Royal Mint

[Guest Jimmy]

I know I am new to this but I suppose I'm not the only one who thinks the Royal Mint has gone daft am I?

I like collecting crowns and, yes I know some might not consider these "real" coins in some way, but I like them. Looking at the offers from the Royal Mint it seems that 2000 was the year they went mad. One crown a year would be nice additions for when I can't afford old crowns but producing numbers like they are doing now seems excessive. Decided to limit my collection to "pre 2000"

Are we of one mind on this or do some appreciate such a large offering?

James

[Chris Perkins]

All commemorative coins since the 1965 Churchill crown are a load of rubbish. The only difference is that they now produce one or two crowns with all the collectability of the Churchill crown every year, instead of every 5/6 years! And of course they also tamper with the £2 coin and 50p.

All toot, only the errors and the odd rarity are worth having (e.g. the gold £5 mule and the 2000 Crown with dome mint mark, perhaps).

It's a shame, because the glut of toot devalues the odd coin with a nice design or one that marks an occassion worth commemorating. And I expect the sheer numbers of modern issues in recent years may actually put off some young collectors that may have eventually progressed to proper coins!

[Rob]

I was going to make a collection of a coin by each attributed designer. Prior to 1970 (about 450 years) there were about 75. Since 1970 (the ensuing 40 years) there have been about 40 up to the end of Spink's 2009. I'm not going to bother post-1970 because by the time the Olympics are over the number will probably exceed the 75 mentioned above - and I suspect none of them will be collectable because the mint output is verging on a serious medical condition that needs urgent treatment.

[Guest Jimmy]

So it's not just me then! When I saw a coin commemorating the Mini car that's when I gave up the idea of ordering each year from the Royal Mint. Just have to save up for some "real" coins instead.

James

[£400 for a Penny ?]

A farthing gets you a guinea James, that in 5 years time you will be specialising in something else - probably the obsidional coinage of the great rebellion, or some such, so my advice would be not to worry about it too much. If you want it, buy it. The important thing is to enjoy the hobby and see where it takes you.

ebay is wonderful for moving on 'mistakes', explore the whole breadth of how kings, queens, countries, parliaments etc, etc choose to portray themselves through their coins.

You get to decide whether you like something or not and you don't have to explain your decision to anyone.

That said, personally, I can't stand them.

[Geordie582]

ebay is wonderful for moving on 'mistakes', explore the whole breadth of how kings, queens, countries, parliaments etc, etc choose to portray themselves through their coins.

Please don't get the idea that the Queen has any say in the matter! Sure. she is supposed to OK the issues - but the choice is that of politicians - who resent the mere fact of her existence and would brook no argument and are more likely to be pushing their latest project

[Red Riley]

Actually Queen Victoria did veto the first couple of stabs at the 'bun' coinage.

There are IMHO only two crowns worth collecting since the war, and those are the 1951 and 1960 offerings. Since my avowed aim is to collect all types of coin up to decimalisation this is a problem for me. I am desperately looking for a pretext to sling the Coronation and Churchill crowns out on their ears. No commemoratives you say? But that means I would have to chuck the excellent Festival of Britain crown too. The best definition I have come up with so far is 'all types of coin up to decimalisation except crap'. Doesn't really cut the mustard does it?

[£400 for a Penny ?]

The best definition I have come up with so far is 'all types of coin up to decimalisation except crap'. Doesn't really cut the mustard does it?

I like it, I think it captures the 'Zeitgeist' admirably - although it makes no reference to tit queens and footballers ?

Seriously though, why do we beat ourselves up over the definition of our collections ?

Few of us have the resources of the Schneider family, nothing most of us do will ever be significant, yet we bully ourselves to define our collections, crave gravitas.

I'm beginning to think we must all be fools

[Red Riley]

I'm beginning to think we must all be fools

No we're not fools; if we have a failing it is as you have already discerned that we do have a tendency to take ourselves a tad seriously. But isn't that a failing of the human race in general? Believe me, there are far worse failings at large than getting disproportionately worked up over a few metal disks.

[scott]

didn't George V hate the rocking horse crown?

anyway, i wouldn't play more then face value for a coin.

speaking of the mini

i have one... it was free... even if its just a 10p planchet with a differant design

[Guest Jimmy]

The best definition I have come up with so far is 'all types of coin up to decimalisation except crap'. Doesn't really cut the mustard does it?

[£400 for a Penny ?]

There's a book you need to lay your hands on as well, James, if you're going to be serious about crowns.

The "Standard catalog (it's American) of world crowns and talers (taler being the word from which dollar is derived) " by Chester L.Krause and Clifford Mishler.

It's a weighty tome, my edition has 1360 pages and is pretty old - I presume there are more recent editions around, though I don't know.

Perhaps if you acted quickly Santa would 'Thud' one down the chimney.

There may be a book dedicated solely to British Crowns, maybe someone will tell us.

I'm a big fan of books about coins, in fact I have so many books about coins (more than I have actual coins) that I have to question whether I am a book collector rather than a coin collector.

It's astonishing, actually, how many books about coins there are.

And of course, they tend to be cheaper too.

In fact, writing this, has given me an idean, I might start a new thread.

[Chris Perkins]

There is also 'The Crown Pieces of Great Britain' 1962 by Howard Linecar. Hardback, and more difficult to come by that the modern Krause books. It includes all British crowns from hammered onwards (it pre dates 1965 so misses out the crap completely!)

It also includes British commonwealth Crown or similar sized large silver coins. No values....just a list of types with pictures.

[Peckris]

I'll add my five cents (or should be that five shillings ... or should that be five pounds? )

I basically agree with both side of the argument :

1. Collect what you enjoy collecting (though when it comes to modern commems, NEVER pay more than face value for a crown, i.e. £5 : "Royal Mint packaging" suffers more depreciation than anything else in numismatics - £4 for a tatty bit of coloured cardboard, anyone? - and modern auctions find it hard to shift these items and you would never get a return on the price you paid).

2. There is an awful lot of rubbish produced nowadays; remember, none of these commems is a coin, they are only glorified trinkets, and you only have to look at how the QE2 section of the Spink catalogue has swollen since 1985, to appreciate that. If you're serious about crowns, you could avoid these modern things and save up your pennies for the series 1887 - 1901, which is the best value place to start, and where you can pick up some reasonably high grade crowns for not too high an outlay.

[Guest Jimmy]

Many thanks one and all.

Books are a wonderful way of extending a hobby when you can't afford to go out and buy a coin every week!

I will be looking at the ones recommended but will firstly be buying the book on grading as I need to learn this as much as I can.

Happy new year one and all.

James

ps one message I read said "when you get interested tell all your friends and relatives, you never know what they may have." I tried this on the father in law on Xmas day after feeding him. He said "I do have a George 1 golden guinea if you are interested." I have yet to see it so I am not building my hopes up but, hey, who knows. If it is anything but a modern replica I will post a picture.

[choolie]

What about gold? I got into coins from dabbling with investing in gold. Coins have a value independent of the bullion value, but the bullion value cannot be ignored. Take for example the 500th anniversary sovereign which is listed in spink as costing £1100 surely it didn't cost that much when it was issued?

They currently have a set of gold 50p's costing £8000 which they have only produced 125 would that hold on to its value?

[Sylvester]

Well my rule was always;

'if it was made with the purpose of spending first and foremost in mind then collect it'.

Which rules out pretty much everything (lol ), no proofs, no commems, heck no BU sets... (okay so i occasionally break my number one rule and buy BU sets) but for the most part the rule has served me well for the past ten years.

Can't beat proper circ. coins in my book, they've got far more character.

[Geordie582]

Can't beat proper circ. coins in my book, they've got far more character.

Surely anything else is purely decoration, so deserves to be included with medals?

[Sylvester]

Can't beat proper circ. coins in my book, they've got far more character.

Surely anything else is purely decoration, so deserves to be included with medals?

Yeah!

As a part-time hammered coin collector though my biases are well known.