Rob

Apparently he no longer offers this service having effectively retired to look after his grandchildren, who keep him fully occupied.

The pictures could be better. Let's start with where did you get it? Weight? Does it ring correctly for silver? What is the edge? The thickness at the rim?

Is the problem not a little more subtle than the different ranges? I get the impression that the larger auction houses (and to a greater extent US slab devotees) will only consider NGC or PCGS. i.e. anyone else is ignored. What scale CGS use is for the most part irrelevant if the coin has to be accredited by one of only two TPGs. Personally I have never had a problem with ANACS, who in my view more accurately than NGC. I think with Heritage/NGC/PCGS it is more a case of a closed shop, with the auction house absolving themselves of any problems re-description or legitimacy by requiring their lots to be slabbed by one or the other. This would make things very difficult to return as they have already been cleared as genuine, and the grade is taken as a given. Effectively all Heritage do is make a list and auction it off on a regular basis. I think it is an unholy alliance, because there is no means to regulate the minutiae over and above the lotting that we take for granted with a conventional auctioneer. Any disputes also have to be made without extracting the coin from the slab, which also makes the task more difficult.

No I don't think so. Scratches can be any size.

It's a bit flat in the middle which is a pity, as the periphery which is usually the weak point is much better than average. If the centres were the same as the legend I would be chasing that one.

Next meeting is this coming Monday. We are having a bit of fun with a version of 'Call My Bluff'. Starts at 8:15 upstairs in the Nursery Inn on Green Lane.

I think this area has been pretty much fully discussed. Variety collectors follow the publications. Some collect varieties to provide additional boxes to tick, as has been mentioned. Others come to light when someone does an in-depth study of a series and subsequently publish. These then allow the aforementioned individuals to create more boxes. These references are not particularly helpful with regards to rarity though as many more examples tend to appear once the variety has been published. The ultimate reference has to be as complete a die study as possible, but even then there are a few that get away.

It can depend on how assiduous the RM is in collecting duties. Sometimes they aren't on the ball.

I'm not aware of it cheaper elsewhere. Given it's a new book without a dated revision in the near future, it is a bit early for discounts.

We stopped having auctions because the collecting habits of members were simply too diverse, with only a couple people collecting similar pieces, i.e. there was virtually no competitive bidding which rendered an auction meaningless.

It's possible the Mint was trying to anticipate demand. Before the mid-90s there wasn't the annual flood of commemoratives that we now find familiar. You had the new £2 coins in 86, 89, 94 95 & 96 and the occasional crown up to 1990, together with the revaluation of that item from %/- to £5. Once they became £5 they were simultaneously issued on an annual basis. In the case of the Sovereign, there weren't many collectors of modern RM output in the 1980s, so it is quite possible that none were produced because they didn't think they would sell. Proofs are much easier to sell to the general populace than a dull currency piece. As the sovereign wasn't a currency piece despite its nominal face value, any bullion issued would be based on perceived demand for storing gold. I think it is necessary to cast minds back 30 years when the public's collecting habits were vastly different to today.

Yes, some of those topics do sound quite captivating. Moreover, having guest speakers is definitely a good thing. Of course, Manchester, being a big City, will have more members, and be able to attract notable speakers. I live in a medium sized town, and the available pool of interested parties will be that bit lower. Unfortunately. The size of the city is not important. Our club has just over a dozen members. The Lancs and Cheshire has fewer. Most guest speakers are persuaded on the back of individual contacts. Most people who visit to talk are on good terms with one or more members. So for example, the talk about William the Lion required someone from our club to reciprocate. I was therefore volunteered to give a talk at the Uni in February for the Lancs and Cheshire. It helps if the constituent members are part of the BNS and attend conferences and the like. This enables like minded people to help each other. We also meet in a pub. The Nursery in Heaton Moor which does Hydes beers.

No, the South Manchester. Reading is Derek's stomping ground.

It's no bad thing to be introduced to other areas of interest. This year our talks are as follows: Designs on Decimal Coinage of Napoleon I Wild Men & Running Horses - Our German Heritage Heaven blesses George's throne Times and Coins of William the Lion The Congleton Hoard Coinage of the first two Georges Viking Coins of York In the past we have had Graham Dyer talking about Victorian milled coins, Joe Bispham on Edward VI base shillings, Lee Toone on Romano-British, I've given talks on the Weyl Patterns and Charles I Civil War coinage, Edward I/II pennies, plus there have been many more talks on equally diverse topics. It's good to get away from your usual hunting ground as it makes you ask questions on subjects that you would ignore in normal circumstances.

The Midland is tomorrow at the Motorcycle Museum if you want to visit a fair. Doors open at 10 o'clock.

Your choice of books should reflect the area you have chosen. If you have already decided that varieties are an area you wish to pursue, then ESC is a perfectly relevant tome. Davies is another that you should have if going down this route. All references have their strengths and weaknesses. I think that the current ESC has not gone as far as it should have, because there are relatively few additional entries to supplement what was there before. Yes the numbering got a bit out of hand with continually appended suffixes which the renumbering will cure for the time being, but that will apply to any reference which immediately becomes outdated the day it goes to print. If you are just going to concentrate on a date run, then CCGB will be adequate. However, you must bear in mind that shillings go back to Henry VII and the earlier coins will not be covered in CCGB. Derek's grading book is a better place to start than an auction, dealer or eBay. Although it is limited in date range, it is more than good enough for anyone starting out. Personally, I think you would be better off going to a few coin fairs and handling the coins before bidding on auction lots. It's very easy to get carried away and pay too much, whereas a coin fair means that you can go from table to table and see what is best for you. Dealers, almost without exception will take things back if you are not happy, which gives some reassurance, though remember that every dealer is trying to make their coins as appealing as possible, whilst extracting the highest price they can. There is no problem starting at the cheap end, though you are unlikely to find many bargains when a fully priced item is only a few pounds. You are right not to want to upgrade in the future, which comes back to knowing what you are buying in the first place. By all means buy a range of items. You will inevitably change your preferences as your collection develops.

BNJ 1985. You can download it from the BNS site, or if you want the book, I have one available but it isn't listed on the site. £15 all in. PM me if you want it.

It looks like there was an obverse mark before it was worn. If so, by extension it can't be a bust 2 -/Arrow. Joe's article on this issue also states that all bust 2 coins seen are from the same obverse die. This is a different die and so, despite the lack of detail, all the indication are that it is highly unlikely given it is very rare. It isn't impossible that a bust 2 could appear on a different die, but I wouldn't bet on it.

I'd go with that.

You want The Galata guide to the Pennies of Edward I/II and the coins of the mint of Berwick-upon Tweed by Paul & Bente Withers. ISBN 0-9543162-5-8. This is their home page. http://www.galata.co.uk/default.asp You will find it by scrolling through the Books section - £25. There are others, but this is arguably the best. Paul & Bente are very helpful

Welcome to the forum. When you say Edwardian pennies, I assume you mean medieval rather than Ed.VII?

Condolences to you and your daughters.

The latter.

I'd say 3g.

Just collect what appeals. Your taste will change over time. The resulting dilemma about what to keep and what to get rid of is only a variation on the angst created when you decide to collect a series, but then find that you can't afford to finish this either. Unless you choose a narrow field, one way or the other you will probably hit a brick wall. Happy collecting.