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'I' didn't apply for the referendum either, but if you had asked me at any time in the past few decades 'did I want to leave the EU?' then the answer would have been yes every time. I didn't expect the opportunity to be given a say, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't vote to change the status quo given the chance. It's difficult to equate the referendum result 40+ years ago with the situation today. Then we were joining a trading bloc. today the question is do we want to be part of something that will mutate in the not too distant future into a political union. The common currency will ensure that, as wealth is increasingly concentrated in the best performing economies, of which Germany stands head and shoulders above the rest to the detriment of the periphery which includes this country. The only solution to this polarisation is political union which would permit a central government to unilaterally redistribute wealth and wealth creation across the Union. It means that the constituent nations will no longer be in control of their own economic policies and indeed the end of the nation state. The member nations aren't going to vote for this voluntarily, but may end up in that situation as a last resort. To get out of this federalist situation requires us to leave. Centralisation isn't peculiar to the EU, as every country has it's economic centre which attracts all the money with the parallel in this country being London which sucks investment out of the regions. The EU is simply following this trend but on a supra-national scale. There will be no appetite for a person representing Berlin to say we need to move x% of our industry to Thessaloniki or wherever because we are doing too well, and they are suffering. As for the referendum, I think I would give the population more credit than some for their reasoning to leave. Neither side covered itself in glory, but a lot of people discussed the issue with rational discussion and without resorting to nationalistic/jingoistic rhetoric.

Couple of hours out detecting this morning until it started to rain really heavy, on the way back to the car a quiet signal had me digging my last hole. Out pops a little hammered covered in sticky mud. Thought I should just put it in my tin and wait till I’m home to see who it was. Henry IV halfpenny I’m pretty sure, withers type 4. Can anyone confirm, many thanks

I've merged the Brexit comments with Azda's Brexit What's Happening thread so this one can be kept for books. You can find them here: http://www.predecimal.com/forum/topic/12991-so-brexitwhats-happening/ Cheers. *Waves at Dave and returns to listening to Rammstein*

A key point of the EU, which goes largely unrecognised, is its undemocratic nature. Your local MP is elected to serve the interests of their constituents. If enough of the electorate get on his back on a particular issue, it is likely that he/she will raise it in parliament and in some cases even propose a Private Members Bill to amend or introduce legislation. Your MEP on the other hand is a rubber stamp. They can question and lobby the Commission and the Council of Ministers and up to a point, reject legislation. They cannot introduce legislation, their role is passive not active. Likewise The European Commission and the Council are appointed, not elected. You have gone through the charade of voting for a paper tiger. Greece was financially raped by the EU, with the connivence of the Right Wing Govenor of the Bank of Greece, as a bloody warning to any other member of the Euro currency not to get out of hand.

Another VERY relevant set of stamps planned for next spring!

Large numbers of tokens were struck in seemingly small quantities, but given many didn't circulate, relative to the number of collectors they remain only scarce. It's the old supply and demand thing. These days, the only important thing is availability and grade from statistics taken in the past few decades. Anything earlier cannot be corroborated with an alternative contemporary study. Some things will always fight above their weight, whilst others will be unloved irrespective of rarity.

Forgetting democracy for a moment, it wasn’t something “I” applied for, and neither did nearly every other man/woman you will pass on the street. If you make a charge on the battlefield and subsequently find obliteration faces you, the sensible thing is not to go blindly on when you could retreat and fight another day! You have to remember this vote got through on the back of a red bus and a number of glory worshipers seeking to take advantage by lies. If they weren’t lies, and they believed it was all true, it equally demonstrates the level of ignorance these political experts/leaders are capable of! It was the lies that won the votes, nothing else.

My birthday present to myself. Well, you've got to!

My money would be on it being Nickel given the known 1923 & 1924 nickel shillings. Iron or some other ferrous material doesn't give many options. Modern neodymium magnets aside, the only magnetic elemental candidates are Iron, Cobalt & Nickel

Yikes, I still have not been able to find either the 2002 Jamaica Proof set, or the 1984 Franklin Mint Specimen Set. I have managed to get TWO of the goofy crowns of the former, featuring a somewhat portly female runner - who the heck designed this? Maybe I will be able to trade at a later date. As always if anyone should locate any of this esoterica, or information please PM me. PS - As a footnote, I was just able to purchase both obverse and reverse DIES for the Panama 1985 gold 20 balboas - they are cancelled with but one central chisel mark.

I'm left completely stumped by Pete's 1932 mint toned, as there is no record of mint toning for that year. So why would they randomly pick one, and mint tone it? Not heard of any others - maybe someone else has. I'm also stumped by, although nonetheless very interested in, the unusual 1922 penny which sold at part 2 of the 2010 Workman sale. Described as shown below, it corresponds to a year in which other odd things happened, such as the 1927 reverse - although only the proof has the true 1927 reverse. BMC --. As F 192. Dies 3+B. As Gouby A. Appears to be struck in Iron or some other ferrous metal, attracted strongly with magnet. Good Fine, excessively rare, possibly unique.Number of BIDS: 26 SOLD FOR: £400 £50-55 Picture below. You just wonder how such a random event could have occurred. If there had been a number of such coins detected, it might be more understandable - due to, say, a sheet of incorrectly identified metal being inadvertently introduced into the blank cutting process. But just one on its own seems very odd. I'd be very interested to hear views on these two events, if anyone has any. Thanks.

As a Latin gerund, referendum has no plural. The Latin referenda would indicate that more than one issue was involved. Referendums seems to be the TV and MSM view, and no problem there. For myself, I prefer plebiscite.

Blimey. Even if the other 10 had never heard of QI it doesn't take a great stretch of intellect to realise that there is only one possible anagram of "IQ" !

Stuff to make you laugh? Watching Pointless whilst eating tea this evening, one of the questions was anagrams of TV shows. Only 90 people out of 100 were able to identify QI as one of the answers.....