argentumandcoins

Obverse

First efforts with the new canon. Taken at 2010hrs tonight (so light not at it's optimum) using the mini tripod. First is the reverse of a double florin, the second is the obverse of the same coin.

Good to see you back Hello, no, I've never seen a commonwealth games £2 either. Yet. My time will come. That makes me laugh. i went to my local shop and asked for mmy change (£8)in two pound coins and they said they aint got none Hello Hello! I sent you a PM offering you some free coins to start off your collection (and before the rest of you ask NO YOU CAN'T HAVE SOME AS WELL! I'm trying to help a kid out). If you send me a PM with your name and address I'll post them off to you, but check with your parents first please. John.

Hello Howard, Welcome to the forum. There are plenty of users on here that will help with your coins. I think you're better off keeping the old stuff than buying an undated 20p though, overhyped and overated! John.

I've started to play this game too! But back when we were looking for bun & KN pennies we also went to the bank asking for a 5/- bag of copper, how much is a bag of £2 coins at the High St bank? That's cheating. You have to wait and see what the fates direct your way, oh and make a note of what the transaction was. Most of mine have come from the pub, ahem... I wasn't thinking of actually trying that, just curious. £2 coins seem so scarce in circulation, I was just wondering whether retailers actually order them, and if so, in what quantity, or are they issued mixed in with pound coins? only thing I use cash for these days is buying a packet of fags, newspaper, cup of coffee etc My kid brother owns a couple of costcutter shops in Yorkshire and he has to pay the bank for his change!!!!!! I don't know what qunatity he gets but he is always after change from friends and family to save him from the hassle of begging his bank to give him his own money in change I did tell him to check all of his 20p coins and of course he never found a single undated one

No link but worth it for entertainment value. I recently sold an 1838 Groat to a UK buyer, my feedback was left by him today, a positive with the comment............... A bit small You'd think I could make them bigger for ebayers wouldn't you?

No commission from Canon but if you do like it send £10 to ... Sorry no refunds given for advice. Seriously once you get it would be nice if you could take some snaps and share them with us and give us your verdict. Snaps of coins or salmo salar? The former is no problem, the latter may be a very long wait How are you finding it? I take it all of the pics on your site are from the canon? They are good crisp shots. Are you using a tripod or flying solo? Yes, I'd be interested to know this too. What accessories do people use to photo coins in an absolutely flat plane at right angles to the lens? I meant the coins but pics of a Salmon would be nice. I used a tripod and coins on a flat surface.I sometimes tilt a coin to get a better reflection of its surface, particularly to capture colourful coins. I'm thinking about buying a couple of daylight bulbs/ lights but at the moment found the best option is natural day light. I've got a small piece of glass which I am going to attempt to use for taking picture of proofs through. Has anyone seen this site? it has some good tips for coin Photography: http://www.blackmountaincoins.com/coins/My-Approach-to-Coin-Photography/subpage201.html Daylight bulbs I found to be almost as bad as a flash. I used to do a lot of antique silver plate (that's sterling or britannia items not dressed up copper for the uninitiated), hence the Argentum in the title. The daylight bulbs were way too bright and the only way I could use them was by lighting the walls of a photography tent externally with the object inside. This is obviously no use for coins at all. I favour natural daylight like yourself, but we are in very short supply in North Cumbria most days! I should have the new beastie on Thursday according to Argos direct!!!!....,,,,so I will do a couple of pics of the same coin with the old and new camera. I only resize pictures and have never even attempted photo shop, suite, or whatever else is available. I'm usually doing batches of 20 or so coins at a time so I wouldn't have the time if I could raise the inclination to titivate pictures! Besides, evidence tampering was always a big no no

No commission from Canon but if you do like it send £10 to ... Sorry no refunds given for advice. Seriously once you get it would be nice if you could take some snaps and share them with us and give us your verdict. Snaps of coins or salmo salar? The former is no problem, the latter may be a very long wait How are you finding it? I take it all of the pics on your site are from the canon? They are good crisp shots. Are you using a tripod or flying solo?

Well Huss, I hope you're on commission because I just bought one. I have a 4 year old Fuji S5600 that just isn't doing it on the coins, so I'll try the Canon! I also wanted something small enough to stick in a pocket for that very rare event (nearly as rare as the 33 penny), landing an Atlantic Salmon I'll give you a shout if I want a refund!

What was the freeman/gouby number?

Hi Palves, They are mostly coronation commemoratives. The Victoria one is for the 1897 diamond jubilee and the GV one with windsor castle was for the silver jubilee in 1935. Assuming the silver ones are all 32mm diameter they are worth about £15 to £25 depending on condition (retail price). The 1897 is by T. Brock 1911 by B Mackennal 1935 and 1937 by P Metcalfe. Most can be found on ebay if you want more info on prices etc. John.

Hi Kath, Yes, it is rare and worth more than scrap value. I would grade it at fair and pay about £30 if I was buying it, expecting to take maybe £50 when I eventually sold it on. John. Thanks, that is extremely helpful John. I think this dealer is trying to pull a fast one! Kath Maybe he just isn't too hot on British stuff! I was probably a bit generous on the grade (especially the reverse) but I would still expect to take £50 at the point I sold it on. John. Yes perhaps. That's a kinder view anyway. However, he is still obviously not the right person to take a collection of mostly british coins to. How can I find an honest dealer with the right knowledge? I have inherited a collection most of which is probably genuinely only worth it's scrap value. However my investigations make me think there may be one or two coins that are worth a little more. I am not a collector and would really like to sell. I live in Bedfordshire so it would probably be easiest if I could find someone local who I felt I could trust Kath Sorry that I live in Cumbria!!! I don't know of any dealers in your neck of the woods that I could recommend, perhaps some of the other members might? If you find yourself stuck give me a shout and I'm sure we could work something out regarding logistics! John.

A hard one to call... I have made mistakes in the past, as happens when dealing online, on ebay and with visits to my premises. I did sell a high value shilling twice by selling it to a caller and not clearing it from my website availability, so yes, mistakes do happen. Is it likely that a German dealer would use this forum? You know him Dave, does he have any interest in or a vast stock of GB coins? I think you have already been told several times but..... say nowt about owt until you have possession!!!!

Was it an actual dealer or an ebay dealer Dave? If it was a dealer it is highly unlikely he would use a stock photo for a coin in that grade. I must admit I do use them myself, but only on stuff like proofs and GEF/A UNC coins where the only differences are location of bag marks.

The largest "hoard" I was aware of was Roland Harris who had 6 sets of wreaths for his children. They were sold by London Coins about 3 years ago after his death.

It wasn't by chance a recent auction purchase? If it was I won the 1929 set in the same sale, again mounted in the same sort of cards. I would guess they are Sandhill, but that is only a guess. As to rarity??? It looks to be a simple matter of printing a date once the production run of blanks has been cut, so they could have been printed to order rather than a mass run. If they were printed to order your card may be rarity 7!!!

Hi Kath, Yes, it is rare and worth more than scrap value. I would grade it at fair and pay about £30 if I was buying it, expecting to take maybe £50 when I eventually sold it on. John. Thanks, that is extremely helpful John. I think this dealer is trying to pull a fast one! Kath Maybe he just isn't too hot on British stuff! I was probably a bit generous on the grade (especially the reverse) but I would still expect to take £50 at the point I sold it on. John.

Hello Steve, There aren't any pictures attached. John.

Hi Kath, Yes, it is rare and worth more than scrap value. I would grade it at fair and pay about £30 if I was buying it, expecting to take maybe £50 when I eventually sold it on. John.

"Trust no-one Mr Mulder"

Interesting theory, but how does that explain the 'Tower Mint go slow' by the employees enraged at the idea that Mestrelle's 'milling machine' would put them out of work? And the fact that Henry VIII personally debased the silver of the realm, not his moneyers? By the time of Henry VIII England was at the stage of having assay officers and Town mint marks/date letters on items of plate. The hallmarking system was introduced to ensure that all duties payable to the Crown were gathered. It is safe therefore to assume that at this point in time the Crown had absolute authority on all fiscal matters within the kingdom and would therefore control the coinage that entered circulation.

I'd need the coin and my microscope to stick my neck on the block Dave

Yes, you will definitely be potentially bidding against yourself. There are circumstances however where the £50 bid will not be yours i.e. 1) another bidder placed £50 before you did and their bid will take precedence 2) the "other bidder" left more than £50 meaning the auctioneer would have to open at £50 on conflicting bids. You will find it very rare that an auctioneer goes straight to the top bid on the book for small value lots however as they often expect the lot to sell in the room so they start low to create auction fever (it often works as well). Under no circumstances would the auction house ever let you pay the lesser bid if you had "outbid yourself" Fishes poo holes and tightness spring to mind

It might be a small 1 that got stuck in the die 400 Its a 1 my friend, time and new pix will tell, probably by next week, it only cost 3 euros, so no big loss either way. Don x Chickens and eggs Don! It might just be a 1 shaped die flaw Maybe you could send it to the BBC and they could feature it on the One Show

That certainly looks like a 1. Obviously we'll know better when you have it in the hand. Looks similar to the viccy penny that was sent for authentication? Having handled heaps and heaps of 36 Pennies I can safely say I have never seen anything like it.