Chris Perkins

That sounds good DAS, I could probably do with subscribing myself. Email me the details, I don't want free ads in here

Very true, very true. But I'll give it decent pics and a spine first!

That's not a bad idea! But i've started it now, and I'm currently on page 9! I'll look into it, but I think it may be akward, perhaps something for the 2006.

I remember finding old 'Prefect' badges in a cupboard in my old school. They had not been used since the 60's I think. (The 1960's Oli )

Yes it has been awfully quiet lately... You're right of course the cover and the font are very dated. Mr Marles, bless him, seems to really like the font for some reason. Just you wait until he sees what Adobe Pagemaker can do! (the software I shall be using to create the all new books). Yes, the rings around the pictures are silly aren't they, and it was indeed because the software it was written in could not handle more shades than 16, so the scanned photos where stuck where the author put the circles (the either too large or too small circles). I shall be getting the original photos and sorting that out. In fact today I was experimenting creating pdf files with sharp greyscale pictures in them, and I have it down to an art now. I will be creating a seperate section for non circulating coinage, this will include maundy, patterns, proofs and those modern crappy repro EDVIII coins (If I must include them at all). What I am doing right now in fact is slowly but surely converting the 2004 edition into a quality pdf format. When Mr Marles sends me his updated copy I will simply incorporate the prices he provides with the prices from personal experience and the database etc, to create the 2005 edition. I am also trying to explain things more clearly in the new version, and will probably have a breif 'how to use this book' paragraph. I have also changed the grades at the tops of the columns. The 2005 edition will have UNC/BU instead of UNC/AFDC. I just feel more comfortable with UNC being completely without wear, and BU being without wear with full lustre. What on earth is 'About Fleur de Coin' anyway?? Do you agree that readers will relate more to UNC/BU? I will also change the grade descriptions to that effect. So, it's all go.

You're absolutely right Oli. Master Jmd will be involved with pennies because I know he's in to pennies right now. But he won't be the only one doing pennies.

About 70 different coins and sets are in the British coin database at this stage!

You want to do sixpences?

I'm sure I'll work something out when the time comes. Don't worry, you will all get assigned tasks that most befit.

There are a lot more sources than Colin Cooke, eBay and me. There are plenty of other dealers lists out there if you look, that's not even including the postal ones. Does anyone get main order lists in the post? Sylv: This book has no gold, but I when I do a gold one I'll keep you in mind.

Kuhli, No your not out of line at all. What I will do when I've paid the men there money for 'Rotographic', is ask for volunteers for each area and assign coin types/date ranges to people, if they will be kind enough to help. Right now my biggest job is fiddling around trying to get the current version converted to a modern file format, so I can change it with the greatest of ease when Mr Marles has given me his 2005 edition of collectors coins (I will probably merge it to some degree with Collectors' GIII coins, but that book itself will have to wait) I may find the very conservative Mr Marles' prices are mostly ok, I'll need to look at it when I have it, and ask you lot to verify them by telling me what you discover. In the mean time you can use the Rotographic database on the website to enter coin data. I'll probably be posting the current database in here, when the time comes, for us all to see, so that we don't repeat ourselves.

This time around I won't be promoting the website all that much, I'll promote it in the 2005 book, and perhaps officially launch it somehow at the same time as the book. This time around, when I have the 2005 book from Mr Marles I'll use what data and facts I have to update the prices as well as possible, but 2006 will be probably more my work than his. For the 2006 I'll use the data on in the rotographic databases more (and should have more of it) and hopefully start turning the book into 'my own' with the same values and features it always had.

That is the most sensible thing you ever said! (where is the real Master Jmd?? )

I'm not really concerned about UNI's (Unidentified Numismatic items) at the moment. Any invitation to post pictures or ask questions is just asking for trouble. This year I'm concentrating on what is already in the book, and getting the prices right.

Point one: Because then the world and his aunt would contact me with crappy 'unidentified' coins that they have not been able to identify by browsing the web for 5 seconds. It would be a waste of my resources because most coins would turn out to be churchill crowns or other very boring coins. Point two: I'll certainly think about it.

Yes, it has been confirmed by the mint. Buggar off with your Queen wearing a necklace Master Jmd!! Just when I think that one's died off, along it comes again. And you should know better.

Thanks for the feedback Mint_Mark, my oldest edition is 1989, so you go back further than I do! It will probably stay the A5 size with 80 pages or less that it has been for the last 10 years. The price is the hottest issue I think. The current owners told me that it was due a price rise because the last was for the 2002 issue. I disagree with this because the price rise is 2002 was from £3 to £4.50! The main reason for this price rise was because the number of pages jumped from 57 to 80 due to the change in format from landscape to portrait. I think it looks much better as a portrait book, but wish I could somehow get it down to around 60 pages again and, even lower the price. What may end up happening is that the content will increase (back a few years, at least to 1816) with perhaps the patterns and extreme rarities moving to an appendix. I will probably decrease the font size a little to fit more in and am hoping to produce the title with its first ever proper spine! The spine will cost more but I'm determined not to put the price up, and I think it could pay off by it being more visible in book shop shelves, instead of just plain white with 2 staples. I'll try to improve the layout, and the pictures can certainly be improved. I will be getting black and white photographs of the coins that were used, and am hoping to be able to scan those and provide images of the same kind of quality that are in Spink (and other lesser competitors ). The main reason they are so crap at the moment is due to the very dated software that the autor uses. Captions on the pictures will be done too. The thing with showing more variety pictures is a good idea, but the question is can I squeeze it all in and still keep the costs down. When I receive the authors finished 2005 issue I will play around with it a lot and see if I can do all these things. It doesn't help that every year at least 3 'money making' commemorative coins are issued! Quality pictures of every coin type in every collectable grade would be enough for a whole other book! I would really love to do this one day, and have been tossing ideas about it with others for a while now. I have to concentrate on the CCGB2005 first, and get that out of the way. An online edition is something I thought about, it would make it more accessible to people that didn't want or need the printed version. I would be a little concerned that if I produced a pdf that it would just be copied and distributed illegally (I know coin collectors are an honest lot, but you never know). Something for the future though, what about an online subscription version that was updated with coins sold weekly....In fact that could turn out to be the main earner, and the annual book would be a yearly snapshot of the figures in the online database but in a printed form. If enough people add coin data (see the existing www.rotographic.co.uk website), and if I can subscribe to receive every dealers selling results (and if I had time to input it!) then wouldn't it be fabulous to create a massive live database of what sells, where, and for how much.

Kuhli, Yes we have the £ sign on all UK keyboards as standard. It's shift '3' and the $ is shift '4' smae as you. I think the UK keyboard omits the paragraph sign (or whatever you have on Shift '3'. I use a UK keyboard, but I do know that since the EURO most newer European keyboards including the UK keyboards have an € key combination (usually alt+ctl+E I think) The Euro symbol will also have an ASCII code like the 0163 that you use, but I don't know what it is, or even if it will be part of your character set.

All the best stuff gets sold dealer-dealer before the doors open! But for the kind of things in your price range penny master, you would probably find things all day. The sensible thing to do is get there as early as you can, without breaking your neck.

I've just booked flights, I'll be there on the other side of the tables, sharing one with my mate Richard. Last time I did very well, and it is huge, so it would be silly not to do it again.

As the longest standing member who was around in here since the post numbers were only in double figures, and a chap I have grown to trust, I have made Sylvester a 'Moderator' of most Forums. This basically means that he can edit things, delete things, make a few other changes, and report back to me if something untoward is going on that I'm not aware of. Particularly useful as the number of posts rises and I don't get a chance to read everything (and to be honest, most of it's a load of rubbish anyway, and I don't really want to read it! ) I'm sure you'll all agree that he deserves it, and welcome Sylvester as our new moderator.

No I don't think so, I think that one may have been from my friend Richard (www.coinsforsale.co.uk). I can't be sure though, I'm rubbish with keeping records of where I get things from!

Oh you trimmed a few there too! I think I edited/deleted some of those too when they were first written. I trust your judgement old chap, and I know you wouldn't delete relevant stuff.

So to sum up: Get Crocodile wallpaper, wooden flooring, and a cat!

I'd very much like to see a picture of it. If you register Vernon, you can post a picture. Or you can email me a picture to: cp@predecimal.com