Chris Perkins

They would probably never even consider it, because they all have noses that are very turned up at the end, and probably still think that a banner goes across the high street to advertise the village fate! I find all too frequently that long established institutions are pretty rubbish with web related things. Until recently the Spink website was poor. Like many large companies/institutions they are very behind the times. Have you seen that Spink actually have an ebay id and sell books through ebay? It looks about as professional as Del boys Reliant Robin. The fact that we get a similar volume of hits per month and that cross linking improves search engine rankings would probably escape them. In the past I have asked big companies about cross linking, and I usually get turned down politely in a 'What are you talking about' fashion, if I get a reply at all. The promlem is that coin experts know nothing about the internet, and that web experts know nothing about coins, that makes it difficult for those two people to really come together and make something that really works....I am perhaps one of the first to have a little understanding of both. So watch this space, when I'm a millionaire, I'll make bigger waves than Spink ever did in their 300+ year history When they ask me to link to them, I'll consider it!

Oscar Wilde said that Rugby was a game for gentlemen to play, and rufians to watch, and that football was for rufians to play and gentleman to watch. That was quite true in his time, but I can't help thinking that since he said that, things have merged, and now it's just rufians all round!

Not a lot of modern milled, and the site is pretty rubbish to navigate so I'll allow that link to remain

Yes, tell me about it! It costs me £15 for the postage on 20 copies of the Coin yearbook, so I have to sell a few before I start to make a profit. Spink is heavier and the company very inflexible, so you see where I'm coming from. It would make sense for me to drive there, collect a few collections/books at the same time. But these things take presision arrangement and a car a little more reliable than my 1981 Triumph TR7! (although it has only covered 36,000 miles in it's life and is a super example). Actually I was thinking of getting a newer car for that purpose, but just imagine the petrol and boat costs from the Czech border, let alone the time aspect. The Collectors Coins and other titles are sent to me post free, thanks to Mr Marles and his publishers generosity.

I suppose I'd take 20 at first, postage is not cheap either!

Hey, that's like English German!

Ok, next time beautfiul Carol at Coin News contacts me about the next ad, I'll make some design changes!

The next step would be to keep the correct begining and end letters and just fill txe sxxxe wxxh x's! That would be confusing.

I can't afford those great big full colour pages boasting that I must buy £1,000,000 worth of coins this week! I thought about taking the piss and doing a small black and white ad....'I must spend £50 on coins this week' What do you rekon?

I saw Richard Lobel at a coin fair recently, didn't realise he was American. He knows his stuff and he's a good business man. I'm sure collectors buy from him, or he wouldn't be where he is. But surely they must mostly be new collectors, because most of the prices are ridiculous, and the items are not very special. (read: crap) I expect he sells the good stuff off the website and the stuff on the website sells slowly to new collectors.

I got one copy practically for free because of a trade arrangement, I can't sell them 50% cheaper, but I will see what I can do if I can get them. Unfortunately Spink don't make it that easy for me! You have to have a VAT number and all that rubbish, and I don't yet. And when I do, it'll be a German one. Some companies just say 'Yes, have some books, pay for them when you can'....Others want your soul first.

Thanks very much Mark, I'll be a newbie with a proper Camera, so I will refer to your tips when the Camera is delivered! I'm so please I was clever enough to start this forum!

I got my 2003 copy in the main Belfast WHSmith, they had a few. I got the 2004 from a friend in the trade (practically free!). If I offered the 2005 when it's out, how many of you would promise to buy it from me?

They look like proofs....Master JMD, it's difficult to try to explain what a proof looks like, if you've never seen one. You need to buy a couple so that you know. You are also very unlikely to find any proofs among piles of circulated coinage.

You were waiting for that weren't you. I bet you had a little post it not stuck on the side of the monitor that said 'Pull up Master JMD on language because he made a rule against it'! You are, like your Cat name sake..Dissssspspicable, which is great!

I didn't mean to imply that it was just escapism, always. Thoughts of space and the universe are very interesting, and pretty much everyone thinks about that at some point. You cannot say Sylvester, that focusing on the small Earth is escapism from thinking about the big picture. We live on the Earth, and for us in day to day life, it might as well be all that exists.

Well, we seem to waste mor eof our time talking about them, than anything else!

The fact that you have seen 5 in your short life doesn't mean they are all blank. Anyone out there with more 'Cash' knowledge??

The other side is blank? Could it just be very worn? I don't think I've come across a blank one before...Not they I pay them huge attention usually.

Yes it's a Chinese 'Cash' coin, the symbols should tell you the province and the ruler which enables rough dating. I can't make that one out at all. Most of them I find are dated 1790's - early 1900's.

That's Australian, They went Decimal in 1966 as far as I can make out. The 1910 Sixpence is one of 3,046,000 and worth about £3.00 if it was fine. It is sterling silver.

Willaim, That's Austrian, a 20 Heller. Only 1914 is worth over £3.00 in fine condition, and that isn't Fine. Most of them are under £1 Fine.

Young Master JMD doesn't have a Spink.

It's a form of escapism, from all the problems on Earth at the moment.

Yes, I wonder what the aliens collect, or if somehow they have any earth coins in there collections....For that matter, perhaps there are humans with aliens coins in there collections.