newbie

[demonik1]

hi all

i have recently become fascinated in coins etc since helping my mother sort through some rare coins she bought in a house clearance.

las weekend i bought a large bag of assorted coins from a jumble sale weighing about 10kilos.over the last 10 days i have been painstakingly looking at each 1 and have to know if i have struck a beauty.

there are several good 1p coins from apparently rare dates like 1882,1912h,etc etc also 3 tubes i opened of 1939 threepences,1941 farthings and various dates of halfpennies.many of the pennies have the letter h next to the date wich i believe is heaton mint ? the problem i have guys is i dont know yet as to what the grading is f,vf,ef,unc etc etc how worn makes them worthless and what is the minimum allowed to be worth anything.

just a note to say i never would have thought i would have got into coins and collecting but all of it is fascinating me now.

many thanks

[Chris Perkins]

The standards are very high! Shockingly high for newbies.

For grading British coins check out this book I publish:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0948964...ASIN=0948964839

It's also available on www.predecimal.com and you can see a picture of the cover at the top of the forum.

I've sold 600 of these books in 3 months and they go down very well. Great value too for a hardback.

Oh yes, if you want a signed one, let me know as the author has some signed copies available (same price).

[Peckris]

hi all

i have recently become fascinated in coins etc since helping my mother sort through some rare coins she bought in a house clearance.

las weekend i bought a large bag of assorted coins from a jumble sale weighing about 10kilos.over the last 10 days i have been painstakingly looking at each 1 and have to know if i have struck a beauty.

there are several good 1p coins from apparently rare dates like 1882,1912h,etc etc also 3 tubes i opened of 1939 threepences,1941 farthings and various dates of halfpennies.many of the pennies have the letter h next to the date wich i believe is heaton mint ? the problem i have guys is i dont know yet as to what the grading is f,vf,ef,unc etc etc how worn makes them worthless and what is the minimum allowed to be worth anything.

just a note to say i never would have thought i would have got into coins and collecting but all of it is fascinating me now.

many thanks

Welcome to the hobby demonik. When you've finished with your big bag, you could always take it to your nearest charity shop - they love that kind of thing. Congratulations on your penny finds. The Heaton Mint coins of George V are pretty common in low grades, but it's worth keeping the best ones for yourself, and maybe selling the rest on eBay. H pennies of Victoria are also not particularly rare (except 1875H) - condition is everything, anyway. 1939 brass 3d bits are only worth much in the top grades, but it's worth keeping the best few.

On the subject of condition, two things. 1) Rotographic (whose site this is) have published a comprehensive guide to grading with pictures of all the main types in different grades - I intend to buy a copy for myself, it sounds so useful. 2) Why not scan or photo a few of your coins (the better ones) and upload them so we can help you grade them?

A final note about values : age is irrelevant - what you would have to pay for a 100 year-old halfcrown in top condition would be much more than what you would pay for a 2000 year old Roman denarius in similar condition. The guiding factors are 1) condition 2) rarity and 3) popularity (that last is important : you could have an almost unique minor variety of Victorian bun penny in good condition, but it might fetch less than £1000 - compare that with the £50,000 a 1933 penny would make).

Anyway, good luck.

[demonik1]

thanks for all your input guys

i kind of know that none would be worth 100's or 1000's but i was more looking at what would be worth say 50p and up to £10

i payed £5 for the bag of coins and have already sold a 1794 halfpenny token of john of gaunt for £10 and several churchill 1965 crowns for £2 each.there is over 1000 coins left but would like to know the grades.

i will try scan a few tomorrow for you all.

thanks again