Sword

And Welcome to the Forum!

Nothing to worry about I think. Had a quick look on the web and it appears that the certificate for that coin doesn't have a white box and number. https://thelondoncoincompany.com/epages/4d237887-b78a-4f19-8c94-ebc46654c578.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/4d237887-b78a-4f19-8c94-ebc46654c578/Products/SPBRIT10-01000

I didn't realise you can take the coin out without damaging the packaging. No problem if that's the case.

I think auction houses ought to be satisfied with the money they get from the combined buyer's and sellers's commission, which in Warrington's case is 32.75%+VAT. Trying to get extra profit from charging excessive postage / storage is just unscrupulous. They are only harming themselves by these tactics.

I think it's quite likely that a batch was made before anyone noticed the problem. In the meantime take care of it. Shouldn't have taken it out of its original packaging. Put it in a coin wallet. Handle only by edge if you have to and don't put fingerprints on the surfaces. Lucky you.

Awful portrait and outrageous price. But at least the seller said it was silver plated.

I have saved eight so far from change. 3 are of the first "type", 4 of the second and 1 of the last.

This might not be so inappropriate .... Harold and Pax are on opposite sides of the coin. So when you can see Harold, you won't see Pax.

We have all heard about an ebay dealer attributing any coin with an illegible legend as Richard III. What an opportunity for him! He can pretend that that the first coin is an extremely rare error with year 1066.

This has been confirmed by Check your change (which I think is written by Chris himself) http://www.checkyourchange.co.uk/1-coins-in-circulation/2016-one-pound/ "I know of about 50 so far and as it’s hard to spot without a magnifying lens, there are probably a lot of others out there."

The 2005 Sovereign 2012 Sovereign

In terms of actual artistic merit, do you think Pistrucci’s St George and dragon design is so brilliant so that the Royal Mint is still using it after 200 years? I used to like the design a lot and it was undoubtedly very innovative and refreshing at the time. However, I now think it is very much an amalgamation of three figures (naming St George, the horse and the dragon) rather than one organic composition. St George’s torso is far too big in my view and is out of proportion with the horse. The dragon is too small to put up much of a fight. The wings of the dragons are so small and it is doubtful whether the beast could actually fly. I think the design is great only if you look at one figure at a time. Which engraving of St George and Dragon do you like best? I do like W Wyon’s (which is the one used on the front cover of Davies). Photos of Pistrucci’s and Wyon’s are shown below for comparison.

I am thinking of just an ordinary customer account. Looks like they are not that bothered about references which is good.

Nice to hear about successful bids. Although an auctioneer is within his right to "reverse" a hammered decision, I think it is bad taste and against etiquette to do so. Spink's T&C states: "Subject to the auctioneer’s discretion, the striking of his hammer marks the acceptance of the highest bid, provided always that such bid is higher than the Reserve". I have been tempted to leave commission bids in the past but I noticed on their website that new clients need to supply bank and trade references. Bank references are no problem but trade references can be tricky for me as I normally buy at other auctions houses (and I doubt they are that keen to give references). Are references a strict requirement to open an account with Spink?

Pay your money and make your choice. I am currently very happy with quadrum and so I don't need to look any further at present.

What I am concerned is the lack of quality control. You can be 100% sure that NGC get their plastic slabs from a reliable manufacture (whether in China or USA). NGC would undoubtedly be testing their slabs regularly to make sure they are up to standard. Otherwise, they would have to compensate if coins are damaged by harmful substances due to the degradation of plastic slabs. They can't afford to take that risk. I had a look on the web and it seems that the only places you can buy PCCB slabs are ebay and AliExpress. No one will take responsibility if things go wrong and so there is little incentive for quality control. Rather unfortunately, there is a profit for using inferior materials and faking even the cheapest of objects. You are not probably aware of a scandal a few years ago in China when people were selling ... wait for it ... fake chicken eggs. They look like the real thing too. Each fake egg can be made at half the price of a real egg. http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/11/06/how-to-make-a-rotten-egg/ I am not trying to scare you and the PCCB slabs are probably fine. But I just want to be cautious.

I think Quadrum Intercept is the more expensive version which is supposed to prevent the coin in the slab from tarnishing (for up to 15 years). They are claiming that the foam "neutralizes harmful atmospheric substances inside the capsule, so that the coin is stored in a non-corrosive micro-climate." For now, I think I will stick with the standard version as I only collect silver and not bronze.

I didn't know about them and thanks for mentioning. They do look nice as they allow the edge of the coin to be viewed. And yes, they do look very much like ngc slab. My major worry is that they are made in china and not by a manufacturer I have heard of. Quadrums are made by Leuchtturm / Lighthouse and one can be confident that they use inert materials. How can you be so certain that the PCCB materials are safe with coins in the long term? I think all the sellers are in China and counterfeits (using inferior materials) can be a potential problem.

Just to say I have now put all my non-slabbed coins into quadrums and I think they are the best things since sliced bread. The black foam can stretch quite a bit and a 28.5mm florin fits nicely into a 28mm quadrum. 37.6mm crowns fit into 37mm quadrums. I think the best way to put a coin into the foam is to have the coin on a flat surface. Bend back the foam and put place over the coin to ensure that half the coin is in. Then I stretch the foam over the other half of the coin. I don't have to worry about coins moving slightly in holders now. Many thanks for recommending quadrums!

I would be surprised if that was a genuine positive feedback.

Here's a photo. The micro letters on the obverse state "one pound" all round the edge. On the reverse, you have micro numbers "2017" all round instead of "one pound". You need magnification to read the letters or numbers.

One type has the date 2016 on the obverse and micro 2017s on the reverse. I have checked some of mine and realised that the micro numbers on the reverse are not always legible even on near mint condition coins.

This guy has now got a single feedback for "selling" a for £350. Description "we have a George v. penny 1933. in gd nick for its age ok. im open to sensible offers ok. thanks for looking." http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/george-v-penny-1933-/112367093733?nma=true&si=EJc8Vr6AdQ0ojMyWPof4yNoqs10%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 Or is the last digit a glued on 3? There appears to be a lot of glue residue.

But the tone won't be the same though. AT will need to be used after the "fix" I think.

An absolute beauty! I understand that the earlier proof DC coins do have significant premiums. However, for the sake of argument, if VS's superb halfcrown were to be deeply toned even with the most amazing of colours, would it lose it DC designation? It seem to me that the DC term tends to be mostly used for coins that are near blast white.