Hussulo

Thanks Tom

Hi James, I collect coins as a hobby first and investment second. I am trying to complete a couple of separate collections 1/3 farthing set, Shillings, always collecting British errors and lately siege coins. It would be great to think that my collection goes up in value and I have something to leave the kids. So In that sense I am in your boat too. Regards, Hus

You'll be fine, the first one's always late. I'm happy to take the gamble, but the baby is due on the 6th of October so there isn't a chance my bread knife would let me attend. Joking aside before you all think I'm a bad dad I wouldn't miss my baby’s birth for all the tea or coins in China.

I would love to go, but that's when my first baby is due!

Just a guess, but probably the fine work pieces of James 1st should be considered proofs as some of these and the subsequent Charles 1st fine work pieces have highly reflective fields and are struck on as round a flan as could be expected from hammered issues. Similarly for the patterns of this era which are struck on obviously specially prepared flans. It is possible that there were a few made to similar standards in Elizabeth 1st 's reign too. In terms of milled, the 1662 crown (ESC 16) is a good contender. Thats great thanks for the info Rob. You wouldn't happen to know when the first mirrored field/ polished die proofs where produced would you?

Just out of interest what was the first British proof to be produced?

Oh never Not normally, luckily my wife’s dad is a coin nut so she has been brought up round them. Although I'm not as lucky as Rob because she won't encourage me either. She just lets me get on with it. James I know the Hydro well it’s a nice hotel.

In my honest opinion its two coins joined together. If it was original the edge would be normal and you would not have a join. What they have done in this example is to file or sand down the reverses of two coins and join them. I bet you the weight isn't correct. I have an example the same and one were the reverse has been machined out and even though the edge is ok you can make out a small line around one of the border. If I have time over the weekend I will take pictures of them to compare. These forgers/pranksters were quite fiendishly good at their work.

NICE !!!!!!!!!

Interesting link, thanks josie. Now where did I put my metal detector?

Yes I too have a Vicky one. The only real way you can tell is to look at it through magnification. That's not to say real ones don't exist however they are quite are rare and valuable. I have only seen genuine British examles on more modern coins from the 1970's. I have got a two tailed coin but it's not British.

More generally, the gap between the best and the worst coins in the collectable range continues to widen with the better examples outstripping inflation, but the lower grades barely holding their value. In particular, the differential between EF and AU seems to be stretching out. Still a seller's market in my opinion. The differential between EF and AU is probably widening because buyers are relating to the U rather than saying it isn't uncirculated and so it it should be graded extremely fine or variations on this. Uncirculated should be a statement of fact which therefore should not support the A prefix and thus AU should be graded good EF but that can turn potential buyers off because at this grade everyone wants an uncirculated coin. The number of collectors appears to have dramatically increased in recent years which has exacerbated this effect because many appear to have learned their grading from others' descriptions on ebay and the like. This becomes a monster which feeds off itself and will invariably lead to a hike in prices. The lower grades are kept in check by ebay which has led to a serious oversupply of VF and lower grade coins. Becasue Spink only prices down to fine in most cases, this forms the lowest grade (and hence price). However, many are in grades such that even a scrap metal merchant would ask for a discount. A genuinely UNC coin should almost always be worth top dollar because they are a lot scarcer than people imagine or sellers' descriptions suggest. A choice one is worth a premium. I agree with Rob, AU is obviously more of an American grading scale but people are listing coins as AU instead of EF+ or good EF because novice collectors hear the word Uncirculated mixed into the sentence and bid more. It also seems like almost everyone is over grading coins on eBay. Sellers are probably scared to call their coin VF and put it up against similar coins that are being described as EF.

What you have thre Rich is a doublestruck error. Doublestruck coins take place when after a coin receives its first centred strike it fails to be ejected from the machine and is re-struck again. Coins can be found that have been struck three or four times. Doublestruck coins where the date/s are still visable and the second off-centers strike is at least 10% off-centre are more collectable and valuable. Edited to add: Hand struck coins were struck by hand using the strikers own human force. The coin was stuck onto a flan which was hand cut using a pair of dies and a type of hammer. Each and every one is unique and individual. Milled coins use machine power to strike the coins. The planchets are stamped out of a rolled sheet of metal. The coin planchet is then fed into a collar (a device which surrounds the edge of the planchet as the coin is struck). The collar keeps the coin metal from spreading larger than its intended diameter. The collar die also imprints the edge design, if any, onto the struck coin. The obverse and reverse dies then strike this planchet to produce the desired design of coin.

Grade UNC??? He has a nice 1905 Florin for sale, but how bout this one: 1875 Nice grade Shilling, Die 36 Take a look. Seller calls it "1875 Shilling. High grade example of a Victorian Shilling." IMHO fine if your lucky.

I agree very nice!

Yes, I think you have made valid points guys. Another item I spotted, a silk hat must have also been a luxury.

I couldn't have put it better myself! <gggggg>. Bob C. I have the same problem with my camera. Nice coin Bob. Look forwrd to seeing the reverse when you get time.

I in my opinion it wasn't made during minting. It is definitely not an error. Some coins do have die numbers on them but they aren't punched onto the coins themselves. The numbers or in some instances letters i.e. A, B, C below lighthouses are on the dies. When these dies are used to produce the coins the die numbers or letters are always raised (like the lettering) and are not incuse. I am also positive mint wouldn't punch a number at that angle over a N. If it was going to punch a number it would choose a better location. I am positive it is post mint but why? Who knows?

Interesting website

Went for £41+postage good deal for someone.

English Copper, Tin and Bronze Coins by C. W Peck. Great book going cheap on eBay at the moment incase anyone needs one. It’s not my auction. I already have one, but they can be hard to come by.Link to eBay sale

Thanks guys I totally agree. British coins will always be my main interest but I am also interested in siege coins and coins minted locally by warring factions. I guess I just have a soft spot for coins which are out of the norm. Hopefully next week I will be buying Cyprus Siege Coin dated 1570 where the Venetians produced these coins in Famagusta while under siege by the Ottoman Turks. It's just a start but it will be an intersting series to build and will have to include British siege coins to, like Newark and Pontefract.

Won these two on eBay tonight. Mexico War of Independence Oaxaca SUD 2 Reales 1812 Mexico War of Independence Oaxaca SUD 8 Reales 1813 "Coins issued by the insurgents Because the miners were in the hands of the royalist authorities, the insurgent faction suffered currency scarcity and depended on forced loans and currency captured from adversaries. For that reason, the insurgents minted their own currency to pay their troops. The insurgent mintings were done with rudimentary methods, and because the insurgents had no silver supply, they minted just a few coins with this metal and most with copper. In October 1810, Miguel Hidalgo commissioned José María Morelos to organize an army in the south of the country. Morelos became the leader of the insurgent movement after the capture of Hidalgo in March 1811. With Morelos, the insurrection was transformed; he managed to unite the ideas of intermediary groups with the demands of the people, and he proclaimed for the first time non-subjection to the Bourbon monarchy. Morelos coins The copper coins ordered by Morelos were equivalent to promises of payment. In other words, they could be exchanged for their face value in gold and silver coins upon the triumph of the revolution. Thus, for the first time fiduciary currency was used in Mexico. The obverse of these roughly manufactured coins bore a Morelos monogram along with the denomination and mint year. On the back, a bow and arrow appears, and underneath them, the word “SUD†(“SOUTHâ€). There were two main variants: A plain one, and another with profuse floral adornment. They were produced in eight, two, one, and half-real coins. Although the Morelos coin type is quite uniform, there are several varieties due to the fact that the mintings took place in different locations (Tecpan, Huautla, Oaxaca, Acapulco, Tlacotepec, Chilpancingo, Cerro de Atijo, and Tehuacán). Despite research on this subject, we can only conjecture on the mint types, and there is no complete registry of the varieties. The key features of the Morelos coin design are the monogram on the front and the bow and arrow on the back. The monogram bears the letters “M O S,†Morelos’ initials. This feature seems to have undergone a transition from the plain letter “M,†to “JM,†to “JMo,†to “SMo.†But it is impossible to confirm that such a transition took place in that order. " Quoted form: The history of Mexican coins

A lot of coins listed on my A lot of coins listed on my eBay link including British and US. Sample of the selection: All starting at 0.99p No reserve. Please take a look.

I received the medal today. It is very nice with high reliefs. However it appears made in two parts, you can make out a slight join along the edge. Also were there is slight damage to the nose, right eyebrow and right hand side of the hat, the damaged area is shinny. I don't know what kind of metal it is but doubt it is silver. Maybe white metal. The detail in the beard clothes hat and reverse is superb. In all probability it is a copy of the gold original/s and if so I would say it is an older copy done 100+ years ago. I might try to take clearer pictures.