Rob

The silver price doesn't come into this one. Half an ounce of silver for a halfcrown is only a tenner or so melt which pales into insignificance when the coin sells for hundreds. Anyway, you happily paid about 50x melt for your short or long cross penny (whichever it was), so you can hardly complain about the Ag price causing a problem because that too was way over melt.

I think those seem only recently recognised as seriously scarce, so any example is a good investment. A decent provenance is always an attractive addition. The provenance of the shilling was nice too, but even if I had the money I just don't know if I could justify quite that much given I too have an acceptable example ... Although the Briot is roughly 15-20% over Spink prices, it is the same price as the one on the CNG site for $2450 which also has an excellent provenance (Cumberland Clark, H L Farquhar, Dupree, GS Hopkins and Pritchard), but is nowhere near as nice. The latter was in Lockdales about 18 months ago with a description of unlisted type in Spink and an estimate of £30-50. I bid £720, but it went to CNG for £800 or 820, can't remember which, so at least three people were awake. That one is worth £1K, not £1500, but the Morrieson, Lockett and Asherson one is a much better coin. I suspect it is also Murdoch 135, but can't prove it because it was bought by Spink and no provenance is given in the Morrieson catalogue. I wanted it for an example of the triangle over anchor mark to get away from shillings of which I have half a dozen. The design variation was also attractive. The mules are definitely commoner.

I was mulling over that one too, but as I have one decided not to. Did get the Briot hammered halfcrown though with the excellent provenance.

Keep collecting and investment separate as the two are incompatible. Collect the things you appreciate and wish to build on, buy silver as an investment as and how you see fit. You might want to assemble a collection of a dozen crowns and that might take a couple years to find. You might buy a dozen crowns for their bullion content, but have to sell them the same day to take advantage of a spike in the silver price, or alternatively you find the price paid is never reached again and you are sitting on a permanent potential loss. Collecting is not a day to day buying and selling activity, or at least not if done with a set of predetermined parameters. Pay any amount for bullion as an investment and it is as you say, a gamble. Your call.

Sounds like a laminating flan where a bit peels off, possibly due to an inclusion of some sort in the metal when the bar was made. Trapped air or a different material would do it.

Excellent, in that case please can you contribute to my request for pictures of Charles I coins associated with the Carey commission? It is in the same section of the forum, a few threads away from this one and gives a list of what I need. Thanks.

The only time I went in was for an hour on spec as I had a coin which I wanted to compare with theirs. They accommodated me, which surprised me somewhat. They bought out the tray(s) with the relevant coins while someone stayed in the room. Any coins you take with you will be weighed in advance to ensure you don't exchange them, but they are allowed in which is good if you need to compare dies. A down side though is if you want images of any of their coins as has been mentioned before. £50 for a uniface or £60 for an image both sides is simply too much for your average collector which has to be paid for in advance and arrives in the fullness of time.

I need pictures of two Oxford halfcrowns. Morrieson 1644 types C3 and C4 with the billet stops on the reverse if anyone can help. Thanks. I have a picture of Adams 192 (C3) already which is probably illustrated in Bull.

Console yourself that British coins are cheaper than US coins. The most expensive was the Edward III double florin that made £460K in June 2006.

Gulp... Ok I am framing this response for the next time the wife looks over my shoulder at my next acquisition Some people wouldn't pay more than 99p on ebay for a coin or live their lives searching the 50p bins whereas some pay a six figure sum or even more. Why assume this forum is any different? We are a broad cross section of collecting society and it's each to their own. As long as your priorities are to provide the basics for your family and dependants and that is covered, the surplus is disposable income/savings to be spent in any way you or your partner chooses or not. In the case of the above sum, £4500 will buy a nice coin, but there is an ever increasing list of things that it won't. As long as it is within your means, £45.00 or £4500 is irrelevant. Of course you can spend what you wish to, it's your money, it was just interesting to see how different people go about their hobby. Didn't mean to irritate you. Doesn't irritate me, just that some people like to keep their cards close to their chest and might feel the question a little intrusive.

Gulp... Ok I am framing this response for the next time the wife looks over my shoulder at my next acquisition Some people wouldn't pay more than 99p on ebay for a coin or live their lives searching the 50p bins whereas some pay a six figure sum or even more. Why assume this forum is any different? We are a broad cross section of collecting society and it's each to their own. As long as your priorities are to provide the basics for your family and dependants and that is covered, the surplus is disposable income/savings to be spent in any way you or your partner chooses or not. In the case of the above sum, £4500 will buy a nice coin, but there is an ever increasing list of things that it won't. As long as it is within your means, £45.00 or £4500 is irrelevant.

Brilliant. All those who don't believe in spending money on books take note. I presume the problem is the same in Portugal as it is here. No book covers everything, and even within a specialist book there are things missing. That's why you need so many reference books to cover all the gaps.

Wrong question. Most people buy expensive coins out of savings as well as disposable income, so the answer isn't related to earned income. How many people would say "I must spend £XXX more this month, I'm falling behind with my spending"? One, two.. perhaps, but then again, maybe not. Buying something out of the 50p bin is no different to buying a bar of chocolate. What percentage of your income do you spend on chocolate?

Depends on what you collect. If you collect copper as well as bronze, there isn't an alternative.

Sounds interesting Rob, is it for a new publication? I would have thought you are after high res images of the already known coins? as I would have thought these issues can't have many unknown pieces. There is the rough looking SA halfcrown with RR at the moment, but I guess you have seen that. Plus I know someone with a 'connon-ball' halfcrown which as far as I know is unpublished, might be worth trying to gain a picture of this one. Presumably with an unpublished die combination? The Besly SA coin illustrated has Allen die 41 which he didn't record. There must be a few other combinations out there which if they appeared for general consumption would simplify the chronology immensely. A picture would be useful - as I said before, any picture would potentially add something.

Never been in Spink AFAIK. It was in the Coincraft Catalogue and also CCGB but as you say, that doesn't go back far enough. Any copper and bronze weights are in Peck, except for the Irish that is. Woods coinage was struck at 2/6d worth to the pound. Ruding probably has all the info, but would need to be extracted.

Sounds interesting Rob, is it for a new publication? I would have thought you are after high res images of the already known coins? as I would have thought these issues can't have many unknown pieces. There is the rough looking SA halfcrown with RR at the moment, but I guess you have seen that. Plus I know someone with a 'connon-ball' halfcrown which as far as I know is unpublished, might be worth trying to gain a picture of this one. I'm trying to resolve the W, SA, Chester and Hereford problem plus all the minor issues which must impinge on the commission area. I need as many hi-res images as possible to try and sort out the punch movements and chronology. I think I have a solution for over 90% of it based on a radical rethink, but now need to prove my theory wrong. As always, the concept comes in a flash, the basic skeleton takes a day to write down and order, but getting all the corroborative data for, or contradictory evidence against will take ages (a couple years in all probability).ANY images are potentially useful, but the bigger the better. One I missed off the list above is the 1644 dated C H below the horse. The BM's is crap, but does show the date. The one illustrated in Besly's Coins and Medals of the Civil War has good centres but virtually no legend. I want to know the initial mark employed if anyone can help. Another thing that might be useful is to extend the Oxford dates through to the end in 1646. Thanks.

We had three or four inches yesterday and cleared the road this morning. The residue is melting rapidly. If it get cold tonight though, those who didn't clear their streets might have fun because there's a lot of slush out there.

type grains to grams or vice versa into google depending on which you want. A quick calculator comes up at the top. It's easier than remembering the numbers or having a table you can't find. You are unlikely to forget you are using a computer.

All grades or just the best ones? The market is still absorbing Bole's collection with relatively few collectors interested in the denomination.

Sensible policy, only buy what you know unless it is obviously cheap and worth more. If in doubt, leave it out.

I have no intention to sell and am on a roughly 30 year project assuming I last that long. I keep the family informed of where the collection is going and of new additions so that hopefully there will be a collective reasonable understanding of what's present if I'm not here to oversee it. It also raises the possibility of passing on the collection to someone who has an understanding and appreciation of it. history is littered with examples where the father or grandfather assembled most of the collection before being sold a generation or two later.

For what it is worth, every coin in my collection has a separate file with pictures of it and any associated tickets together with acquisition details, price, reference varieties, weight, rarity etc. Every coin has a ticket(s) too with details of the complete provenance so far established written on the back. I've already warned them about potential dropped b****cks between silver and nickel issues that look the same and other important differences so that they don't sell a £1K coin for a tenner.

As the usual coin was a penny, so cartwheel pennies (or possibly twopences) or later, not much chance of a rarity methinks.

Morning all. I know this won't apply to the majority, but if anyone has any Charles I coins of Chester, W(orcester), SA(lopia), Hartlebury Castle, 'A' or 'B' mints, 'Garter' or Oxford 1644 coins, please could I have high res images of them. Thanks.