mick1271

at the turn of the year ,the 2009 sets were going for nearer the £300 mark .I sold mine a few weeks ago for £215 ,which was still a decent mark up from the £39.95 I paid RM for it .The prices are dropping slowly , but the demand still seems to be there .I agree that new collectors don't seem to be able to see past the modern shiny commemorative coins .I am admin on a coin group on FB ,and have had a few discussions with so called experts about the investment value and so called rarity of the decimal commemoratives .I cant possibly see how a kew gardens 50p ,of which all are still available and 99% are in high grade can maintain a £65-75 price .Especially when the 1992 EEC 50p with half the mintage and a large percentage have been withdrawn from circulation are only selling for £55 .

there is another http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/hammered-silver-coin-1562-Elizabeth-1st-Sixpence/263116385189?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140107083358%26meid%3D395c89b9d17c48de8b9c60bf5ebd526f%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D302402867730

he has relisted saying that he has been told by another ebayer that it is a repro .Might have been an honest mistake after all.

I have a few of these that I had picked up over the years .Including a nice 2p with a lot of build up on it .Didn't think they would be worth the hassle of trying to sell though.

The middle shield shows it is a more recent restrike .

If it is in relatively good condition , then it will probably be a restrike .They were still minting them up till 2000 if i recall rightly.Nearly 380 million have been minted . You can normally tell by the shape of the shield whether it is an early restrike or a later one .A picture would help.

Not a coin , but got a nice condition clydesdale bank fiver from 1996 in my change last month .They have been withdrawn from circulation for a good while , but I happily pocketed it . Obviously not been circulating for 21 years .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Great-Britain-1864-Queen-Victoria-Full-Silver-Gothic-Florin-/232424940675?hash=item361d9b2483:g:QxEAAOSwPR5ZeIyA this one ?

13.6 grams .non magnetic .It has the right die combination ,but has less ridges on the milling on the edge.

Thanks for the info .That explains it .

As I said ,the rim does seem to be slightly thicker (not sure if the rest of the coin is also the same ) .It would be nice if it could be verified as one of his ,as he was reasonably local to me ,but it seems a lot more was known about his later florins enterprise than his earlier works lol .

Yes, I have read that .there is less ridge milling on mine as well .On first viewing ,there is nothing about the coin that would make you think it is a fake ,except the colour and tone .under a lens ,there still isnt any real obvious signs of it being fake either .the only noticeable discrepency is a slight ridge round part of the rim on one side (possibly done when the milling was applied) Its a very well made counterfeit .

If it is ,then it corresponds with the article .what would it do to the weight though .would it correspond with the slight weight difference or would there be more of a discrepancy?

Non magnetic

It does appear to have a slightly thicker rim .nothing really noticeable till you lay it side by side with an authentic one .

It was quoted that his were made of nickel or German silver . from the article . The mention of machinery (rather than moulds) points to the likelihood that the method of manufacture was that used in another enterprise of the same James Steele, with Robert Ramsay, from 1927 to 1930—when they were detected through the superabundance of coins bearing the same date. Halfcrowns dated 1920 and 1921 were then made from nickel 'or German silver'; the charge was of having a puncheon, four dies, an electrotyping machine, a rolling machine, an edging machine, a charcoal stove, an annealing box, electro-plating tanks, frames, an hydraulic press, and an ejecting machine . . . 'These misdirected geniuses had perfected what was virtually a miniature Scottish Mint'.7 In the early nineteen-sixties this remained the only successful case in which counterfeiters had struck pressed sheet metal in the same manner as the Royal Mint.

13.6 grams .definite forgery , but is it one of James Steele's ?

Was an interesting article ,He also counterfeited 1920 and 21 halfcrowns in 1927-30 .I have recently bought what I believe to be one of his counterfeits .The article doesn't say much about them except they were made from nickel .

I havn't got one yet .but I'm in no hurry .will let this one pass ....probably.

lower grade ones can easily be ignored , I have picked up a couple myself in the past .

Its going to stick out like a sore thumb now. a coin in that condition over a tenner .the views will go through the roof .

I stuck the 2nd bid ,so it appears on my main page .didn't last long lol