argentumandcoins

The tops of the letters are often weak on the reverse and not indicative of authenticity per se. I did say on the acquisition page that the Chinese copies were getting better. I know it was rather flippant but I did not like the look of the coin when I saw it there. The surface looks "washed out" or "soapy" for want of a better phrase, the toning/discolouration is random without any uniformity (which is a common way for the forger to try to age something) and the whole appearance is weak overall. Anybody buying a 1763 should be slightly wary of any coin that is not EF or better (most turn up in the higher grades) and should most definitely steer well clear of ebay.

Yes - just what *was* the US Mint thinking when they tried to foist the Susan B. Anthony dollar on the American public?!? They were facing a hard job anyway trying to convince people to use a dollar coin instead of a note in the first place, so what do they do, put a coin out with a portrait so ugly no one wants it in their purse/wallet (though of course there were other reasons that people didn't like the coin, such as its similarity in size to a quarter). Okay, I know she did much for civil rights for woman in the US, but she doesn't look great on a coin. BTW have you seen what the other proposed design for that coin actually was? It was actually a rather nice Flowing Hair rendition of Liberty, proposed by United States Mint Engraver, Frank Gasparro, see: http://koinpro.tripod.com/Articles/1977LibertyHeadDollar.htm I can't help thinking the coin would've had more success if they'd gone with that design! The reverse is better too... Yes, the pattern coin was so much better. The entire coin was a disaster, an ugly reverse and the same reverse used on the Eisenhower dollar! I must say though, I do like the reverse of the Sacajawea dollar (at least before the US mint decided to make yet another meaningless politically correct "commemorative" series), though the obverse is bland and the edge lettering is poorly executed. I find it rather sad that the US mint has gone from producing amazing coinage in the form of the Morgan Dollar, Peace Dollar, Indian Head Cent, Standing Liberty Quarter, Buffalo Nickel, Mercury Dime and Walking Liberty half dollar to the Eisenhower Dollar, Susan B. Anthony Dollar, Washington Quarter, the far too numerous state/territory/national park quarters, the ugly and terrible presidential dollars, the Franklin half dollar (which, I suppose I don't mind so much since they are all 90% silver...) and the Lincoln cent. There has been such a backsliding when it comes to coins since about the 1940s. Despite the fact that technology has advanced, the US mint instead decides to make low relief coins out of worthless, nearly unusable metal on the dollar coins with poorly designed edge lettering. On a thicker coin it wouldn't be a problem (like on the 1 and 2 pound coins) or if they made it raised (like the old Victorian crowns) but carved edge lettering in such a thin coin is worse than useless. Of course, I don't think things will get any better if the modern commemoratives are anything to go by and with the possibility of changing to even worse metal (steel)... I don't have much hope. Its really sad, as the much of the early to mid 20th Century US coinage had great designs (although my favourite US silver coin, the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, wore badly in use), though I actually think the Washington quarter isn't too bad, and unlike in the UK, US coins were 90% silver right up to 1964 (which makes the Franklin half more acceptable, as you say)! Mind you much the same could be said about the worsening designs of the UK coinage since decimalisation, I guess! I think the UK designs were on a slippery slope long before that. The George VI and Lizzy pre-decimal stuff is pretty un-inspiring in my opinion.

Any dealer would be more than happy to take a look for you and wouldn't be up or down if they were fakes (we see all sorts of stuff over the years). As regards seeds of doubt my philosophy is "expect the worst and hope for the best" that way you won't be gutted if they are copies. The only major worry re the payment would be that payment was made in foreign gold. At that time the gold $20 would have been worth $20 so it would have taken a huge amount to buy the hotel and why would payment be made in foreign currency, how would they hae worked the conversion etc? As I say I hope I am wrong, but the facts don't really stack up with them being right.

Your insurance against theft should be your own records. If you want belt and braces have your collection valued every year or two by a reputable dealer. A written valuation as to market value should help if the worst case scenario does happen, but bear in mind that your insurers will want to settle for the smallest sum they can!

The hotel would have been bought in the 1930s I think, I very much doubt they are fake, they bought the hotel with gold and were firm believers in the value of having gold. We have kitchen digital scales?! They are in the safe so can't do it now! how much should they weigh? They should weigh in at exactly 33.436gms. Everybody has known the value of gold since man first discovered it, that's why there is so much of it about that is wrong. Forgers have been making copies of gold coins for a lot longer than the 1930's. The price of some of these coins is so high because the US mint melted a lot of the 1920's mintage during the 30's, the period you think your relative was paid with them? The detail does not look sharp enough to me as I have said. I hope I am wrong but usually when something looks too good to be true, it is. On the plus side even if they are fakes there is a very high probability that they will be gold fakes so will still have a good intrinsic value.

They both look wrong to me I'm afraid. The details are too dull ie not sharp enough. The colour also looks off. Very hard to tell from pictures but they look like fakes. When did your great-grandmother acquire them? Do you have access to accurate digital scales?

Do you know what? I'm going to academically research and write a chapter on this very issue, because it seems to me that nobody really has the answers to this most important, and repeatedly raised issue. I have asked similar questions about cleaning, protecting, decontamination, etc. etc. and made little headway. Certainly the books I own never touch on the subject, except to say NEVER clean coins. I'm not sure why they don't continue with 'but if you don't, that fingerprint that you can't even see right now, will make what was once an eye-pleasing bust into a horror story!' Got to be worth a few emails here and there, I'd say! I already have an academicaly written book called "cleaning and preservatio of coins and medals" it was published in 1976 by Durst and the number is ISBN 0-915262-03-7 Unfortunately it does not come with the doctorate that you need to understand it!!!

Skillful photography, selective description and imbeciles as punters. Having had a look at the sellers sold items it's quite amusing to see "high grade colonial halfpenny" when what the item actually should be listed as is "1775 halfpenny, VF soil find" Each to his own I suppose but my honesty and integrity are slightly more important to me than my profit.

Then there is the ebay UK grade of superb unc fdc RARE L@@K which roughly translates as common, poor state rubbish

Brilliant. All those who don't believe in spending money on books take note. I presume the problem is the same in Portugal as it is here. No book covers everything, and even within a specialist book there are things missing. That's why you need so many reference books to cover all the gaps. Yes it´s the same but we have the mutual support in 2 forum´s like this one. There is always an expert that can help you in a particular area. Another thing is that someone that finds any information in the internet or in is own investigations automatically shares with the rest. Regards Hi Caetobriga, A completely different issue, but I wondered if you wouldn't mind giving a little information about a Portuguese coin I have. It's copper, 25mm in diameter, is dated 1753 and has IOSEPHUS on the obverse. It's quite thin and has a crowned V on the obverse.Condition is GF, but it does have a slight crease. Tell me something about it, preferably that it's mega-rare and worth at least a new Aston Martin. LOL. 5 Reis from Brazil under Portugal. Worth not much in that state alas!

The clue is in the first line on the link site "farthing sized tokens" Usually in commerce it is easier to introduce something that is similar to the thing that it is to replace so that the end users recognise what it is or what it may be for. At the time of use not many people could read or write anyway, but they would all have had an idea of the monetary value (real or assumed) of the currency they were using.

An inch in North Cumbria. We're on high ground as well though.

With all due respect, Alfred Bole was a collector. You, unfortunately, fall into the same category as 99.9% of us on here, ie you have a collection that includes some. A collector at Boles level will stop at nothing to obtain a missing variety and money seems to be no object. As a dealer I can probably comment with some degree of knowledge (as did Derek and Rob) on the popularity of Sixpences. They AREN'T!

All grades or just the best ones? The market is still absorbing Bole's collection with relatively few collectors interested in the denomination. I didn't even know of a sixpence collector until the DNW dispersal of Boles collection. It was probably as an exstensive collection of Sixpences that will ever be seen, but I think the hammer prices reflected the relatively unpopular position of the denomination amongst both general and speciallist collectors. If some of his rarities were in the Crown, Halfcrown, Penny series we may have seen world record GB prices set (eg off metal including gold examples).

1884 6d As per your request old bean.

You don't need to tell me Peter. I've had 2 major car wrecks that should have done for me plus countless other close shaves. I don't fear it at all, it's getting too old to be able to do the things in your post that I fear (apart from the wifes sister cos she doesn't do it for me)

Reminds me of a Woody Allen quote- "I'm not afraid of dying, I'd just rather not be there when it happens"

Err, yes. I think old Gollum should maybe take a trip down to the Styx instead and ask the ferryman if he could have some of his swaps.......

Easier to fit on the bookcase though

I hates them I does, then again thats not news to most on here. The only point I would like to make is that it is not known what the long term result of storage in slabs will be (as was raised in one of our other debates on the subject), leading to one US slabbing company hastily arranging a simulation to find out if it is indeed safe storage........ Don't forget that there used to be adverts telling people that "WOODBINES ARE GOOD FOR YOU" before the effects of cigarette smoke was studied.

The lettering is best described as Gothic revival and will be mid late Victorian. I agree with Peck and go for VH, you can of course call it MA if you invert it, but that would depend on what your own initials were

Yes there are Calvin, but they aint Billy and Mary. It's certainly some type of evasion but, unless anybody on here has more knowledge/experience than me, it would be impossible to pin it down. ??? One, surely - it's too central on the flan to be two. Where's the second head? Tromp loi? Yep there is 1 that looks like 2 when you're looking for them. I guess I saw what I was told there was present? Regardless of central position on the flan I think the GIVS I gives it away as a George III coin?

I would guess it's gone to Dave as he has registered an interest with me for the next one I printed bought....

Having spent a lot of cash on a James rarity via ebay some years ago it was more than a little f****g annoying to find a rather messy corroded piece of a few hundred pounds in the coin cabinet tray when I opened it a year later. Tin pest, soil/Thames find and no conservation spring to mind. A very costly lesson that I will not be repeating.

Just looks like a bog standard grotty British tin farthing to me Dave. The reverse legend is NOT Hibernia but is Britannia by the looks of it.