Coppers Posted November 5, 2005 Posted November 5, 2005 Did anyone attend the London Coin Fair today? Quote
Half Penny Jon Posted November 6, 2005 Posted November 6, 2005 I did plan to attend but work prevented it.. Quote
Emperor Oli Posted November 6, 2005 Posted November 6, 2005 I sure did! Got to the reception at 8:50ish, only to be told it opened at 9:30. So I went walkabout for half an hour and returned. Queued for a few minutes and then the floodgates opened. Everyone streamed inside, trying to look as dignified as possible as they crammed at the various dealers' tables. I skipped the first few due to the heavy traffic, and started in the ante room. Looking around there, it was mostly ancient material along with early hammered. Near the end of that room I saw an 1826 6d that I had been looking for for ages. I thought it graded aEF, and priced at £80 I thought rather expensive. So I bore it in mind for later and moved on into the main hall.On the first table there, I saw not one but two 6ds in far better condition than the first one. I made a mental note to revisit that table. Moving along, most of the other tables held nothing that interested me, not to mention the fact that I was seemingly invisible to most dealers and indeed the fair-goers who thought it acceptable to push and barge whoever they chose. Quite a few of the dealers sat in their chairs reading the paper, making it feel as if you were priviliged to be taking up their time, or the others who gave a monosyllabic "No" to stock queries. However, I digress. One aspect I wasn't expecting (perhaps marking me out as a coin show newbie) was the junk boxes many dealers had on their stalls. I took a sort of guilty pleasure in rifling through these coins and medals. I came out with a commemorative medal from the Spink stand and an ancient Greek coin and an 18th century Spanish one from another. I guess I was buying on impulse because I thought these coins were so cheap, probably because they were! I shall endeavour to post some scans soon.After circling the room once, I noticed Vale of London was less busy than when I entered, so I made a bee-line for it. After waiting for a few moments, I introduced myself to our very own Chris Perkins, who gave me the warmest of welcomes. I bought the new Collectors' Coins and I must say it looks as smart as ever. True to form, I did notice a typo on the back when I returned to my hotel and was in two minds whether to go back and tell him! After bantering about the book sales and the new Spink, I was generously shown a whole tray of Wreath Crowns. Usually I don't find them that interesting, but there was something about an array of them that was, well, je ne sais quoi. From the Vale stand I bought something from Russia which had caught my eye on another forum. Bidding adieu to Vale Coins and Chris, I made my way over to the stand that held the sixpences. When they came out of the case, there was a stark difference in grade. I plumped for the higher grade example, forgiving a slight gouge under the eye. With a handsome discount, I was more than happy.On the way out, I was even convinced to subscribe to Coin News! All in all, a very very enjoyable morning. Quote
Emperor Oli Posted November 6, 2005 Posted November 6, 2005 (edited) Just done some quick and extremely dirty scans to see if anyone can shed any light on these Edited November 6, 2005 by Emperor Oli Quote
Emperor Oli Posted November 6, 2005 Posted November 6, 2005 A medal, most probably German. Ludwig Von Schwanthaler on obverse. Quote
Rob Posted November 6, 2005 Posted November 6, 2005 A medal, most probably German. Ludwig Von Schwanthaler on obverse. It's a medal commemorating the unveiling of the Bavaria statue (reverse) in Munich which was erected by Ludwig 1st (obverse). Quote
Peter Posted November 6, 2005 Posted November 6, 2005 I would hazard a guess that Charlie 111 originated in China..a "real" 8 reales would fetch up to £1,000 in that condition.It looks like a cross between Charlie 111 & 1V.....It is portraying to be Mexican or Spanish.I've also stopped my subscription to Coin News....after reading many old Coin monthlies which I picked up off Ebay....Coin News no longer seems relevant...shame really but it is not half as interesting.The bargain tins are something else.....especially the more expensive ones and a lot of fun. Quote
Emperor Oli Posted November 6, 2005 Posted November 6, 2005 I would hazard a guess that Charlie 111 originated in China..a "real" 8 reales would fetch up to £1,000 in that condition. That was my thinking, but I didn't think I could go wrong for a fiver! Quote
Chris Perkins Posted November 7, 2005 Posted November 7, 2005 The Spanish thing could also be a contemporary forgery. I have a few Spanish forgeries and all of them mix reverses and obverses and have a similar kind of appearance. Forgery was big in Spain and its colonies.Very nice to see you Oli, and I would be interested to hear about the typo! I'm just back today, so will need to catch up here.Sorry I didn't contact you about the halfpennies HPJ, I am still vewry interested. I'll be over in December for a wedding if you can wait that long. Quote
Emperor Oli Posted November 7, 2005 Posted November 7, 2005 Very nice to see you Oli Likewise! I could pick you out from across the room Quote
Half Penny Jon Posted November 7, 2005 Posted November 7, 2005 Sorry I didn't contact you about the halfpennies HPJ, I am still vewry interested. I'll be over in December for a wedding if you can wait that long. No problem Chris, ill see you in december then! Quote
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