jaggy

According to the DNW web site, my lots were shipped today. The rest is down to the UK and US post offices.

If you have registered with DNW then just log in and go to the Your Account menu item. You will be able to see any purchases/invoices there.

Azda .. the USA does not charge import duty on numismatic imports. So I just have to worry about shipping and insurance costs which, spread over the four lots, are not too much.

I got a fourth lot this morning. £20 over the high estimate but quite a lot under what I was willing to pay. So, of my four lots, I only had to pay over the odds on one of them - an 1870 sixpence - which was my top target and I expected to have to pay more for it. All in all, a very satisfactory auction.

Lot 2662 went for 5000 (hammer) Yes, saw that. I have bought three lots. One - the one I really wanted - well over the high estimate but the two others at £20 and £40 below the low estimate. So not too bad really.

Bought Lot 2564 at £20 below the low estimate.

There are a few I am interested in. But, finances dictate, I need to be targeted.

Fixed problem. Closed Safari and restarted it.

Following the bidding live but audio not working. Anyone else got he same problem?

Good points ... I remember that we always would check our pennies to see if there were any with Victoria's head on them.

Results are up on the London Coins site. I bid on three lots and got all three .... two at below what I was willing to pay! 1758 sixpence 1887 R over V sixpence 1911 proof sixpence

Just a couple of thoughts here. Stock market risk and low interest rates have pushed some investors towards coins and other 'investibles'. So there is a bit of a bubble which might burst when interest rates start to move up again and/or/if we see a sustained multi-year bull market. But, the advent of the internet has allowed auction houses to widen their market worldwide. Online and real time bidding means more buyers chasing coins. That will also push prices up. Can't comment too much about ebay as I have never used it but, I imagine, that will add to the phenomenon. And I don't see this aspect of buying and selling coins going away. It will mitigate any bubble bursting if/when it happens. However, I cannot help feeling that the higher end of the market is more investing than collecting. It might be a strategic mistake to abandon the middle ground as that, I think, is where most collectors are and where the market is likely to be the most robust. The last few auctions have seen relatively little in terms of my 'target buys'. But I am willing to play the long game and see how things develop.

Welcome aboard TanV!!

Seconded!!

I put a couple of bids in. Didn't win anything. To be honest, I am saving my spondulicks for the London Coins auction and for DNW. Having so many auctions so close together is not good business IMHO. One of them should take the plunge and get onto a different cycle.

I would add my voice to those who hope you don't leave. This forum would certainly be a poorer place without you.

Personally, I'm not too bothered about TPGs. That is because 1) I buy coins for myself and to keep, 2) I have never actually sold a coin so the 'premium' you get from a TPG is irrelevant and 3) I make my own mind up to value and grade irrespective of what the TPG gives it and bid accordingly. I do have a number of coins that are slabbed; maybe 30 or so in total. I choose not to take them out of the slabs for the time being. However, as a collector, I much prefer buying 'raw'.

I was going to bid on a couple of lots in the Noble sale. Now I am beginning to wonder.

I would suggest that an investment in a tripod would be worthwhile even for those who have relatively cheap cameras. Most cameras can be mounted on a tripod and you can pick one up pretty cheaply. Less than £20 will get you one. The advantage is that you can position the camera more exactly over the coin and reduce vibration to a minimum.

I have an Epson Perfection 4490 scanner but have never used it for coins. I also have a Nikon 5100 DSLR which I mount on a tripod. The coin is set on a piece of white paper and I zoom in on it s far as the autofocus will allow. I use the remote control to take the photo so that there is no vibration and I always use the built in flash. I then bring the photo into Photoshop for cropping and any fine adjustments to the lighting that are needed. I never play with the colour adjustment.

Glock America S.A.

I have participated in another, mainly US, forum with regard to the issue of 'slabbing and grading' as opposed to 'raw'. My overriding impression is that, for many US collectors, the investment aspect is more important than the collecting aspect. In addition, many people do not have confidence in their own skills and knowledge. Typical comments include: "I like to have my Coins Graded. This way You know what Your getting" "there is little argument that it is almost unheard of for a counterfeit coin to get into a holder (PCGS or NGC) and rarely do they make a mistake" "Very few retail buyers have the true grading knowledge to buy higher value raw coins" However, I do think that there is a different culture when it comes to collecting in the USA and I (and others) have noted this when bidding at Heritage. In many cases, condition and grade are as important (more important?) as rarity. I highlighted an auction a couple of weeks ago where a 1887 withdrawn type sixpence - MS 65 I think - sold for $150 which is at least twice the value I would put on it and possible as much as three times what it would fetch at auction in the UK. On the other hand, I bought a lot which included an 1787 sixpence which was 'only' AU 55 for what I thought the sixpence was worth on its own. Both are common coins but the MS 65 commanded a huge premium and one which is, in my view, undeserving.

I think it depends how you keep them. My coins are kept in a fairly heavy duty safe and I place a container of this stuff called 'Damp Rid' in the safe to suck any excess moisture out of the air.

I'm not really a collector of copper or bronze coins. But, on occasion I do buy the odd one:

Very nice!