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I agree with this too Matt and Frank. It may be off-putting for bargain hunters to see several bids on their hoped-for steal, or to find that their incremental bid is not enough to take the lead. One word of warning though, sellers that engage in 'shilling' may notice that you have left extra maximum bids above the current price and get their mates (or use another account) to bid you up!

I have found the Coincraft catalogue, last published in 2000, to be a useful reference and guide for collecting UK coins. This includes Collecting Hints for virtually all types and series... Best Regards, InforaPenny

Yes be weary of that, I stick to only a pound or so over my initial bid because of that very reason. Normally I low ball a few bids on something I'm interested in to show that it's already got interest then watch it end to put in my actual maximum bid just before it finishes, as many love to do. It's one of those things that you'll never know if it actually worked but is always worth a try in case it does

IMO, there are a lot more George VI coins around because it was possible to find them in change in the 1970s, but most of the "high grade" ones that come onto the market are cleaned EF (they look more presentable cleaned to the untrained eye than George V). I am quite keen on CGS graded coins and I would say that the scarcity of truly Unc or choice examples is now slowly emerging over time on the population report. We shall see, my own prediction is that anything from 1938 - 1944 will prove scarce in truly choice UNC grade (CGS grade 82 or better) and well may prove to be a good ivestment – in the long term, I mean.

Its a good move Frank, I do the same on listings without bids - increase the bid by 30p 3 or 4 times and let it run, some people see it's got a few bids and might just leave it alone. When looking through hundreds of listings a day sometimes you just can't be bothered to check if it's the same bidder or not, and hey, if it deters just one person then that's one less bidder

Hi Frank Some info and observations: The key to whether you bought cheaply, about right, or a little over the odds will be the grades of these coins. The seller’s pics, taken through the plastic wallets, are not good enough to determine whether they are around EF (probably) or (significantly) GEF or better. The ‘floor’ value for these pre 1947 silver coins (in any condition) is their bullion value (BV). This is based on the silver content of the coins (they are 50% silver). The spot price of silver is very low at the moment (compared to say 5 years ago), and at today’s prices the total silver value of your batch of coins is about £6. Here’s a ‘ready-reckoner’ (at today’s silver price): Denomination Weight (g) Weight (Toz) Bullion Value (<1920) Bullion Value (1920-1946) Sixpence 2.8 0.090 £0.78 £0.42 Shilling 5.7 0.183 £1.59 £0.86 Florin 11.3 0.363 £3.16 £1.71 Half Crown 14.1 0.453 £3.94 £2.13 Crown 28.3 0.910 £7.90 £4.27 You have paid £12 delivered (always factor in the postage). I notice that you were the only bidder, and increased your maximum bid 3 times – may I ask what your maximum bid was? These coins were minted in their millions (literally), and when news came that in 1947 they would no longer contain any silver at all, people started squirrelling them away, so they are very easy to find in high grades. In 1946 alone there were over 43 million sixpences minted, the other denominations were 1946E > 18m, 1946S > 16m, florin and half-crown both > 22m. This might be an opportunity to try grading these coins yourself when you have them in hand. Did you say you had ordered the grading book I mentioned in an earlier post?

I am going to take a guess and say they were probably minted by the millions and there are still a lot of them around.

Yeah what he said

Thanks Frank they look nice. Sorry cannot comment on their value or your other questions. Like your self I am new to collecting but there are lots of helpful people on here who will be able to give you the answer. Again like yourself I have been buying off eBay but have made a promise to myself to start buying from reputable dealers and fairs. If you follow the messages you soon start to see dealers names popping up frequently and its good to view their sites and compare the quality against some of the stuff on eBay. Having said that it's still worth checking eBay for the occasional gem. good hunting. Ian

Nice one bob, thanks for the scan.

Glad it was to your liking, always happy to help

Just one ? Rash,

Meh. It's not even a good enough copy for it to be an Ashmore. And yet, people have bid ...