Rob

This is at the heart of the problem. The EU in its various forms has been in existence for 60 years, but any strengthening of the institution has never been accompanied by any accountability to the people it dictates to. At no point has there been a call for political unity, but that hasn't stopped them quietly increasing their power over national legislation to make the unaccountables the de-facto political rulers. They actually sit well alongside the various central committees in those paragons of democracy such as China or North Korea - a centrally managed political and economic system, with a toothless parliament put in place to rubber stamp official policy. Sorry, but I see little difference in the two scenarios when it comes to legislation and accountability. This referendum has been a large wake-up call for those at the centre of Europe because big Dave did the unthinkable - he decided to ask the voters what they think. As a consequence, Europe is now in uncharted waters because the status quo was always to act without reference to voters. Europe will change following the referendum irrespective of the outcome, but the underwear soiling problem for the eurocrats is that the outcome of the referendum is not in their control. This means the normal procedure of having a second referendum in the event of an inappropriate outcome is not an option and, worryingly for them, people might now demand a voice across the continent. They will have difficulty putting the genie back in the bottle. They don't currently have an outline plan for central accountability because nobody wants the gravy train to arrive at the destination, and then they wonder why anti-EU sentiment is running so strongly. The point that is frequently missed is that this issue is not for most people a case of spouting nationalistic rhetoric. It isn't about immigration, though most would like to see at least some measure of control at our borders. It isn't because half the citizens of this country hate foreigners - they don't. What they do hate is power associated with a lack of accountability. Parallels with fat cats anyone? Anyway, too much scaremongering going on as to the consequences of us leaving. Frankly, the west is in the mire unless it gets its act together. That is easier to do at a national level for all countries rather than the one size fits all EU.

Difficult to argue with that. A bit of friction, but not a huge amount, and even that depends on the lighting angle.

That's because the majority of people in favour of leaving are older. Coinies tend to be older. Unfortunately you cannot put the collective experience of the past 40 years into a twenty year old. It is too big an opportunity to turn down, as there is unlikely to be another in the next 50 years - unless natural selection comes into play, in which case the EU will die of natural causes. Smile - shit can, and could, happen

Eeee. That'll pay for a few years' supply of punctuation repair kits.

I liberated this from the base of a broken Georgian drinking vessel about 10 years ago. Hermetically sealed for over 250 years. It's in the unlisted varieties thread for the T/E in AT

So what? That is why it is difficult to claim that someone is being ripped off. Caveat emptor. People might try it on, but absolutely nobody is compelled to buy at any price, not even below fair value.

Short and to the point.

Maybe if we leave and prices increase as a result of a worsening exchange rate it will curb the ridiculous levels of consumer spending. People seem to buy everything and anything only to discard it the following month. Clothes can be washed for example and aren't single use items. The obsession with having the latest fashion/gadget/colour is probably the largest contributor to our balance of payments deficit. Money is too easily come by - apparently. And if you can afford to pay your debts you can just walk away from them because the previous government decreed it is demeaning to be declared bankrupt - total crap.

With a 20% weight range and 10% diameter variation listed in Krause, it may well not be an issue. Also, Krause is littered with mistakes, notwithstanding the fact that what they compiled was a fairly monumental task, so could easily be wrong. Somewhere on the web will be a forum dedicated to Nepalese 5 paisa pieces, sad gits that we are.

The reverse has attempted to replicate the Order of the Garter. As in the image attached

It was a coin, but now is a piece of art. Someone has removed the reverse and engraved the design seen. It started out in life as either a penny, halfpenny or farthing. Approx. diameters would be 30, 25 or 20mm respectively

Coin News. £1 each, 12 for £10. Probably find some more when sorted. Coin News list May 2016.docx

If we go it will be the price paid for trying to fudge the issue. The aspiration towards 'ever closer union' has a practical end point - full union. But given the EU is now 60 years old and nobody has dared to suggest full political union which is a pre-requisite for the Euro project to succeed, it ain't gonna happen. It's the train that politicians want to travel on because of the money it dispenses to them and their pet projects, but never want it to arrive. Should the unthinkable happen and full union occur, they would have to sacrifice their power and freebies arising from national government obsolescence. The EU is essentially unreformable, pandering as it does to the egos of the political classes. What is required is a trading block, with national sovereignty returned. If you consider the Greek situation, they are under the control of the EU commission and the IMF, with no way to trade out of their problems due to a reduced asset base. That could happen here too given the only pots left to tax are pensions and property. Ultimately, if you don't allow freedom to trade and make balance of payments a priority, every pound spent by the government taken from savings is money that can't be used to earn money, so it really does matter whether we buy goods from abroad, or source them internally. Nobody is suggesting it would be an easy next few years, but the EU has already decided to go down a course of doing nothing. Of course every country cannot run a surplus, but the current EU structure magnifies both problems and success. That is why German goods sell abroad so well, the Euro's value being pegged back by the weaker countries. But the converse is also true, with the Euro being too strong for the weak countries to trade their way out. Every country in Europe has one hand tied behind its back. It is also incumbent on people from this country to support their national businesses wherever possible. Cross-border trade has to occur because nobody is self-sufficient in everything. National governments can't veto imports from within the EU, but nobody can tell national citizens that they have to buy foreign goods. It's a choice that we could all make for the better given we are only going to pay people to sit on their backsides if they aren't working. Think about it.

http://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/index.html

This is quite reasonable by eBay standards http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-One-Pound-Coin-1-Capital-Cities-Shield-Floral-2010-2016-Uncirculated-/380918524013?var=&hash=item58b083686d:m:mM0yL206L6ndJzwOAI3tn6w £5 including postage is only going to leave the seller with somewhere short of half that after costs for paypal, ebay, 2nd signed for large letter, jiffy bag etc, so I think you'll struggle to find cheaper.

Coin Monthlies have gone. Thanks Matt. Coins and Medals are still available. Also available, Coin Yearbooks for 1969-1976, useful for historical pricing data. All in good condition, £2 each. I also have an unwieldy quantity of Coin News from the 1990s onwards, some complete years, some duplicated. I'll sort a list out in due course, in the interim please let me know if you need any specifics.

Ok, I'll send you details.

F&F? I know what F'ing & B'ing is. Have to use the wife's account unless you can do a transfer to the bank from a UK bank account.

Remarkably only £20.

Updated list of Coin Monthlies £1 each, 5 for £4 or £50 the lot (104 issues). £10 postage (for the lot). Coins & Medals £1 each, 5 for £4 or £10 the lot (13 issues). £3 postage. Coin Monthly May 2016.docx

Not to mention 'edge knocks' below the title, and 'no edge knocks' in the description. I agree with Peter.

That's useful. Thanks.

Golden rule is 'If in doubt, leave it out'. That applies to all walks of life, coin purchases included.

Grade is an opinion, attribution is not, or at least shouldn't be. You can argue the case if the grade is wildly out, but half a grade either way, not a chance.

Most of the time they do. Saleroom notices are usually no more than a handful on a total of a thousand or more lots. Given the extensive use of copy and paste, it's surprising there aren't more mistakes made.