Peckris

The date numerals look a bit thin compared to the two I have, especially the loop of the 5 Yes, it's perfect in its design, but the field to the left of the lion looks especially suspect, and the 05 looks off colour too. Not to mention the suspicious flaking around the monarch's name. 1905 halfcrowns are especially notorious for forgeries, so no reason to suppose the shilling wouldn't also come in for 'treatment'. Pity, it's a beautiful looking copy - but the current bid of £22 says it all really. That's maybe what I'd pay for a nice replica space filler too (if I'd had a drink or two...)

Interesting. The GVLIELMS variety is listed in Spink, but the BRITANEIA isn't (and it seems quite clearly to be an E doesn't it?) There are lots of error types for William III copper, including a BRIVANNIA listed as Extremely rare, so I'd send yours up to Spink perhaps, or the Royal Mint, and see if you can get a verdict on it?

Where are these different silver Edward VII obverses listed and described, out of interest?

I have never used numbering systems, for one very simple reason : grading is something of an imprecise, subjective art which the traditional method is very suited to. We can all agree that a coin is "broadly" VF, but one person might say NVF, another VF, another GVF. At least VF is a common factor there which means that everyone agrees there is SOME wear, but very much of the detail survives. But how on earth do you fix on something so exact as a number, e.g. 55? The same situation applies, in that ten different people might rate the same coin at a different number on the scale of 50 to 60 (and Americans would use a higher number as their EF is our VF, and their AUnc is our EF etc). Who decides, finally? What I've sometimes thought is this : keep the traditional grades but apply a number from 0 to 3 after each. So VF0 is 'almost' or 'about' VF, VF1 is spot on, VF2 is better than, while VF3 would be closer to EF than VF. Or you could use '-' and '+' : VF- VF VF+ VF++ I think a numbering system as they suggest would be too unwieldy and no better than the plethora of grades used now. In fact it would be more confusing because people trust numbers more than letters as being precise, whereas it's still only an estimate after all! Anyway, that's my twopence halfpenny worth.

If they go with option ( I guess we will see "RARE UNDATED" gold piedfort 50 pences turning up on eBay?

I thought it might be just Watched items, but I've just been in and looked at a coin I wasn't watching, and still got the countdown. One thing's for sure, it doesn't appear until the item only has a short time left to run - less than an hour? That "Buy it now" at £110 is way overpriced. For one thing it's only EF (or a weak strike), but also it's not the rare variety! The seller thinks it is, and told me it was bought as such, so I kept shtum so as not to cause deep worry or offence. But I'd rate that as no more than a £50 coin. Spink aren't the "be all and end all" I agree, but I'd trust their judgement on values any day over bid-happy eBayers. Insurers regard Spink as "the bible", and most serious dealers do too. If you buy a coin on eBay at twice Spink, the insurers won't pay more than (2/3) Spink in the event of loss.

A little bird tells me that winning bid of £5,100 isn't going to be paid ...

PS what's a "collectee"?? I'd say coins were collectees if anything is! We are collectors ... And if I had a time machine I would go back and put a bullet in the head of the ignoramus who invented the word "attendee", which started this whole confusion (obsessive about grammar, me? oh no, you must be thinking of someone else .. )

That's where the radio controlled clock comes in handy. I've found that if you make your bid on the 2nd button, with 12 seconds to go, you'll usually get in with just 3 or 4 seconds left, depending on how fast your browser is. I didn't bid on this coin in the end, though. Was going to, but getting too close to the end of the month. Payday is not until Friday Sorry you weren't successful, Peckris. Oh well, he obviously wanted it bad, so good luck to him. At least I made him pay what it's worth. As for the radio controlled clock - that's not needed! eBay have introduced this cool facility for your Watched items, that counts down the clock in real time and updates bids and tells you your status, without you having to refresh your browser.

TBH I'm not familiar with any Edward VII silver obverse varieties - they are not mentioned in Sealy (1970) so this is all new to me. I'm aware there are several penny obverse varieties, all listed in Gouby, but that's all I know.

Before you give up completely, you could always jot down a quick list of the coins - denomination and date - then upload it in a reply here as a Word file attachment, and we could have a quick look down it and see if there is anything that stands out. Do be aware that any silver coins before 1947 are 50% real silver and can be sold very easily; likewise before 1920 they are near solid silver (ditto). Otherwise, as a (very) quick guide : shillings dated 1959 with a single upright lion on the reverse are scarce and worth about £1 in average condition. 1930 and 1925 are scarce(ish), and anything before 1911 is ok, especially Edward VII. For sixpences, it's a similar story except the one to look out for is 1952 (£1 - £2 in average condition), then 1923, 1917, and anything before 1911. There's quite a few scarce or rare pennies : 1953, 1951, 1950, 1926, 1919/1918 with a tiny KN or H to the left of the date. Most of what I've mentioned isn't worth very much unless in pretty exceptional condition. And anything in mint condition, or near mint, or at least very fine before 1937, is worth something.

7 hands would have been good for an equilateral curved heptagon - one hand per side

They didn't have enough ways already ? 27.3 mm - that's the new smaller dimension, right? Which means there are some older types, e.g. the 1973 EEC reverse, which will be effectively new designs.

Damn, how irritating. It was sitting there at £52 for literally days. I got a new highest bid with 5 minutes to go, up until about 15 seconds. He must have been lurking, waiting. I couldn't get in with a new bid in time. The shilling went for £77 in the end. Oh well, I'd say that was the most anyone should pay for a Type 1 EF (and that's all it is IMO). Spink lists it at £60. I know it's rare, but it's also a very limited market. I'll just have to take comfort in my VF specimen - at least it only cost me £3 !

Grade for grade, bun pennies (i.e. with lighthouse) are worth more than Old Head pennies without, but condition is absolutely everything. Then rarity, which depends first on the date, and then on any varieties. Neither the 1885 nor 1899 pennies are worth anything unless they are in at least "VF" (Very Fine) condition. As for shillings and sixpences, again it depends on condition and date. If there are a lot of coins, you could do worse than buy a copy of Collectors Coins GB - click the third picture from the left above. But please don't get your hopes up - auction rooms are full of dealers grumpily sifting through lots of accumulated coins that Great Aunt Maude threw in a biscuit tin before decimalisation (I was one of them ). By and large, most of it turns out to be basically scrap value.

Hi Sabiar - Welcome to the forums A scan or photo would be helpful.

You might be interested in this eBay item - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1816-BULL-HEAD-SILVE...5#ht_823wt_1008 Clearly a similar fake - though the seller doesn't seem to be aware of it, describing it as a "stunning SILVER" coin. Still, one bid for £2.54 shows the buyers aren't fooled anyway.

The giveaway is the obverse legend and rim (I agree if it was 'in hand' I could tell in an instant). The rim is quite high, but the clincher is the distance from the legend to the rim. On Type 2's it is always further away - the Type 1 legend is about 1/3 to 1/2 as close. That's worrying about morgan9red. I just bought a BU florin which the photo suggests really is - I hope I don't have to send it back as it cost me not far from book price.

Actually, yes I did note that '1' was a bit strange looking. No, what I was referring to, is it's the rare Type 1 obverse (1911-1920). I've examined as close as I can and I'm 99% sure it is. Which makes it RARE indeed, especially in that grade.

Yes I have a shilling from (I think) the same date, only just about all the "silver" has washed off mine. The fascinating thing about it is, the detail is absolutely 100% accurate. Which means that either the technique of producing a fake die from a real coin must have been pretty awesome (compare the halfpenny/farthing forgeries of just 50 years earlier which are embarrassingly awful), or someone at the Mint smuggled out genuine dies into which copper blanks were fed. And of course, as these were fakes of silver coins, a hangman's noose awaited anyone caught ...

Interesting colour - almost pewter. But otherwise it has the classic appearance of a late 18th century token, probably a halfpenny (if it's a bit smaller than an old bronze penny then it's definitely a halfpenny). Worth keeping, out of interest.

I'd say, not a lot! If the public are willing to circulate them (they're only tokens after all) it's probably not worth the bother tracking them all down. Seriously though, I haven't the faintest idea.

If you could scan or photo the coins and upload them (not the worn old pennies) we could advise you more surely.

Since the average browser wouldn't know a radio controlled clock if it bit it in the Refresh button, I'm thinking that wouldn't make much difference ! But ... this shilling is already over £50. Anyone spotted something else about it? (Someone out there certainly has).

Welcome to the hobby demonik. When you've finished with your big bag, you could always take it to your nearest charity shop - they love that kind of thing. Congratulations on your penny finds. The Heaton Mint coins of George V are pretty common in low grades, but it's worth keeping the best ones for yourself, and maybe selling the rest on eBay. H pennies of Victoria are also not particularly rare (except 1875H) - condition is everything, anyway. 1939 brass 3d bits are only worth much in the top grades, but it's worth keeping the best few. On the subject of condition, two things. 1) Rotographic (whose site this is) have published a comprehensive guide to grading with pictures of all the main types in different grades - I intend to buy a copy for myself, it sounds so useful. 2) Why not scan or photo a few of your coins (the better ones) and upload them so we can help you grade them? A final note about values : age is irrelevant - what you would have to pay for a 100 year-old halfcrown in top condition would be much more than what you would pay for a 2000 year old Roman denarius in similar condition. The guiding factors are 1) condition 2) rarity and 3) popularity (that last is important : you could have an almost unique minor variety of Victorian bun penny in good condition, but it might fetch less than £1000 - compare that with the £50,000 a 1933 penny would make). Anyway, good luck.