TomGoodheart

The irony is that, as I scrolled down the listing, the first ad I saw was for a similar Eddy shilling from Buckscoins at less than half the price and a good grade (or two) higher ... .

LOL It is a challenge! And I'm not talking about actually finding coins to buy! We all have to set some limits ... or our budget, circumstances or simple availability of storage space(!) will likely limit us. Buy one coin and you have effectively decided not to buy another one due to grade, eye appeal of cost .. But in a way it's what makes it fun. Every collection is individual this way because each is our personal chice. Yes, I suspect we all see coins and think .. that looks nice! I have a small collection of (mostly French) coins featuring the head of 'Marianne'. I occasionally look at hammered pennies .. even coin dealers' advertising tokens more recently. I'm guessing my shillings forgive me for the occasional transgression though as I rarely actually buy anything else!! Bottom line? Buying the best you can find/afford will stand you in good stead. And if you're having fun ... why worry?!

The Unite is 2.5K. As to failure, no I don't think so! We all collect differently. I stick to one denomination from one mint and part of one reign. Rob collects different denominations, metals, designers ... It's whether you enjoy your collection and collecting that matters I think. Personally I have an overall budget but not one per individual coin. I've spent as little as £18 on a shilling, though most cost between £60 and £250. And it has to be a pretty decent coin to go to the top end! Most I've spent? Just under two grand. But there are only 6 known examples and mine isn't the worst and I wanted it! I think budgets need to be flexible as some coins just do cost a lot more. But for me at least, there's little point underspending on a coin I have doubts about. If I'm not quite sure at the beginning, you can almost guarantee I will tire of it in time. But I'm still learning what I like and what, for me, makes a coin a good one. Learning takes time and you just have to buy a few coins on the way. If eventually you decide to specialise and get rid of a few, if you've bought good coins with appeal they will sell ok. But really there's nothing wrong with 'liking everything'. It's probably not the way most people collect, but if you enjoy the coins you own, it's not really a failure IMHO. .

Tricky. As Azda said, a Stuart crown is probably likeliest. However, they aren't large coins as you can see here: And as with any coins, as the grade (and 'eye appeal') improves the price goes up ... personally I'd worry that in time you'd regret buying a small worn coin, rather than paying a bit more for a nicer piece. Hence my suggestion of trimming the budget for the more recent reigns (though still buying top condition) and shifting some of it towards what will be your more expensive purchases. Alternatively, better grades can be bought if the coin has some other weakness, such as clipping: Both coins are around the £550+ mark .. .

The cheapest Ed.VIII is probably the halfpenny reverse uniface. It's currently in a 65(?) slab and last sold for around £3000-3500. You might find another pattern uniface for less than 10K, but after that you are talking £20K and up. I started with my budget at £200 per coin. I already paid two or three times that in some cases. I didnt know all EVIII are fantasy pieces. In this case i might leave a gap.I never liked him anyway. Not all are fantasies. There are a few rare official patterns, as Rob says. But yes, a gap might be preferable. As to rare Geo VI and EIIR .. yes, you could. Or .. you could save the pennies on some more recent coins and go for something like this at the other end? OK, I admit it. Just showing my preference for hammered coinage! But it is quite nice IMHO! LOL

Edward is tricky because, as I expect you know, no UK coins were officially struck in his name. And those issued abroad bear no portrait. I do like the Percy Metcalfe 'Patina' pattern coins myself, but they are of course fantasy issues. For George VI and Liz I'd personally go for proofs. George a proof halfcrown (I think 1950 was the first proof issued in cupronickel, so more interesting for that) and Elizabeth, how about a brass 3d? A bit different both in shape and metal? Neither should be very expensive so you can hold out for decent examples? Of course, that's just my suggestion. Go with what you like! .

291419056878 291419061211 A long time ago I did overpay (£28) for a 'Montreal' copy of a Pontefract shilling because I wanted an example .. these however .. no idea! .

221728810973 .

Hi John! Glad you finally found predecimal. I think you'll find it better than coincommunity other forums for expertise on British coins!

Happy Birthday Peter! (You can imagine a short balding bloke raising a glass of cab sauv in your general direction if you wish)

Belated happy birthday from me!

Milled and English? You guys don't make it easy you know! But here's a quick snap of the reverse of my halfcrown. Whether it shows or not, it has quite pleasing pinkish/ gold tones to the deeper areas ... Edit ... hmm .. you might all just have to take my word for it! .

Here's the contact details for Peter Nichols in case you're interested: http://www.coincabinets.com/contact.html They don't just make them. They also restore and adapt. Very helpful ... but also busy! .

Hi and welcome Patryk! Sadly (and this isn't meant personally, just if you have ever looked on eBay you'll know this) the term 'excellent' means different things to different people! To be collectable as coins you need as near mint condition as possible. However as silver melt, it's just weight. I suggest you contact Chris Perkins the forum owner. I know he buys silver coinage in bulk and may be able to arrange something to save you postage, depending on what you have. Best idea is to take a few (half a dozen would be fine) photos of the better older coins to give him an idea as to whether they might be resalable to collectors. You can send him a message via the link on this page: http://www.predecimal.com/selling_coins.php?osCsid=02fc9c64b520b215a3b06c9e1dc9c6e5 And if any of the coins are excellent maybe put up a few pics here too in case any members would like to cherry-pick nicer pieces? .

Nice old cabinet! I'd be careful of any glue that you can smell. It's obviously the risk of the fumes containing something that will affect the coins (probably accelerate toning). However it's hard to tell what the risks will be over time. It might be that the velvet itself will tone your coins. Maybe best to just replace the velvet? Modern coin cabinets tend to be lined with felt, so I'm assuming that's pretty safe. Though that won't have the recesses for coins like your velvet. If I decided I had to glue, I'd make sure I left the trays for a while (a month seems safe) to let any fumes dissipate. I think Rob has a background in chemistry. Maybe he or someone can chip in with more definite views? Oh, and to answer Coinery above ... Peter Nichols cabinets is perhaps the one? Peter has retired and someone else took over. When I spoke to them they have replaced all the material Peter used with natural finishes. She seemed to think Peter's current ill-health might have been due to some of the chemicals like varnishes he used. I suspect they'd advocate only a limited range. Rabbit skin size is a traditional artist's glue/varnish I seem to remember ... but again, maybe someone with more knowledge can say if that would work. .

I echo Paul's comment Nick. Yes, topics drift. Yes, people speak their minds. I could go round deleting posts that might be .. controversial, shall we say ... but I'd rather not, both because it would take time but also because I'm not greatly in favour of forums where everything is policed, because then people don't always feel comfortable saying what they want to. It's a difficult compromise and it sadly won't suit everyone. Personally I just skim over most of the meanderings for the next on-topic comment .... ...unless I'm bored, in which case Peter and Dave can meander better than anyone else I know! .

Wow. Sorry to hear that Peter. But I'm glad you're home now and hope you're soon feeling fully recovered and that the appointments next week and pills do the trick. I thought it was quite on here for a while .... But seriously, look after yourself! .

Happy Birthday Sir! .

Sadly quality control at the Royal Mint is poor, so off centre isn't a definite sign it's counterfeit. Double struck would be odd. Though I'm afraid I can't see enough detail in your photos to say .. a more detailed bigger pic might work? But the bottom line is, if it is a counterfeit it's of slight interest (I still have a few really poor ones such as a coin made of lead and painted gold and some with the wrong reverse for the date and legends that don't match either side!) But it won't be of great value, except numismatically speaking and few people bother to hold on to the things. Of course if you take one to the bank they won't give you a quid for it. Which perhaps partly accounts for why there are still so many fakes in circulation ... .

Hi there. I'm afraid I can't see from your photos what it is that concerns you. The reverse is correct for the year, which is often a tell-tale sign if it's not! And the colour does vary a bit from bright to a dull brass colour. Modern coins aren't always well struck-up, frequently with blobs of extra metal or weak areas. Which I guess is all to the fakers' advantage I guess ... .

Welcome Steven. And in case you wondered, I've moved your questions to the appropriate section and deleted the duplicate post. I hope you find it interesting and helpful here. Victorian base metal coins seem quite popular so you'll find other enthusiasts I'm sure! .

Welcome Daniel! Try here: http://www.predecimal.com/forum/topic/7880-posting-pics/ .

Images are going to be essential I'm afraid. If you upload them to an image hosting site such as flikr or photobucket then you can then put the links into a post here. In the meantime ... there's an article (pdf) here about a find on the Island .. http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCgQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.britnumsoc.org%2Fpublications%2FDigital%20BNJ%2Fpdfs%2F1963_BNJ_33_9.pdf&ei=d5P4VIuGOMfwaJa3gYAB&usg=AFQjCNGaHh_jL6cbR9GoRTEeNA272WMYKA&bvm=bv.87519884,d.d2s that might be of interest? .

Very nice. Though I'd be happy with just a regular Tower mint shilling in that condition ... there's simply nothing decent about it seems. .

Setting aside this particular seller for a minute, I think there are a number of factors at play. Firstly, my strong suspicion is that we all grade by experience. And that means that if you don't tend to see really good examples regularly then you might overgrade as you've little to compare a 'better than average' example to. The other thing is grade creep. It isn't difficult to find examples of coins that sold at VF in the 1970s that more recently have been rated gVF, nEF etc. I think perhaps grading was broader back then and buyers relied on their own knowledge. But also price was not quite so tied to small grade differences. You only have to look at the US market where the difference between and MS63 and MS64 can be substantial to see optimism could easily colour peoples assessment of a coin they hope to sell. There are sellers that I consider to grade conservatively and others that are .. generous. In the end education is still the key IMHO. If you're going to make a purchase, particularly if any decent amount of money is to be involved, it just makes sense to do a bit of research before hand. As has recently been said on here .. None of us has the ability to save people from themselves Best we can do is educate ourselves and provide advice if asked... .