1949threepence

Living in an area with consistently high humidity presents a potential problem to coins, but I'd say your plan od using desiccant/silica gel is an excellent one, as it acts as a dehumidifier, taking moisture out of the immediate area, while not offering any contamination itself. Humidity isn't a major issue in the UK as it only very rarely gets above 70% and most of the time is between 45% and 60%. It is a big problem in the USA, notably states such as Florida - hence this American ad relating to humidity and silica gel/desiccant, and coin storage, which I thought looked useful - link

There are two schools of thought on this one. As Stuart says, there is an argument that they are better off airtight. Certainly they are very safe like that, although there have been whisperings about NGC not handling coins carefully, and leaving bits of detritus in the locked casing. On the other hand there are proofs from over two centuries ago, which are still FDC. I'd say that if the proof remains unslabbed then its main threat comes from you the owner via careless handling, accidental micro saliva spillages through talking whilst handling, and the like. . For reference I'm not slabbing mine, but I am in the process purchasing a new small cabinet dedicated to proofs and patterns, and I will be wearing a face mask and gloves when looking at them.

Sheer class isn't it. I use it very frequently for comparison and research purposes.

From the LCA website:- This F71 appears to have an aquiline nose, with a prominent bridge - link - but that's not what I would call a "hooked" nose, as such. This F71 appears to have a normal straight nose, no different to any pre obverse 11 nose link Freeman 106 - I would say this is a "hooked nose" link

One of my recent upgrades from Mark Horton, was to a superb UNC F71. Looking at Freeman there is a little number "18" against the F71. Note 18 states: "The obverse on these is really a variant of obverse 7, with a hooked nose and tie ribbon intermediate between that on obverses 7 and 8". I must be honest and say that I can't actually see any differences between the F71 (including the previous one it has replaced) and the other obverse 7's, even through a powerful loupe. Also, the first obviously hooked nose was on Obverse 11.

Oh yes, those as well. All in all makes the 1862 possess a world of potential.

Thanks. It's very good to sit in and relax - and at night when the house is so hot in the current weather, it's so much more comfortable sitting outside for a bit, especially if there's a slight cooling breeze. I would not like to be without my garden. As far as pigeons, there's an abundance of them round here as well. The old girl next door feeds them, so it just attracts more. Not good.

Very nice grade in fact, and issue free. Whenever I see an 1862, I always automatically look for three possibilities, a) halfpenny sized date, b) VIGTORIA, c) F38. Admittedly all exceedingly unlikely.

Looking very neat and classy now, Kipster I don't have any before pictures, but these are two just taken a few minutes ago. Garden still a work in progress, although much less to do now. First pic shows the view from the top to the bottom of the garden. The second is a side view from where I was standing which shows two trees, the new grass and a glimpse of the new fence panels. The ones at the side are next door's responsibility. Don't know about anyone else but can't stand those short arse fence panels, as anybody can just gawp in at you (not that they do in all fairness).

Well the three pieces that I've just bought from him fall into what I call, the classification of "meaningful upgrades". Where the difference between what you've now got and what you had, is very substantial. That makes it well worth the money you spend.

Totally agree. It is, intrinsically, a conflict of interest.

Haven't really got the motivation to search tonight, but a cursory glance at the one in Richard's collection shows (interestingly) that the lower bar E of PENNY is curved, whereas the lower bar E in ONE is, seemingly, straight.

No they're just normal trays with bog standard recesses.

Just bought a couple of upgrades from Asprey Coins, based in Havant. In doing so, I had a good long chat with the owner, Mark Horton, on Monday Evening. Easy to talk to and a real coin enthusiast. Anyway, we got round to talking about varieties, and he drew my attention to something - possibly a mini variety - which I've never come across before. Namely slight differences in the E of PENNY in 1900 pennies. Mark had observed that the lower bar of E in penny was straight in some examples, and slightly curved in others. I checked mine, which was curved. Mark sent me an e mail with some illustrative pics. They're a bit big to use on here, so instead I started looking at 1900 penny examples on e bay, and outsorted a couple of examples. Straight lower bar of E in PENNY Slightly curved lower bar of E in PENNY I've used the direct links as you can employ the zoom feature and see more easily. But he's right, there is a noticeable difference. Thoughts? Mark was very happy for me to raise the issue on here and use his name.

However, if you must buy commemoratives, then gold ones are the best IMO. By orders of magnitude.

One piece of advice I would always give to those interested in buying commemoratives - buy gold. Whatever else happens, they will never lose their bullion value.

Great hair detail - but not that great.....

Thanks Ian - much appreciated. I'm upgrading my F10 with one I've seen on a dealer's website - advertised as a F10, but wasn't 100% certain. My existing one is only VF.

I had no idea. What are they auctioning?

Varieties are (or can be) difficult to weigh up in terms of their noteworthiness. I agree with @Mr T that Freeman is probably the very best source for modern milled bronze, although he starts at 1860 for pure currency coins, at the commencement of the bronze era. All his varieties are taken very seriously, whereas some of the more recently discovered ones never seem to resonate with dealers and collectors - minute date width differences+ being an obvious example. As far as current values you need a decent website, as book values soon become out of date. You might find this useful, possiby - link

OK, cheers Mick. Thanks for that.

Quick question - got a blind spot and can never tell these two obverses apart. It's an 1860 reverse D. So the coin is either F10 or F13. But is this obverse 2 or obverse 3? The letters in BRITT always look the same to me, and don't look out of alignment. Thanks in advance.

I've just ordered a 4 tray drop door mahagony cabinet from Rob Davis - specifically for patterns and proofs. Just £165. All recesses 45mm, need a decent size. Will be quality, I'm certain. link

Should have added that the very dry air and low humidity has added to the cold feel once the Sun goes down. Some of the time humidity has been <40%, which is quite unusual for a British Summer. Interestingly the Summer of 1976, whilst very hot by day, was often quite chilly at nights (by normal Summer standards), especially later into July and in August. Intense dryness, low humidity and clear skies meant considerable overnight relief from the heat for many - not dissimilar to desert conditions. Typically a max of between 30 and 32 degrees by day, could be preceded and followed by 8 to 10 degrees overnight. Same recently, but obviously not very hot by day. As the heat and humidity rise from tomorrow onwards, it will all feel very different. You won't need a scarf, that's for sure. Nor will your living room be just 12 degrees.

Either or both of those would be an absolutely fantastic addition to a serious collection. But they're becoming almost out of reach.