, bang for your buck is possible. But that really requires you to know those particular coins well. It's spotting the rarer varieties or commoner coins in uncommonly good condition that can provide the bargains. But of course, that only comes into play if you plan on selling ... if you are building a collection then really it's probably more important to feel that you have found an example you are pleased with and haven't been ripped off. It's also important to remember that coin collecting has fashions, just like anything else. When I first started over a decade ago rare types and varieties were quite popular. Now? Very few people seem interested unless those coins are also in good condition. Grade and eye appeal are the main thing, at least for what I collect. And I admit to following the market, in that I have become much fussier more discerning. This year I have bought just 5 coins (3 of which I now slightly regret and am hoping to sell!) Having started buying enthusiastically and filling gaps where possible I have then spent almost as long weeding out poorer examples and upgrading. Eventually, I hope to be happy with every coin in my collection. It would have been easier if I'd known what I know now at the start and bought more carefully. But then nobody (apart perhaps from Rob) does that, do they?

Intriguing! It does at first look doubled. However there are elements on your coin that I can't see on the one I picked out of my daughter's purse to look at. It's like there is extra metal around all the edges of the design, but some parts such as the dots under the lower lion's back leg I can't explain through a double strike ... Clearly I haven't paid enough attention to modern coinage. When for example did the start employing school kids to do the designs? Those lions are rubbish! Can you weigh yours at all? Because it still looks dodgy to me and I'm curious. If it is a fake (or even if it isn't) I don't suppose it will be worth much of a premium over a regular one, but it's still very interesting, so thanks for posting it! They're faking these now too? I have what I think is a cast 1997 50p, but have not seen one like this before ... Why copy 50p? No idea, but I did hear of fake 20ps .. hardly worth the effort I'd have thought, but maybe that's the point .. people wouldn't question it.

Actually it looks like a modern fake to me.. very interesting! Picture of the other side please? .

I would but I already have two ... oh, hang on. I think I ate one at Christmas. It is a chocolate coin, isn't it? .

On first glance I can tell you it's a groat (fourpence) issued in Calais. But earlier hammered aren't my area and that part of the legend is pretty much all gone, so I'm not sure which King I'm afraid! .