colliewalker1

You make a very interesting point here Mark. Personally, I am less bothered by the odd mark here and there, or even an edge dent - than by overall surface wear: the former do little to detract from the detail whereas surface wear does.One person's F may be another's F+/VF..... This underlines the importance of the seller providing a photo - if the buyer relies on the seller's opinion of the grading which should apply, there are still question marks over the purchase.

Another post on coin grading. It seems to me that there are inconsistencies in grading coins - between sellers - and even between coins offered by the same seller!! I am keen to find a George III or George IV Half Crown/Crown - I missed out on two half crowns offered recently by Chris - still displayed but marked as SOLD. These are dated 1816 and Graded AF both priced at £14. I am very new to coin collecting but am I correct in thinking that these half crowns are in a VERY acceptable condition for the modest grading of AF. I have been unable to find comparitive value elsewhere and what I have seen look poor value by comparison. I am particularly impressed by the good condition of the reverse side 'coat of arms'which elsewhere usually fails to match the obverse Is Chris being very modest in making these gradings - or is everybody else inflating their's?!!! I know that Chris is away at the moment so he can't speak for himself - but members' views would be apprerciated.

I would like to know the opinion of members on the collectability of UNC (silver/'silver') coins. These coins obviously show the full beauty of the unworn design - but do they so lack the 'romance' and 'charisma'of circulated coins that they are unappealing to collectors? Do they suffer the same 'handicap' as bright and sparkling cleaned coins? If UNC coins don't appeal, why are they more expensive than circulated versions??!! Perhaps the answer is to have one of each example - a nice circulated coin plus one which is UNC?! I will now confess to the sin of CLEANING a coin - I have two Morgan Dollars - one which is pretty well perfect (dated 1891)and bought as 'High Grade'and the other(dated 1890)bought on Ebay without a grading tag - but I would venture to say is probably EF or close to it. I have cleaned the dirt away (mainly located around the highest/lowest parts and from the milled edge) using distilled water and liquid soap. I was amazed at how easily the soiling came away and TO ME the coin looks much more attractive - as bright and clean as my 'High Grade' dollar - or as a UNC version....

Farthings don't 'turn me on' but this one described as AUNC + Lustre looks perfect and I would be interested to know what Master Jmd thinks of it as farthings are his speciality. The auction has 5 days to go - current bid £10.50 cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4398&item=3928504704&rd=1 What value would you put on this Master Jmd? Incidentally, although some people have a bias against Ebay, I find that their enormous offering of coins is well worth looking at: if one uses Ebay with caution I think that there are some 'good buys' to be had there. After all, I bought a 'HIgh Grade' Morgan Dollar' from Chris there!!!

For buying a Georgian Crown 'on the cheap' this one looks quite a decent proposition for only £15: higher graded versions become expensive. OK, it shows distinct wear but it doesn't seem that bad to me(for a coin 183 years old!) and I wonder if a grading of F- is on the conservative side. I will appreciate the views of members please. http://www.onlinecoins.co.uk/viewcoin.php?...6&keepsession=1

I must say that I am unsure about the collectability of this one -I am keen to acquire a Georgian Crown and perhaps I'll wait for a better one and 'grin and bear' the price

Oops- my mistake Emperor Oli - 1817 is correct!!

undefined I like the look of this Shilling - described as VF'and priced at £15. http://www.onlinecoins.co.uk/viewcoin.php?...4&keepsession=1 It looks good value to me - members' comments will be appreciated!

Thanks members for your thoughts - I have decided to be a big spender and have ordered this coin! The shilling is located in the US so insured airmail is a bit pricey at £5: I am assured by the seller that at this price VAT and import duty will not apply (I believe that the limit is £18) although where these charges are levied I understand that they are (outrageously!)applied to postage as well. However,I hope that this only applies where the item itself is over the limit. Have any members had experience of buying coins from the US and if so have they been billed for VAT and import duty?

Beginners Area: Coin Grading Have I done it OK?

This looks like 'EUREKA'!![font=Courier][size=14][color=blue]

How about this then?!

How about this thenn?!

How about this then?!

I hope this is ok

The code for that would be Thanks william - I'll keep trying - here goes!

I see in my last post that my Smiley appeared in the heading rather than the body of the text - progress of a sort - I'll keep trying! As regards the fonts - I am of course used to using these drop down menus - in emails for example. There is obviously another step after selection which I am missing out on - I must have a 'blind spot here I'll just keep on trying if I just can't sort it out perhaps I may come back to you.

In 'Beginners Area: Coin Grading'I have made some postings on the subject of adding a'Qoute'and Smileys.I have managed to deal with my quote problem but am still struggling to add Smileys! Another task I haven't been able to sort out is how to change Fonts, choose a Size,Color etc.When I Make a selection all I see is some text in my draft post saying what I have chosen. I notice that none of the posts that I have seen show different fonts etc. - so are other members similarly puzzled - or are they just not bothered?! I thought that rather than continue my query on the subject in 'Beginners Area'and wandering off topic I would take up the matter here. Any help will be appreciated!

I should have said that I had discovered the Quote Button but couldn't see where to go from there.I have switched to 'Guided Mode'(for old dummies like me!) and copied and pasted to the panel provided.Here goes and I hope it works! I am really stretching myself and am trying to insert a smiley too!!! (EDITED BY SYLVESTER...) All that was needed was a space between the exclaimation marks and :rolleyes:cos if you don't leave a space then this happens!)

Chris has given some very helpful information on this website about coin grading and I am now more able to judge the comparitive condition of a coin from the grade given - in conjunction with a photo of said coin of course! However, I am cominmg across grades which confuse me somewhat.Chris quotes 'Fine' or just 'F' as "the first truly collectable condition...." which is a very helpful starting point.But what about GF - presumably this means Good to Fine - or perhaps Fine minus: this appears to be less than "the first truly collectable condition" although I have just bought a GF Crown [not yet delivered] and this looked very acceptable from the photo - fingers crossed pending delivery!! But what about 'GEF' that I have seen given as a grade - does this mean Good to Extra Fine? This doesn't seem sensible as surely it should be Fine To Extra Fine? All this seems to underline tne thought that in the final analysis it's the PHOTO that really counts!In fact I have seen some sellers on Ebay say that the buyer should decide the grade for himself/herself from the photo! Members' thoughts will be appreciated!

Replying to Master Jmd's post of the 28th August:- [1] How do you insert a quote from the post to which you are replying - I just can't see how this is done!! [2] I take your point about post 1947 coins being cupro-nickel - but I AM old enough for a silver one to be appropriate!

Some very interesting contributions here - and I found Sylvester's response paricularly interesting. For example, learning of the drastic reduction in the silver content of coins in 1920. I am concentrating on 'late milled'19th century silver coins and my very embryonic collection so far includes an 1889 Victoria Crown with an 1822 George IV on order: perhaps logically I should add George III and William IV versions next, then go down in size to half crowns, florins and shillings. I don't think that silver coins smaller than shillings appeal to me. I am toying with the idea of adding some more modern 'silver' coins representing my birth year - some would think this pretty historic (but I won't reveal which year!) - and that of my wife. I don't see any special appeal in 'rare' years, despite their greater 'value'

I have seen a 1787 George III Shilling among a group of similar coins offered on Ebay - 'Buy It Now' for £28.Ends 29th August. The URL is http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...3926814434&rd=1 If someone will look at this coin and give an opinion on it's value I'll be very grateful.

Thanks for your usual rapid - and helpful reply. I'll leave it as you recommend.

A question for Sylvester please! Looking at one of Tony Clayton's excellent web pages- 'Pictures of coins of the UK',dealing with half-crowns I see that a photo of an 1834 William IV coin was donated by you! As a beginner I am concentrating on 19th century silver coins(larger size!)and this is the sort of coin that I would like to add to my collection. This looks a nice coin and I notice that unlike many coins of this age the reverse side does not look unduly worn: the monarch's head looks good too - particularly the face - the hair looks a bit 'smoothed'! What grade would you apply to this coin - and what should I expect to pay for one like it? Regards - Denis PS At what stage do you think that coins like this become uninteresting from a collecting viewpoint - e.g 20th century Edward VII/George V/Edward VII/George VI.....