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Here, for those that appreciate great coin photography, are a couple of new pictures that I've had taken of a few of my nicest British coins. Coin photography is tricky, so I had a pro do it. 1818 LXIII Crown - one of the finest preserved of the first steam-driven crown coinage of Great Britain. William Wellesly Pole, the master of the mint, took great care in the production and handling of these coins, and the average condition today is quite high. Of course, after two hundred years, a coin in this state of preservation is very scarce. Most have suffered from owners wanting to keep them "shiny" by polishing them (like silverware) if they toned. A coin without many hairlines and with original toning like my coin is a real treasure. 1850 Victoria YH half crown - superlative example (proof?). The 1850 is one of those early half crowns that are so difficult to find in mint state. It had a smaller mintage and is elusive in any condition. Just search Heritage for the 1850, and the best you'll most likely come across is an MS65 1850 that doesn't hold a candle to this coin. Still unslabbed but, according to David Hall (meet the experts at Long Beach show), probably an MS66-67 (or proof?).

Best place to start, Dave, might be to check completed listings on eBay - maybe even the specific eBay site that covers the country your coin comes from. Make sure you only take account of actual sales (in GREEN), rather than just finished listings (in RED). And condition, condition, condition! Coins increase in value exponentially with condition so carefully compare the photos that you find with the coin that you have.

My own particular philosophy is to buy coins that I love to look at time after time. I don't buy to create a date run or collection of like things necessarily. To me, coins are historical art objects which encapsulate the history of the period, the talents of the designer and engraver, and the technology used to create them. I strive to find the most beautiful I can afford. I buy inexpensive coins if they catch my eye, and, at times, rather expensive coins (for me at least) that I feel have something unique or special about them. Because of the reasons I collect, it is hard to part with them. In comparison to buying, selling is difficult. One wants to have his own evaluation of a coin confirmed by others, so one strives to market high value coins in a way that exposes them to knowledgeable (and wealthy) collectors to the maximum degree. Of course, it's a matter of degree. My "expensive coin" is cheap compared to some coins in the US market where many sell for more than $100,000. We must all face the prospect of selling at some point or our heirs will do it. With rare coins, it makes sense for the person that knows where and how to market the coin to sell rather than leaving it to an heir who knows nothing or relies on an advisor who may not have the owner's best interest at heart. With low value coins, it probably doesn't matter. So yes, I would sell if the market for the coin at a particular time (such as the Chinese or Russian booms) made financial sense, but it's always hard to sell coins one loves.