TomGoodheart

This kind. Cost me £18. That to me is small budget, but there are those here that would consider that expensive. Doesn't look much does it? And that's why I picked it to show you, you see. Because in order to know that it's rare you need to know your coins: what's normal and what's not. And of course, if I want to make a profit, which is what people usually mean when they say 'rare', I will have to sell it to someone who also knows why it's unusual. And there's the problem. If everyone knew rare coins you can buy on a small budget then they'd all be buying them up! What you don't want is 'ebay rare'. In other words, all those 'rare' Darwin £2 coins (if you see more than 3 of anything on an ebay page it simply can't be that rare!) To be honest, as a beginner I suggest you forget rare. Go to the library and look at a book on coin collecting. Ideally, pick one on World coins and one on British. And see what appeals to you. That's how I started. Got a book called The Splendid Shilling and started collecting shillings because I liked the look of them. Find something you like the look of and take it from there. But the liklihood of a beginner finding anything very rare or valuable is slim. And if you don't know much about coins, are you likely to recognise a rarity? So take your time. Try junk shops, antique stalls. Don't spend too much until you know your subject or else you risk throwing your money away. And enjoy your hobby!

I just don't think I have the self discipline to attend in person. I'd end up spending way more than I want I'm sure. I've had some disapointments putting in bids beforehand and just having to wait and see the outcome. But at least I've saved a few pennies too! As to prices, I suspect some places do keep their estimates low. And also sneak in an interesting item or two described as regular to make people think they will get a bargain maybe?

Sold on the day I'm afraid. Oh well, that's all part of the fun of the chase I suppose!

Ever done a search only to find a coin you'd have liked really wanted but the auction has ended? Happened to me today. Search at 7pm; auction ended .. 5.30. Hence the *bother* S'OK. I just wanted a convenient place to mentally kick myself and this is it. I'll give them a call tomorrow to see if it sold. Probably did but .. nothing ventured. And then I'll either come back to celebrate or another kick.

Curious. I've had a look (as no doubt you have) at a couple of sites about coin design and production and there's nothing quite like it! It seems a lot to go to to produce a souvenir for the engraver, who after all could just keep the plaster original. The master from which reduction takes place to make the master die is made out of resin, so it's not one of those. So my best guess is that it was produced to show people what the final design would look like, perhaps for a press announcement or publicity photographs?

Thanks Dave. (You quickly find out who your friends are here don't you?) It was just .. ironic or whatever the word is. It was on a site I've never been on and an auction house I've never heard of! As I say, I'll call them tomorrow and see if it's gone or if I can pick it up in the clearance. I spotted another coin there that's quite interesting too. It's a general antiques and collectables sale so maybe nobody has picked them up. *he says with fingers crossed*

Many thanks! Surprisingly (to me) little change from 2006 prices!

Nice. I do have the database bookmarked and check it now and then. But to echo John, if you find any Charles I shillings I'd be interested to see them!

Um .. could I trouble anyone for a few prices (F and VF) too please? Spink refs 2790, 2800 and 2801? Yes, I know I'm cheap but I just haven't got round to buying a new copy yet. Thank you in advance!

I think the plan is to have a £500 coin made from 1kg silver. Bullion price would be, what, £18.75 / troy ounce? Isn't that around £600/kg? Which is a loss on face value straight off (so maybe I won't spend one in Tesco!) Silver values are pretty decent right now but Chard are selling 1kg Kookaburras for around £820. How high would bullion need to go before you recoup the cost?!?! I suspect they will prove to be another white elephant, people will naively buy the things expecting to make a fortune only to find they can't offload them for anywhere near what they paid. Trust me. In five or ten years you'll get people on here asking 'how much' and going away (very) disappointed. Bloody ripoff IMHO.

Nice one! And for added interest, a bit unusual, in that this coin is a mule of the obverse of Group F (Briot's (sixth) bust, North 2246) with the reverse of Group E which features smaller neater cross ends. That probably makes it a fairly early issue in the timeframe for privy mark triangle coins (July 1639 - July 1641).

"The photos do not do this coin any justice in our opinion." Odd. I have the same problem. Partly because if a coin looked as good as I wish it looked in the photos I wouldn't be selling it in the first place!

Interesting. My understanding is that the original designs were sculpted on a larger scale (in clay?) and then mechanically scaled down using something like a pantograph. However I've never heard of an electrotype being made of the larger design. As for the 1kg coin, I was amused that David Nuthall said the coins would leave a lasting legacy. 'It is one item I can see being left in people's wills to future generations for perhaps centuries to come,' Really? Because I know my immediate inclination would be to take the thing down to my local Tescos to see how much chaos I could cause when I try to pay for a packet of biscuits with one!! Given the bemusement I met when I used a Queen's 80th £5 coin it should be good for a few laughs! Aren't I wicked?

There. I corrected it for you Dave.

Very cool Chris! An interesting item in itself, but with the additional bits giving the background and provenance, all the more so. I'm never sure how one values such paranumismatica but for me the financial side of such a thing would be irrelevant anyway. I'm kinda surprised the Mint itself doesn't hang on to more of these types of things (or maybe they do) to pop in a museum or something. But I suppose they have their hands full considering how to manufacture a one kilo coin for all those who've been demanding one for years.

Well to my untrained eye this looks like a replica though I could be wrong. Anyone with strong views want to tell me if I'm wrong (or the seller he's got a dud 'coin' for sale)? STUNNING CHARLES II FARTHING 1674

Welcome Rose! We've had some problems with spammers and bots and I think Chris (owner) has tightened things up. But at least you got in eventually!

Tom How obvious are these copies (pewter?) or actual silver.I've come accross a copy Liz 3d...the picture was blurred but the portrait looked good. I was refunded..the lady had found it her late husbands belongings. That depends on how they are photographed and made. The attached groat looks rather like it's cast. The shilling? You tell me. (It's a fake by the way). Replica coins are made from lead free pewter and will be under weight. But the only way to really tell I suspect, is to have the coin in your hand. And if it's a modern counterfeit made from silver and designed to fool collectors, I suspect even that may not be enough. And as a point of interest, most of these are sold as 'inherited from a relative' or as detector finds. That way the seller can feign ignorance should the coin turn out to be less than genuine. Which I admit maligns a few honest but uninformed sellers unfortunately. The most worrying thng is that these things are being resold later on by buyers who bought as genuine. In many cases they may be quite unsuspecting but the more times something is sold as the real deal the more likely it is to be accepted as such I suspect.

Sadly coins this recent even if in really briliant condition are not worth much at all. Pennies, not pounds. As to the undated 20ps, you can now buy copies of them off ebay Undated 20p which can't but have a negative effect on the value of any still around I'm afraid.

Or these? Which is the point really. They are nice copies. Or at least when photographed carefully. Nice enough to fool me at least. Very worrying ...

And this one?

I think I can guess who you mean. Sad when a perfectly simple transaction becomes an issue. And did you try messaging Chris P about the gold? Might be worth a try.

Welcome syorks! You'll find many helpful and knowledgable folk here to sort out your old coin collection! As to the gold, as Gary says, most modern RM issues seem to be more investment than numismatics. Of course, I'm a bit biased as I prefer stuff with a few hundred years wear and tear to it! But I'm afraid I view coins produced in precious metals rather than for circulation, whatever their quality, to be little different from Krugerrands; a means of having a chunk of gold or silver as a hedge to inflation. Personally? I'd sell the gold and reinvest the money in the tokens (or whatever else takes your interest!) Because in the long term I know I'd get more enjoyment from a collection of pieces I've researched and tracked down over time, whether they are only worth a few quid or thousands than something that has to stay encapsulated and out of reach to keep it shiny! As for where to sell, that I'm less sure as it's out of my area. You could try messaging Chris (Perkins) the owner of Predecimal and see how much over bullion he'd pay?

I have on occasions seen proof coins that for whatever reason have been used as change. They can be distinguished from the regular coins because areas are 'frosted' (ie non-reflective). On the Darwin coins the Queen's head is frosted, as is the field (bit behind the portrait of Darwin and the ape) on the reverse side. Proof coin on eBay But I imagine what you have is the regular coin which is only 'rare' because somebody has put taken huge numbers out of circulation to put them on ebay! A good start for your son's collection though. I (and probably quite a few others here) started our hobby by picking out nice coins from our change.

I admit to not having a great deal. But then I only collect a narrow range of coins. And that, and my lack of literature is largely down to cost. Also that until fairly recently I wasn't as bothered about provenance. I subscribed to Spink's Numismatic Circular for a couple of years but no longer do. I receive catalogues from a few dealers. In terms of books I have Brooker of course (SCBI 33) which I refer to frequently. Old copies of Spink (2002 and the updated 2006) in case I forget the numbers which are more widely recognised. Then I have copies of the relevant sections of North and more importantly copies of Michael Sharp' article on Tower shillings. Lockett for June 74, a copy of the relevant bits of the Numismatic Circular for the Shuttlewood sale and recently a copy of the catalogue for the sale of Roy Osborne's collection more or less complete my selection. I have, but rarely refer to, copies of Besley's Coins and Medals of the English Civil War and Boon's Cardiganshire Silver & the Aberystwyth Mint. And finally a few old Seaby's and two books on coin collecting for fun. What I also have, which is more useful to me, is information about Charles I shillings that I've seen (or hunted out) for sale with date and price. That is to a large extent my yardstick. It allows me to check whether I've seen something before, compare legends, condition, dies and is updated with past details from auction rooms and the like as well as information from coin collecting contacts whenever possible. I like the internet. It's searchable. As are pdf files. Books and catalogues, less so. Which is not to say I wouldn't rather a book over a pdf any day when I'm reading for pleasure. And you can't pop a finger between pdf pages to mark your place while you flip back and forward comparing notes. So for some things books are preferred. But for current sale and availability data, the internet is brilliant. I just wish more dealers would use it! If old auction catalogues were cheap then I would happily buy up any I thought useful. But while not expensive, they aren't dirt cheap either. My last coin cost £18. Last catalogue £8. Would I rather have two catalogues or a coin? (An extreme example I know but ...) And often catalogues are not easy to obtain. I had a coin I was interested in selling and wanted a catalogue to show provenance and make the item more interesting, but was unable to track it down despite spending quite some time on it. And generally I'd rather be looking for coins than catalogues, simple as.