Chris Perkins

I think I'm turning into one of them!! When you've had 10 years+ of people phoning and emailing offering - what you know by the clueless tone of their voices (or text) before they even get past 'hello, my name's Chontelle' - is going to be yet another load of worthless scrap metal, it does turn you into a bit of a cynic! It's difficult not to be grumpy, but I think some people deserve it. Everyone seems to think that old means valuable, because all you ever get to see on the antiques programmes is the old valueable items. They edit out all the old rubbish where people have brought in crappy old ghastly crap from the the loft of their crap houses to show Michael Crapel et al! Put them in their places, I say. Most of them are just after quick earn and wouldn't know a Constable from a Police Constable.

I've seen Wreaths with toning like that before. What are the local choices for sending it to a UK address Cammop? The first step is to find a reliable firm (UPS, DHL etc) to get it to me.

£4.99! I don't suppose they were pirated copies??

The last one I bought came from Canada actually (not the one currently on the website). I also think there's more of a chance of getting a better price in the UK for it. It's not a normal coin, and I'm always happy to pay 'all the money' for 1934 crowns because I know I can usually make a couple of hundred on it relatively quickly. Ebay is also an idea, but if you only have 20 feedback and then offer a £2000+ coin, who's going to really bid high and take a chance? I won't be miffed whatever you do with it.

Some of the silver looks very brassy. Are they perhaps forgeries or is it just the images?

You have to browse for it and attach it. I like the ZAR coins from the period you speak of. I have an 1892 document signed by President Kruger and a dsplay box of circulated 1890s coins that were brought back by a Scottish soldier who was there during the 2nd Boer war.

Yes, it's American. A V cent (5 cent). Very worn and without looking in a book I'm 99% sure it's very low value indeed. The Americans call those Nickels I believe and they contain no silver.

Yes, I've dealt with a lot of 1934 crowns over the last couple of years. In fact I have another (slightly better one on offer on the website at the moment). If you can get it to me (either to my UK or German address) then I will make sure you get a fair price for it. I suspect in the region of £2500 to £3000, depending on how it is in the flesh. With higher value coins like this, the dealers offers are usually pretty good because they often have people in mind for them, and therefore don't (or shouldn't) offer the usual 50-60% of the final selling price. I also have a friend in Australia, so payment wouldn't be a problem. In the past he has sent AU$ cheques for me. cp@predecimal.com

West London kind of area isn't too bad. I'm around London between 20th and 27th January. If nothing else, I can tell you (usually very quickly) what the potential worth is; if they are significantly more than metal value etc. Usually with huge lots like this, we are talking an accumulation rather than a carefully selected collection. I won't be expecting to find anything with a significant collectable value (but I do know what I'm looking for). I can have a look and make an offer. Then you can do what you whatever like with them! If I don't buy them, give me a few quid towards petrol, cup of tea and use of the loo and I'll be on my way. You can also value some of my vinyl.....I've got a Beatles White Album somewhere, gatefold with the grey embossed serial number on the front. And most Beatles and Pink Floyd, Led Zep on Vinyl. But, just like with coins, I suspect there is a massive difference between an average White Album and a perfect White Album. It's the same with any collectable. I can understand that the collectors out there would love to sort through for days and days, looking for a coin worth 50p instead of 2p! But to most, it's just hassle and takes up precious time, especially when you don't know what you're looking for and have to refer to books and websites etc beforehand. Email me: cp@predecimal.com

Looks like a William III sixpence (or shilling, depending on size...most probably a sixpence). The most common date is 1697. The coin is worn and mounted so it's just an old item of silver jewellery now, unless the coin is a much scarcer date/type.

A respectable dealer would be me for example! Where are you located? The 10kg of brass threepences will be scrap metal, except the 1946, 1949, 1951 and any that are absolutely as new with full lustre. I'd say, forget the dates as with average circulated coins the dates are not that important, especially when you factor in the time involved. Usually, the bulk of the value is in the silver, so concentrate on the pre 1947 silver coins. Then let me know how many of each denomination you have. Any that are pre 1920 contain more silver, so keep an eye out for those too (they are always much scarcer). Coppers are usually just worth scrap, but I do pay a little more for pre George VI coppers.

No I don't have anything on German commems. I've had some silver ones myself in the past. Graf von Zepellin seem to be the most popular, but von Hindenberg is also very popular (and historically more significant).

That's easy! The rarest coins in higher grades will be the most expensive ones.

It's too late to know. Any survey on percentages of coins in circulation would have to be done when they were still in circulation. I think Freeman's book (The Bronze Coinage of Great Britain) and rarity scales it features are based on a sample of many thousands of coins taken from circulation. And that would be the rarity of the dates/types, nothing to do with grade. The very best quality coins are rare things! People always fail to realise that even if something is valuable in UNC condition, that it has little baring on the same coin in average condition. You know that by now!

Yes, post a link, I'm sure it won't do any harm.

We can only make wild guesses now. I expect out of all the millions and millions of predecimal coins made there is probably 1-2% left at the most! This will obviously depend on the metal used as silver is valuable and very meltable but brass threepences are mostly junk and worth about 1p each. And of that tiny fraction (which will of course be different for each coin and even each date) an even smaller proportion will be high grade collectable coins. Make something up like 0.0001% or something silly for EF and above, which is why they are rare and collectable of course. For many coins there are probably less than 100 uncirculated examples or even less than 10, which as a percentage of the total mintage would be something to-the-power-of lots of noughts. There are exceptions, like 1960s coinage, which is nearly always high grade and probably exists in larger numbers that anything earlier. A good question Scott, that we'll never know the answer to.

There is also 'The Crown Pieces of Great Britain' 1962 by Howard Linecar. Hardback, and more difficult to come by that the modern Krause books. It includes all British crowns from hammered onwards (it pre dates 1965 so misses out the crap completely!) It also includes British commonwealth Crown or similar sized large silver coins. No values....just a list of types with pictures.

All commemorative coins since the 1965 Churchill crown are a load of rubbish. The only difference is that they now produce one or two crowns with all the collectability of the Churchill crown every year, instead of every 5/6 years! And of course they also tamper with the £2 coin and 50p. All toot, only the errors and the odd rarity are worth having (e.g. the gold £5 mule and the 2000 Crown with dome mint mark, perhaps). It's a shame, because the glut of toot devalues the odd coin with a nice design or one that marks an occassion worth commemorating. And I expect the sheer numbers of modern issues in recent years may actually put off some young collectors that may have eventually progressed to proper coins!

I don't think that's an error. It looks like a normal coin that someone has squashed a bit, perhaps by leaving it on a railway line or something.....or in some kind of machine.

Yes, around Fine is where it's at. Worth around £10.

It's a crown and is sterling (.925) silver.

Most modern albums are Polypropylene which is ok for long term storage of all coins as long as they are kept in a stable, dry environment. PP is relatively new though so the coins should still be checked regularly in case the PP starts breaking down after 25 years!

Practically incest Del!

As if I haven't got better things to do! I only did that for fun and run out of ideas. I've changed it now.

Can't really call that (or any £5 coin) a circulation coin though. I wonder how many of those they made with the dome mintmark. Good one for me too, as my family come from around there and I lived in the London Borough of Greenwich.