Rob

Probably because there was an illusion to finer work in the sale catalogue where it was bought initially as Morrieson in his 1921-2 article in the BNJ vol. 16 describes this obverse die (1643 F) as follows. F. Mint-mark plume. Finer bust than "E" having the edges of the lace collar well marked and with alternating pearls and jewels of(sic) the crown. Legend, CAROLVS:D:G:MAG:BR:FR:ET:HI:REX. This must be an early one as the C of CAROLVS has a chip out it like ojn those of 1642 and some of the early half-crowns of 1643 (Plate VII,99). Found with reverses 3 & 8. This coin has reverse 3, but fine work it aint.

It's a decent example of the type. Good fine (UK) is about right. I'd say it is worth £50 or even a bit more, but whether a Bulgarian would want to pay that much I wouldn't like to say. Most of the available examples are dire.

I didn't add anything because I was unable to formulate a reply in terms that he would relate to. I'm not convinced it was A W because the style was too disimilar. The only thing in common with the aforesaid was a sign of mental instability, something the world is not short of.

It certainly looks quite possible that it is a '2' punched over a '9'. The problem, as ever, is in establishing it as a variety. If it is currently unknown, your best bet is in tracking down a few people who also have examples. Or sending the coin to a reputable authority, such as the compilers of The English Silver Coinage, and get an ESC number for it. Ironically, unique specimens often have a problem arousing interest, as I've found with my 1887 wreath reverse sixpence, 8 over 8. You might have a problem adding it to ESC. Alan Rayner is pushing up the daisies as he died sometime in 2007.

My gothic in GEF+ cost £575, a few years ago mind. I'm not complaining, I think it's probably beaten the stock market. Personally, I think Gothics are dear not because of the mintage, but because they are that good - nothing else comes close. If you just want an example of the design you might as well get a florin. True a mint state one will set you back well over book, but is worth it because they are much scarcer in mint state than the crown. I've only ever seen one in that condition and deeply regret not going higher.

I'm not sure why Gothic Crowns attract such high bids. 8000 were struck which when compared with wreath crowns is only surpassed by the 1927 proof and 1928 currency, yet they sell for many multiples compared to the wreaths. Sure they are attractive to look at, but not rare enough to spend as much on them as people do. Any example in virtually any grade sells for more than an UNC wreath, even EF ones sell for three or 4 times that of a wreath (1934 excepted). Only a really choice UNC 1847 is worth paying a few £Ks for IMO. Though the 1846 or 1853 are clearly worth a bit more. I think wreaths are also overpriced given the mintages.

He's been selling "uncirculated" tat for years - in fact I've never seen anything approaching unc listed by him. At least the pictures are good enough to see it isn't unc or anywhere remotely near either. Rather disturbingly his high and very high grade coins are better than his unc

For 30K it would have to be a big hammered gold piece such as a triple unite or a nice fine sovereign. It's still not enough for a Henry VII though.

Why do you think it is a fake? 3g is correct, but could be anywhere between 2.5 & 3.5g. What is the weight to 2 decimal places? If it isn't made of silver, then the ring would be a different tone to a genuine one which you obviously have as you have compared tones. Is there any difference in the detail of the two items?

2.4g is too low, but about right for a pewter with 80/20 Tin/Lead. Does it ring right? A cast will have a duller sound than a struck piece which has quite a clear resonance. Take a known 925 silver coin of about the same dimensions, place it on the end of your finger and give the edge a light tap with a pencil or similar. The ring will sound different if you have a casting in a different metal.

Decent grade, but looks a bit polished with all the shiny bits. That is a pity because a nice UNC would make £4-5K. Book price for an EF which yours certainly makes is £2500-3K, though any cleaning would knock that back. You can't tell without seeing it in the hand. 1841 is THE desirable date for the series. Even cleaned you are better off than you originally thought. It's a rare and much sought after coin, and you are a lucky man.

With all those contact marks, keep your hand away from your wallet. It isn't a rare coin and if you want a gEF or better you will find one in a reasonable time.

I didn't see any at York either, but wasn't looking for them. I suspect it is too high a ticket price for a half decent example for many dealers to stock, and if in dire condition they are equally difficult to shift.

They turn up on a reasonably regular basis. e.g. The last 3 St. James's sales had 2,4 & 4 pieces respectively. I didn't check the other houses, but it is reasonable to assume these were not the only pieces available in the past 15 months.

Desirability isn't objective, but it plays a huge part in pricing. Consider your wreath crown. Struck for currency between 1928 & 1936 with 9034 struck in the first year and a low point of 932 for 1934. Prices for UNC are between £500 & £5000 and availability is clearly not an issue because most sales will have at least one example. Now consider the following list: 1675/3/2 halfpenny 1694 1/2d with GV/B on the obverse. 1694 1/2d struck in brass (2 known, 1 available to collectors) 1788 1/2d type R24 in aluminium 1790 1/2d type R44 in silver P1231 obverse uniface in copper (1 available to collectors) 1807/6 restrike trial halfpenny 2x P564 1689 farthings struck on a Charles II halfpenny Charles I 2/6d im.Eye struck on a shilling flan Charles I 2/6d Worcester mint Allen dies D-23 13 varieties of Weyl patterns. This list is not exhaustive, but all of the above 23 coins are mine and other than where indicated are unique (or effectively so) to my knowledge. But - not more than 1 or 2 of them have a cat in hells chance of selling for more than the price of an uncirculated 1934 crown. Why? It all comes down to the number of collectors relative to the coins available in the market place. There are probably more than 932 collectors worldwide looking to acquire a mint state 1934 wreath crown despite not all being in that grade, but far fewer interested in a Weyl pattern for example. Collecting habits change too. One year it might be pennies, the next year it might be crowns. Currently you can't get good hammered gold for love nor money and as a result prices have exploded, but I wouldn't like to prophesy that this will be the situation next year. Desirability overrides the rarity factor time after time. The basic rule should be to collect what you like and invest in what you can comfortably predict. Coins are essentially a discretionary purchase made from surplus funds unlike commodities which are subject to the demands of commerce and so the latter are likely to produce more predictable and better investment results if you do your homework. Sure the investment tail has wagged the collecting dog as witnessed by last month's Heritage sale where an MS65 slabbed 1901 1d sold for about £600, but taken in isolation you could come a cropper big time if you paid too much attention to this isolated instance.

Silly idea. If you knew the answer to the question, you wouldn't be asking. Don't even try to second guess the market without a very deep knowledge of what you are "investing" in. On any day, all coins can be either cheap or expensive relative to market, but that requires you know what the market is and one swallow doesn't make a summer. Simply going for gold is even more of a risk, because bullion is a single commodity at the end of a very solid bull run whereas coins can effectively be many commodities depending on the field involved. However, as all prices have risen in line with the general market - in fact they are the general market, it would take a crystal ball to identify the next area to outperform the mean. I don't have one of these.

Unfortunately mary's husband William batted for the other side... Pink and Orange clash, that can't be right.

You could change the upper value to £38K ish based on the P1311 in the Evans descendants' sale. There's only one of those. Forget that one. Must remember not to try to communicate after pub.

You could change the upper value to £38K ish based on the P1311 in the Evans descendants' sale. There's only one of those.

Anything from scrap to over £1K, it all depends on the condition. You would have to post a picture.

I'm not sure electronic scales are the answer here. You need a small accurate one for coins which will weigh up to say 150g, but two decimal places is a must in my opinion. Over that the kitchen scales will suffice. The Post Office doesn't take particular care where they dump their deliveries, so the likelihood of them needing a weight to two decimal places beggars belief.

Possibly, but I don't think the difference will be appreciable because martlet which is the scarcer mark is not significantly more so than cross crosslet. VF may be a reasonable mid range coin, but not a stunningly desirable 'must have' and so you would be aiming at the type collector in all probability who would be content with either mark. Some busts are rarer than others for a given mark. If it is bust 3J however, please PM me because we need to discuss a purchase as I need one of these.

If the weight is about 8g that's ok, it doesn't pretend to be a coin that's ok, so it would appear to be genuine. Have a word with Paul Withers at Galata as this is his department and has written about them too so is clued up.

Presumably an honest answer. You don't need to know about coins per se, just how to identify a potential good selling product and make casts. It isn't rocket science that any high grade (but obviously not perfect) item on ebay will attract bidding attention. Even a half decent one in lower grade will sell for far more than the cost of making a cast.

Who did you buy it from? There are a few vendors on ebay currently selling casts but not advertising their status. 10% underweight is a likely weight for pewter (lead/tin alloy). Pure tin would be about 30% down, pure lead 20% over - both are ish numbers.