Emperor Oli

St. Patrick's day isn't big over here really, apart from at the Irish pubs and places like that. It definitely not as large an affair as over in the US.

I wish there was an applausing smiley - very funny!

No I just trawled through some google results to find it; as you can see, it's linked to a site which I don't own.

I enjoy debating, which I used to do regularly and shall be reimmersing myself in next year. I'm also a member of my local tennis club and I swim too. Shooting has always been a popular pastime - I've done it since I was about seven with an air rifle (my Dad must have been mad). I'm joining a local Rifle & Pistol club soon so I can start using black powder arms which I'm seriously looking forward to. History, as mentioned earlier, is my favourite subject and school and practically every book I read is either History/Politics/Economics. However, Orwell is my favourite author and 1984 is his classic work which I love to death! That's about it atm!

Nice stuff, I've got my eye on some. You might like to edit 3964974327; you've listed it as 1802 when it is in fact 1902.

Yes...there is quite a bit of verdegris though , but that is not a big problem for me Verdigris is a problem for anyone, it speads to the whole coin and your collection.

Yeah I was saying it slightly tongue in cheek, hoping to out any trainspotters!

Standing by railway lines, looking at trains.

Hey hey look above I answered above at 5 oclock!

Don't forget I can also legally drive a tractor! Thanks very much everyone. My mum bought me a fancy jeweller's loupe from Eyemagnify among other things - off I go to find some doubling!

Medals too (still haven't found ANY of those books I asked you about ages ago, Geoff).

Lovely acquisition!

Eh eh eh they're the best!

You might like to expand into world gold, something I hope to do in a few years. On my list are the French Roosters, Swiss Helvetias and perhaps some S. American gold.

I think copies are an option if one is trying to put together a set and there is a rare/pricey coin that's needed to complete it. As long as they are rendered nicely (which unfortunately many aren't) I don't see the problem. There's always the possibility of upgrading to the proper thing anyway.

I also got the Entente Cordiale one last year.

You might as well change it to just plain "Farthings"

My Dad got the Trafalgar £5 coin as change today and so naturally he gave it to me! This is my first 2005 coin.

That coin looks fairly undefined too, on top of the other things mentioned. I'd bet a pound to a penny that it's a fake.

Hey Krasnaya!

Robert Elderton - he's designed quite a few Jersey coins.

This is almost certainly a modern coin, not even really a reproduction. The "Piece of Eight" is a colloquial term for the Spanish 8 reales which was struck by the Mexico Mint in the mid-16th century until the mid-1800s. The reales are round and feature the Pillars of Hercules surrounding crowned globes and ocean waves below, hence the other name for this coin, "Pillar Dollar". The reverse shows a crowned shield with the assayers initials to the left and the denomination in reales to the right. The above image is a real piece of eight. As yours is a modern copy, it will be worth very little, if anything at all.

The Royal Mint have just released/are going to release a £2 coin to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII. I quite like this one: the beams from the searchlights crossing both metals is very effective.

I don't think the Mint ever did that.

Seems a bit patronising, especially the budget part which itself is flawed. You assume that adults have great disposable income to spend on coins, which many don't. It's good so far, but tweaks are needed.