argentumandcoins

The answer to that question is no then. I've been collecting coins for over 20 years and well i've I don't have any of the first four coins. I do have some 1967 pennies but they were a gift, there's no way on earth I'd actually buy one! I suppose it shows our collecting bias. Every coin you list is copper or bronze and I've never collected copper or bronze coins. If I had made the list it would look more like this; Elizabeth II florin George VI florin Bun Head Penny Brass Threepence Wren Farthing 1967 halfpenny Elizabeth II shilling And the only reason I list these is because these are the coins most people in the UK who aren't collectors are likely to ask the question 'i've found an old coin, what's it worth?' That and most of us probably have a few of them lying around (unspent change in the case of the florins and shillings from about 20 odd years ago), even if we don't actually collect any of them per say. My nomination for the ugliest predecimal coin Sorry Peck but I don't like the look of dear old Lizzies Thrupenny bits

There's just one slight snag with all of the above..........who do you think is ever going to police or enforce the legislation? I suspect it was put in place to stop the currency of the realm being decimated if the metal price rose significantly above the face value of the coin in question and only then would it be enacted against major players who attempted to release their equity. It's just the same sort of thing as putting a stamp on an envelope upside down isn't it (I think there is something in statute about that being treasonable but I may be wrong)? A point in Law that isn't worth the parchment it was printed on.

i always preffered the frosted description, cameo just sounds like a bar of soup am i right in thinking cameo may be an american term for frosted? I think it more than likely comes from the jewellery trade, where a cameo portrait is a raised portrait, on a brooch for example and is usually of a different finish to the rest of the object (usually shells such as cowry or conch). Whether it was adopted by the Americans for coins or not I could not tell you.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1986-2-Thistle-Coin-Very-Rare-/180708677069?pt=UK_Coins_BritishDecimal_RL&hash=item2a131395cd A plastic sleeve is included with this very rare coin though!

Yes these are the trials coins , I am the actual bidder on this item, but just cannot find any information or books on these Royal Mint trials, I have looked through many auction archives and have found many different types. but still looking for more information. Have you tried contacting the Royal Mint?

Hello Jon, Condolences. No need for photographs as they are roughly worth their scrap weight. Add all of the weights from the certificates and check the spot price to find the value. Most sets are 12 or 24 coin sets and most are 0.925 standard silver. Based on that supposition the value will be between £250 and £500. John.

Try a search on the major London coin auction sites (I think DNW in particular had a sale with a lot of trial strike pieces recently). Their archives usually have detailed descriptions and hammer prices together with pictures in most cases.

If I was selling I would expect to take around £180 for an example that clean (might have it in stock a while though). The last second edition I sold was in mint state and I took £225 for it I think. Hope that helps.

I would guess Victorian, ie made to deceive in currency transactions. It looks too crude to be an attempt at conning a collector. It would be interesting to know the weight and metal composition.

Sorry to have to tell you that it isn't what it purports to be. It's a copy. If it was right I would have had it in the blink of an eye, even in that state.

Catalogue is now online for those who may be interested at; http://www.pfkauctions.co.uk/Catalogues/as170811/index.html There should be something of interest for all of you. One or two typos due to my handwriting! Bidding is live online for those who can't attend and there is a postal service available via the auction house rather than third party.

Easy; Shite, shite and self serving shites... and I would definitely slab every single politician I could lay hands on (nice big granite slabs should do it!)

Drop me a PM if you get no takers and I'll make you a low ball offer

I have no reason to doubt the source Dave. Small obscure sales regularly turn up sleepers and because they are obscure the prices are usually much more appetising than in the London salerooms. The cataloguer is a militaria man and really knows his stuff, but he is not so hot on coins so even if it was a forgery he would not have known or expected it to be so. It may be a genuine piece, but I won't gamble on maybes unless they are coming at stupidly low prices. John.

It was a poor sale overall and I had no interest even at £40 in the 93. I might be wrong, but, they might all be forgeries. For only a handful of known examples they have to have been trial pieces or patterns? If that is/was the case surely the work would have been of a higher standard? I'm no expert in the field but that's my thoughts for what they're worth!

That's the one! Have I missed out on a 'bargain', or had a lucky escape? It looked genuine to me, but given that a VF specimen went for £9,500, I felt that anything above £2,000 for this one in Good Fair, maybe NF was as far as I wanted to go. Sometimes filling a gap isn't always a case of 'at any cost' and for me this was one such occasion. Hey ho. I console myself with the thought that this issue wasn't really a circulation piece and that's what I collect, rather than all the other trials, proofs and assorted types. But I've still got the dolly and the pins!!!! I had a good look at it and did not think it was genuine. Looked like tooling on the exergue although I didn't put it under a scope. There was also a lot of grime in and around the date but not on the legends. I understand all of the 9's on these look enlarged but it looked too bad to be a pattern piece. I may be wrong but a £2360 price is a long way to go for a coin you hadn't inspected first hand! If it's any consolation there was no interest in the room with book against phone all the way from £40!

The one in Carlisle at the saleroom I work in part time?

What do you want to know? History? Value? Grade? Pictures would be necessary if either of the last two are required. Ok i will try and take some pics and attatch them i want to know everything Sadly I think it is not possible for any of us humans to be able to know everything

Without pictures your valuation is between £2 and £80 retail. A simple check on ebay will be your best bet.

Rob, the implication is that Steve had the coin improved before slabbing and putting through his own auction. Or do PCGS improve coins now before they slab them? With all of the minor marks/nicks and hairlines surely that should have gone through as an impaired proof on their system anyway???? On the subject of Forgeries I was stung through my own stupid fault recently. I saw and bought 12 Chinese/Japanese 50 Cent sized coins in auction. I was in a rush and didn't do my usual checks as they all looked right. As soon as I stuck the magnet on them the horrible truth was revealed. They are obviously old Chinese forgeries as most of the stuff I have had recently is non ferrous. The auctioneer was good enough to cancel the transaction but it could have been a very expensive lesson....

It wouldn't bother me if they closed them all down. I take my news from the BBC website or TV as it seems to be the closest thing you can get to unbiased reporting. As for the SUN..... do you really care if Jordan flashed her knickers whilst getting into a car, or if Simon Cowell was nice to an old lady in Harrods???

Being an ex traffic cop I can finish your ad for you Chris.... "One careful owner and 40 careless drivers"

God bless you m'lud.

Chris, the VAT rules are causing me a headache or two! The Global Accounting scheme means that whatever is my stock cost price at date of registration (August 2010) becomes a negative equity. Each sale under £500 (UK and EU only) is a positive equity thus reducing my negative balance. All sales of over £500 on individual items must have an entry in a stock book showing cost price and sale price, with 20% due on the profit (these items are under the VAT Margin Scheme ). All invoices of mine must show that I am not charging VAT to the customer but I am registered. Any item of over £500 that I cannot provide a receipt for cannot be listed under the margin scheme and is liable for VAT at 20% on the full sale price. Some gold is zero rated and some isn't. These are the simplified rules !!!! As for your question.... sorry I am lost! VAT plus income tax plus ebay extortion plus customers wanting discount plus rising stock purchase costs plus rocketing fuel costs = slim pickings on the profit front At least the collection is growing though!! John. Apologies John,I didn't realise you had it so bad . I'm lucky in that I can invoice monthly (or whatever) and add my 20% and then my accountant (quarterly) sorts out my flat rate based on turnover (which is a lesser %)He also invoices me quarterly for his services at this time so everyone is happy and I have a few hours left to pour over coins,decorate and say loving things to Mrs Peter. I can imagine due to the nature of the beast yours is a nightmare...Move to the Isle of Man or somewhere or sell your coins really cheaply to keep under the threshold...now there's a thought. If it wasn't for the Sally Army my family and I would be starving Peter. I just wish the youngest was nearly 4 instead of 2 and at least the workhouse would take him then!

Chris, the VAT rules are causing me a headache or two! The Global Accounting scheme means that whatever is my stock cost price at date of registration (August 2010) becomes a negative equity. Each sale under £500 (UK and EU only) is a positive equity thus reducing my negative balance. All sales of over £500 on individual items must have an entry in a stock book showing cost price and sale price, with 20% due on the profit (these items are under the VAT Margin Scheme ). All invoices of mine must show that I am not charging VAT to the customer but I am registered. Any item of over £500 that I cannot provide a receipt for cannot be listed under the margin scheme and is liable for VAT at 20% on the full sale price. Some gold is zero rated and some isn't. These are the simplified rules !!!! As for your question.... sorry I am lost! VAT plus income tax plus ebay extortion plus customers wanting discount plus rising stock purchase costs plus rocketing fuel costs = slim pickings on the profit front At least the collection is growing though!! John.