Stuntman

Thanks Gents. I'd never really looked into bullion coins other than sovereigns until recently. The sovereigns I have were either won in races, or bought to be enjoyed as coins (I bought the 2002 and 2012 bullion sovereigns about 16 months ago). With the gold price having fallen a bit since the post-brexit surge I'm considering buying some gold bullion over the next few months (and not looking at it as a short term investment, more an alternative store of value) and the coins look decent value as a way in, with the added bonus of being interesting in their own right. If the gold price drops a few percentage points in sterling terms in the first half of 2017 I will probably take the plunge!

Bet it doesn't look like that today, Terry! (seriously, lovely view...)

How big is that 2oz silver proof? Must be enormous! I still think it's a shame that the bullion sovereign isn't the same design as the proof, but hey ho. I don't think the proof design has been different from the bullion sovereign coin in all other years when both types were minted since 1817, but I may well be wrong? I'm interested in the 1oz gold bullion coins from the Royal Mint, I like the Britannia and the Lunar Year coins too. From other mints I like the Maple and the Kangaroo. Any advice about where best to buy from (UK buyer, buying in GBP)? I've looked at Royal Mint Bullion and Bullion By Post, which seem reasonably competitive (about 5 or 6% over spot) but are there better options out there?

You're welcome! I guess I had better restore the photos, I must have altered the old links: 1829 Halfcrown 1703 VIGO Shilling 1745 LIMA Shilling And the 1723 SSC and 1739 Roses Shillngs - good honest mid grade coins all, I'd say. I still like them very much!

Another fan of that 1888 crown reverse here!

I love that W&M design, both obverse and reverse. A halfcrown, I presume, or is it a crown?

Sixpence is about VF, Shilling is GVF in my opinion. A very nice example. I'd avoid the sixpence but would be very tempted by the shilling if the price seemed fair. Can I ask who the dealer is? I promise that I won't buy it. PM me if easier?

I think only you can be the judge of that. The coin has lots of eye appeal (in my opinion) but will always have the metal fleck on it. Apart from that, it's lovely. Assuming that the metal fleck is in the very centre of the obverse, I agree with the dealer's description that it doesn't detract, certainly from the visual appeal, but perhaps you can only fully judge when you have the coin in hand. Fortunately the dealer in question offers no-quibble returns, so it will only cost you the postage if you decided to purchase it and then return it. Good luck with your decision.

At least 4 weeks in olive oil, changing the oil after 2 weeks I would say. That should get rid of a decent amount of the verd on the reverse. Can't do much, if any, harm in my opinion.

I think it's disappointing that the 2017 bullion sovereign has not got the same reverse as the proof. I didn't want the proof, but I did want that design as a bullion coin to accompany my (few) others, which include the 2002, 2005 and 2012 reverse designs.

Because some coins are more deeply lodged in the public and collectors' consciousness and hence there seems to be more demand for them. Take 1905 shillings, florins and halfcrowns for example, the prices on these are very high in all grades compared with other post 1816 coins of similar rarity.

Looks lovely in the pictures, bags of eye appeal for me.

Re Def Lep, I'd start with High n Dry, and then Pyromania. If you prefer Pyromania you might like Hysteria. I saw them on the Hysteria Tour in '87 and preferred the support band, Tesla! Their debut album, Mechanical Resonance, is worth a listen. Good straightahead US hard rock.

I think somebody's pulling your leg - or one of them, anyway

A 1913 penny in VF would cost somewhere between £2 and £5 to buy, I reckon. Keep it if you like it and it makes you happy!

I think the coin looks slightly more worn in the CGS photos too, but I agree with IanB that it's a nice, straightforward honest coin that I would be happy with if it were mine. NEF for me on those second photos perhaps. I've probably got stricter since I've been reading this forum... Which brings me to the good point that Mick raises for relative beginners like himself and myself. When people like us buy from a reputable dealer such as the one who sold Mick this farthing and the coin is given a grade by them, we probably assume that their opinion of grade carries a certain amount of weight and isn't going to be miles away from what a TPG might say. We then probably look at some of the price guides for the coin in the grade and this will influence a purchase decision. I've bought a few coins from this same dealer, and am happy with the majority of them as objects to enjoy owning, but ... maybe they aren't really as described? And in no way is that dealer the most over-optimistic. I won't name names of some others!

It would get an EF from me. I wouldn't pay to get it slabbed either, but I fully respect your right to do so and understand why you might want to. Anyway - where to next, Mick, once you've completed your 1899 and 1951 sets? Keep buying whatever takes your fancy, or are you going to focus on something more specific?

Here are my similar coins - bought about 35 years ago at a coin fair when I was a schoolboy! The 1946 is a bit better than the 1949 I think, but both are of similar grade to yours. I still like them...

The 1949 looks a good honest coin. Agree about the 1946 being cleaned, it doesn't hold that much eye appeal to me I'm afraid. GF sounds about right although I suspect some may say F. As to price - somewhere between £5 and £10 for the 1949, maybe £5 for the 1946?

Hehe! Can't believe she said it looks nice

Got one today. AA18 serial number. It looks nice, feels different and is smaller in size!

The champions are getting battered!

They've gone on the homepage on my computer Chris, but I can't click through to the coins for sale page from the homepage, nor the forum page from the homepage. The dropdown menus work fine. I had a similar problem on the forum over the past week, which appears to have been solved.

It works for me today, so thank you to whoever fixed the problem. I got the big horrible ads from about Thursday last week, and even after installing ad-blocking software I couldn't open threads or post. All good now though

Great minds...