Is their any structure to your collecting?

[Emperor Oli]

My collection used to just be totally random but now I've started collecting 20th century Farthings in the best BU (or nearest to) condition I can get. Anybody who wants to sell any....I will pay a premium!

[Sylvester]

My collection used to just be totally random but now I've started collecting 20th century Farthings in the best BU (or nearest to) condition I can get. Anybody who wants to sell any....I will pay a premium!

My collection was alot like that too, totally random till about 2 years ago.

Now i've got a direction but i do deviate slightly, alright quite a bit.

Main Collection is Sixpences 1674-1787 trying to get them in as higher grade as possible.

Secondary collection is now 20th Century sixpences, all in BU condition, (will accept those coins that miss the BU grade based on their tone alone)

Third collection being English Hammered, no real focus here just whatever catches my eye, preferably minted between 978-1399. I fancy some hammered gold when i get around to it, i just lost out on the chance of a hammered gold quarter noble last week, someone pipped me to the post, so i've got a virtually UNC 1750 sixpence coming instead, to replace that cleaned one.

Fourth gothic florins/Edward VII Florins.

Fifth anything else that i like the look of.

So there is some focus beginning to appear, but i still need to work on it.

I've just cleared out my spare coins from my failed attempts at collecting shillings and brass threepences.

I do fancy some tin farthings though.

Sylvester.

[Geoff T]

I'm largely a half crown man, but I do digress into crowns and double florins.

I thank you have to be practical and accept that you can't do everything.

Geoff

[PAUL.J]

I started out collecting english copper and bronze coins as it was all I could afford until I got a job!! (I was at school). Now I focus on silver english coins between 1662 and 1758. I have most major bust varieties for each monarch for sixpences, shillings and halfcrowns and am now expanding the reverse varieties. I really want to start expanding my Crown section but two problems - cost (need to win the lottery) and hole size in my cabinet! (I've only got 6 holes big enough to take crowns).

[william]

i collect Victorian coins. I don't have that many though, as i am buying coins with my pocket money!

[Chris Perkins]

Hello William,

If the volume of Victorian coins you've bought in the past from me is anything to go by then you've probably got more than most people in a 50 mile radius of your house!

Everybody: Young William has been a good customer of mine for some time, so look after him.

[Geoff T]

...and I see he's a fellow musician and a fellow native of Merseyside too. Can't be bad

[william]

Geoff,

...and I see he's a fellow musician and a fellow native of Merseyside too. Can't be bad 

Are you a musician too? i play violin & piano at the RNCM. How about you?

[Chris Perkins]

Well you're obviously all far to educated for me...I'll get me coat!

Best I could ever manage was the odd Led Zep or Pink Floyd (William, ask your Dad!) track on electric guitar (with the solos mind).

[Geoff T]

i play violin & piano at the RNCM. How about you?

William, I work at the RNCM in the Library. We've probably met several times already. I'm the guy with the beard. Small world!

Geoff

[william]

Yes, i remember you now Geoff. i joined the Junior RNCM in September, and we have met before!

[Chris Perkins]

Now just a minute..

I'm supposed to be bringing collectors together from around the globe, not re-uniting old chums!

That is a huge coincendence though, isn't it. I can't believe it.

[william]

Neither can i!

[mint_mark]

Ummm, back to the topic I guess.... sorry if I'm breaking the mood.

Basically, I like to collect everything because the changes in design and metal etc reflect the story of a country or region or regime. I would like my collection to form a kind of illustrated history.

But, the problem is it all gets too big, so I am half thinking about converting my collection into a strict type collection. That is, one of each distinct design in the best condition I can find.

Has anyone else here tried this?

How do I resist the temptation to own a scarce date? Maybe the type approach will free me from that "obligation"

For some parts of my collection it would involve serious thinning down, which I'm not sure I could stand! The other problem is I can't resist a bargain... but these days "I haven't got that date" just doesn't seem to justify a purchase.

At the moment I'm putting it off, telling myself I need to sell all my duplicates first!!

[Chris Perkins]

You're going to have trouble, and it sounds like you have the same problem as Sylvester.

Start by selling me your doubles and you can't got wrong!

[Sylvester]

You're going to have trouble, and it sounds like you have the same problem as Sylvester.

Start by selling me your doubles and you can't got wrong!

Sounds familiar!

Right my advice is take one of three approaches, (if you can, i'm finding it challenging)

1) Collect coins of one monarch. (I'd go for William IV here, i always felt he was overlooked as a monarch. Then again there is my other favourite James II).

2) Collect by denomination. (For me Sixpences, Half Guineas and the occasional florin)

3) Collect by metal. (Tin/Gold/Silver/bimetallic/Copper)

[that actually tells you alot about what i think of certain metals!]

Of course combine all three and you'll really narrow it down, one example say being Tin farthings of William and Mary, (doesn't get much more specialised really, does it!)

[mint_mark]

1) Collect coins of one monarch. (I'd go for William IV here, i always felt he was overlooked as a monarch. Then again there is my other favourite James II).

2) Collect by denomination. (For me Sixpences, Half Guineas and the occasional florin)

3) Collect by metal. (Tin/Gold/Silver/bimetallic/Copper)

[that actually tells you alot about what i think of certain metals!]

Did I mention this is a world collection I'm talking about?

William IV... now, if you include the coins from Hannover and Brunswick-Luneburg that also have portraits and arms of our Georges (and William!) then it gets more interesting for me.

Couldn't possibly ignore any denominations, except those not used for general circulation. For example, I shouldn't collect (post William IV) Maundy, trade coins or commemorative only coins... although I do have some (drat!)

As for metals, the changing metals tell half the story. In WW1 everyone used iron but in WW2 they went to zinc. Others used aluminium or brass. The gradual debasement through the 20th century reflects the economic transition from an instrinsic to an artificial currency.

Isn't that fascinating?

[Chris Perkins]

The only time the currency was intrisic in relation to the metal value in the UK was 1797 for the Cartwheel coins, it has been a token coinage ever since.

They are all promisory, and exchanged readily and hopefully nothing will go wrong here, but isn't it amazing when you see things going on in other places (particularly South America) where all of a sudden the bits of metal you had yesterday are worth a fraction of their value today.

In a way the economy is propped up by worthless tokens. Imagine if everybody suddenly wanted to have all their money phsically, and to exchange it for gold or silver! The country would be destitute.

I digress.

[mint_mark]

In a way the economy is propped up by worthless tokens. Imagine if everybody suddenly wanted to have all their money phsically, and to exchange it for gold or silver! The country would be destitute.

I digress.

Yes, but it's an interesting digression

I realise we've had a token coinage for a long time... what I meant was the 20th century saw the last traces of the intrinsic approach disappearing with the removal of all precious metals and the fixed links between currencies and gold being abandoned.

I haven't studied the economics of the time in detail, but I have thought about how money must have worked back then. I understand that in Victorian Britain there was virtually no inflation, which I imagine is a consequence of the money supply being limited by the supply of gold and silver... these presumably being imported from the empire and controlled by the government.

Even earlier I have read that problems were caused a couple of times when rich new deposits of silver were discovered in South America... an increase in the money supply means that there are more coins to represent the same amount of wealth, so prices go up.

At other times the opposite must have happened... not enough new precious metal to keep up with the growing wealth of a booming economy, so we had debasement and tokens (and falling prices?)

You mentioned the cartwheels... they got melted when the copper was worth more than the face value. I thought the 1799 and 1806 coins were also intended to be intrinsic (higher copper price, smaller coins) but I'm not certain. You can imagine the price of copper must have fluctuated a lot back then with the industrial revolution in full swing and new inventions and metal working processes being discovered all the time.

Does it follow that the material used for the currency should have no other use? Or that you should just stamp it with weight and fineness (South American style) and let the face value fluctuate?

I suppose there is no real relationship between precious metal supply and economic wealth, so abandoning the link in favour of made up numbers might seem logical, but it at least did force some restraint on the banking system... which they could probably do with now, especialy in the USA!

[Master Jmd]

i am trying to collect only english coins...