Sword

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.

Try balancing the coin on your forefinger and then tap with another coin to hear how it sounds. Silver sounds very differently than base metal.

If the coin is not high grade and is very dirty, then cleaning it is OK. But you need to be very careful with high grade examples. For high grades, dabbing with a cotton bud soaked in acetone should be fine, but don't rub, as this will cause hairlines.

https://new.coinsweekly.com/people-and-markets/the-worlds-smallest-coin/#:~:text=The 1-kuna Hum coin,as the world's smallest coin.&text=The representative of Guinness World,Photo%3A Croatian Mint. The smallest "coin" is just 1.9mm. But I am not sure modern gimmicks count.

The issue next to the ear looks like a flan lamination flaw: a layer on the surface on the coin has flaked off.

Note the broken B in "BRITT". This is due to a broken punch or blocked die and is not a true error. However, some people would call it the RRITT error and they really shouldn't. You can make out the letters WWP next to HONI on the reverse. WWP are the initials of the master of the mint, William Wesley Pole. There is the letter W by the letter N of PENSE for Thomas Wyon the Younger, the chief engraver. I don't have a 1817 shilling, but have brought a nice sixpence of the same design some time ago.

Some of those chop marks are definitely Chinese characters. These circulated widely in China alongside other foreign silver dollars. 8 Reales is still on my list of things to get. Great history! I wasn't aware of that. I think the original ones are still very affordable if one is not gunning for a top grade example.

I don't think there is any problem with washing really dirty low grade coins gently if necessary.

I don't think the colour is "artificial". I think that perhaps someone has tried to clean it in the past (look in particular to the area in front of the horse). The tarnish is more easily removed from the worn areas of the coin and hence the appearance after "cleaning".

R7 rarity for someone good?