Sylvester

I like haggis myself, but it has to be from the butchers, if it's from the supermarket then i'll not touch it, there's a major difference between the two. My father sometimes goes to Scotland on work related business (or one of his colleagues does) and they always fetch a haggis back.

Oy! Play nicely. I'm like you Peter but the only social group i refuse to come to terms with are Chavs. I agree with Geoff about the Political Correctness issue. By not using the term 'queer' i wasn't falling into the PC trap, it's not a term i'd use anyhow. Why? Well way before PC came along it was used as a derogatory term against homosexuals, since i've got nothing against homosexuals and i've hung round with gay people before why would i want to insult them? So i don't use it for that reason (personal preference), not because an evil doctrine from US college campuses says i cannot use the term. If i wanted to use it i would, make no mistake. I openly shun Political Correctness. Bloody do-gooders, like Mary Whitehouse, now she should have been shot. It's alright for her to watch any film she likes and to dictate what the rest of the British population can and cannot watch. People like her are what get up my nose... my advice to her if she wasn't dead is to go and get a life rather than trying to run and ruin everyone elses. Sidenote everytime someone says PC i automatically think Pubically Challenged, our double entendre injoke, a derogatory way of referring to annoying children and teens (you know the really hard types, thugs that think they're the first one to think of forming a gang, the first one to think smoking's cool), and at the same time taking the mick out of PC.

Homosexuals are endeavering to turn the word 'queer' from an insult into a term they can use themselves. Although i don't know how successful that will be, i find it hard not to see it as derogatory, but then perhaps it's because i still see it by it's original definition. Going around calling yourself "odd", "strange" or "irregular" can't be good no?

Personally i hope not. I think there's something to be said for retaining a little individuality you know. Our £ sterling represents over 1000 years of both our history and culture and that of Europe, mainly France. Whereas that part of their cultural identity has been consigned to the history books it still lives on in Britain. Our Decimal currency if you think about it has a Franco-American twist (being that it works in 10s) but still has it's foundations in the Roman coinage that came eons ago. When it came to the euro though, Greece lost the most.

I still sometimes find myself counting ten pences as 'two, four, six, eight, ten... eighteen and one pound" It's from the days of dealing with two shilling pieces. It's a very rare occurence these days though. Way back in Anglo Saxon times there used to be 240 silver pennies to a £ and these silver pennies weighed 1lb, now i don't know whether that's Troy or Avoirdupois (sp?). So 1lb in weight was one Livre (French from Latin). The d originally came from denarius, however more correctly the d actually came from the French 'denier' (which came from Denarius). In the 760s the French king introduced a new broad and thin silver coin known as a denier. In the 780s this new type of coin spread to England when it was adopted by Offa of Mercia (Mercia was the kingdom territory that roughly covers the midlands and Offa was the king of this territory), and they thus coined their own variants and these became known as pennies (from German pfennig). Why did they keep the Lsd shorthand though? Well that's because of 1066, the Normas arrived and they spoke French (English was for low life scum, i.e the conquered peasants). In turn in 1154 the Norman line was succeeded by another line straight from France, the Angevin line (from Anjou, also known as Plantagenets), and thus French continued as the official language of England till sometime in the Fourteenth/Fifteenth Century. Even after that period French was still more prestigous and important than English and was until the Welsh took over in 1485 (the Tudor) Henry VII straight over from France (a pattern emerges no?). Then of course the Reformation put paid to French once and for all (well until 1714 at any rate when it became the language of the Government, due to the German Hanoverian kings not being able to speak English and the MPs not being able to speak German). English generally though became more predominant from the 1530s onwards. Latin went into decline too because it was seen as Popery. So naturally the French variants, Livre and Denier stuck.

1933/37 and 52 what? I presume you mean pennies?

Well struck hammered coins.

Will do. I have noticed heterosexual pornography links too in the past few weeks. Dunno if it's coming from the same location but i'll note the IP addys before i delete them.

Chavs really are the scum of the universe. Them and those hoodies. So cool, so trendy, so sheep. I'm chavin it!

I din't know Manx had coins! I've known banks refuse to take non-mainland issues. I was under the impression that Jersey, Guernsey and all the other islands coinage were not legal tender in the UK itself, this also went for pre-euro Irish coins. But it seems it more complicated than that.

Don't worry it took me ages to get my head around it too, i had to be told three times. TAhis is why i don't like trying to explain it to other people because there's alot of potential for confusion along the way. Another thing i should make you aware of. Some boards use the IMG in capitals, others use img in small letters. Coinpeople uses the small letters. This one uses capitals i think.

There's another (better) method. If a picture is already on the internet you can access it directly. 1) Find a picture you want, right click on it. 2) on the menu that comes up go down to 'Properties' and click on it. 3) This opens up a new window and you should see "Address " and next to this will be an address starting http: etc. If you highlight that address, right click on it, copy it. The go to the place where you want it installing, right click, select paste. Then all you have to do is put at either side of it. The goes after the address. (Make sure there's no blank spaces at either side of the address) When you post the picture will be shewn.

Yes there has been alot of links to websites of that nature posted lately, i've removed all of them as soon as i saw them.

William IV is my favourite 19th century monarch! Love William IV coins... It's about time he got more recognition. And surely that'd be a £2 coin Oli, William IV never had any £5 coins (except patterns)

Are they doing colour editions of all the Krauses? I'm thinking 18th century specifically.

I'd have them ready bagged up with reciept...

Same reason as you Geordie. Plus Spinks is pretty useless for hammered coins.

I still refuse to buy one... maybe when they go colour i might actually get one to replace my 1993 Seaby.

Oww i know, it was Raphael Maklouf's really early work... Now why am i thinking Edward VIII

That's generally my feelings on the matter. Although it could be from a photograph or a painting, i believe this is how Mary Gillick came up with her Elizabeth II obverse. There is a very slim possibility it could have been Mary Gillick's work however she died in 1965... which would kinda fit in with my theory above. Someone took the criticism too far... Are there no initials on the reverse of the Crown? Could but Fuller and Thomas' work, as they designed the 1953 and 1960 crown. But if they were the ones responsible for the Churchie then they were wise to keep quiet about it.

That's closely guarded mint secret, basically to protect the designer from assasination. Honestly i don't know, but i've often wondered.

Archaeologist hey? Funny you should mention that, i'm off to see about enrolling for a masters degree in Archaeology tomorrow. Dunno whether to do an MA or an MSc in it though. I'd find the MA course easier, but the MSc is what gets you the jobs. (Usually Laboratory based jobs). Sounds good to me.

I look at all of my £1 coins Chris. For duds and for 1988s, i look on the edges of every one and i'm sure i would have spotted it by now! Unless he's got a one off?

The Royal mint does buy back on type of set (gold i believe) because one of the coins in it is an error. Wrong reverse or something so they'll take them back and issue the correct one for you. So maybe this is the one and same? (Perhaps they don't have any correct sets left? And now they're just buying?)

It's a PAXS penny (which is the 8th coinage issued of William I). On the obverse is crown type 1. Looking in North it appears the moneyer may be Æstan of Winchester. But don't quote me on that. I'm pretty sure it's Winchester but i'm no expert on this by any means.