BBC Broadcast

[Half Penny Jon]

For my birthday, i might try to buy colin cooke's 1694 silver proof farthing for £265.00...that would be a big leap from the most i've currently spent (£40)

You are very ambitious with your coins JMD . Just think before you buy it. You may get more pleasure out of owning lots of lovely farthings than just a single coin.

[Sylvester]

For my birthday, i might try to buy colin cooke's 1694 silver proof farthing for £265.00...that would be a big leap from the most i've currently spent (£40)

I think that would be an interesting one to have! And a gem of a coin too no doubt.

I almost fancy putting together a small date set of farthings 1684-1692...

C2

1684 (GOT)

1685 EXTREMELY RARE

J2

1684 VERY RARE

1685

1686

1687 VERY SCARCE

WM

1689 RARE

1690

1691

1692 SCARCE

I suppose i could give that small set a bash, but it'll be on low priority with those half guineas.

Sixpence collection has been reduced a little so that i just have to get one main type of each date (so i might still get all the obverse/reverse variants as well as the overdates, but i'll not be bothering with overlettering and transposed shields ansd spelling mistakes and what not)

[Sylvester]

You are very ambitious with your coins JMD . Just think before you buy it. You may get more pleasure out of owning lots of lovely farthings than just a single coin.

I'd much rather have a small select few high grade expensive coins than a full date run of cheaper ones.

I did have a near complete set of BU Sixpences 1930-1970; If i remember rightly i had 1934, 1936-1940, 1942-1950, 1953-1959, 1961, 1963-1970... but i got no real pleasure out of it. Even if i had a full set of 1901-1970 sixpences i don't think i would have been too overjoyed. Oh yeah i liked em but i much preferred my one off hammered coins. (Hence why i could never really specialise to just one series). I reached a happy medium of having two really expensive obscure challenging serieses supplemented by several shorter ones just to relieve the monotony.

I've only ever been sure of one approach in numismatics and that was, not copper, and that's about the only thing i've stuck to since i started 14 1/2 years ago.

[Half Penny Jon]

I guess different people have different collecting habits. I love my date run and will love it even more when it is complete. When it is finished I have decided that I will complete a date run of farthings (1900-1936)

[Sylvester]

I guess different people have different collecting habits. I love my date run and will love it even more when it is complete. When it is finished I have decided that I will complete a date run of farthings (1900-1936)

I dunno, you'll have to see about that!

I know i'm not alone in saying this i've heard many say it before;

but i find when trying to put together a date set (or even a type set), once i actually have the coin it gets put in the cabinet i rarely look at it (well except that Mary groat i really like that), usually my attention turns to the next coin to get... the thrill of the hunt is what does it for me. I soon get bored once i have the coin and the novelty value has worn off (but i'm like this with everything).

I think if i ever did manage to finish a set i'd probably sell it the next day and turn my hand to another set. This is perhaps why i pick sets that are actually just about achievable but they will take a long time to complete, like 30 years.

I could try a set of 1937-1956 farthings but i'd probably have it finished within 6 purchases before the end of the year all in BU.

I tend to like coins for their history connection (hence why i love the Stephen and the Mary so much), or the eye appeal (gothic forin, sixpences, Mary again).

As for the tin farthing, well i like that cos it's tin. And you can never have enough tin!

I think in 30 years when the sixpences are done and the the monarch one is done, i hopefully so are the other two small sets. Then i think i'll turn around and specilise in collecting tin coins, just lots and lots of tin farthings and halfpennies. That's if the hammered coin bug doesn't drag me into collecting Quarter Nobles or Stephen Pennies.

Oh there's so much out there, how can you specialise?

[Half Penny Jon]

I specialised because I am addicted to half pennies and I like the look of farthings. I hope to have a collection on the scale of Dr. Nicholson in about 30 years time but in the meantime, I will collect bronze half pennies and farthings (when I have completed my date run of half pennies)

[Sylvester]

I specialised because I am addicted to half pennies and I like the look of farthings. I hope to have a collection on the scale of Dr. Nicholson in about 30 years time but in the meantime, I will collect bronze half pennies and farthings (when I have completed my date run of half pennies)

So will you be collecting half pennies or farthings? or perhaps both to the same level as Dr. Nic?

And actually now i come to think of it i have a near complete date run of US silver Washington quarters 1932-1964 (ignoring mintmarks), why? Well i just really like the design... it's the only coin i have actually just taken to without having to try. The vast majority are low grade specimens, most of the earlier dates grading Good-Fine.

Wow i've just gone through them, only dates i need are; 1938, 1958 and 1960! Excellent, i though i had more to get.

[Master Jmd]

I would love to own a collection like Dr. Nicholson of Farthings one day...

[Half Penny Jon]

Colin Cooke has one certainlty on that scale and of that 'wow' factor.

[Sylvester]

like the late Ms Amstell then...

[Half Penny Jon]

Who was that? Did she have a large collection of Farthings?

[Sylvester]

Who was that? Did she have a large collection of Farthings?

Probably? who knows...

She was a big name in the Coin business a few decades ago, i believe she was a Seaby director as well as a coin dealer.

I dunno about farthings but i tell you what she did have... an Henry III gold penny. Now when it comes to jaw droppers you can't get much more jaw dropping than owning the most expensive British coin of all time can you? She bought it at auction and it held the record for the most expensive British coin ever sold... since then it's been beaten but by another Henry III Gold penny of all things!

[Half Penny Jon]

I have heard the name Seaby a lot of times. Do they sell coins, and if so, do they have a website?

[Sylvester]

Seaby's i think they are now somethink to do with Spink. Auctions, catalogues, books you name it they've done it.

[Half Penny Jon]

Never mind, does anyone on here subsribe to their Numismatic Circular?

[Coppers]

I do Jon.

[Half Penny Jon]

Are there any BU halfpennys 1900-1936 being offered for sale in it Coppers?

[Coppers]

Jon... I couldn't locate my copy of the most recent issue. As I recall Spink usually adds any unsold coins to its website after a period of time. You also might want to check with the fellow who created this website. He may have a few of these you could use for your collection.