Rob

Spink and Baldwins next week and St James's the week after

As a rule, much better for both buyers and sellers. There is usually less uncertainty as to what will land through the letterbox and the quality offered tends to be better.

I didn't get anything today.

I don't have an 1862 penny, but this 1860 does 3/4 of the job. Both are as struck, so no wear to consider, just quality of strike or worn dies. This was discussed about 7 or 8 years ago and the results were that the halfpenny numerals are roughly 10-15% smaller

y***_ is a shill. l***n is an idiot.

I don't see what the problem is. Each to their own. Nobody is forced to buy a coin. Nobody is forced to be a member of any forum. Neither Aardhawk nor anyone else has not been told they aren't permitted to have their own view on what is pleasurable to collect. Every era, field or denomination from ancient to current coinage has its adherents irrespective of the costs of pursuing that objective. We are either all sane, or collectively demented - including those who collect from change, thus ensuring that the collection dimishes in purchasing power unless the owner inadvertently happens to acquire a future collectable rarity. Aardhawk is free to leave the forum if he so wants, though I would suggest that at no point has he been required to make a contribution, log in or otherwise participate, so any posts are as a result of a personal desire to reply or make a point. I'm not aware of any area where people feel under pressure to act, contribute or in fact do anything if they don't want to. Given the ability of all members to isolate themselves from the forum is freely allowed and easily implemented, surely the burning desire to leave and more importantly be seen to leave is the medical issue? This is all a non-argument/discussion. Back to halfpennies if we can can folks.

A nice result for the seller there then What's the cost of a 1st Class stamp nowadays? Sellers are caught between a rock and a hard place. ebay encourage sellers to include postage, but if you start anything at more than 99p a listing is ignored. Ebay also encourage you to start at 99p to get more bidders. Couple that with the need in many cases to get something signed for, the cost of eBay's fees, Paypoo fees etc and the contradictions just don't add up. I would offer free P&P if Royal Mail drop their charges and ditto for eBay. The reality is that a signed for jiffy bag is £1.83 minimum. Put things in an envelope and it will sometimes go as a letter (under 5mm thick). Add in the cost of a jiffy bag and if VAT registered, the VAT on your costs and it is clear that the cost of posting is often greater than the item. In this case the seller was deluded in believing that free P&P would make the item more desirable, or that there was a competitive market for the pieces offered. In other instances the buyers are being unrealistic in expecting sellers to provide shipping at a loss. The whole operation only works if everyone benefits.

What happened to the Edward I thread? Go to a coin fair for the day and it disappears. I was rather perturbed about the use of York Coins (currently run by Antony Wilson) and STH's spelling. Has it been kicked into touch?

The National Trust is a robbing bunch of b*****ds. In the eighties I wanted to take out family life membership, but they said I had to pay to get in and could only pay for life membership once we had finished. So not happy with something of the order of a grand in cash, they still wanted the extra tenner. I paid the £10 entrance fee because it was a long way to go for a wasted journey, but refused on principle to pay over and above what was effectively a voluntary contribution. Since then I have only visited NT properties once or twice, and that was only because I had someone visiting who wanted to go there. I would have thought they would be grateful for a sum that large, but no, it wasn't enough. Someone needs to tell them that a little goodwill can go a long way. It also makes you wonder what would have happened if I had said I didn't want to go in, just buy life membership - would it have been permitted or not?. Those were the days when Mr or Mrs Jobsworth dictated everything (and probably still do). Good job they don't have a monopoly of places to visit.

Yes, it's each to their own. Personally I would sooner have a coin than a flashy car, but for others a car is more desirable. Some people spend thousands on a holiday. The market in used holidays is quite stagnant at present - at least a collection is something you can resell.

It's a copy of a William I penny. See the little 3 lobed mark to the left of the portrait. Value - pence. It isn't silver.

I'd still like a 1816 three shillings to complete the set!! A few have gone through auctions in the last 10 years, though none of these appeared to be unc despite the catalogues saying they were. Any genuine unc is likely to be worth the money spent. NGC pop reports suggest they have slabbed 1 at 64 and 2 at 65, though what grade they are or whether still slabbed is anyone's guess. Hope springs eternal.

The ultimate unpopular denomination/series? The BoE tokens? I've always seen these as unattractive to collectors for the same reason that the Channel Islands coins are ignored. The design is very simple and replicated throughout the series leading to an aestheically bland collection.

Proofs and patterns. OK, it isn't a denomination but I think you will struggle to find many people collecting them, yet it isn't as if they are unaffordable for the most part as many can be purchased for a few hundred up to a few thousand which is similar to sovereigns. The penny boys throw a lot more cash than this at their coins.

That's probably because gothic florins are virtually impossible to get in mint state. Bag marks and a low rim don't help.

Shillings or hammeredI'd say halfcrowns, crowns, sovereigns, shillings. In that order.I concur

Looks like an all round thumbs up

Halfpennies are a damned sight harder to get in high grade than pennies. Lots of nearly there pieces, but never quite good enough. I wanted the 15*+O* F343A in London Coins last weekend, until I saw it. EF at best and a carbon spot. Keep looking.

Not a bad example. I'd have it.

Why are people asking what grade it is? If they don't know what they are looking at, it's a recipe for disaster. That's why WRL etc replicas sell for thousands. Do you have a link to it?

I have some across both hammered and milled. I've offloaded about 40% in the last 5 years and am now down to less than 400.

OK, so long as all existing coins don't have to be re-punched retrospectively!! Could be worse. Could be Deep Fried Mars Bar over Rampant Lion - I'll add it to my list.

I haven't seen the full article, so can't comment other than to say that this is likely to be the northern cities yet again complaining that all the English investment takes place down south, which happens because foreign companies want to be in the London area. Scotland has made an effort to secure inward investment since Holyrood opened for business and presumably this sentence reflects these concerns. Any regional development bodies are usually a waste of time, so it depends on what the above statement refers to. Scotland is definitely better served in this respect than the north of England. For all the Scots' worry about Westminster, the north of England isn't even on the map for people in government, and the further north you go the more remote you are from Westminster, whose radar ceases to function north of the Watford Gap. How about the north going on its own too and forming a country broadly based on the ancient Mercia?. The M62 corridor and north accounts for about 20% of GDP.

Overmarks are common throughout this reign. The larger gold pieces can have up to 4 overmarks on the same die. This overmark is quite logical and would have been done to extend the life of the existing dies following the previous pyx trial. The bell mark is less common than others for gold, but not rare. The coin looks a bit mushy and no better than fine and possibly polished(?), but it's a bit bright to be be certain.

Anyone with existing citizenship of the UK will presumably retain it. You can't just remove citizenship without due cause, such as being a terrorist etc, so grandfather rights would apply here. However, anyone trading in their passport for a Scottish one should not expect the same rights, though I suspect the same policy as that applies to Irish citizens would be the realistic position. Whether Scottish only passport holders would be allowed to serve with the UK's armed forces though is another matter.