TomGoodheart

I can only guess the two guys were comparing which car they drove. The Mini was mocked .. but with the economics of the time, maybe a small car was a wise choice? Sadly it's all about context and at the time I was as interested in economics as most 13 year o Woah, is that a naked lady on the cover of new Black Sabath album!?!?

Ooh! Belated Happy Birthday to you too Declan!!!!!!!!

Well done! Now, if you can find me some rare Charles I shillings ...

Welcome Ant! Sovs are popular enough. I'm pretty sure at least a couple of members collect them. I don't know about them myself (gold generally is out of my budget) but I'm sure we can help! I don't know if you meant types in the numismatic sense (as in significantly different design) but that's a good way to start. It'd be easy enough to find an illustrated guide to the different designs and pick a nice example of each. Obviously as you go back to the earlier currency days the prices will start to pick up, but if you work on Victoria forwards until you get a feel for grading you should be OK. The same 'rules' as for any coin purchase apply. Don't clean them, choose some decent storage, buy as good as your budget will afford and getting a book (or ten) early on will generally prove worth the investment! Worth checking out the home insurance policy or thinking about secure storage too. Particularly if you're away from home for long periods? .

Gosh, these guys must know more than me as I didn't see this on the calendar, but ... Happy Birthday! Hope it's good and chilled!

It only reached the Heritage price because I bid it up! I just think US sellers have a different expectation about prices. Sure, it's decent enough. But as you say, it's tone free which won't help it sell this side of the pond. It also could be rounder, the obv privy mark is missing and there are some weaknesses in the strike. If it's full weight people might pay a bit more, but until it's set free we won't know. All in all I'd expect a UK dealer to aim for the mid-£200s up. But unless I'm completely out of touch with prices no buyer who knows the series is going to pay anything over £400 .. I only had a punt because there's nothing else out there and I've money burning a hole in my pocket! .

Curiouser and curiouser ...!

But that's eBay! I bid on this when it was at Heritage: I was the underbidder and it sold for £140 ($235). It did 14 days on eBay at $999 without a bite. When it was relisted I made an offer which was declined. It was again relisted, this time at $1,099.99. I made a slightly higher offer direct to his vcoins shop. I thought around £250 seemed fair enough. It's not a perfect coin, there's no way to tell the weight as it's slabbed and nearly 100% profit doesn't seem bad. But the seller seemed to think I was being cheap. I told him I thought the offer was about right for the UK market but he said he knows the market and I'd need to offer more. Whatever. I dare say it will sell eventually. But I can't see it making the BIN price. There's a difference between being a bit cheeky with what you ask and being unrealistic ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasili_IV_of_Russia Vasili IV (22 September 1552 12 September 1612) (Tzar 1606 and 1610) following th murder of Dmitri I believe the legends vary quite a lot. But I can just make out what I think is BASILEII and NOVI[CH} as it's similar to Greek.

Vasiliy Ivanovich Shuisky http://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/tony_fein/60/product/russia_empire__ar_kopek__160610__vasiliy_ivanovich_shuisky_ef/133745/Default.aspx

Should Salmond resign if it's a No? Oh, hang on a second ...

But as one of the biggest stories around (and certainly the biggest affecting the UK at present) surely the BBC is obliged to report on it? As for balance and impartiality, well, for an issue that stirs the emotions they are never going to steer clear of accusations of bias, whatever they do.

Feels like the damage is already done. Whichever way it goes, there will be a significant number of people who wanted something different. It'll take a skilled set of politicians to deal with the disappointed and hurt 'losers' so we can all move on from this and figure out where we're going now ... anyone know of any?

Edit. The unholed Maundy (small coins with 2 or 3 on the back) might be of interest to someone. The one turned into a small padlock also the George II token would find buyers somewhere like eBay if you wanted ...

Welcome freemason! Unfortunately on a brief glance the coins look well circulated (worn). There are collections - which are usually special coins someone has put aside or bought - and there are accumulations, which are coins picked from change. This looks more like the latter. Generally in such condition they will be of little value to collectors. There is a 1756 twopence that looks OK, a token (?) with the Royal Arms (Lion and Unicorn) that looks interesting but to be honest it's quite difficult to view a long list of links. Particularly as the front and back (overse and reverse) of the coins don't seem to be linked in any way ... Maybe one big photo of fronts another of reverses numbered so people can link the two sides for the older pieces? I can't promise there's anything of real value there but people could get a better idea maybe? Worth remembering that even if not 'collectable' all 'silver' coins prior to 1920 were 92.5% silver. From this date the content was reduced to 50%, so still some value in the metal up until 1947 when they all became cupro-nickel (except for Maundy (ie silver penny, twopence, threepence and fourpence). So worth separating out the coins into dates maybe? Of course, the sentimental / historical value may be greater than the financial. Depends what you want to do. If the idea of collecting more coins excites you then you might consider selling the silver coins and reinvesting in something (ideally in better condition) that you personally like. Otherwise maybe pick out the nicer coins and find a nice tray or frame and you could display them? .

That seems a shame Aard. Perhaps send Chris a message if you're really sure though, in case it's a while before he reads this. Be worth checking with him about existing posts too if you're concerned, since AFAIK even if an account is deleted the ex-member's comments can still be read unless specifically removed. I'll be sorry to see you go.

Hi and welcome Chris! Hopefully you'll find here as informative and helpful as the rest of us have! It's a fun hobby and suits budgets from zero (coins from change or metal detecting), near-zero (coin shop or junk shop 'bargain bins') up to the price of a decent proportion of the housing stock of a Northern English town! If you're interested in history then coins can be a great way to bring it to life. I certainly know rather more about the first half of the 1600s than I did before I started to collect. Despite all those lessons on the Tudors and Stuarts! And of course if you keep going back, then there's a whole world to discover in Roman coins, from those that were found locally to the reaches of the then-known world. (No, of course I didn't mean Scotland ..) .

That. People have different priorities Aard. Some spend a couple of grand a year on cigarettes. Others would rather have a cupboard full of clothes or several cars. But to others those purchases might seem crazy. Me? My hobby is self-financing. Paid for by selling coins I have, to buy ones I want. And topped up with cash gifts I receive for my birthday and at Christmas. I buy coins I like and can afford. No different from the rationale of those who spend more than the price of my car on a single coin, I imagine.

Hope it's a good one! And if you get any coins as a present, pics please!

Nice enough but not my thing sth. Any nice shillings of Charles I?

Better on the reverse. And better than the others I understand. gF for me. I could see a dealer call the reverse nVF.

I like shillings because I remember spending them. If I had a lot more money I'd probably have continued with milled ones as well, but budgetary constraints meant I needed to specialise and Chas I is where I ended up. Hammered shillings are a nice size (almost that of a bronze penny) and come with a good variety of portrait designs. Plus you can pick them up, breathe on them or drop them in your tea without causing much harm. I'd worry about copper and bronze in better condition getting finger marks or verdegris ... Halfcrowns I quite like, but they get pricier than shillings as you go back in time. I did own a nice hammered sixpence once. But milled ones are too tiddly for my taste. Shillings are .. just right. .

The College of Arms has responsibility for matters heraldic so any changes to flag and coat of arms will be down to them. Interestingly Scotland has it's own Court of the Lord Lyon So in theory they could drop the blue saltire and use the lion rampant ... or deep fried mars bar ..

Hi Chris and welcome! Feel free to show off some more hammered - we always like pics! .

I think your divorce simile is spot on Dave. Oh, we're good friends now and we've lived together reasonably amicably for 300+ years. But once one side starts to quibble about the details it's all too easy too see the other taking a firmer stance in return. And I can't see much help from Europe. Spain in particular, apart from it's own economic woes, won't want to encourage the Catalans or Basques (now there's a comparison Alex Salmond might like to use!) any more. And the newer members in the East will expect an independent Scotland to have to jump through the same the hoops that they did ...