Paulus

I went to visit Downies in Melbourne when I happened to be there on business, showed them the fake Northumberland shilling they had auctioned and they proved to be worse than ignorant about it (examined it in hand and declared it as genuine simply because it wasn't a high enough grade to be a fake!). Their shop sold only modern tat, I wasn't at all impressed, but to be fair they did arrange a full refund when I had it rejected by CGS A reality check is overdue for them (a comment that might apply to other traditional auction houses too, as has been noted!).

Or the paragraph you added to your listing Chris!

I see you have a title of 'RP Coins' on your website ... lol ... our very own Rob (Pearce) uses that also! http://www.rpcoins.co.uk/ Many of the coins on Mark (Rasmussen's) web site are eye candy (and priced accordingly), you might want to take a look? http://www.rascoins.com/index.cfm

Mark Rasmussen? Who is MP? Could it be Dave's friend Martin Platt?

Mark Rasmussen?

In keeping with the post a few above, I don't think they can release the mintages until after the end of the calendar year. Whilst they might know in advance for the commemorative crap marketed to the masses, a regular currency piece's mintage will depend on the demand from the banks for coin. If they don't order it, the Mint doesn't produce it.Yes, i still find it odd though. We've known these mintage figures for a while so why wait until now? Surely the banks don't ask the Mint for Kew Gardens 50p's (for example) do they? I would have thought they would just ask for 50p's, then the Mint can decide whether to produce/send regular coins or commemorative ones?

One thing you will get from this forum, we won't say it's a nice coin and/or a good price if we don't really think it is (unlike certain other forums I could mention!)

Chris, if you add something like 'much rarer than the Kew Gardens 50p' to your description you might get lots of extra views!

I shall keep 1 BU example. The one I listed is currently at £122 £132 ... completely hatstand!

And that was just a normal circulated example. The London Coin co was selling BU examples at £24 earlier today (as reported in the Guardian article), they have just re-listed them at £79.95! haha this is quite amusing when even London coin co. get their prices too cheap, fished mine out the coin cabinet and it is listed too There's a bit of a mini frenzy out there, I have just been offered £65 for mine!

And that was just a normal circulated example. The London Coin co was selling BU examples at £24 earlier today (as reported in the Guardian article), they have just re-listed them at £79.95!

Similar article in the Guardian today: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/feb/20/50p-coin-worth-24-pounds I've decided to list a couple of mine on the Bay today, strike while there is heightened interest! The first of them has gone to £12 within a few minutes!

Just sublime.

I'd like to see pics too Gary please. I am particularly interested in attempting to judge the affect CGS slabbing can have on the saleability of a coin, and in what they grade at compared to the opinions of members on here

Life size pics (just an excuse for me to look at it closely again!)

I wonder how much this one might fetch in a Heritage Auction? I do know that I want at least one stellar (circulating) coin in my collection, pre Victoria

Well I have issues with TPG gradings for many reasons, but I do like CGS' relative strictness and reluctance to dish out maximum grades. It is a totally stunning coin, but perhaps has had a few points deducted on the obverse: Gasp! One of my frustrations is that it seems impossible to establish from the TPG how they arrived at a particular grade, even if you paid for the grading yourself. Having said that, if I owned this coin I would be very proud, even though it is a proof!!

Yes it looks like one of those modern 'Millionaire Collection' repros doesn't it!

It certainly looks like it could be a matt proof, but if CGS have attributed and graded it as such then London Coins have failed to mention that very important fact in their auction catalogue! For interest/reference, this is the highest graded (92) matt proof that CGS have processed to date:

It seems clear to me that the coin on the right is the sharper, better strike. The one on the left has lovelier tone certainly, but less detail. It seems crystal clear to me too ... I take it the one on the left has been graded 82, and the one on the right, 78? Does the obverse tell a different story?

It is valued at £750 on the CGS web site!

That will be a mistake I believe, from creating this listing from other listings. Some of his other offerings also have the same 'additional information'. Ok, fair enough. I haven't the patience to trawl through ebay listings - in fact, this and the eBay laughs thread are just about the only time I bother viewing. I think the eBay laughs thread is now this one!

That will be a mistake I believe, from creating this listing from other listings. Some of his other offerings also have the same 'additional information'.

I always gasp at the prices, if only I had got into coin collecting earlier!