TomGoodheart

All I know is I collect coins because I like them. The only time value comes into it is when I want to buy something and need to raise money by selling another coin to purchase it! Coins are completely separate from any investments and sadly for the government I am a very poor citizen in economic terms. I rarely buy the sort of high end items I see colleagues sporting like smartphones and iPads. My car is now 4 years old and I have no intention to change it. We pay off all bills at the end of the month and live within our means. (Not so sure about daughter but, hey, what's a student loan for eh?!) Revitalise the economy? No thanks. I'm just going to sit here and hold on to as much as I can for when I retire. The coins? Less than 5% of my total wealth. I only consider myself well off because I can afford (thanks Mum and Dad and Grandpa) to buy what I'd like. If I had a similar 'net worth' back in the 19th century I would probably have been in a similar position I guess. But collecting would undoubtedly been more of a challenge due to my antisocial nature making obtaining information, exchanges like this and finding material to buy far more difficult. . .

Happy Birthday John!

My personal view as an exclusively on-line collector is that I'm better off now! The ease with which information can be gathered and referred to I'm sure makes collecting a simpler task than it used to be. Plus where I would have had to write a letter to another collector who might then have introduced me to someone sharing my interests, I now just send an email and get a friend's opinion on a coin within minutes. Similarly I can and have bought worldwide as far as the US, Australia and Europe. In the old days it would have taken far more effort to find stock or auctions internationally and likely I would have had to fork out significant sums to be on the mailing list of a comparable number of dealers as I am able to access by the internet. Yes, there are star coins that have disappeared to museums or collections I will never access. Though as a care worker, probably these would not have been within my budget when they were available to collectors. But I only started collecting about 10 years ago. Looking at relatively contemporary collections such as Brooker's and even Ashby or Hughes' there are some great coins. But there are also some that I feel I have a better example, or at least a comparatively acceptable one. So the fact that I can't afford a Lockett / Murdoch/ Montague provenance coin is not one that troubles me greatly. I look for the best I can find, or what I feel has good eye appeal and that satisfies me. And who knows? With a bit of luck in a decade people will be complaining that they can't find coins to compete with those from my collection! ... Or a huge hoard will be discovered containing enough top grade rarities to satisfy the entire next generation of collectors! .

When I buy things at auction it is with the intention of keeping them in my collection, so really the only question is whether I think it's a fair price to pay or not. Yes, I'm aware of the 'add ons', but I am essentially a collector and so in it for the longer term. When selling I only sell individual coins to (ideally) recoup what I paid so I can put the money towards upgrades and additions to the collection. So it's not worth my while going to an auction house. My preference is another enthusiast collector, then I know the coin is going to 'a good home'. Plus we'll probably be able to agree on the price whereas dealers who don't particularly know the area won't recognise the rarities etc. Next best is to part exchange with a dealer for a coin I want and then a fair way down and third choice is eBay. eBay is not perfect. But it's simple to use, waiting time is minimised and has a huge audience with costs that are not exorbitant.

A kind member here whose name shall remain secret Declan, once reminded me that modern coins such as George V halfcrowns were struck in the millions. For many years of issue excellent examples still exist in decent quantities. So it's worth holding out for a nice one. Edges and all! .

Personally, as well as keeping records of coins I'm interested in I find a Google image search can be useful. I pick out coins from dealers and compare prices and stated grades to get a better idea of how what I'm looking at compares. Just an idea ... .

It sort of depends what you mean by 'auction sites' John. There aren't any quite like (or as big as) eBay. However many auction houses have their own websites if that's what you mean? DNW, Spink and Baldwins are the big ones. London Coins, Warwick& Warwick, Lockdales are others I've used. Or quite a few use sites like sixbid numisbids invaluable and the saleroom.com That help? .

eBay is the answer Sparkey! People list things at whatever price they want. If some fool is happy to be parted with his money it will sell .... but that doesn't mean that's what one should pay. Or what something is worth. Meaning what you'll get back if ever you try to sell. As for grading, well we all know that there's a tendency to grade higher when selling than when buying .. Hence the importance of learning about grading yourself so you rely less on others opinions. .

I only collect coins that I like. Hence someone else's opinion is largely irrelevant and it would come out of the slab to go in the trays. Of course the label would be retained, just as I keep old tickets and envelopes. They are part of the provenance and history of the coin. If however I bought it in the hopes of selling it on for a profit, the slabbing might play a part in that. And even if not, I'd probably leave it for the future owner to decide. Easy enough to unslab a coin. Difficult to put them back! .

Sorry Stuart. Elizabethan busts are still an arcane science where I'm concerned. But good luck anyway! .

251720770217 Sadly for the seller, ultrasonic cleaning doesn't make it any more genuine. .

LOL And yes, I can see it too. Do you know how often this '2 phenomenon' comes up Stuart? Just for a moment I wondered if it was a way of a particular die-maker identifying their work. But then correcting it seems to confirm that it was just an error .. and were I to want to identify my work, I'd probably find a subtler way .. a dot in the centre of an O or something ... Sorry, just waffling! .

Not exactly, Rob. I'm still adding coins to hide the felt! Just now, rather than aiming for one of each type/ variety in any condition, I have more duplicates with equivalent - albeit different - good features. Yes, the long-term aim is still to complete the collection from A1/1 to H3/2, with all privy marks and all coins with sufficient 'eye appeal' to give me that sense of satisfaction! But I now accept that it may never be finished! .

I think for me the problem is knowing what's available. Plus I don't have the budget to only buy top quality material, nor perhaps patience! OK, I know where a number of what I'd consider to be 'star' coins are. Ones that could be considered to be amongst the better examples for the type. I guess I could just talk to the current owners and wait until they are prepared to do a deal. But of course, there's limited enjoyment in only buying one coin every few years! So the majority of my purchases tend to be 'happy finds'. ie regular coins in better than average condition, most of which are not provenanced and which I'm lucky enough to spot in my searches. The problem is that I am beginning to suspect that most collectors are currently in the same boat as me. I'm certainly holding on to the coins I like most and only aiming to dispose of the ones that no longer appeal. But of course, they often also fail to appeal to others, being coins I picked up early on before I knew better could be found. Which perhaps explains why I'm passing over almost all the currently available material. It just doesn't 'do it' for me any more. Even the A2/3 in the upcoming London sale. A few years back I'd have bitten someone's hand off for an example. Now I look at it and go ".. meh .." Just filling a gap no longer gives me the thrill it used to. Now I want a coin I will enjoy looking at too! And when the options are limited (such as the Cornwall halfcrown Rob recently posted) I'm beginning to think a gap is more acceptable than a coin in which I see more minuses than pluses. Oh, and dream coin? Right now (tomorrow it might be something different!) I'd just like a decent D1/1 (S.2789, currency coin, not fine work) to go with my D1/2 Anyone? .

Investment? No idea. From a known collection more desirable? To me, yes. I enjoy the fact that I have coins with tickets from know collectors and collections. That have been illustrated in articles or auction sales catalogues. However I know of a few provenanced coins that haven't sold. So my impression is that, for most collectors, condition is still the most important factor. Coins in poorer condition, even if rare and with provenance, don't seem to be attractive to the majority of today's collectors. Which I don't think was the case 10 years ago ... though I could be wrong. So perhaps from an investment pov the key thing about decent provenance is to provide reassurance that the coin is genuine? .

I think those are eBay pics Peck. Probably best to wait until you have the coins to photograph yourself Arthur! And welcome!

Interestingly it made me revisit my '65 crowns. I actually like the Nemon design better, now a few years have passed. And certainly better than the Richards' portrait. .

Wasn't Chris going to invite him?

Personally Mynki (and bearing in mind I don't generally collect milled coins) while I quite agree that different dates and denominations vary considerably and it requires knowledge to know which ones can be easily found looking perfect and which will be a struggle, I think a coin in the hand is worth two in the book!. As it were! A photo or even video just isn't the same as having a coin you can weigh up, tilt in the light, inspect at all angles. In fact I have a 'jolly nice' 1916 halfcrown. If ever I do get round to visiting a coin fair I shall take it along and seek out one of the dealers here (or several!) and ask their opinion of it. I'm sure it will help me learn more about grading than all the photographs, auction listings and so on I've relied upon to date. And if my coin turns out to have been cleaned, not in the grade it was sold as or otherwise different from the description, I shall have gained by the experience just as much (or perhaps more so) as if I had got a bargain! As for your son, I'm sure he'd like to hold a piece of history more than see a picture in a book! .

Not me. But I do think that's a brilliant idea Mynki! Well done that (wo)man(?)!

It has been interesting to hear your thoughts Marvin, so thank you! When I say 'nice' about a coin I simply mean would it give you enjoyment if it were yours? Now for some, that enjoyment is dependent upon whether the coin in question can be considered rare. For others it's the grade, or where in the population of similar coins it sits. Or who has owned it before ... value or pleasure in owning a coin can be added (or lost) through many diverse factors beyond the simple appearance of the coin itself. For myself I largely rate on 'eye appeal' although I freely admit this is a bit like admiring paintings. Some instantly draw me and others leave me cold ... but ask me to explain quite why and you'll probably end up an hour later no wiser, beyond realising I can talk a lot while saying little! Yes, it's fun to find someone else who appreciates a coin I like. But that's because I enjoy talking about coins! But to have some third party (grader, auction house or even dealer) tell me what they think of a coin (grade, condition or rarity) is of little interest to me. As for collecting, I just like being able to handle my coins. I simply wouldn't enjoy them as much if I couldn't. I know, I know. I've gone on about it again! But I do like to try to explain my reasoning in case anyone is interested!

Happy birthday Paul! Hope it's a good one and adding coins to the collection is included somewhere in the celebrations! We should have a Birthday Cake smiley, shouldn't we? :birthday: Oh well, I tried!

Perhaps I should change my name to Old&Hammered ... just a thought.

I don't particularly disagree Marvin. But it's very much an individual thing I think. As you said earlier: My coins cost mostly under £500, in fact the majority quite a bit under! I like to be able to pick up my coins. After 300+ years most are not going to be much affected by careful handling so as long as I don't drop one or rub it with something abrasive I think they should be OK. As for authentication, an increasing proportion of my coins come with provenance. I suspect that the majority of people I might sell my coins to will be reassured enough knowing it came from a named collection or reputable auction house. So far UK based 'investor' type buyers, who might be comforted by a coin being checked by a TPGS, don't seem that interested in the sorts of coins I own. Is this a nice coin? I suspect those that find it appealing will be prepared to pay for it without needing someone else's endorsement. Those that don't aren't likely to be interested at any price. .

I get emails saying "congratulations and where's the money?" I rely on those to know if I've won, unless I'm actually online at the time the sale ends. Of course, I don't have a fancy phone with ebay apps and so on. But it will let me check for emails. Does nobody else do it like that?