Just starting out

[Micky]

first of all i'd just like to say hi & thanks for providing all the info on the site as it's really helped.

i've just started collecting pre decimal coins after sparking my interest by collecting the new stuff (mainly 50p, £1, £2 & £5 coins because i liked the pictures). At the moment i don't have a massive amount but i'm planning on raiding my grandparents house soon as they have box's full of old coins for me to look through.

the highlights of my collection currently are a mixture old crowns, double florins & florins in decent condition but i also have 1 of the fabled new pence 2p's, a £2 with the queens necklace & best of all a Disney dollar from 2001 so i'm doing well.

anyway i was wondering where people find the best bargains for coins as i've looked in my local (leeds) coin shop and he hasn't got much worth having and it all seems over priced. I was wondering if it would be worth looking in charity shops, 2nd hand shops or antique shops?

2nd what is the difference between the calm sea 1/2p and the normal one & how can i tell this (can't remember the year but supposedly the calm sea 1 is rarer) as i have found a couple at home.

cheers for the help

Micky

[Chris Perkins]

You mean the 1983 2p with 'New Pence' I assume? If so, I'll offer you money for it!

(the £2 with the Queen wearing a necklace were never rarer than normal....go spend it!)

1957 is the halfpenny with clam sea variety.

There are some bargains on Predecimal.com, or at least well graded coins that are priced fairly. In antique shops and 'part time' coin dealer shops the things are usually overpriced because the people are not very informed and they overgrade things and charge a bit too much because they don't really know the true (often lower) worth.

[Micky]

was just a joke i know the £2 is worthless i've read all the posts on your site about it along with the millions of 2p's with new pence on apart form the year you quoted (which mine isn't).

how do you tell the difference on the 1/2 penny for that year as i have a few but don't really know what i'm looking for to tell it it is a calm sea or not?

[Colin G.]

Micky,

Welcome aboard!!! and welcome to the wonderful world of coin collecting. There is a good identifier on the calm & rough sea varieties of halfpenny on the site linked below

1957 Halfpennies

I also believe there are different varieties of the rough/calm sea varieties, but halfpennies are not my area of interest, so I have no doubt someone else can advise.

Local coin fairs are a goo d place to look for coins and they tend to have coins of all values, so you get to see a wide range of coins. I am based in the Midlands, but I am sure someone will be able to recommend a few local coin fairs to you. There are also some reputable dealers about, the owner of this site being one!! who sell coins and have a good reputation for accurately grading & identifying coins.

My other advice would be to get books based on the area of collecting that interest you. Chris perkins the owner of this site produces a UK price guide/reference book and Spinks is another book which gives general guidance on coin types prices for UK coins.

Make sure you read Chris's page on the "new pence" 2 pence, because they are a lot scarcer than many people realise and easily misidentified.

2 pence

In typical fashion someone else answered before I finished typing!!

[josie]

Thats another good site and info colin.

[Red Riley]

Hi Micky,

Someone has already said welcome, but take it as read from me as well.

On becoming a coin collector you may be advised by other collectors to specialise your collection (i.e. concentrate on one or two denominations). Don't pay any attention to them, the joy of coin collecting is having a bit of this, a bit of that all of which adds up to a history of coins either throughout the world or (as seems likely) your home country. If you wish to specialise, you can do that years later.

You might like to dabble on e-bay which personally I really enjoy. The chances of getting ripped off at the lower end of the market are negligible, the biggest risk being that the post office lose the letter! Always stick to sellers with 99% plus feedback and you should be OK. A little tip to interest other people (i.e. family and friends) in you collection is to buy the odd Roman coin. These always interest non-collectors, despite the fact that the world is groaning under the weight of the things, and as such, more common varieties can be bought for very little - an incredible amount of history for your money. Row after row of similar looking nineteenth or twentieth century coins however, will bore the less enlightened to distraction no matter how much you love them.

Another piece of advice that you may hear is to buy the best coins you can afford. Good advice from a financial point of view, but initially you will not be able to afford anything other than very recent stuff in tip top condition, so for the time being just go for what you fancy. It is however always worth going for a coin with good eye appeal (i.e. no edge knocks, scratches, unsightly stains) despite being only in fine condition as these will be easier to sell on to the next batch of beginners when the time comes to upgrade your collection.

Good luck!