TomGoodheart

This sort of thing Rob?

We tried Outlook for a day or so when we first got a computer, decided it was rubbish and switched to Hotmail. I don't seem to have any problems with it, it scans for junk fairly well and you can pick up your emails from any computer because it's web based. I don't know why people use Outlook, it just seems so dated and clunky to me.

On that note, there are some listed on ebay that state they are made from 'furniture board'. Not sure if this is mdf or something else, but proper mahogany trays are tried and tested and safe. MDF is not recommended for coins of any value as we don't know the long term effects of the glues etc that are used in manufacture. I had my cabinet made by Peter Nichols, but they can also be picked up at auction, though that way you have less choice about the size of the various holes. But a bit cheaper.

You know, £52,000 doesn't sound so bad! After all you'd be hard pressed to get a single petition crown coin for that, so a whole set is a bargain! I guess the lesson is that for coins of an 'exceptional quality' guide prices quite easily go out the window. Trouble is .. unless you've been very selective in your collecting you'd probably want to upgrade everything else when you see coins like that sitting next to them! Me? I'm sticking to nVF. Kinder on the pocket, if not on the eye!

pdfs of the British Numismatic Journal here: http://www.britnumsoc.org/publications/bnj.shtml

And the photo from which I cropped the second image (reduced of course)

I thonk there are advantages to both. My old scanner was pretty decent, but they didn't update the driver and it won't work with our current computers. The image is a bit flat but good detail. Photos I struggle with to get a representative image. I guess I could overcome that by having something more permanent but until I want to sell something on ebay all I really want is an image for my records that you could recognise the coin by were it lost or stolen. Scan on the left, photo right. Neither perfect but ..

Oh, I don't know. Perhaps I could be persuaded. Not bad eh? Now, where did I throw those slabs?

I have considered selling them but the more im finding out the more attatched to them i am becoming,the model 1/2d coin was actually inside the two halves of the coin next to it which i have always been fascinated with as i have never seen anything like it before ,do they actually belong together or did someone just put it in there,the case is silver from what i can make out. Cool. I've not seen anything like the coin/case, though people did split coins (smugglers' coins they are sometimes called) either to hollow them to maker double headed ones! Not sure if they belong together. Oh, and I looked up the Jubilee medal. It's an official issue, by G W de Saulles after T Brock. They aren't rare but yours seems in decent condition and should get £30 on ebay if you sold it. As to the prices, well, they are based on Spink's catalogues so .. just a guide. Selling is always hit and miss. You can be lucky and get several people who want something and even if it's pretty knackered the price will go up. Other days a real rarity will struggle to sell because nobody that knows there stuff is around! No, Class 10 is the design, depending on the style of crown and so on. Hammered pennies are a specialised area I've never studied but Eddy ones come in a wide variety of styles. There are even whole books about them! Yes. They were only minted in 1841, 1844, 1851, 1858 and 1861 before the reverse shield style changed. Not a terrible valuble issue but a curiosity, the odd fractional demomination that's not quite a halfpenny!

As for 'sought after', well most things can be sold, though you might struggle to get much for the later pennies and the poorer 3pence. I can't see anything fantastically valuble there but I guess that's relative. Some people will say £80 is a huge amount for a coin, others will pay £ thousands and not blink! Are you planning on selling them? Just that if you kept them, the smaller silver and other better condition pieces would make a start to a collection! You've some nice enough maundy coins Bit more about Maundy coins here, though they could be regular currency too - I'm not to hot on the difference! - a couple of hammered to better identify (which is part of the fun of collecting!) a dump halfpenny (C9), model coin (D6) a very good spread from which to chose an area that might interest ... just a suggestion!

For some reason I had difficulty getting the photos to display. But now I have ... the first group A, the pennies, not worth a great deal unless there's a scarce variety in there. Someone else can advise. No 1, the 1919 kn penny, might be worth a separate photo so people can assess the grade as these are a bit more popular in better grade (condition) Group B, any pre 1920 silver coins are 92.5% silver and pre 1947 50% so worth money for that. The smaller coins such as 4,8,12, 13 look like maundy pieces. If you have a set (1,2,3 and 4 pence) for a particular date they will be more collectable. Ones like 3 and 7 that are toned, DON'T clean them! They look very nice as they are and cleaning generally ruins coins. Having said that, coins like Gp D #1 are pretty poor and cleaning can't make it much worse! The gothic florin (C13) will be silver (1865 I think, but only poor condition and under £20 value) and possibly the coronation anniversary medal. The medal is likely to be of interest above the metal value. Gp c is an interesting mix. Two Roman coins, an Elizabeth I sixpence (4) mint mark eglantine (flower) .. £50+? and an Edward Penny .. I think that might be minted at Canterbury ... someone else will need to pin down the exact details I'm afraid. The Henry I can't identify. Southwark (London) mint groat? In which case £80+ 8 is quite nice, a Jersey 1/26th of a shilling. I can't make out the date but it's the first issue in copper from the shield design, £15-£60? The others the Guernsey 8 Doubles £5-£10, 4 Doubles £10? Well, that's a start! Others will no doubt add their views (and correct me!)

PETER! Don't you know you're doing it wrong!? Wife clips trees. You drink scrumpy. Result: Health & Safety maintained!

Watched the concert on and off too, and feeling the urge to say something I have felt for a long time ... great lyrics and music, but Sir Elton and Sir Paul can't actually sing very well at all!!!! There, off to the tower with me! Actually, they WERE in tune! But you're probably right, not as rich vocals as they had when younger. Is it just me or did both Grace Jones and the wonderfully rear-ended Kylie Minogue not look a day older than when they were having hits all those years ago? I thought it was sad how their voices had weakened. As for Cheryl Cole, well, I don't think she was in tune, unlike Kylie and Grace (who I am amazed to see is 64! Perhaps hula hooping keeps you young because I agree, she looked great!) I'd have liked to see Ozzy or some of the other 'old rockers' but hey, it was fun for what it was. And I didn't have to stand around in the cold to see it!

Ridiculous. Now were it a proper colour .... but as it is? Just a novelty.

Roddy Richardson did have one but his site is playing up so I don't know if it's still available ...

The seller was CromwellCrown, but it was a while ago: Coins for sale link

I couldn't see the 20 Crowns coin in the photos but as Gibraltar uses the pound for currency that sounds an odd denomintaion. Though as a crown is 5 shillings (25p) effectively that would be a £5 coin. Photos? The Gibraltar piece that is photographed appears to be a medal, like this one: Gibraltar New Constitution though 'yours' appears to be silver and so worth more. As to the Chinese coins, as with most things Chinese, the market is largely in China and there's plenty of new money and interest in antiquities. Depending on what your father-in-law has, if he ever wanted to sell, his best bet might be a larger auction house with Far Eastern contacts/ representation.

Hi Rob. From a glance at the photos what your father-in-law has a mix of what are called 'commemoratives' and bullion bars. The comemoratives are not really coins and are generally produced by places like Turks & Caicos or Guernsey to raise revenue. At best they will be made from silver and so worth bullion / melt price. Sadly the fact that they look pretty doesn't increase the value, unless you can find someone that collects such things. There must be some out there but most coin collectors aren't interested. The bars are just a way of buying silver, but again likely at a makr up. A coin is made to circulate, ie: to be used to buy goods and services. Gibraltar does produce it's own coinage, but I doubt any of these are coins as such. As copper said, it looks as if they were bought from magazine adverts which tell you how scarce they are and how they are silver but don't mention that they are no different from commemorative plates, mugs or porcelain dogs. The only sure fire way to make money from them is to be the one selling to the public. I suggest you check for certificates that confirm what metal the 'coin' or bar is made from (there are occasionally platinum issues). Any without you might have to assume they are base metal, though a jeweller can check. With effort they might sell on ebay, or as a lot at auction or to a dealer/jeweller for just under melt value.

Ah, toning. There's another thing to learn I'm afraid. Particularly with hammered silver coins. Before they were struck the planchets (coin blanks) were heated and de-greased and would come out bright or nearly white. But with time (and remembering people weren't terribly fussed about cleanliness so most coins would get greasy from food, stored in a damp leather purse and passed from grubby hand to grubby hand) the silver would start to oxidise (tone) very soon. This coin is nearly black, particularly in the areas that get less wear. Left to age naturally, most coins will end up like this eventually. And actually, I find this one with it's velvety tone quite attractive in the hand: This on the other hand is more typical being a slightly pinkish grey. You can see that the high points, particularly the lettering of the legend are brighter. This is an example of cabinet wear - the coin has been in a collection for many years, but stored in such a way that as the coins were inspected it has slid around and the high parts of the design have been polished. Not ideal, but not uncommon either and as it's a scarce type and didn't cost me much ... Of course, you do get shiny coins looking much as the day they were made. Found coins sometimes need cleaning and people do silver dip coins that have toned unevenly and unattractively. But generally I prefer mine to have some toning. Not the rainbow stuff though!

Not sure what my Mom's gotten to do with it Peter ... And I'm pretty sure that even a mere 300 years ago cattle were gotten in from the fields and a shilling would have gotten you ale and a wench to, er .. hold your ale while you went to the privy. You must be younger than I thought.

They are carved from gemstones or seashells that are naturally layered. One layer is cut through to another, so that the design stands out against the (lower) contrasting layer. This one is carved from sardonyx, a type of onyx.

THE STANDARD GUIDE TO GRADING BRITISH COINS

I imagine the number of certifed proof ultra cameo (whatever the heck that means) coins will be limited, but yeah, I do wonder if someone hasn't gotten a bit carried away there. That's what? $66,000 for the set? Not including commission. And no doubt they will just sit in a bank vault. Certainly I can't see the buyer cracking them out of their slabs (assuming they're slagged) to admire them .. Not my sort of thing I'm afraid. Plus I question whether the buyer will have any chance of getting their money back for many, many years ..

What Peter means is that he has a few mistakes to sell you if you're interested Then if you're still interested, I have a few mistakes for sale also Me too! Did I mention what a fascinating series the hammered shillings of Charles I are? And how examples can be bought (from me) for well under £200? Always pleased to help.