scottishmoney

Not me.

I agree that collecting in the main in the USA and in Britain have differing approaches and outcomes. But it might be more optimal to define collecting, as perhaps many "collectors" persay in the USA are actually speculators and not so much collecting for the history, artistry etcetera of a coinage. Myself, I frankly care not about a number assigned to a coin, but only that it has very strong eye appeal to me. I do not need the opinion of another to qualify my own opinion. I own "slabbed" coins, but I did not buy the piece of plastic, but only the coin contained therein. In fact some of the coins I have are undergraded in my opinion, based on my knowledge of the striking history of them. For example: Coin grades lower than most of the cleaned or modified coins you will see available for sale. However PCGS only thinks this qualifies as VF-30 in their opin. However, the dark toning is all original, this coin is not heavily worn, cleaned, retoned, tooled etc. So for me this is much nicer than a coin that grades AU-55 and has the latter conditions. Slabbing are only someone else's opin and should be viewed as such. They are not factual if it does not agree with one's own opin of a piece. Probably my only slabbed British coin, this being a Scottish groat from the reign of David II(1329-1371) this coin grades by the TPG as EF-40. In my opin this is a nice coin, but grading hammered coins is not quite like grading mechanically struck coinages. However for TPG's apparently the same factors are present.

There is also Lockdale Coins, they advert on fleaBay a lot. I believe they are using the 70 pt grading scale that the USians use. I bought a banknote from one of their fleaBay auctions eons ago, and have forever gotten spam emails from them about this and that.

So did we.

Love that bottom shield with the elephant(India?), Walrus(Africa?) and the 'Roo(Australia) representing the Empire.

Hmmm, have to bookmark that badboy.

Thanks for posting them to the image gallery, I have never seen the 1582 30/- before. My largest Scottish coin is a Half Merk from 1572, I haven't found a Mary Ryal that I like enough yet. I found several coins of yours that I need

I admit my primary interest in this piece is it's significant size. Of course when it was issued there was more of a belief in issuing tokens or monetary instruments with some heft, or some semblance of value. The result is a token measuring in at 45mm and 5mm thick. It weighs 105 grammes or 3 ozs. in old measure. Incredibly there were trial strikes of bronze sixpences that would have weighed in at nearly 6 ozs. in weight. These with their more common brethren the Penny tokens were circulated by the Birmingham Workhouse. Indeed their dimensions made them curiousity pieces even in the 19th century and they are often very heavily circulated as a result.

Sorry guys, she has been duly elected as Princess Supreme of Saor Eireannais, my country. You will have to stick with HRH.

Nothing going on here on predec, so I thought I would stir the pot: Syracuse loverlies

In a perfect world we would only have Queens of our countries, and they would all look like this: She can grace my Pound notes anytime.

Hopefully something a bit better looking than the Saxe Coburgs too. Wait til Princess Charley Horse Face gets her mug on the coins.

HRH is an expensive habit, but would you have it any other way?

Viewing from afar I am disappointed that any traditions from the past in Parliament would be discontinued. The British Parliamentary tradition is the foundation model for so many other Parliamentary democracies around the world including most incredibly the United States. These ceremonies are steeped in history and are the very essence of what makes Britain a unique and fascinating country.

Oh I don't, but I still see the postings and wonder how they can post? Were they approved?

Isn't there registration approval? I see spam just about everytime I go on here.

Ah the days whence hammered gold was rather affordable. I wisht I had bought the noble of Edward III sometimes, but alas I bought a very rare Scottish groat instead.

Have to get that one, lovely design.

Man Blows Up Bum With Firecracker

I searched 50 rolls of USA 5¢ coins yesterday perusing for pre-1960 dated coins and came up with one of her Majesty's 20 pence coins from 1998 masquerading as a Jefferson Nickel. Curiously the rolls of coins were all hand rolled and not machine rolled by the bank, so they came in deposits. I wonder if one of my neighbours travelled afar and oceans across and returned with a seven sided souvenir subsequently rounded up with her American cousins to make their way to my humble abode?

Of course I like the VIP example best, nice colouring. But how many of these were made, and for whom?

Moneta is a latin word, used by Russians, indeed it does mean "coin", but there is also the word in Russian, dyenga which means coin or money.

The son of James VII of Scotland, James VIII would never officially rule Scotland, but only in the hearts of the Jacobite followers. His life began in controversy as to whether he really indeed was the child of James VII and Mary of Modena. Shortly after his birth he was spirited of to France for safekeeping as the Protestant supporters of William and Mary were beginning to agitate for the ouster of James VII from the throne. In 1701, after the death of James VII in France, James VIII was proclaimed King. After several abortive attempts, most notably in 1708 and in 1715, he was not able to secure the throne, despite the continued support of many in Scotland. He would never again attempt to take the throne in Scotland and left it to his son, Bonnie Prince Charlie to rise to the occasion in 1745. The above item is a touch piece from the time of James VIII, this was an ancient tradition in Scotland, where the reigning monarch would bless and hand a medal like the one above to an ill recipient. This was known as "touching for the kings' evil and was believed that since he ruled devinely that he must be able to cure the ill. This is a scarce piece and was probably presented to a follower in exile in France.

Kind of makes you wonder if they were performing medieval torture on these coins, perhaps putting them in the 14th century equivalent of the rack. Or maybe they took the evil from them by breaking them?

Notice however that it broke off right at the beading, which given that the metal changes flow there, would account for the more even break. BTW nice Bristol penny, I wish I still had the one I owned.