Sword

I have decided to give acetone a go. It's quite a nice George V halfcrown but the dirty mark on the cheek has been seriously irritating me. The result is quite good. There is only a trace of the mark left now which is much less distracting than before.

That's an impressive coin, even for those not normally interested in errors.

There was a thread about his appointment at the time. http://www.predecimal.com/forum/topic/11188-new-managing-director-at-baldwins/?tab=comments#comment-149669

He was appointed MD of Baldwins in 2016 and left the running of Colin Cooke to Lee Brownson.

One problem with cotton gloves is that they don't come in enough different sizes. The gloves I get are usually too big for my hands and this can make handling more difficult. I think there is no point wearing gloves when picking up hammered coins by the edge. There is probably enough "stuff" on the edges since the items have been around for hundreds of years already. The main concern from the video about wearing gloves is the added risk of dropping the coin and causing edge knocks. Surely, this danger can be eliminated by using a decent padded surface when examining coins just in case of accidents? Would you want to handle a rare plain edge proof with bare hands? You probably wouldn't if you consider the edge to be the third surface of a coin. I think it would be a good idea to use a little air blower remove dust or lint from surfaces on lustrous coins.

I personally find it difficult to get consistent photos of coins in slabs. Sometimes, I can get very good photos as if the plastic isn't there. However, I do find that high grade toned coins can sometimes result in "flat" images.

Might be I should explain that I don't think the seller actually passed away. The buyer left a feedback in his own language and probably has a limited command of English. One of the recent items of the seller's is a certain "Cromwell crown"...

An original eBay feedback:

I have never been a fan of coin first day covers. For it to work, you need to incorporate an attractive and relevant coin to a well designed cover. Stamps and coins only go together if there is a strong link between them. I have recently brought one of these covers which I think is very attractive. The 1966 World Cup is the historic event in English football. The 1996 football 2 pound coin is particularly relevant and attractive. It was signed by Geoff Hurst, who scored the hat-trick. The design is very nice too.

I agree that first day cover/coin combination is generally not a good idea and is somewhat of a forced marriage. If the coin is nice and expensive, then I want to keep it with my other coins and not on its own in an envelope. It is also out of place keeping it in a folder as the coin sticks out and can leave an imprint on the other covers. The 1996 £2 is also one of my favorite decimal. It went into general circulation at the time (although I didn't keep one then). The slightly domed centre gives the football a 3D effect. I think autographed first day covers are much more interesting unsigned ones. The signature is far more interesting than the stamps for me.

The Royal Mint has made a 10kg gold coin with a face value of £10000. The scrap value is approaching 400k and the price is supplied on application. I imagine the price won't be much less than a million. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56920734

... back to the £10,000 coin, apparently "it has already been sold to an unnamed buyer for a price that’s likely to be in the region of six figures" according to the Metro.

It's no surprise that George VI refused. Since, his brother didn't want to be King, why should he want a set of the coins? Edward VIII's abdication hurt George VI deeply. Hence he didn't allow the Duchess of Windsor or their future descendants to use the HRH title. George told his staff not to put phone calls from his brother to him. The coins of George VI faced the same way as George V, which simply ignored the fact that Edward VIII faced the "wrong" way.

I don't understand why they wouldn't make their photos available. It would only make their coins more marketable. I am uncomfortable buying a slabbed coin without the pre-encapsulation photos. The CGS capsule hides the entire edge of the obverse making it impossible to see any nicks or knocks.

Come to think of it, we don't have moderators who visit the forum very regularly. (Not that this has been a problem in recent times). Perhaps Chris might consider asking if some of the long established members like yourself, Rob, Mike etc would consider being moderators?

Yes, that mark on the cheek is too distracting for me.

It is sometimes very hard to take decent photos through a slab. I suspect that the coin in question might look much better in hand. It would have been better to compare CGS photos rather than photos of slabs taken by different people under different conditions. However if I am buying a coin, I would always go along with what I can actually see in the photos rather than trusting the numerical grade. I wouldn't buy something if photos are inconclusive.

Would my delivery charge be refunded if the postie didn't sing ...

My initial impression is that the item is just another gimmick from the Royal Mint. However, it is not any less a "coin" than the countless commemorative offerings from the RM. It has a face value of £10,000. The modern commemorative "coins" cannot be spent either. The design is really rather nice. The unusual size makes it a statement piece. Not a bad purchase for the seriously rich.

And these are the autographs on my first day covers.

He has got a feedback from this seller. This seller has sold an item to someone with his exact feedback rating for £10.50 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OLD-BRITISH-COINS-JOB-LOT-TIN-OF-RANDOM-COINS-FROM-OLD-COLLECTION-BRITISH-/174663610855?hash=item28aac331e7%3Ag%3AwIMAAOSwUJtgP81z&nma=true&si=XpF%252Bkwt2rQwC5K5pXI4GDtDduUY%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 Could be just a coincidence.

"No returns accepted" and not posting by special delivery. One should be deeply concerned by anyone selling an expensive and rare item under these terms!

During the lockdown, I have started collecting signed first day covers. They often only cost a few pounds each and you can pick up attractive souvenirs on events you are interested in. It is also an affordable and safe way of getting autographs of well known personalities like politicians, VC winners, authors, actors etc. For some reason, I find the postmarks somewhat more interesting than the stamps themselves. Here is a selection:

According to an antique TV episode I watched, there are two things worth watching out for. For an antique glass, there are many microscopic scratches on the base due to it being picked up and put down countless times over the centuries. These scratches apparently cannot be faked. In addition, a pontil mark shows it it was hand blown.

They can look nice but I just find them a bit too heavy.