hactonhouse

Thanks for that Rob. Now put my dreams of early retirement on hold as a result. The bust would appear to be 3C. Looks like the auction will now be ebay rather than Christies.

Few years ago bought a 1560-1 Elizabeth 1 shilling (S-2555) slabbed by NGC and graded VF35. Now surplus to requirements and looking to sell. Checked Spink and the illustration shows the mintmark on the reverse as the martlet which indicates minted in London. My coin shows the cross crosslet which indicates minted at The Tower. I appreciate that it is unlikely that someone has the mintage figures for this coin at the different mints. I would however be interested to know if the mintmark affects the value of the coin. I have tried to take scans and photographs of the coin but the results have been too disappointing to post.

Bairds never sell any bullion coin at 0% premium! At £672.26 per troy ounce a sovereign has an intrinsic gold value of around £157. To check current bullion prices for sovereigns use this link. http://www.24hgold.com/english/buy_sell_gold_coins.aspx?co_id=3

I am thinking of selling part of my coin collection. Not especially valuable, maundy sets and a few wreath crowns being of the most interest. Is this a good time to sell or should I wait until hopefully some normality returns to the world financial markets? Not sure if prices have risen or dropped in the last few months. Are people still buying coins or is cash still king and buyers holding off hoping for bargains? I have read that art auction values have dropped but not sure of the effect on coins. The only index I have been able to locate is the PCGS 3000 coin index for rare American coins. It shows steady rises throughout the 1980's and then in 1989 a rapid rise followed by a massive drop. http://www.pcgs.com/coinindex/indexallgraph.chtml Would be interested to hear whether you feel it is a buying opportunity or time to reduce. John

Hi, Many thanks for your helpful comments and advice. After reading them I am now of the view that I should indeed perhaps look to a better camera and improving my grading skills rather than slabbing. regards, John

Hi, I have a number of British coins which in my opinion are high value. I do not feel I have sufficient knowledge to accurately grade them with any confidence. At some stage in the future I will be disposing of duplicates I have accumulated. Unfortunately I do not have the equipment to produce quality photos like Chris. I appreciate from reading previous posts that a lot of readers would identify me as a Phillistine for even considering slabbing. I also noticed that Chris recently got a very impressive price for a slabbed 1934 crown. If my coins were slabbed there could be no comeback or criticism of my grading. Additionally I believe the coins would be of more interest to our Colonial friends if slabbed. Should I slab my coins to increase their saleability? If so, which company should I approach? Finally, can anyone help as to cost? regards, John

Thanks Chris. You may well be right. The prime minister of the time, the Duke of Wellington, was not popular. It may well be he who is depicted and not St George. Find it very hard to believe an elected prime minister was not popular with the nation! Any suggestions for a modern day equivalent? regards,

Recently bought a coin/token described as a phantom sovereign. Head of William IV with the words 'crowned Sep 8 1831' on one side. On the reverse George and the Dragon with the words 'by trampling on liberty I lost the reins'. The coin is about sovereign size but made of copper. I do not intend to sell the coin so I am not interested in a value. I am interested in the words 'trampling on history...' Can anyone shed any information on the story behind it? Have attached scans but they have not come out very well. regards, John

Rather rashly bought some coins on eBay. Now that I have received them I cannot identify two of them. The first is Edward V11, dated 1902. The kings head on one side and George and dragon on the other. It appears copper and is smaller than an old silver threepenny. It is much smaller than a half sovereign. The second is George 111, unable to date because it has been holed where the date is. The kings head on one side and a shield on the other. Appears to be copper. about the size of a shilling. There is a photo of the coins on eBay where I bought them. Simply type in 3968870075 and press search. One is on the top line in the centre. The other is on the bottom line in the centre. If anyone can help I would be grateful. regards, hactonhouse