Bryan

I thought i'd drop in at the London Coin Fair in November. I've never been to one before and I think it will be a great opportunity for me to be able to see a load of coins and get ideas on prices and maybe glean some knowledge from a dealer or two. As it's my first fair, I'm definitely going to be treating myself to something ... Any general advice on what to avoid, common newbie blunders etc? I know that it would depend largely on what my budget is, but just wondered if there was anything I should know or be aware of, as I have no idea what to expect!

Many thanks copper123, PM sent. 😁

Had a great time at the coin fair and it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. As I’m just a beginner, there were lots of bargains, as any coin was new to me. I picked up a range of Florins, Crowns and half Crowns as well as a few commemorative ones too. Really glad I went and I’ve got a good batch if coins to research now. i think I’ll be going to the Bloomsbury coin fest in December as well. Thanks for everyone’s advice, much appreciated.

Can anyone advise on a good loupe and the recommended magnification?

Thanks For the info Paul, It’s good to know these things. I’ll have a good scout around at all the different types. Much appreciated.

Thanks Peckris 2, be a good advantage to have both lens in one too, I’m sure! I’ve got a 10x loupe which I used to use for looking at insects a few years back. I tried it on a coin and it wasn’t too bad, but I found I had to keep moving it backwards and forwards a lot, to keep it focused. It also seemed out of focus on the edges.

Thanks UPINSMOKE, That’s very helpful, there’s certainly a good few on the market to choose from. Guess it’s just a matter of finding which one suits you best!

Thanks Paul, Out of curiosity, what’s the difference between triplet or quadruple lenses? Is it just purely for different magnification options in one piece?

Thanks for your recommendation Pete, I’d be using it mainly for trying to educate myself a bit on a coins features and to practise a bit of basic grading?

I’m looking to get some lighthouse capsules for my collection. At the moment I’m using some no name brands that I bought off eBay. They’re ok, but they have a “crescent” groove which is supposed to aid opening but they’re a real pig! I have one coin in a lighthouse capsule (the one with raised rim edges), which is far easier to open. I like round capsules because you can still read the rim inscriptions without having to take the coin out, whereas with Quadrum you can’t? Could anyone let me know what size (without any rattle), best suits £2 and the main pre-dec coins? As always, any advice is appreciated!

Thank you for the links UPINSMOKE, they will be of great help and they’re exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. much appreciated.

Thanks Unwilling Numismatist, I think it’s the way forward for me and I’m going to go with quads. Appreciate the advice.

Sword, thanks for the detailed info, that’s really helpful. My plan had been to buy stackable trays, with circular indents that the entire coin capsule could fit into, as my collection grew. However, looking at the storage options for quads, it looks like they would take up far less space than multiple trays would, considering the limited amount of “circular holes” you could fit on a tray. The quads obviously can be stored far more compactly, as they all appear to be of a standard size, with just the foam inner varying in sizes to suit? Are the quads easy to open to remove coins? I notice that quads seem to be the storage method of choice for a lot of members, which speaks volumes!

Thanks for the advice Jerry, that’s very helpful and answered a lot of the things I was wondering about. Cheers!

Thanks Copper123, will do! I guess there’s also more chance of finding what you want if you go earlier. early bird catches the worm and all that!

Does anyone know of any coin dealers in the Hertfordshire area?

Hi, I’m Bryan and a brand new member on the forum. I have recently taken an interest in numismatics and having started collecting some modern British coins, I have also decided to start a pre-decimal coin collection. Actually, the word collection is not quite correct as it implies plural. I have ONE 1951 Festival of Britain Crown thus far... I did say I was brand new! I am interested in all types of coin, especially British. I have little knowledge and I hope to gain as much learning as I can from the forum and am looking forward to chatting to you at some point along the way!

Thanks for the tip secret santa. I’ll definitely have a look at that. Sounds like it will be good learning for me. thanks for the welcome UPINSMOKE, I would agree with you on that. I’ve had many great bits of helpful advice so far from other users. Thanks very much everyone!

Thanks Sword, yes I thought it was a safe bet for an economical, first-time buy. I hadn’t realised that it had been struck from left-over Victorian die(s), which is very interesting. Admittedly, Pistrucci’s design was a big draw factor and an excellent bonus for a newbie too! But isn’t that just of the allure of collecting? Not just a coin, but a storybook of information unraveling histories, Monarchies, economics, geography and political aspiration to name just a little of what they can represent. At least it is for me anyway!

😂

Just ordered the above book, I think it will give me a lot of insight. Thanks Peckris 2

Haha! I did try disable it once, but the results were disastrous. I humbly enabled it once more...!

Thanks Unwilling Numismatist, I’m sure there will be questions aplenty! Much appreciated.

Thanks bagerap, from time to time, I find myself in the Hemel area, so i'll drop in at some point for a look. Thanks for letting me know.

Meant to be “some!” Autocorrect does me in sometimes!