Colin G.

Nice Penny, it looks similar to some tickets I have that I think are Ex Dr E.A.Johnstone, but I am sure Rob will be able to shed some light on it

But my personal favourite is the Victorian copper series farthing portrait, I think it is much more appealing than both the halfpenny and penny portraits...but I may be slightly biased

Got to love the contrast between George IV on the two farthing types, he must have undergone some major plastic surgery

Yes but the NGC pronged one is not the most aesthetically pleasing and the prongs themselves can cover a portion of the design on smaller denominations.

Been there done it more than once I agree choose what is attractive to you, the chances are that if and when you do come to sell, another buyer will probably take the same view.....hopefully

It certainly looks as if it was cleaned in the past (the black streak could be a result of uneven cleaning). However, don't check against your 1896 farthing for mint darkening, as that didn't start until 1897; all 1896 farthings were bright. Bronze coins often go dark when they have started to wear - mint toning is most evident on UNC coins, and has a kind of dark blue/purple sheen. I agree that it looks cleaned rather than a coin that has escaped the artificial darkening process

Depending on the value of the coin within, you could always get it resubmitted if you want it in a slab

I think that is just a case of "looks like" ghosting, it could just be a strip of missing lustre, an effect of the photo or a depression in the planchet

Before they required packages over a certain value to go by courier the shipping price was $10-15, but $30 (£20) isn't that much to pay for piece of mind. I have no doubts that their policy changed after my lots went missing because I asked them bluntly if they could prove it had been shipped and the answer was no. To put something in the postal system that is only tracked when it reaches the destination country is crass. Say they ship my parcel with Manchester on the address label and it goes to Manchester, New Hampshire. It could never arrive in the destination country and presumably goes into a bag labelled 'do something with these' as there would be no requirement for tracking whilst still in the US. I'm actually glad that they have upped the price and the service offered, even if it does cost another 5% plus. As with everything else in life, you get what you pay for. My last lot cost me £30+ (single slabbed coin)so the costs have jumped again, still got a bargain though!!

I have also purchased from them a couple of times, as Rob says brace yourself for the postage costs, but even they are not too high really. No complaints from me to date

In Firefox, you can drag the current page icon (at the left hand side of the address bar) on to the 'homepage' button. Wow never knew that...thanks!!

He's reet popular for errors is our Willem! 160836484181 Anyone please feel free to add the link if you're on a PC http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160836484181?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D160836484181%26_rdc%3D1 There ya go

Hello and welcome!! Some good advice given above, and I agree wholeheartedly about eye appeal, if the coin appeals to you, there are chances that "if and when" the time comes to sell it will do the same with others. You can get examples of coins that are nearly fully lustredthat do not have an attractive look to them, and you can also get some toned coins that have stunning eye appeal

I can't believe you have one of those already, I have been looking for years

Some of the designs on these coins were really nice

Yes, you could be right. But remember, the world's first seven-sided coin must have been a bastard to design for! And it did look a lot better on the large 50p. Agreed, the larger 50p coins were much better, the same as the large 10p coins

I agree, but I think the most attractive Britannia design was the one on the copper farthings (1826-1859). The standing Britannia does not appeal to me on the Edward VII florins. I also think some of the £2 Britannia designs are nicely produced

With a few machines that have Tone ID or target ID, it would certainly be possible to distinguish between the two, but definitely not with 100% certainty. Put it this way I would certainly not purchase a coin that I thought may be a counterfeit just by the sound it made under my coil

Oh I was only 1 letter out in alphabetical order, that surely is worth a silver medal Well done on figuring it out

Me neither....hmmmmmmm

Many happy returns

My guess it TR it is old english script, slightly modified

My collecting started via my other hobby, metal detecting, and then whilst looking at coins, I spotted a nice 1826 farthing with an edge knock for £4 on Colin Cooke's website and could not believe that something so old could be picked up so cheap....and the rest is history, it's a good job I didn't buy a penny or halfcrown off another dealers site, the story could have been very different expensive I agree with Rob's comment above, my favourite changes from day to day, I have favourites but selecting just 1 would stress me out

Oh believe me, they do! You should have seen the 10p and 5p I took from a 1973 set I'd bought in an auction lot - I only got rid them by selling them at face value to buyers of other proofs. They were absolutely hideous. Yup this whole set has vile collectable toning......okay special offer one day only £50

I agree, there is some great information there in the lists, but you know the book would have been a step further and would have been complimented by the accompanying knowledge that would have been included within the text