declanwmagee

Commonest (looped Q) on the left, scarcest (long tailed Q) on the right. There's also a short-tailed Q which is between the two in scarcity

Contemporary or modern, John?

Now you're cooking. 1887 Shilling: Look closely at the Q on the top left of the scroll on the tail side. If you can see a distinct loop, it's the common type. There are two others where the Q has a tail, rather than a loop. If your 1958 shilling is really EF, and if it's the English variety (3 lions, not one), that's a very good coin. 1957 Scottish (one lion, not 3) in EF is also good stuff.

Lovely picture of a star stop too - thanks for that - I've only ever seen a cinquefoil...

now there was a man who knew the meaning of Shock and Awe

Good start! Don't forget to distinguish between English and Scottish shillings after 1937 - the differences in scarcity can be significant. As a useful exercise, see if you can identify which of the 4 varieties of 1913 penny you have, and just in case, have a look on Michael Gouby's website to check for Gouby X on your 1911 penny. How are you off for books? I have a 2009 Spink I don't use anymore. If you want it I'll send it to you for nothing.

it's their spam, not there spam

How can they tell, do you think? What do they know that you lot don't?

Well said, £400! I put my coin collection away when I was about 21 or 22, and didn't get it out again till I was in my mid-30s. If I'd have got rid of it back them, I'd have spent the rest of my days wishing I hadn't. Imagine how you'd feel if you sold your coins and some of them ended up under Mr Platts brillo pad! It is your sacred duty to prevent that happening, and if that means hanging on to them then that's what you must do. Decent coins need looking after properly, and you know you're the only man who can do that. I filter out all the sellers that niggle me in my searches, so I don't even see them. Eventually I forget they even exist. I started doing that after I saw a 1927 silver threepence made into a keyring. I don't put myself through that any more. Some second hand car dealers have practices I don't approve of, but I still drive cars.

I like these You can fill 'em with cheap plastic flips and gradually upgrade them to the nice cardboard self adhesives

Quite agree Rob. Pretty much everything I sell has been in the collection at some point anyway, so I'll only buy a duffer if it's to fill a bona fide gap, like the 1871 Penny was. I was only lax on grade because it was an 1871. 1872 is still a gap, for instance, but it's worth waiting for a nice one. I wouldn't buy one of them under VF+ or so. I suppose that makes me an upgrading collector. A proper dealer would buy specifically to sell.

I'm with you on that one, John. I'd rather not have a gap, end of story, which I suppose is the collector in me. The dealer in me shouldn't go near them, but I happily spent a tenner on an 1871 penny well below fine last month. I won't buy holed, verd, or otherwise really horrid, but if it's just good honest wear, then I'll usually have a low punt.

2009: F 575 VF 800 EF 1000 UNC 1500 Proof 3400

10. The tie points down, whereas on the 11 it points horizontally outwards. You remember that big blue book that smells nice, that you don't use very often...........? Thank you Rob! It's funny you should say that, we're house sitting at the moment, so I only brought a reduced library with me: Spink, CCGB, British Coins market values - just the ones I use for valuations. That was so I could fit the whole shooting match in a tuck box. So far I've wished I'd brought Davies, ESC, both Grooms, and now Peck. I have a little pile of coins that can't go further in the system till I get to use those references, and that was one of them!

OK, cleaned 10 leaves, or cleaned 11 leaves?

Is it one of those "at a glance" things once you know what you're looking at? Guidance would be greatly appreciated, 'cos I can't book it in properly till I can work it out....

Only in top grade. Not rare at all in average condition (Freeman 'N') I just sold a VF for a tenner. I think that's about right. Well good luck to you Declan! If you can get a tenner for a VF 'single exergue line' 1940, then more power to your elbow. Personally I think that's ... harrumph ... "optimistic" - I'd rate one in around EF for £10, and £50 for a BU (in line with Spink). Like I say, Freeman's estimate is between 1 - 2 million of the little bleeders. One of those mildly embarassing markups. Bought for £1.50 six months ago, sold for £10 yesterday.

...and let's face it, Barack Obama isn't even Barack Obama

Only in top grade. Not rare at all in average condition (Freeman 'N') I just sold a VF for a tenner. I think that's about right.

Me too Peck. I've even bought smuggled tobacco with it I did talk quite seriously with our local petrol station about taking it, and got very close to a deal, but they didn't quite have the nerve. As far as I can tell, all you need for a PayPal account is: A bank account A credit/debit card A post code A landline number Oh. That's Declan: 4 the Matrix: 0 then!

Have you noticed that most of the pictures (and, it has to be said, the coins are amazing) on the Tony Clayton site are contributed by the said Mr. Platt?

You see, it's not about who ruled where, it's about who lived where. The island of Britain acquired its prefix "Great" to distinguish it from the other, smaller, place where the Britons/Bretons lived. That wasn't, and still isn't, Ireland.

Less Britain

Amazing isn't it! I dare anyone to stand on the Falls Road and yell "You're all British you know!"

No no no, Great Britain is the geographical island. It's Great because it's bigger than Less Britain, which is Brittany. A bit like Great Missenden. Pre 1921 it was the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland. After partition it became the UK of GB & NI. No part of Ireland is in Great Britain, and that's geography, unchangeable, regardless of political boundary drawing. I stand corrected. I must admit it's the first time I've heard of that (about Brittany). Spoke like a gentleman, Sir!