Nicholas

Sorry CC, not only is the 1905 OBV not EF, scanning through other higher valued coins on your web site is a bit disheartening. I'd go as far to say that all the coins on your web site are given one whole level higher in quality than actual. Look at the 1692 Crown. It's no better than Fine? but shows VF/GVF. Oh yeah and that light unobtrusive bruise on the 1686 Crown. Right. ..

Try a small hack saw across one corner of the capsule, then use a screwdriver to twist the plastic apart, moving it along the perimeter. Safer than whacking it with hammers...

Ill take the gold farthing please! Sounds eye watering! Is it listed in peck?

BTW, and contrary to this topic, I was once told that there were only 6-10 1860 halfpennies known in private hands. If this is true and it was a US or australian coin, the price would be astronomical. Why Is the GB market different?

Sorry, 166, 008.

My question though is why is the 1905 so rare. Mintage figures from coincraft shows 168,005 were struck. Were most melted down? I mean compare with 932 1934 wreath crowns....

If you acquire the rarest year for a particular coin, 1905 hcrown, 1934 crown, 1860 hpenny, etc, and in unc, then no matter what price is paid for other years, it will push the rarest year above that price and hence the reason why the price is unevenly high for the rarest years.

Here's another incredible Spink web site story. Press the tab "order now" when trying to purchase the 2013 Coins of England and you wont be asked for your credit card, instead you'll get an automatically produced email telling the books department that you would like a copy. Wow, this is Internet functionality in the 1990's at its best! Are they kidding, the system should already know I am interested in purchasing this book from my choices on the web site - right? Is it so hard to include a shopping cart and checkout facility Spink? - this has been around a while you know guys. Moreover, the email does not include any of my personal details that need to be added manually. Wow!

Phew, I thought I was the only one who's been concussed by his wife....

I saw an aura around one of the coins that was posted to me once,turned out it was the concussion,from where the wife had hit with a pan after reading the invoice! I sort of know what you mean,a coin in the condition you wanted,even only a scarce example that you been looking for always has a great feeling.

I'm australian. Worse?

One of my pet hates is when a coin is given a really long description in an auction catalogue that's just full of irrelevant historical rubbish. Typically this happens in US auctions selling english coins. I can still remember some of the drivel about the family life of Elizabeth I and nothing about the crown itself just to fill in more lines of text in the hope I guess to make the coin look all the more important....

What makes a good investment I believe are the coins with "aura". It might come from its sheer rarity, when you see 1934 on a wreath crown there's an aura about it (albeit psychological as it looks exactly like a 1932!). It might come from its sheer beauty-ever seen a well preserved 5 guinea piece in person..it might be fashionable- some time ago it was Russian coins, then Chinese, now Islamic? With English coins its just about any coin type/denomination I guess due to the number of growing english coin collectors.. It might be accessibility.. For example ask can you buy one of these coins in this condition on the Internet tonight? If the answer is yes, I'd say aura is low... And coin condition- obviously important, but coins were made to be circulated, aura is high on an object that defies logic... And to see some details on the design of rate coins can be breathtaking. V high aura...!then historical importance can create incredible aura, with the history encapsulated in a small beautiful round metal manuscript...

on closer inspection only a clash die - superb coin.

I've a look around at other examples (could only find 2) and their "inverted A" looks a bit like mine. Probably just a misnomer..

Whole coin both sides: http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u567/2tearsinabucket1/CE5CEA98-3E93-4149-9E04-1D93E8890A05-1650-0000014A217F5D68_zpsf0f0b3a0.jpg http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u567/2tearsinabucket1/2BC46BED-E18B-4625-99D0-1D35EEB0839B-1650-0000014A20F0800D_zps3edc76e9.jpg

I recently purchased a 1654 Commknwealth Crown. It has a good example of the so-called inverted A for "VS". However, it's doesn't look like this on my example. Any ideas what this might else bs? http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u567/2tearsinabucket1/ECAAC27B-4982-4E42-AFF0-DD5C7236629E-1650-000001452B3D8E5B_zps9cc5a75b.jpg

This coin if I recall had a nasty little scratch under the chin... Not unc as I recall.

This site was not designed by latest IT web designers. Navigation, look and feel, speed to complete the screen ( which is made up of lots of little slow blocks), the cookie question that once answered takes you back to the start, the very limited, and I mean really poor search on archives- not only is it tricky to navigate., it seems to not allow more than two words in the search. It's like going back into the 90's. their last web site much better. Yes, the last version better. What a waste of money. Try again spink. This time please use IT professionals and consult some savvy coin site people.

Seuk you're a genius. I now have the provenance of my coin from the Manville article. Plate 10, No 2 looks like very much my coin. Ex Montegazza 62. Spink 113, March1996. So I guess my coin is authentic! Nick http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u567/2tearsinabucket1/95273BA2-16A3-43F0-93D5-6C3110317E07-2014-00000141E2F9D823_zps5df19fa8.jpg http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u567/2tearsinabucket1/02F55567-C2A4-49F0-8664-E240E25ACE13-2014-00000141E40F1B34_zps4d0fb4b9.jpg

Brilliant reference!

Not surprised, given the archaic design and functionality behind the all-new spink web site.... (spink still have the best coins though)

Thanks Rob. A really interesting summary of the G3 types. I guess I fall into the not-so-focused collection. Most often I am drawn to English coins where history has broken the norm and has forced an issue to be unrefined/ crude hence my interest in Eng Civil War coinage as well... N

Rare because they are uncollected, or uncollected because they are rare?