Sword

Even so, it is worth now several times what you have paid and so it was a good investment 🙂

Nice coin, and I wish I had brought one before it got so expensive. £200 was a good deal even then I think.

I remember my A level Chemistry teacher telling me that people used to wash their hands with benzene in university labs. Glad that it was banned by my days. But there are of course more "hazardous" substances that are still commonly used in labs because there are no safer alternatives. For example, if I have to choose between dipping my finger into benzene or into concentrated nitric acid, then my choice will of course be benzene.

Consider getting a specimen crown rather than the RE proof as it is much cheaper. The specimen is nice, has reflective fields (but no frosting), and comes in the same red box as the proof. My specimen (top) cost me £50 in 2020 and my RE proof (bottom) cost £500 15 years ago.

Very true. But a decent EF example is now well over a thousand pounds. I don't particularly like that George IV portrait and so didn't want to pay so much. As for William IV, I would eventually settle for a halfcrown which is of the same design.

It is a moot point whether the undecimo gothic crown is a pattern. Firstly 8000 were produced which is high for a pattern. In addition, it also gained legal tender status unlike non-adopted patterns. Hence, some did circulate as currency. If I have to take a position, I would call it a limited issue rather than a pattern. Wreath crowns are not generally considered patterns either.

I would suggest eBay and selling the coins and accessories separately.

Good luck. The experience gained could be useful if you ever need to do it for a higher value coin one day.

Those George III crowns were struck with a great deal of care (graduated striking and delivered to banks wrapped in soft paper.) The engraving is truly superb.

Then it gets really difficult with the gothic (pricey rather than rare), William IV, high grade George IV, high grade Young Head. That's why I started other denominations.

Certain crowns like the 1927 proof wreath, 1902, and 1887 in particular have very standard prices and are relative safe purchases. My very first purchase was an 1887, followed by a 1927 proof, followed by an 1818 about 15 years ago.

Never store coins in PVC containing envelopes as the plastic will release chemicals harmful to coins and cause the problem you have. You need to use envelopes made from an inert material like mylar. 2x2 coin flip is also an option and has the advantage of being airtight. I would only buy branded products (or at least from an established supplier), and I wouldn't take the word of a seller on eBay that their envelopes are "coin safe". If using paper, then it should be acid-free.

I love crowns as their large size allows you to see so much details and admire the engraver's art. Pistrucci's St George and the dragon design wouldn't work on a small coin like a threepence for example. But high grade pre 1887 examples are very / too expensive for me. Worn examples lose their appeal as the intricate details are gone. I have got some of the common ones in high grade and had to settle for a nice VF+ Victoria VH. If I ever come into money one day (fat chance!), then I would like to get a GVF Charles II crown. When I visit the Ashmolean Museum, I always see and admire the Charles I Oxford crown. Then I moved on to the smaller halfcrowns, florins, shillings, etc. as they are more affordable. I buy very little these days and don't have a tick list.

I think you would be fine if you use mylar which is an inert plastic. Avoid PVC like the plague as it releases harmful chemicals. I am not a bronze collector and would probably use inert 2x2 coin holders which is air tight for high grade lustrous examples. Airtight is good for bronze to reduce the chances of toning.

CH boiler not working in the winter is a real pain. But replacing a 20+ year model will save a lot of money and energy as the new one will be much more efficient. I did notice the cheaper bills when I had to replace mine with a Worcester Bosch some years back. Sorry to hear about your health issues Rob, and I hope the tests will go well.

I don't have a cabinet myself for several reasons. One being that I haven't collected in a systematic way, and don't have enough good pieces to justify having a cabinet. Another is that I like to look at both sides of my coins easily. Quandrum works well for the number of pieces I have and make handling easy. Like you, I do appreciate the craftsmanship of a good cabinet. BTW, I like your shilling album pages. The pockets are just the right size to reduce the amount of rotation. When I first started "collecting" as a teenager, I also focused on shillings.

Saving for a new front door is indeed practical 😀 Seriously, I think it depends very much on the number, grade and value of the coins you intend to collect. If it is say a date run collection of UNC-EF 18 /19 century halfcrowns, then they would look fantastic in a quality cabinet. But if the priority is to make date runs of lower grade or common coins, then an album / flips/ 2x2 coin holders /quadrums would be much more practical.

The manuscript of the poem he wrote was sold at Noonans. https://www.noonans.co.uk/archive/lot-archive/results/131481/

Found it

That's amazing! Superb engraving too. It would have taken some thought to work out what wordings would fit neatly around the edge.

Really? Can you post a link to the thread? Mind you, monarchs do give Maundy money in red purses each year.

That's fascinating. Well done for finding it out and keeping the story alive. This is the sort of item I would buy; but for the story and history rather than as a coin.

I brought mine for £63; 8 years ago.

What people can ask for and what you are prepared to pay are two entirely separate issues. You can control the later and not the former. I personally don't worry about things like that.

I rather like the Princess Anne portrait myself. It's quite a good likeness and she is 75 years young after all. Here is a photo of her taken this year.