Colin G.

Yes it is still for sale. Mule

I know we have had a lot of talk recently about grading companies and their abilities, and this is an example which I feel demonstrates that the companies in the US are great with US coins but not with UK coins. There is currently an auction on ebay for a slabbed 1860 mule, which caught my attention. The price looked reasonable for a slabbed 1860 mule which was showing signs of lustre, but it was difficult to confirm the variety from the existing images. I enquired about better images of the coin and in the sellers defense he provided them very quickly and courteously. The issue is that it is my opinion that this is a toothed/toothed border farthing which it would appear has been incorrectly slabbed by PCGS (a verification check on the cert number does show this to be in the PCGS database as a mule). It does not bear the signs of a beaded border reverse and the single rock to the left of the lighthouse confirms this fact. I write this post to try and inform potential buyers of my opinion, and I have written to the seller in the hopes that by showing comparisons he will agree with the error and pursue this with PCGS.

As for the O in Oarolvs, I am not convinced that it is an "O" . If you look at the O`s in CAROLO these are more oval in shape, where as the O in Oarolvs is almost perfectly round. How about a misaligned C being overpunched with a correctly aligned C with no attempt to correct the underlying misaligned C? If you closed the gap in the C in CAROLO then it would be as good as round!

I used to love the old text RPG games on the speccy!! I remember the Hobbit well!! It was when you gave commands like open door and it would say "do not understand open" so you type unlock door only to get the message "do not understand unlock" and so on and so on, many a happy hour spent inputting 46 words for open try and find the one that had been programmed, and adjusting the volume on the casette recorder to get the game to load..... Load"" (I think that was the correct command) Those were the days!! Colin G.

Can I have my 1p in farthings please!!!! (Preferably pre 1895) Colin G:

Thanks for the responses!!! Colin G.

Hi, Can someone provide me with the freeman numbers for the fractional farthings from George V, Edward VII and the Victorian Bronze series please? I am having difficulty locating my copy at present, I know I put it somewhere safe!!! Many Thanks Colin G.

The worrying thing for me, is that looking at the website I am not filled with confidence. The wording on the site is poor, and there are a multitude of grammatical errors. Whilst I do not claim to be the master of grammar myself, I do not think I would trust my coin grading with a company who cannot spell or present coherent sentences on their site!!! The other worrying factor, is that you know this is going to take off in a huge way regardless of how we feel, because it is not aimed at collectors, but at the investor. I just can't see myself searching bags of 2006 pennies to find that grade 100 penny even if someone is willing to pay £100 for it because it says that it is perfect on the slab. One thing it is certain to do, is increase the price of coins across the board if it is succesful. Colin G.

Teg, Thanks for that, all I have to do now is locate a copy, the only one I can find is priced at £100!! Many Thanks Colin G.

I must admit I always try to leave feedback once the buyer has paid, but there are circumstances when I do not, and that is when as you say communication is poor from the offset. I think a sweeping statement of saying the buyer has fulfilled their duties once paid is not strictly true. Buyers can still have other areas of the "transaction" where they as a "buyer" can create problems for example as Chris stated where they do not read terms and conditions then blame you as the seller, and in my opinion this is still part of the transaction and when feedback is left immediately after payment, the opportunity to inform other sellers is lost. I will continue to issue feedback first and hope that with my service levels and through communication I can resolve most issues, but you can never protect yourself against that species the "ebay moron" I have had the pleasure of meeting one or two over the past few years!!! Thanks Colin G.

Can anyone recommend a good publication that details the coin manufacturing process. I know Peck and others touch on the subject, and I am aware of the basic processes, but I am after something that discusses in detail how the process evolved and how dies were repaired etc. Is there such a book that anyone is aware of? Many Thanks Colin G.

Chris/Rob, Thanks for the information, very helpful!!! I must admit that I thought the strike quality was not "proof" standard, but not having many proofs in my collection (mainly due to budget!!!) it is difficult to distinguish. I have never seen one of these previously, and it is interesting that you have seen similar coins for this date. Makes you wonder whether similar finishes occur for other dates in the veiled head series, or other denominations that year, or whether it was just an eager apprentice who spent too much time polishing the farthing dies in 1895!!! Thanks Again Colin G.

Ebay is a good source for Whitman folders, there are normally plenty for sale. Thanks Colin G.

Chris, Thanks for the quick reply, it is the raised areas to the left of the 1, that do resemble a 5, although they are much fainter. Thanks Colin G.

Hi, I have attached an image of an 1851 Half Farthing, and am curious as to whether it is the 1/5 variety. Colin Cooke lists the variety, but I cannot find a close up image. There is definitely something below the 1 which could be a 5 but I would like to see a better grade example for confirmation. Many Thanks Colin G.