IanB

That is a lovely looking coin, very good condition.

Difficult to tell from the photo but is that a double exergue?

The Swedish Jury has returned a vote of 10 points. Thank you Zookeeperz, much appreciated. Ian

A slightly better picture of the P

I can only thank the Swedish jury for their vote although it has crashed my brain completely I checked out Secret Santa's website and it mentions the P in IMP but nothing about colons. Nothing in the Freeman book either. What am I looking for regarding the colons?

This from Pete that he sent to me earlier to compare with.

2+B or not 2+B, that is the question? Could I have a comment or two as to whether this is a 1937 2+B or not. Its doing my head in trying to decide if the P in IMP points to the left or the right or even straight onto a tooth. Sorry about the quality of the photos, I am using my phone at the moment. Thank you

Fair point. Another possibility could be that something fell onto the die and was sandwiched between the die and the planchet. The stamping process took place and the coin was then ejected into the next step. The piece of something either remained on the die or fell out the coin leaving the recess. We would see the imprint of the head and lettering through the recess.

It's only a guess but a trapped air bubble followed by a delamination. Where's Nordle11 when you need him, this is right up his street.

Is there any damage or marks on the other side?

Just went back into my activity to read my first post. It was about removing fingerprints. It was probably a question that had been asked countless times previously but I was given a good reply that lead on to me asking even more repetitive questions. Thanks for your patience

A very handsome florin, great detail and the toning is right up my street.

So far I don't have any of these types of coin but I can definitely see the appeal. The history and sense that they are hundreds of years old and still with us is fascinating.

I was rather hoping Matt had stored them in Quadrums or at the very least cardboard flip. You have put me right of my mid afternoon custard creams

Hi Pete, I bought Matt's 1937 2+B but no idea if it is a proof. The picture is still on his website if you want to have a look https://mypennycollection.wordpress.com/category/george-vi/ Ian

I like the look of the second one but it's already attracted a few bidders so be careful if you decide to place a bid you do not get drawn into a bidding war and ending up paying more than it's worth. It might be better to take your time and do some research on prices before buying, don't worry if you miss a coin there is always another one that will come along. The books that Upinsmoke has recommended will help you make some good choices. Also be careful of sellers overgading their coins, they are not all uncirculated like they would like us to believe. Having said that the urge to buy is strong, so go ahead but remember eBay is only one place to buy. There are some members of the forum who are dealers and I am sure will point you in the right direction.

if you click on your current silhouette avatar it will take you to your activity page. Then on the avatar next to your name there is a download picture icon.

I bought some coins from eBay a while ago that had an oily appearance. It was not obvious from the photos but when they arrived it was definitely oily I put it down to the seller trying to hide scratches as they appeared once I had soaked the coins in acetone. it could have been olive oil or something similar. Fortunately one of the coins was an 1897 dot penny that I got at a very cheap price, so I did not complain. I just did not buy anything else from the seller. I also have some toned coins but the difference in colour and appearance is markedly different.

Stay away from them. You have answered your own question, they are cheap and you have no way of being certain what they are made of and they could potentially damage your coins. If you want to put them in an album then I would go with a quality make such as those recommended by Upinsmoke. The 2" x 2" holders that fit the album are cheap and if you buy the non sticky ones are reusable. You say your collection is of relatively low value but it will not be long before you start to buy coins that are a little bit more valuable. I think it's best to start as you mean to go on and start housing your collection in a proper album. welcome to the forum and carry on collecting.

I have always liked the Edward VII bust but I think pushing it back in time is worth considering. I have no idea on costs though. Are you sticking with the Maundy sets?

That is a lovely looking set Mick

I am guessing it did not sell because it was over priced even at the lowest estimate. So I will pass on this and bide my time for the moment

My own fault my bid was just below the low estimate so obviously not accepted, even though I got an email back confirming that the bid was acknowledged Lesson learnt for the future.