Sylvester
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Posts posted by Sylvester
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Mind you, I suppose they are not aimed at the beginner are they.
Spink's was the first coin book I bought when really started collecting and it has taught me a few things but some of it still baffles me
I must admit i've been bad and i haven't bought any coin price guides since the 2000 Coincraft one, (in January 2001 i bought that!), prior to this i'd been working from Seaby's 1993 catalogue. (Prior to that i was working from a Spinks 1985 one).
I doubt i'll buy another one for a while. If i see a coin for sale at a certain price on a coin list somewhere, i just tend to call in at the local WHSmiths pick up the new coin book, look up the price, make a mental note, and leave again.
I might buy next years though, wouldn't want to get too far behind as prices are rising pretty quick these days.
(Breaks these unintentional 8 year cycles you know!).
Having scouted through the 2003 one in the shops, and the 2004 one the prices in my area of coins seem to have gone up a bit, but not phenominally.
I'll admit that i don't find Spinks/Seaby's or whatever it may be that useful, decent price guide and all yes not to be doubted. But for actual background info, i think i'll wait for an updated Coincraft if one is ever forthcoming.
Chris are there any decent books out there on Early Milled stuff? (Not George III cos i've got all the coins i want from that reign for now...both dated 1787).
Looking particularly for stuff from 1662-1758 inclusive.
Preferably 1674-1694 hint hint!
Syl.
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Recently took delivery of the 2004 spink catalogue and have noticed reference to Die Axis. In the book it shows two arrows pointing up or one up and one down to denote the axis.
So what is a die axis, the difference between the up and down arrow and how is it relevant to a struck coin?
Many Thanks.
Right die axis...
Best way to do this is to hold a coin, any coin... hold with the obverse facing the right way up. Hold the coin so you have your finger on the top of the coin and the thumb around the bottom edge.
Then turn the coin sideways to see which way up the reverse is. If the reverse is the same way up as the obverse, then the coin has been minted with 'medal' alignment and will be shown as an up arrow, if the reverse is 'upside down' then it will be in 'coin' alignment and will be refered to in you're book with a down arrow.
US coins are still minted in coin aligment. Most other countries are now with medal alignment.
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Still, I'd much sooner walk through any other town than Leeds with a pocket full of bullion coins.
Oh no, Sir !!
Thanks again for the contact.
What even Bradford?
No i must admit i do try to avoid Leeds at all cost, can't stand the place if truth be known.
Syl.
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Fenman: I live in West Yorkshire so haven't been to the northern area for some time
Yorkshire is like a whole other Country isn't it! Wow.
Yeah it is, the attitude up here is quite the same...!
A whole different country down south...
Yorkshire encompasses West Yorks, South Yorks, North Yorks, and that other place now it's either East Yorks or the East Riding of Yorkshire, i'm not sure what it is officially called. (I think it's the latter).
York is technically the capital of the county, but then again there is Leeds...
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Actually I haven't, what's the name of it?
I live in West Yorkshire so haven't been to the northern area for some time - although I'd be prepared to if there are some bargain trinkets involved.
Thanks.
If i recall rightly it's J. Smiths.
I know for a fact it's on the Shambles. (That little old rickety medieval street not far from York Minster)
He said he might not be open at the beginning of Feb though as he's going somewhere. But if you do get to go then it's well worth it, he's (from my experience) very honest, and prices things up decently.
That's where i got my bargin on that James II Half guinea from!
I often spend a good hour in there just looking before i buy, and about half an hour just looking afgter i've bought.
Depends what denomination you like most. Currently if you like half crowns and shield reverse sovereigns you can't really lose!
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The guy in them is in 16th century costume and looked at first glance like Philip II of Spain until it became obvious that the woman (?) in the middle was no Mary Tudor!
What came to my mind was (from left to right)
Phillip II of Spain (as Geoff said)
Elizabeth I (Rather caricature i know)
And Francis Drake or Walter Raleigh or the like...for the last one.
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There is indeed a 1675 5/4 variety listed, ESC gives it 'R' (Rare)
The 1676 6/5 is also 'R'. The normal 1676 is also 'R' and the normal 1675 is 'N' (normal).
I don't have the gold book, but I know there is one somewhere with an 'R' scale.
Thanks for that Chris.
I'm sure the 1675 is a 5/4, i think i can see the top of the 4 and the horizontal crossbar at the very rear of the 4.
Funny that because the dealer didn't note it down as such, but noted the 1676 down as 6/5 but the 5 if it's there is very very faint, that's if it's there at all.
Although i don't think 6 NOT over 5 actually exists as such. But the 7 is rather faint too...so it leads me to conclude that the 5 is present but just weak.
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I have photocopied two pages of statistics for gold and silver coinage, 1660 to 1694 (I think it is). I'll scan them early next week and we'll see if this system works.
Eliza
Dunno Eliza, depends how good the scanner is. I've tried to scan writing before and sometimes it just comes out totally blurred!
Oh Chris get out that book of yours and give me the R/RR/RRR treatment on these like you did for my 1680 sixpence.
The two that i bought are... (Sixpences)
1675 5 quite possibly over 4.
1676 6 over 5.
and the one i didn't buy;
Charles ii half guinea 1674. (a pretty decent one at that!)
Thanks in advance...
Syl.
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Of course, living in the Yorkshire sticks I don't have great access to the bustling metropolis of anywhere with a resident coin dealer so it's ebay and online stores only for me.
Yorkshire hey?
Have you tried that coin shop in York?
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I think so: 1956 or '58. Some poopsie with pigtails on the obverse ...
1956 most likely, production of this denomination was terminated in 1956.
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I've heard that the Wren farthings were indeed hugely popular in England. I have one, 1958, holed -- no doubt to wear.
Eliza
1958?
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James II was reputed to have never bathed in his life. Stinky man.
I though that was James I?
I can tell you that apparently George IV was one of the more hygenic monarchs that insisted on regular baths. His wife didn't believe in them however, and no wonder why he couldn't stand the sight of her.
But sadly partially because George insisted on remaining cleaner than many of his contemporaries he was considered very odd, and became rather unpopular, there were many other reasons as well.
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It looks like the Forth Bridge to me, which in fairness ought to be one of the most familar British bridges. London Bridge is completely nondescript. Are you thinking about Tower Bridge, Sylvester? I thought only 1960s Arizonan businessmen made that mistake :-)
Geoff
Yes i meant Tower Bridge...sorry i'm an ignorant person from the north!
The English one i believe is actually the Millennium bridge...at Gateshead? Now that coin is horrid.
The Scottish one is the Forth Bridge. That's pretty decent.
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Ok, i will email it to you soon.
More so i just found these ancient coins on ebay which will finish in a few hours
And then Chris can email it to me...
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I'm sure they are very nice bridges, and there would no doubt be lots of people stuck on the wrong sides of many rivers if it wasn't for those wonderful bridges, but there are so many fabulous building and bridges that have never appeared on coins.
Why have they not done London Bridge???
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My dad was a seasonal park ranger for a summer, in Montana. I was three. He would get his ranger paycheque cashed at the bank in Morgan silver dollars. I got to play with them. They weren't worth much more than face at the time and my mother was always cursing them for weighing down her purse.
Eliza
How times have changed eh?
Of course in the US you've still got all the things that pull in new collectors by the bucket full. The state quarters, coins from before the Second World War can still be found in change, and of course so can silver.
It's things like that that drags everyone into collecting, amongst other things.
What have we got...owow 1971 pennies!!! And if you're really lucky you might just get a steel penny that has missed the copper plating process.
And that's about it...
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I have a question to everyone: WHERE are the Charles II 6ds? I see shillings, half crowns & crowns for sale but almost NEVER (if ever) a sixpence.
Eliza
Hmmm did i not mention that sixpences are the scarcest of the whole lot?
No? Well they are. If you think Charles II Sixpences are hard to find you should try looking for a James II one! I've only ever seen one in my entire life.
And when i comes to EM; Half crowns are everywhere! when compared to the other 3 proper silver coins. (leaving out the maundy stuff, which wasn't actually maundy as such). The only things that are harder to find than the sixpences are the C2 and J2 Tin halfpennies and farthings.
And the gold of course (except the guinea, but all other denoms; well...)
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It's my BIRTHDAY!
I'm 44.
to Geoff: *killer* Avatar, yer Majesty!
Glad to see you back on here!
And happy Birthday to you!
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You need a copy of ESC Sylvester, I just started a topic about it.
One day Chris one day but i've just spent all my money till April...the rest is mostly accounted for from now till then...
But mi' Coincraft's got them in!
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In fact a woman contacted me once who thought she had a pattern GVI double florin, but it was one of that range.
Now there's a coin you don't hear all that much about. I've seen pictures and all. And all those pattern George V double Florins, and twelve groat pieces.
And what about those octorinos?
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And if you have an Edward VIII Halfpenny, please put it my way!
Does anyone own any genuine edward VIII coinage?
Erm there is always that foreign stuff; in E8's name... That's geniune E8 coinage!
But i have a nice Edward VIII pattern Crown, it's got a decent portrait on the obverse (i.e the type that the circulation crowns would have had) and the reverse is identical to that of the George V Wreath Crowns.
So it does look like what could have very well been a genuine issue, rather than that hideous set that Maklouf came out with. I must admit i was never a fan of R. Maklouf, it seems odd to me all the fuss that's made over his new 1985 obverse by the coin books/magazines etc, and yet all the 1998 obverse gets refered to is, 'the new obverse 4' no mention of the designer, no grand introduction, usually added on as an after thought.
Strange really...
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Woow i haven't seen a copy of Coin News in a shop in years...
Most high street shops around my area seem to stock the stamp one occasionally if i really unlucky, but i haven't seen any coin ones for a long long time. I guess WHSmiths just don't cater for coin collectors as much these days...
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Can anyone tell me what ship is depicted on the tail of the halfpenny at the time of Edward VIII?
I've often heard it said that it's supposed to be The Golden Hind...
Which was Sir Francis Drake's ship? If i remember rightly, well i know i once went on a school trip to visit it, either that or a replica of it...
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We're on 995 posts, I wonder who will post the 1000th?
Me probably, but who's gonna make the 1001st?
Die Axis
in British Coin Related Discussions & Enquiries
Posted
Although the prices in the Coincraft one are now getting further and further out of tune with the newer books.
I would say it is the best general book i've come across.
The milled section gives all the die axis stuff, illustrations of most coins, mintage figures, a whole section on hammered patterns, touchpieces, milled patterns.
The book is set out by denomination rather than by monarch. Each monarch's coins get it's own introduction, plus collecting tips. So lets take crowns for example, George IV crowns get an introduction, followed by collecting hints, followed by the price guide. Then same for the William IV stuff etc.
The hammered section is phenominally well thought out. Where possible all the mints used are listed and under each mint every moneyer accounted for is listed. (+ varying spellings etc)
I think it's still worth it! Even if the prices are now out.
At about £20 for a 750 page A4 size book, i think it's well worth it.
Syl.