Coinery

This is just so frustrating! Wherever I look, ‘image pending!’ Download their catalogue…’image pending!’ On the app…’image pending!’ Why can’t they see this for themselves and resolve it?

HMRC are really helpful, but I would definitely do it big of digging around myself, first, or be extremely clear about what information was being divulged…gate after horse and all that for some of the more serious hobbyists?

No, not at all, but what you said was different…you said you were buying and selling to upgrade your collection (this is the fun bit and what it’s all about, of course, and I’m 100% with you on this) which, in the strictest sense of the word, is trading and making profit. If you imagine 2 different people being given an antique vase each, and one individual sells his for profit and buys a more valuable one and then repeats and buys two…at the end of the year he has 100 vases and sticks with that, now taking any profit as a wage. The other person, however, just keeps buying and investing in more stock, never releasing the profits as a wage when he gets to 100 vases, but continues instead to build his inventory, now having 1,000 vases. Both have been traders and making the same profit, only one has not drawn a salary…you and I, and many other coin collectors, fall into this second ‘trading’ category. Of course, some of us just use our already taxed income to buy/hoard more and more coins, this is clearly different. But HMRC would still want a slice of the pie as capital gains, if there were any due, unless they were dispersed with knowledge of the tax laws. It’s a minefield and I don’t profess to know a thing about it…the reason I raise these questions here.

I know what you’re saying, Dave, but wouldn’t the sale of 4.5k’s worth of coins to build your own private collection/asset translate as business/stock? TBH it’s this very point, in combination with HMRC’s clampdown on online sellers, that’s made me rethink re-registering as a sole trader, just to keep everything above board. As a hobbyist the profits won’t be massive, especially after writing off all the expenses, but it could save a whole lot of hassle in the future? Of course, to sell, or not to sell, on a private or business eBay account is another dilemma…will they be pursuing private sellers for ‘unpaid’ business seller fees in the future? This is my main quandary right now!

Not sure, Dave, I don’t think it’s very much?

I don’t think it’s started, yet, because eBay also have to inform the seller that the figures are being released to HMRC, as I understand it. Also, multiple accounts won’t work, unless you register at different addresses, phone numbers, emails, IP addresses, etc. etc…they can already link accounts and family accounts for shilling practices. PS I don’t mean hiding as a private seller from HMRC, I mean will eBay be successful in pursuing those who are revealed as ‘traders’ by HMRC for avoiding their fees by masquerading under a private seller account?

With the current position that private sellers pay no fees, whilst business sellers continue with the standard 10% (approx), what’s the incentive to ‘go straight’ as a business? Unless… There’s this new upcoming position where eBay are soon to be reporting the figures of ‘qualifying’ private sellers to HMRC for tax purposes. I wonder therefore whether eBay will be coming back at the private sellers for their lost commission on past sales, if they can evidence, along with HMRC, that trading has taken place? Any thoughts?

Yes, I agree that yours example is not Lockett, his hand is very different…a convenient example of Lockett’s hand in my Elizabeth ticket at the start of this page. I do however agree your ticket is the same hand as the OP ticket, the top loop on a couple letters and the 164- of the date an absolute double.

OR it was cleaned both sides but stored for a long time with the obverse facing down? I feel it could be the lid made for a little box present. If it were mine I’d be tempted to drill 4 holes in it and make a cool button

Hit the nail right on the head, and potentially into eBay’s coffin!

‘BUYING fees?’ PS and thanks for clearing up some of the points!

Yes, I feel it will only take 1 or 2 bad seller experiences to kill it all off entirely! I receive Signed-For AND Special Delivery items all the time, which haven’t progressed through the system properly…namely, I haven’t officially received them! Essentially, eBay’s new approach will require a hugely transformed Royal Mail for it to succeed!

‘Beautiful ruby toning,’ though 🥴

Just spotted that eBay are from February planning to hold seller funds until 2 days after delivery, which is fine, except in the cases where Royal Mail haven’t scanned items as delivered! Example: I had an item arrive in Australia this week which track and trace still apparently have at the PO I posted it at! Also, I have a standard package (RM label printed via eBay itself; the ‘will only update when delivery is attempted’ kind), which the recipient has had since before Christmas, which still remains ‘undelivered’ on track and trace! I sense some big headaches coming on!

No this is very helpful, thank you for all your time, really appreciated. So, Lockett and Abbott both were Australians, and my coin owned by a Victorian collector, that feels good, and another detail for the record. Thank again, Rob!

Thanks, Rob! I have an Elizabeth 1562/1 threepence that has a Lockett ticket with it - on the back it says in his hand ex Abbott ‘Collection’ (so probably George, then?) and I was wondering about the timeline of that collection?

I can’t find anything for Abbott and Clonterbrook in the ticket document, do we have dates for their collection dispersals and possibly birth/deaths?

A few enjoyable hours passed. You can’t not love a little bit o’ history like that!

We were having this summer/winter conversation the other night…it was my initial view that, if you grew up in Australia, you’d know no different, Christmas would always have been in the middle of summer, which I can’t get my head around at all. The reciprocal view was that the massive movie influence always has Christmas alongside snow and, I guess, Father Christmas comes from Lapland, so is mostly featured in scenes of wintery weather. So, where does that leave the experience of an Australian? Are they as weirded out by the idea of Christmas being a winter celebration, as we are by you all having a bbq in your shorts on the same day? Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, whichever continent you happen to be having it on 🎄🎄

Sometimes with the crowns of the Edward pennies it’s often easier to look at what’s not there, namely the shapes of the spaces inbetween the fleurs. In this example, looking at the space enclosed by the upper section of the 7 makes it much easier to see. Nice coin!

Is that the Midland?

You’re US based aren’t you? Yes, it must be difficult to steal a bargain from overseas. I get the impression, though, that all the best pieces are slowly but surely being hoovered up by the American market…it will soon be too expensive for us all I fear.

Couldn’t even watch. Too far off the numbers for me, no point in unnecessarily bleeding out the soul…I’d rather sneak something from the lowland markets whilst the Royal Court are distracted by the king

Thank you and, agreed, their archive is excellent, but the search facility on their live auction catalogue, and just about everything else, is a real ball ache imho…maybe iOS is the issue? Couldn’t possibly be me

No, it’s just that I happened to buy one last month in a significantly better grade, so was really interested to see what this one came in at, given the LCA description of it. Thank you, though…is that what normally happens at LCA, they don’t simply mark it as passed or unsold? I find their website such a pain to navigate that I barely even bother to look at their lots nowadays…they need to get up to speed, and fast, it’s getting to be so much easier on all the other platforms.