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The quality control on modern coins is absolutely appalling , its seems to be the same with all circulation coins , but you would think they could make an effort on a celebration issue. When you consider the detail and astounding quality of the coinage a hundred years ago in Edwardian times such as this 1903 penny , just a circulation issue, but so fine that it could be a proof. The flecks are just remaining lustre .

My latest unofficial farthings. The two with tickets are from the Cockanye collection, which was bought by Baldwins around 1946. Are the tickets worthy of the 'ticket central' thread with them being tokens rather than coins?

I picked this up from a dealer for whom ancient coins are outside of his area of expertise, and thus (if I hadn't bought it on the spot) he was simply going to put it up on a general internet auction website. Apparently it was once in the inventory of a U.K. dealer (as evidenced by once being priced in £) who had it identified as a hemilitron issued under Hieron II of Syracuse between 230 and 215 BC. This dates its production and use to include the period of the Second Punic War, in which Hieron II was an ally of Rome. The Romans at this time hadn't yet achieved hegemony over the entire Italian peninsula, let alone the island of Sicily. The year after after Hieron II's death, Roman forces laid siege to Syracuse, ultimately taking and sacking the city. It was during this struggle that Archimedes, the renowned mathematician and inventor, was killed. From a numismatic standpoint, provided the above attribution's accurate, this'd have to be one of the last coin types put out by an independent Kingdom of Syracuse. It's 27 mm in diameter and weighs just over 18 grams. I'm presuming it's nothing rare, or even scarce, but aesthetically it just really appealed to me..

Today's acquisition. An early milled penny from the reign of Charles II.

NHS please have a rethink I was taken into hospital by ambulance again and was in for a few days and cannot thank the NHS enough once again. However when i was discharged they gave me a carrier bag of medication...... Asking the nurse were did i pay for it all ,she just told me it was free for everyone that is discharged. They are giving thousands of £s worth of drugs to people like myself everyday and IMO should charge everyone that pays for a prescription. All the staff were brilliant and feel £millions could be put quite easily back into the system. Pete.

"Fear God and honour the Queen". Motto of Fiji. Apparently, Tui Viti translates to king, queen or paramount chief. So I guess at least the motto does not need to be changed when Charles succeeds the Queen.

On a more positive note after the £2 debarckle A very smart 1862 Half Penny

Quite a few years ago (2009) I couldn't help noticing the amount of scuffing in the obverse field of the newly minted BU Darwin £2 coins. Wasn't just one, they were all the same.

As a frequent user (I have advanced MS) I can say that I have never had these experiences you speak of. In fact, the lamentable skills shortage will get much much worse after Brexit, and I've yet to meet an NHS professional who says different. We have QUALIFIED staff in the NHS from all over the world, but as soon as someone does an Enoch Powell (Nigel Farage, to name but one) look what we end up with.

COCKANYE, F.S. Round white card 26mm diameter, written on both sides in ink with the reverse as 'medal alignment' when the ticket is turned over. From his collection of tokens acquired by Baldwins C1946

Agreed. The LibDems proposed penny on income tax purely for the NHS seems like a bargain - especially now that personal allowances are £11k and rising.

Doesn't look like he has fooled anybody - 1 day left and no bids. Part of the issue I think is Ebay constantly giving free-listing deals - it encourages the chancers to try it on with rubbish fakes in the hope that someone will be taken in, and in the safe knowledge that it has cost them nothing if nobody bites.

They are of course worth face value. Some collectors see them as nothing more but if you are staring out, its a good place to start. Don't be put off by previous comments. Don't throw them away, keep them and don't clean them, put them in an album and try and collect different years, keeping the best condition ones you have. One day they will be worth more than face value and it's a cheap and easy way to start collecting coins. That is a fascinating and addictive hobby.

It looks good, and £40 a bargain. If you are concerned take it to a coin shop and ask for a second opinion or consider getting it slabbed. CGC are cheap and are Goode enough to tell you if its real or not. From the pictures it looks good.

In my opinion, storage in a Whitman folder isn't going to leave any wear marks on a bronze coin.

That 1917’s a really weak strike which may be misleading when it comes to grading.

The non proof coin are the same perhaps the subjects they chose were undernourished and were given wrong stylist advice about hairstyles

There was coin in there for £11.59, it was late, I felll asleep before I could hunt any down.

I actually love it too! Stop trying to tempt me away from Blighty!!!!!

If you listen to some people, you would think the NHS is on the verge of total collapse. I recently went to my GP with an eye problem (tear in the retina). I saw the GP at 11.00am. By the time I got home, I had a phone call from the nearest eye specialist for an appointment the next day. Went to see him, got lasered and discharged at 2.00pm. So, all in all 27 hours from diagnosis to treatment. Brilliant, and certainly not an organisation in the crisis and chaos politicians would have you believe.

I'd say that cabinet friction or, as in this case, "folder friction", on an otherwise uncirculated coin, would be negligible in terms of actual wear - given they're not actually circulating and continually getting wear from constant exposure/friction with other coins, frequent handling, being drawn across surfaces before pick up etc. That's true wear criteria. Pictures would obviously help, but in their absence, I'd say aUNC.

EF used to be defined as "very slight wear to the highest points only visible under magnification or close inspection" - the difference there being that VF was immediately visible while EF required some degree of peering. But one person's "slight wear" was another's "noticeable wear", so pictures - as in Derek's book - are everything.

Exactly. "Cabinet Friction" is merely a wishful thinking term. If a coin has wear, it is no longer unc in my view.

I’d grade the coin according to the level of wear, regardless of how it happened. Whether it’s from poor storage or circulation is irrelevant to me.

better pic

I very much doubt if a coin would degrade to VF through being stored in a folder. If handled significantly, then it could go down to EF+ but pictures would help us. VF is a comparatively misunderstood grade that has actually changed over the years. Back in the 60s it was defined (I paraphrase) as "visible wear only to the highest points of the design", and it was strictly interpreted by the top dealers. However, there has to be a clear divide between EF and VF to account for difference in values. I would say that VF shows the complete design but can appear a bit 'blurry' due to the wear to - e.g. lions' faces, garter motto, monarch's hair, etc. If you want pictorial guidance, then invest in Derek's book on grading British coins as shown in the banner ad, top.

you will hear auctions often quote UNC with some cabinet friction. We had this discussion what constitutes wear and what doesn't. Some people say wear is wear and that's the long and tall of it. to me if a coin has been in circulation then yes that applies even if the wear is minute. But if a coin is UNC and never seen a pocket or a till draw and has been in a flip for years and has a tiny friction mark due to pressure from the flip to me it is still unc and should designated so with that statement of storage friction applied. Some say how can you tell friction from minute wear. Simple answer is if a coin has never been in circulation it will for the most part be unmarked or very few contact marks from production. Circulated coins could never escape much heavier marks even if only exposed for a short time. So unless the storage process suspends the coin from contact either side from any other material all coins will receive some degree of friction even in a tray.

Thank you for your help I suppose it is a sensitive process even if simple to those stoking the mix. In igneous petrology we use similar phase diagrams to understand the crystallisation of a magma it is always affected by pressure, temperature and impurities especially gases in the mix and metal alloys must be affected by the impurities I assume. I never really fully understand the Straw process. Thanks

As far as doppelgangers go, I've always thought that this Lackington's token looked suspiciously like Stewie Griffin from Family Guy

Time travel for a jape? - It exists, I saw it on youtube!

Recently purchased this coin in Australia and was thinking about getting it slabbed because it looks to be in reasonable condition for its age but I'm not sure of its value ,Any information would be helpful thank you The weight is 2.8 grams with a diameter of 26mm

My most recent of several Vickies (the ones Mick didn't get, at least .... )

Sorry about that - finger trouble! - somehow I managed to lose the image of the obverse - I'll try again... Frank

you are right jelida why not just say it THEY ARE MANKY pocket change coins