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For what it's worth, I'm definitely in the younger collector bracket (mid-20s) and while I don't collect pennies by Freeman number in a box-ticking way, I like owning examples of some the scarcer die combinations, latest acquisition was a really choice 1915 recessed ear piece, and I've owned a few decent bun pennies in the past. I do think the sort of prices paid for some of the rare varieties in very low grades are unlikely to hold up in the long term, as in my experience younger collectors tend to be less interested in rarities for the sake of rarity and more interested in purchasing really high quality pieces. Having said that, if the US market got seriously interested in the British bronze set, you'd end up with people trying to complete registry sets (sigh) so I may well be wrong about this.

As expected, the Maundy coins were posted to the recipients by Royal Mail. The coins were blessed at the Chapel Royal before posting and the recipients would also be welcome at next year's service. They each received the following letter from the Queen.

I think there could be some truth in these T-shirts:

I see you've used the correct spelling for Berberis , well as I have said on here before, spelling is not my best subject. I started to write my post about the hedge and was not sure how to spell Berberis and so I asked my wife , well she got the wrong end of the stick and being a woman, naturally thought I was referring to the west end store of the same name , and as she is normally excellent at spelling I wrote it down without a second thought .

That reminds me about the time some years back when I planted a section of hedge with Burberry plants , well what a mistake that was, it was an absolute bar steward , I cut myself to ribbons on the dam thing , well as you can guess it had to go, so that was one lesson I learned the hard way, choose you plant types with care

Yeah really nice.

The King holding scissors instead of sword variety.

I've tentatively put some of the bigger spikey stuff out so I have room to work, and it's not as lethal- those spikes are over a metre long now...

I've done that much gardening that anyone who dared to visit would no doubt get re-potted....

I looked at that auction archive. The patterns that were sold that day were incredible. Gold pennies galore.

There has been a softening in the Penny market for some years now...(I exclude the super rareities ..1808 , 1933, 1937 (Ed 8), 1952, 1954) which would probably still attract 'investors' but yer normal pennies have not done that well in recent years ...look at the prices of high grade 1869's 1871's, 1865/3's for example...half what they were at their height and nowhere near where they were even 5 years ago. Unfortunately and this is a personal view that Pennies are going the same way as stamps (perhaps not quite as bad but in the same vein). Most collectors of Pennies and Stamps are in the older age bracket, when they/we die there is no young blood to replace them ....who under 50 - 60 collect stamps or Pennies.. and where are the young collectors?. Go to the York Coin and Stamp fair for example and have a look around the Stamp floor and you will see all the evidence you need. Are any of our children remotely interested in stamps or pennies or coins come to that. Having said that as much as we poo poo these ridiculous coins coming out every day from that well known marketing company , the Royal Mint, these Jemmima Puddleduck, Thomas the Tank Engine and Andy Pandy coins or whatever, are encouraging people to look and collect again and hopefully some will start collecting more historical coins.....just like tea is a gateway drug to biscuits , Jemmima Puddleduck could be a gateway to Pennies ! My view for what its worth.

Penny falling out of the bottom market...