1934 Wreath Crown

Thanks. Please feel free to post your favourites here. I have not posted some of the more recent purchases, as this lot just came today in one delivery along with some ancient silver and other foreign coins (7 1/2 Rouble one year type). Maybe a new thread on Favourite Sovereigns and Other Gold Coins??? A lot of the members here prefer silver coins but I just love collecting gold coins.

And one for the Silver lovers...

Was after this year for a VERY long time. Extremely rare and elusive in any grade. 1841 Sovereign

Not a GB coin but one of only 2 Off metal strikes known. The other is in the coin Museum of their central bank.I just love the pattern.

1853 MS62

Thanks. Yes that is a nice one.

Early 17th Century Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan MS 63

1923 SA Pretoria Proof

1831 William IIII MS61

1887 M AU55

Just got a large order delivered today. I knew they were nice but they feel much more special in hand.... I will try to post them one at a time. Canada 1917 and 1918 both are MS63

Great. Nice to hear such positive feedback. It is an expensive coin so I wanted to be sure. It does look as described and he has agreed to comply with my request should we agree on a price. Thanks all.

Hello I have been looking at a particular sovereign for a while and am thinking of making an offer on one. It's quite pricey so I just wanted to know if anyone had any bad experience with the dealer. I'm not sure if we can post names here but if I'm breaking any rules I apologise in advance and trust the moderator will delete this thread. The dealer is Buckscoins and he lists on eBay as well. Any information is most welcome. Thanks

Hello Martin. Like you I also started collecting sovereigns a few years ago. At first my purchases were whatever I could find at a good price, often at the cost of bullion or just above bullion. For me this was also a learning process and one that gave me the opportunity to do a bit more research and reading (mostly online). However, I soon realised that I was basically only acquiring bullion and the price of my 'investments' would largely track the price of the precious metal....so why not just buy a sealed Pamp or Suisse bar?? The sovereigns which have significantly appreciated in value have been those which are scarce, rare or extremely rare and then grade also determines the value. Their values do not depend on the cost of gold but rather on their rarity and desirability. Therefore, my recommendation would be set yourself a quarterly or yearly target of how much you would like to invest in sovereigns, then research which sovereign(s) you would like to add to your collection and then try to find one that fits your budget. It is painstaking and time consuming work....but it's fun. Just to give you a very brief idea, some of the rarer and more desirable sovereigns which won't break the bank (too badly) Ansell 1859, also 1859 small date, 1838, 1839, 1841, early 20th century Canadian mint coins, 1937 Proofs, several Australian sovereigns, some South African (Pretoria mint) sovereigns. These would set you back from the mid hundreds to perhaps a five figure sum. The older sovereigns George III, George IV and William IIII are also always sought after with William IIII being very popular. Decent ones would be in the high hundreds to mid thousands. Rare ones would be much more. Please remember I have not mentioned any of the extremely rare ones (Henry VIII, Edward VI or Elizabeth I) as these are extremely difficult to come by and therefore extremely expensive (at least for me). In most cases the proof coins are more desirable but some bullion coins (e.g. SA) do buck the trend. Finally please do not ignore the current crop of desirable modern strikes, particularly the proof coins like 1993, 1989, 2002, 2005 and 2012, to mention just a few. These are either very limited mintage or mark a significant anniversary or event (jubilee). I'm afraid my knowledge is not as extensive as some of the other very well informed members on this site but I take a practical view of collecting particularly if I wish to enjoy owning them, hopefully realise a decent amount in future, or leave something valuable for my heirs. Good luck.

Azad I totally accept what you say but I also feel that a company like NGC would not risk their reputation and would come clean IF the coin is not genuine. Also I just heard back from Steve who admits that one cannot form an opinion on a coin which is in a slab and 'the fact that NGC have graded and already authenticated it is a good sign of it being genuine.' I will now consider if it is worthwhile to send the coin back to HA for a review.

Just to let you all know that I have heard back from Heritage. They have suggested that I return the coin for review and then they will consider their next cause of action and possible refund from them or NGC if the coin does not pass the test. I have suggested that I request Mr Hill to first look at the scans and if he expresses any serious concerns about the authenticity of the coin, I would return it to Heritage for review. I'm glad I got such a quick and positive response from Sam Spiegel and feel we are moving forward. My thanks to all for your help and to 7Jags for raising the issue.

BTW how do I get in touch with Mr. Hill at Baldwins and will he entertain a query from me, a complete stranger??

Will post the final conclusion here. Either I will be the happy owner of a genuine 1934 or we will all have learnt something about being able to fool even TPGs.

Thanks for all the input. I have already written to Sam Spiegel at Heritage and will wait for his initial response before seeking further advice from you all. And I totally agree....the coin stays in the holder under all circumstances otherwise we cannot apportion responsibility to anyone. Cheers.

No, unfortunately not in the UK. I'm living in Dubai so its rather difficult getting the coin out for further verification as there is a restriction on the movement of coins and 'currency' via post. I could courier it out but am waiting to hear what Heritage have to say about it first. Many thanks everyone.

Thanks. I will try contacting them later today about it. Have to go now but please keep the suggestions coming.

Can one return it if it is a proven fake?

NGC 4184400-005