mrbadexample

One reservation I have is the size of holes in the trays - 22mm being the smallest. For the silver 3d at 16.5mm, that's quite a lot of scope for movement. But apart from that, the 28 trays a Crozier holds would accommodate my completed (as if!) collection nicely, making it a one time investment. Anyone else want to help me talk myself into it?

I can't stop looking at that Crozier cabinet now.

I know, I know. I've just been reading the thread on cleaning decontaminating with acetone. Anyone know if it works on what I assume is some sort of chlorine residue? To be fair, I don't think any of the good stuff is affected as they're more recent purchases. Mostly the stuff I've had for 30 years or more, but I need to think about offloading some to free up funds for better specimens. The mahogany cabinets are beautiful. But do you know how many farthings I can buy for those prices? I'm not sure I can justify that as I don't have that many really high grade specimens.

Greetings all. I'm new to this forum but not to coins - I've been collecting them since I dug up a 1954 half crown with a metal detector as a teenager, 30+ (gulp) years ago. Actually, that's a lie, I used a trowel. Not long after I got the bug, my late Great Uncle Albert, gawd rest his soul, took me down the local coin shop and shelled out a few bob for a few bob to get me started. I've been collecting, off and on, ever since. It's one interest that's waxed and waned over the years, but never gone away. After trying to collect everything going (as you do), I eventually settled on British milled silver and bronze coins from 1860-1970. Let's not pretend I can afford the shiny yellow ones. What I'm looking for is one of each date minted. I will collect some varieties e.g. high tide / low tide, but I'm not too worried about every tiny little variation going. Lord knows those Victorian pennies give me a headache just thinking about them. I try to buy the best condition I can afford, but again I don't have to go mad. A good solid VF will do nicely if I can't afford better. If I have a favourite, I'd have to say I do have a penchant for a nice farthing. So, as I get older and find myself with a little more disposable income, I'm feeling the urge to step things up a bit. Which leads me to look at my collection and think "bloody hell, that lot needs a sort out sharpish". Most of my collection is in Lindner coin trays, but I have a fair few in the dreaded plastic wallets, some of which are going green from many years of internment. I know, I should know better. To be honest, I know I've got a fair bit to learn even though I've been collecting for years. Some of the fakes I've seen mentioned on here have made me think I probably wouldn't spot them. Same with cleaning / dipping - I need to brush up my skills on spotting this. So let's start at the beginning - how should I best store my coins, and is there an acknowledged best practice for removing the green? I look forward to draining the knowledge from your collective heads. Cheers, MBE

Ahhh, thanks. Appreciate the recommendation - it's been doing my head in looking at the myriad available.

I'm sorry, I'm too busy to reply because I'm now looking at USB microscopes so I can get a better look.

Hmmm...I really can't tell. The lettering and area around the crown do look a bit grainy, but the higher points like the shoulder appear more consistent with the non-etched part. I guess that could mean the grainy texture has worn down through handling? There is some fairly heavy pitting in the portcullis too, but this is only in the area that would have been protected. If it is acid-etched, then I'd be thinking that the resist would have been in the form of some kind of tape wrapped round the coin as the edge has been protected in this area too. My next question is "why would someone do that?"

Thanks IanB. I can see why you might think that, but I'm not entirely convinced. Coin in hand, it doesn't look like the work of acid (to my untrained, non-metallurgist, non mint-error expert eye). Is there anything I can look for that would indicate the work of acid? That's the highest resolution my scanner will do so I'm struggling a bit for magnification. Is there anything I can look for that would suggest it's a mint error rather than post-mint? Is there anyone nearby that fancies a closer look? P.S. Just so we're clear, I didn't join the forum to sell a dodgy 1p.

Hang on, I need two people interested to drive the price up, and Nordle's declared out. Anyone else?

Thanks. Is bhx7's 2p another example of a cud?

I believe it to be genuine - I pulled it out of my change. Do I need to open the bidding?

Yes, it's raised. Looks like a blob of solder. I've not heard the term "cud" before (cows notwithstanding), is it common? How does it happen?

Can anyone tell me what's happened to this?

A photo as the scan doesn't show it very well:

This 1994 penny appears to be corroding from the inside. Not sure what might have caused it but I've dug up better than this:

One for you, Nordle?

A similar one from 1918. I still can't find the others.

I've had a couple of these too - 1920 and 1913. I've just been to look for them and they're not where I thought they were so I'm not sure what I've done with them. Mind you, my overspill pile needs a bit of sorting.