TomGoodheart

Well done on the E5/2 Rob. I understand most of the ones that I was interested in went to one buyer that Michael S was bidding for. I put in what I could for the A2/2 but it too went mad. It was a nice little collection though. I hope mine raises as much interest when I finally pop my clogs and the family get a chance to sell it all off! Well done on the non-Chas I coins. I too have mixed feelings about NGC and their (mis) classifications!

I recently came across an article mentioning the recent (13 July 07) US Department of State ban on imports of ancient coins from Cyprus or "coins of Cypriot types" which presumably also includes Crusader issues and some Roman coins as well as the more obvious issies.. The basic argument is that removal of ancient coins from archaeological sites is effectively 'cultural looting'. A corresponding implication is that the majority of ancient coins on the market have been illegally removed from their countries of origin in recent years (ie since the UNESCO ruling in 1970 (Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970)) In the US at least, battle lines appear to have been drawn between the 'numismatic' view and that of some archaeologists. Now my first thoughts are that the system in Britain (where the Portable Antiquities scheme and find laws apply) are different and also that some coins here have been circulated amongst collectors for several hundred years many with well known 'pedigrees' and provenance. Should these therefore be viewed differently? Or like the 'Elgin' marbles, be returned to their 'homeland'? Anybody got any strong views? Just curious! .

Quite right! And Congratulations (in advance) Hussulo!

Mine's just a 'collection' since I get very little sympathy from my wife when I want to buy anything. Her look somehow says 'haven't you already got a Charles I shilling'? I think that of all the sales of coins I have made, perhaps two brought me a profit! So if I keep on like this it will eventally be a collection of one rather expensive coin I guess! I have 60 Charles I shillings that have taken me around four years to put together. I have a number of rarities that would only appeal to another Chas I collector (for example the coins are the same except one has slightly curlier cross ends on the reverse or a different mint mark!) so it certainly is unlikely to make me a profit (not that I have any desire to sell). I guess you could call it an 'academic' collection. Somewhat unfashionable probably. But hey, we collect what we enjoy don't we? A Charles I shilling for 'the US market'! .

Probably a jeton of Hans Krauwinkel, Nuremberg.

I think it depends on your definition of 'Proof'. My copy of Dowle & Finn's 'Coins for pleasure and investment' suggests it is a coin especially struck for presentation purposes. By this definition, the 'Fine Work' pieces Rob mentions, or Thomas Simon's 'Petition' Crown would count as 'Proofs' although clearly these do not have the mirrored surfaces we now recognise. I think the first actual listing of a proof in Spink's Coins of England in my copy is the 1664 Crown (S3355).

Nope. Working that day. And as Rob says ... auctions (all at the same time, sigh..)!

Hmm. I have just found a photo of a contemporary counterfeit Kilkenny Halfpenny from the time of Charles I. Now I don't know if the dimensions etc match but to me it has a slight resemblance to something I've seen before. What do you think?

That's brilliant! I agree with Geordie. Even though it's nothing to do with what I collect I still find it exciting. And having the history behind a piece is what makes collecting into numismatics. With all the programmes on TV about history, archeology and interest in family history it still bemuses me that people don't seem to find this sort of thing as interesting as we do! Ah well ... all the more for us I guess! .

I am sure they are all mostly middle aged balding pot bellied guys, and not some Czech supermodel with an 'ova at the end of her name. I'm sorry. But if you were grading coins and you had either a balding pot bellied guy or a Czech supermodel looking over your shoulder ... which do you think you'd find most distracting?! And if that does explain it, how come there aren't huge waiting lists for the job of coin grader!!!

Aw! That kind of response certainly reminds us that most people are actually well intentioned and honest. It's good to see. Going back a post or two, the sorts of coins I buy are of value to me even if the final price is minimal! To date I have never had anyone refuse to upgrade to Special Delivery, even when that hasn't been an option at the ebay checkout. Occasionally that causes hiccups, since you have to figure a way of getting the extra money to cover the postage to them. But it's always been resolved in the end and I've never had an item go missing. I figure that in 10 or 20 years time the extra postage (and in most instances even the cost of the coin itself!) will be forgotten. Losing a coin I have already started to think of as part of my collection however .. Oh, and while I'm on the subject of postage I had an experience that might be worth mentioning. I bought a coin from Antony Wilson of York coins which he sent from the US by parcel post. Unfortunately I had given him my PO BOx address which doesn't tie in with Parcelforce (the UK equivalent of UPS) at all! If it hadn't been for his alertness and dogged determination tracking it from the States it would have been very difficult for me to find out what had happened since both the PO and Parcelforce initially claimed to know nothing! So two lessons. 1) Don't try sending by a parcel courier to a UK PO Box, and 2) Using a reputable dealer pays off!

I'm sure he'll find a home for it and a bit of profit. But thanks for thinking of me Chris! .

Where DO these people do their 'research'??! I had one guy insist he had a scarce Chas I (of course!) coin quoting Spink number and all. I sent him a pic of the real thing which was obviously different but he remained convinced he had a £2000 coin. What can one say? Well, apart from Duh, of course! ... ?

(I think he's just trying to get us to look at his nice website Geordie!)

I think on ebay it'd make £20 - £30 so £20 is a fair price. But to me as an 'extra' I'd be looking to pay quite a bit less because it's just be a whimsical purchase to pass it on to a friend. I've been looking for a shilling as a gift for him for a few quid so the hole is neither here nor there to me. But then I was only thinking of spending up to £10! As I said, you'd likely get more from your friend. .

OK. I'm bemused. Isn't the symbol to the left of your image the one for the Ukraine? Apart from that ... what can I say! .

Err ...... Oh yeah! They know how to get them in those little plastic boxes of course!

How odd it looks so like a Restrike Proof 1807 Halfpenny. But then those NGC people know so much more about British coins than I do, I must be wrong. Silly me. .

Hi Chris. Thanks for thinking of me! Sadly this type isn't one of the rarities I'm still looking for but nice enough! I'm afraid it's value to me would be as a 'pocket piece' (to show people who ask what a Chas I shilling looks like) so I expect you'd get more from your friend. That said, feel free to PM or email me with a price if you like. Date 1635-1636 by the way. Shame it can't tell us where it's been for the last 370 odd years!

Yes and it's one of the first 2007 I've seen so it's in pretty poor nick for a 'new' issue. Hey! Maybe that's the idea. The Mint produces millions of duff coins and a handful of MS70s for sale to 'collectors' at $20,000 a pop. Brilliant! .

Ooh! Oo! *Waves hand* Do you want to buy this Chris? No, seriously. Though not as dramatic as rod's 20p I wonder if things are getting sloppy at the mint. Surely dies cracks this early in an issue ought to be sorted out? And worse, that blob over the top of the 7 means that I'll never be able to sell this as an MS70 to our trans-Atlantic cousins!

Curious. Of course, someone could have lost a puncheon and used the modified RE of REGNO to make up the legend. That's why I love hammered! And did you mean die pairings?! While this has been attempted succesfully by the likes of Morrieson with machine made coins where a limited number of dies existed I've never known anyone to attempt this with regular hammered coins. With the number of dies for most issues the very idea makes my my mind boggle! .

Most forgeries have some give-away sign if you know what to look for. Even modern counterfeit £1 coins are pretty easy to spot. It's just most people wouldn't have given them a second glance or, if they had suspicions, would have passed them on as quickly as possible! They've been around for as long as there's been money so it's an interesting area! If Chris' offer doesn't attract you, perhaps something you could get into yourself! .

Yes, mine recently 'went'. Or at least the screen went black. Having tried out my in-law's spare monitor which didn't work I traced the smell of burning to the fan on the graphics card. Fortunately the card was easy to replace, even for someone non-technical like me. Phew! But it could have been much worse ... Time to back up! .

Mine is a hammered penny (details of which I have lost). The portrait reminded me of Murdoc (from the Gorillaz band) which amused me. He appears on the reverse! My sig (The Forlorne-Hope) was a special badge/award produced for chosen officers from Charles I's forces towards the end of the Civil War 'who have done us faithful service in the Forlorne-Hope'. Recipients were commanded not to sell the badge, nor any other subject to buy or wear one and they are pretty rare. It's an odd shape because it was made to be sewn onto a sash or uniform. Made in Oxford in 1643 from Welsh silver from the Aberystwyth mines of Thomas Bushell. .