Paulus

At least it's not possible to shill BINs .... is it????

Oh joy, this topic again ... Chris (Peckris) is the authority on TPGs' assessments of coin colours I think

He won the first series of ITV's reality show 'Britain's Got Talent'

You should share your pics more often Peter! Did you find those farthings yourself?

A photo from Peter!!!!!!!! How many poop decks have you got Peter? (stands by for a response laced with double entendre)

I am an English milled silver type collector in the main, but dabble in other stuff ... very broad 'types' of gold, copper and bronze for example. Out of interest, what is meant by the various varieties for this type, to do with gun ports?? Spink seem to randomly choose a type to list varieties for! Is it all about that small ship at 8 o'clock?! This is my example of a George III 1799 halfpenny, and does not need upgrading for the foreseeable ... apparently it has 6 raised gunports, can anyone explain what that means exactly?

Not the Royal Mint! There are many excellent dealers, some of whom are on here, and some that are not so good. It will depend on the coins you are looking for as to which dealer to go to. What is your collecting focus?

You can already get most of them on eBay

So have I.

No, x 1,000,000 This is a pre-decimal forum after all, so I can diss them all I wish!

On the left is the example they used to show of a Fine early milled large silver coin (courtesy of Tony Clayton's Coins-of-the-UK site, where it is credited to Spink) On the right is the corresponding image from Spink 2015 (taken with my aye phone pointed at the page, so apologies) Both pics are pretty ropey, but there is a clear difference in grade, don't you think?

And from me too, thanks Pete!

Indeed so, but I don't believe they have done anything so radical as move the goalposts on grade (their description of Fine condition remains the same as 2 years ago), just that the James II Crown in fine pic looks better than Fine (to me) (and Pokal02)

To me their 'Fine' example of a James II Crown is definitely better than Fine, I agree. Of the guide prices I have looked up so far for milled silver, in most cases F and VF have stayed put or fallen slightly, EF is up a little ... kind of what was expected I think?

Many happy returns!

They will definitely be fakes. If some items look good, it's because the pictures are genuine and have been taken from other vendors' sales. You can still see the gkcoins watermark on some of the images. One of the most blatent I have come across, at least some leave it up to the bidder to decide whether genuine or not, here, in many cases the seller is stating GENUINE and depicting coins in US TPG holders, which may or may not also be fake. As several thousands of pounds are involved it does surprise me that these cases don't seem to be easily referred to/investigated by the serious fraud people (or whatever they have in Germany (or China, which might be little or nothing for this sort of thing)) ... perhaps it is all regarded as caveat emptor and after all covered by eBay buyer protection and/or credit card purchase protection? Increasing danger to the integrity of our hobby

Thanks Pete, your kind gift is very much appreciated, I will confirm its arrival

Pete, I am sure Peter is not taking the mick at all

Oddly my records say the price dropped to £575 in the 2012 edition, so there is a rise there. And of course, Spink doesn't distinguish between relatively commoner marks such as castle and say, negro's head in their pricing. There can be significant differences within a Spink number for different mint marks ... Up to £750 in Spink 2013

Do your homework and move when the time is right. All routes are valid. Networking is less obvious than the other three, but can only work if the word is out that you want a particular piece. The down-side is that it will cost you. It is little wonder that the top pieces are flying. The best and the rest has always applied. Conditional rarity is far more important than a value in Spink, CMV or wherever.

At risk of putting a silver moon in that dark night, though? Leave well alone until you have sussed what the reds and greens may be, tis a nice coin

Rob, is there another route, other than auctions, dealers and on-line web sites? How on earth do you even start a project to obtain that particular coin, if it is not through networking .. guess I have just answered my own question! But a very revealing answer, thank you

That was my thought too, take it out and examine it in hand, I suspect all may be ok

Yes, it's a real shame! However, if the reverse was anything like the obverse, it would never have made it onto the market in my lifetime. The Sword's an uncommon mark too, to have the mark, and a good reverse strike combined, would've been a jewel to be held. That's a potentially obvious, but sometimes ignored point Stuart, if the coin was more perfect, you would never have acquired it, because it might never have come to market or have been too expensive for your budget at the time ... can't we kind of say the same for all the coins in our collections?Yes, I'd say that's true, as it would only be a deceased estate, or an important collection put together by an advanced collector who'd reason to break it up, that such coins ever become available. You only realise when you start looking around for those perfect coins, how very few there are!The very scarcest coins in high grades seem increasingly unavailable, whatever you collect ... on my list for ever has been any example of an elephant or elephant and castle below, any denomination, any reign ... those that turn up do not have the eye appeal and/or cost a re-mortgage ... some good stuff is still out there (hammered included), but it's harder to find.

Yes, it's a real shame! However, if the reverse was anything like the obverse, it would never have made it onto the market in my lifetime. The Sword's an uncommon mark too, to have the mark, and a good reverse strike combined, would've been a jewel to be held.That's a potentially obvious, but sometimes ignored point Stuart, if the coin was more perfect, you would never have acquired it, because it might never have come to market or have been too expensive for your budget at the time ... can't we kind of say the same for all the coins in our collections?