What type of coins do you collect (British)...

[Master Jmd]

I just wanted to know what coins everyone here collects...

if you have voted for 'other' please say what in this poll...

[Emperor Oli]

As you know, I'm trying to complete a full 20th century (EVII-EII) date set (minus the obvious ones) in brilliant uncirculated condition. After that, I will continue to move back in time and buy older farthings. I voted other, as although my collection has a direction now, it is all a mishmash of different coins.

[Sylvester]

I had to tick other because you missed off tin for a starters.

Well the real reason was because i collect quite a few of those, firstly i collect milled silver. Sixpences 1674-1694 (all date/type varities, sixpences 1695-1787 just by date and i get the plumes and roses combinations, but i miss out the provincial mints and the minor varieties.

Hammered silver is another area of interest, i'm attempting one coin from every monarch from AEthelwulf to Victoria. (i've just sold all the post Victoria stuff off). Silver pennies are my favourite.

Also hammered gold, as part of my monarch collection, if a nice gold one turns up for a monarch i haven't got and i can afford it then so be it. Although i could quite easily collect Edward III Quarter Nobles.

Also as a small aside i also collect milled gold in the for of a date set of James II Half guineas. (three to get in total, i need two more... no rush with this though, if i finish it in the next 40 years i'll be content).

So to briefly summerise in order of importance. (1 most important)

1) Sixpences 1674-94

2) Hammered Silver or Gold for the monarch type set

3) Sixpences 1695-1787 (just the main london mint varieties, one of each date)

4) James II Half guineas

[Master Jmd]

I had to tick other because you missed off tin for a starters.

i did have tin, but i did not think that anone would tick it, the same with copper...

[Sylvester]

i'd like to just specialise in tin farthings eventually.

Copper never really bothered me much, although i did see some nice James I farthings for sale... hmm hammered copper, not something i ever thought about.

I don't collect copper because my house is to humid and they'd all go green eventually. No problems with gold or early milled silver though.

[Master Jmd]

i collect mostly pennies...i have about 60 pennies in my collection, with about 250 pennies in total..my best penny is a 1855 OT copper penny, with a brilliant non-worn reverse that i would grade at VF - EF because of slight scraches and wear on obverse...i also have a nice (scarce) 1879 penny; obv. 9 rev. K according to spink...i have a few Farthings; my favourite being a 1853 normal type that i would grade BVF/AEF...my favourite decimalised coin is the twopence, which i already have 17 2004 ones in BEF condition...

[Emperor Oli]

What's BVF and BEF? British Expeditionary Force?

[Master Jmd]

What's BVF and BEF? British Expeditionary Force?

i did that for Brilliant, like Bunc, but BVF

[Emperor Oli]

Erm no, those grades don't exist. Sylvester explained in another thread BVF would be GVF (Good VF) or AEF (About EF) I think

[Master Jmd]

well, my 2004 2p's have no scraches on them, i would say that it is BEF, or VGEF (very good extremely fine)

[Emperor Oli]

Aargh these grades mean absolutely NOTHING! Stick to standardised grading, and don't make them up, they're just confusing. If you want to be really accurate, switch to the American grading system.

[Master Jmd]

Aargh these grades mean absolutely NOTHING! Stick to standardised grading, and don't make them up, they're just confusing. If you want to be really accurate, switch to the American grading system.

i hate the american grading system...ok then, GEF

[Sylvester]

You mean they are MS67s!

I trhink he'd like the Sheldon grading system.

[Sylvester]

alright he doesn't.

[Half Penny Jon]

Boooooo! I hate american grading even though it is accurate.

[Emperor Oli]

What do you hate about American grading? The fact that it's American? It is extremely accurate and would be more logical to grade the American way for the sake of clarity. Having a numbered system allows one to grade really well.

[william]

Yes, what's the matter with American grading, it may be American, but it is extremely accurate and probably worth using on your best or most valuble coins.

I voted for milled other as I collect Victorian coins, and I am not bothered by the alloy or anything like that.

[Edward]

I think any grading system can be good if it is used honestly and consistently. The advantage as far as I can see in American grading is that standard guides with verbal descriptions and illustrative photographs have been very thoroughly worked through, and if you follow those descriptions strictly you will grade American coins well. Such a guide is also easier to compile for American because of the limited number of types. The difficulty with American grading is that there are just too many people around who grade on the Wish System, and a coin labelled MS-60 may really be AVF. I have to learn again and again not to take a stated grade as anything except a caution.

[TomGoodheart]

I think I've raised this before but... most gradings are only really useful for modern coins. That's because there are really fine examples out there that one can compare with.

With the older coins it's much more subjective. I see no point in a fifty (or whatever) point scale with hammered coins. You get a coin 'as struck' that has perfect lettering but a weak bust and another with a strong bust but with weak lettering. Despite being as close as one gets to in 'mint' condition they could grade just good VF.

How would you grade this for example?...

[Edward]

Tom, is that the other side of the Chas shilling I saw on here before?

Without knowing what the other side of the coin is like of course it's hard to tell; but judging from the reverse legend alone I would say it's a weak strike and GVF or a little better. From the legend alone I would say aEF, but I suspect that we have already seen the obverse, and the strike is not centered. How do you grade it?

Like Chris has said, hammered is like another language, and a point system won't translate into that, witness the example of the Stephen penny we had from Oli (I think). Even for early milled, a point system would have to be adapted to individual types, though I think it could work there. If you have the American ANA grading guide you will see where it works well; but American is all modern milled. In grading American the points (how are they assigned, anyway?) are a short-hand means to differentiate among the major grades, as Americans don't work with as many letters as British do.

Particularly troubling for me is the assignment of British coins into the 11 grades of "Mint State" (MS-60 to MS-70) as these distinctions are valid only for collectors familiar with the fine divisions involved between the grades.

At the end of the day though it's all still a matter of judgement, an art rather than a science, and a guide to the collector more important in helping him decide whether he will acquire a certain coin at a particular price. He knows whether he wants a coin by looking at it; but is he going eventually to be able to persuade someone else to buy it from him at the price he paid for it? If he doesn't care, he will buy the coin just because he likes it. I have paid substantially more than book value for one or two coins because they were just so unbelievably beautiful.

[Sylvester]

witness the example of the Stephen penny we had from Oli (I think)...

Nope.

[Edward]

My apologies Sylvester.

[Emperor Oli]

(Edward @ May 4 2004, 12:58 AM)

witness the example of the Stephen penny we had from Oli (I think)... 

Nope.

Pff no, it will be a very long time before I dabble in hammered methinks!

[william]

Same here, I think I prefer milled stuff

[Edward]

I really like early milled myself, there is something about the combination of handwork and the early technology that really appeals to me. You can see that a coin was made, and it's more robust than hammered. But I have got an interest in all British, and you can understand a certain attraction for me to all the Edwards.