Rob

You might have a buyer in seuk because he collects forgeries.

I can sense a plague of verdigris about to descend upon the bronze and cupro-nickel in your collection. Putting them anywhere like the above would be foolish.

I don't use ebay for selling.

At the lowest cost for a box, the break even point for a collection's value is about £20K. i.e.0.5% of £20K sum insured is £100, say £50 for the cheapest bank storage option and a reduction in premium of £50 arising from a reduced rate of 0.25% compared to 0.5%. With a collection value above this you are spending less money with the bank storage option subject to the price of the chosen box size.

It depends on size and can be anything from £50-300 a year, but the biggest problem is that most banks have stopped offering the service and so you have to find somewhere else such as a secure storage facility.

Fine reverse, the obverse nearly fine. Difficult to live with unless it's a hole that has to be filled.

And a real benefit of keeping them in a bank is that the insurance premium drops from 0.5% of the sum insured to 0.25%. That's another coin or two.

I think that's a fair assessment. Most of us are in 3. but working and dreaming for 2. I am in that camp as well!!! Ditto Rob, I definitely mentally placed you in 2. All those rare patterns and proofs... Maybe, but is it a definitive collection? - emphatically not. I might have a few hundred of the above, but I've also got a few hundred four letter expletives to counteract the quality.

I think that's a fair assessment. Most of us are in 3. but working and dreaming for 2. I am in that camp as well!!! Ditto

A collector is one who acquires items, coins or otherwise, for the pleasure of doing so. In the case of coins, most will settle on a given field and pursue it, picking up items where and when they can either by finds or by actively seeking out specifics on dealers' lists or at auction. Some will want to delve deeper and research a subject, and there are a few on this forum that do just that. Others take little interest in the history or background of their chosen field and collect simply because they like them. There is no right or wrong to collecting, but it helps if you have an appreciation of the items in your hands because knowledge is power and by using that you enable yourself to improve the quality of the collection and to recognise a bargain when you see one.

Don't do it. Everybody will hold you in contempt and treat you for the slimy, hand wringing and avaricious person you are. I for one shall lock up my 1959 dated coins - so there.

Insurance! That'd be funny wouldn't it. "and how do you secure your collection, Mr Magee?" "erm...in my bus..." Yeh, but have you ever tried getting onto a bus? Difficult, isn't it.

Cool - though I'm surprised at you not spotting mine was a twopence! But your picture is much better. I really must photograph even a few of my best coins. Have to confess I didn't check and just assumed with the penny being the commoner of the two that's what it was, but knew it wouldn't be a halfpenny. On another point though, I'd like to know why some of these obverses on KH6 (P1153) have the discoloured ring on the raised rim. I assume it must be something to do with the bronzing process, but can't see how it would come about. Thoughts anyone?

Just for you, here's a close approximation to your penny obverse.

Wot? Please post an unmodified version. Thanks.

I concur that the Victoria young head is well executed.

It's no coincidence that all the 1882 no H pennies offered also appear to be generally devoid of most detail. What price a no obv. portrait 1882?

Yes it is.

Seaby's 19th edition will be from 198? (22nd is 1987) - 10p isn't the end of the world! This is why you desperately need a coin value book as these will list the years in which each denomination was struck. The Seaby you have acquired will give the info you need. There were no 1959 pennies other than maundy, though florins were struck.

A deep portrait such as the Greek or Roman is a good starter. Probably the best of British is something like the Elizabeth I pledge penny or the Charles II petition crown portraits because they are 3/4 facing - so ask petitioncrown to upload some. Cromwell's isn't bad as it has a deep relief which isn't usually seen on coin, nor George V. Most being profiles in low relief means it is lot more difficult to portray the image - good example of which is the early Charles II hammered issues. With a full head of hair, the portraits are very appealing, but usually they are flat and quite feaureless. It is probably no coincidence that three of the above were engraved by Thomas Simon. Even on the shilling below the attention to detail is quite obvious. The stippled detail Simon applied to the drapery and flesh adds to the effect in my opinion. Consistency of strike and the increased force available with milled coinage means it is much easier to produce a good effigy compared to hammered, but even amongst the latter are some good images such as the Charles II mentioned above and the Edward VI portraits are similarly competent. Last issue hammered of Charles II below, again by Simon.

You are in very good company in that case. Petitioncrown on this website also likes coins for their artistry. He also hoards.

Firstly, welcome to the forum. I think you are going to have to post some images related to SN5355/77. My gut instinct was that it would be item 5355 out of the 1977 volume of Spink's Numismatic Circular, but that is a medal - Waterloo 1815 to William Groves 2nd Batt. Coldstream Guards with steel clip and ring suspender, not a coin. If you want to understand coins and their grades, buy this forum member Red Riley's book on grading. As it appears you will be concentrating on 20th century items in all probability, this would be your first appropriate purchase before any coins. Grades will be explained fully and show the points which wear first on a coin so that you don't overgrade potential purchases, nor what you already have. Get yourself a reference book such as CCGB (published by the owner of this forum), Spink's Coins of England (latest edition out this week) or Coin Market Values. All will cover the basic items such as a list of the years in which coins are available for any denomination. Not all coins are produced in all years. As for grading, BU refers to brilliant uncirculated, but you also get grades such as uncirculated, extremely fine, very fine, fine, good, fair and poor. There are also intermediate attributions such as near, almost or good. The first two are lower than a particular grade, the last higher. Without an endless list of images it would be impossible to portray what they mean, which is why you should get Red's book as a priority as different types of coin wear on different high points of the designs. BM refers to the British Museum,and is not a grade.

Once bitten twice shy with me. However I have taken a punt on awful pictures that SOMETIMES have paid off. A few years back I bought "green" coloured coins from a seller for very little...yep it was his photographic skills...the give away and why I had a punt were the farthing specialist envelopes visible stating reasonable grades. Me too. The 1820 I/S shilling a page or two back in the acquisition thread was listed with a fuzzy picture, but the larger blob for the I and the obviously decent grade from the hair detail made it worth bidding Spink book price at the time for an EF or better. The prooflike qualities were icing on the cake converting a conventional and common 1820 listed as high grade into an EF+ rarity with superb toning and a decent 3 figure value.

You mean like this

But herein lies the dilemma for all collectors. Any collection, farthings included, will inevitably result in a range of grades amongst the consitutents. You just have to grin and bear it unless you say I refuse to get an example of xxxx because it doesn't exist in better than fine or whatever. Otherwise you may as well restrict yourself to the packaged rubbish issued by the RM (or equivalent) which is probably as consistent a product as you can get in numismatics.