RLC35

Peter, That's good advice. I just happen to be on London Coins mailing list, since I registered for one of their auctions, a couple of years ago. I don't think I have ever bought anything off of them. My favorite English Dealer is Michael Gouby. I have purchased his books, as well as a few coins from him..in fact one time he thought he had overcharged me for postage, and sent me $20.00 back with my coin shipment! Your mention of a Greek Island sounds interesting, however my next trip will be to visit London this summer. A visit to Michael's shop, The Portabello Market, and Jane Austens home are on the list for sure, as well as the Tower, and the other usual tourist traps! LOL!

It sounds like the general consensus is they (London Coins) are overpriced before the planned increase!<gggg>.

Peck, Carole Towler also advertised in "Coin World" here in the USA, and that is how I made contact with her. Everything was done by mail back then, and I spent a lot of time ordering, offering bids, etc. for English coins from her. She seemed to drop out of sight in the late 60's, and I never knew if she retired, quit the business, moved, or what. I still have some of the coins I purchased from her. She was great to deal with. As for appreciating someone who is "hot"...I still remember how that goes...some things you never forget! LOL!

While we are asking questions about former dealers...I have one I use to deal with, years ago (60's), Carole Towler, Does anyone remember or know of her? I think she was from Brighton.

IZAX, As a way of promoting the coins into the hands of young collectors, you might issue some of the coins to the local Boy Scouts Councils, and Girl Scouts Councils, with the condition that they be awarded to young people who pass their "coin collecting" merit badge requirements. What a nice surprise, and reward, to young scouts who are wishing to become more knowledgeable about numismatics.

Gouby estimates in his book that only about 400,000 1869 Pennies were minted with the 1869 date, the balance of the 2.5 million coins were dated 1868! If the 1844 Farthing is the same way, it is a lot scarcer than the 430,080 amount that is quoted in the references. Here is my 1844!

Azda, Die cracks are very common...but 1844 Farthings are not! LOL! They are very scarce!

Happy New Year Sion (and all!)! I hope you are having a great New Years!

The Krause Books are a really good World Reference, since they cover so many countries and types of coins. I agree with Peter on the pricing issue though...it isn't always very accurate. Part of the problem is that the Krause Books are not updated yearly. Since they are four (4) volumes, Krause updates the books, usually one at a time, and thus some books can be 2 or 3 years old before the pricing is updated. I still find them to be a good reference.

Colin, I use the QX5 on two systems, one with XP and the other with Vista. I would not even be using Vista, but I bought a new portable (Dell XPS M2010) a couple of years back, and Dell would only sell it with Vista. I hate Vista! I would buy Windows 7 for the new system, but I want to wait and see if it is just another Microsoft problem OS before I do! LOL!

Let me add my Holiday Greetings to All, from the Racing Capital of the World...Indianapolis! Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to my fellow Numismatists!

I bought a QX5, right after they came out for $49.00. It works great on XP or Vista! The QX5 is the one that is shown in the link from Amazon.com. They use to be sold at Toys "R" Us.

Declan, This is really good stuff, Thanks! BTW...I have a uncirculated 1902 LT Half Penny. Got it off of Mark Rassmussen!

Derek, Here is a sample page of the "Grey Sheet" from the USA. I hope it came through ok, it is a .pdf file. You can get a current sample copy for $4.00 (can be downloaded also). BTW...the spread is generally 30%! grey.pdf

You are right about the grey sheets. I think they are published weekly (or monthly). They have the bid and ask price suggested for each U.S. Coin. They do not cover coins from other countries, however.

Huss, It has been my experience that U.S. Dealers will buy at about 50-60% of Redbook, and sell at 80-90%. The exception is a rare coin, which will bring over Redbook price!

Thanks again everyone, for the Birthday Wishes. Luckily the cake was too small for all the candles, so I didn't have to go through the ritual of blowing them out! LOL!

Many Thanks for all the B-day wishes! Colin...yes I did, I purchased a 1903 open 3 yesterday! I'll send a pic when I get it. It is from Lot 79, in the 1st Workman sale!

and a picture that no one could see... Everyone would have bid on that 1903, if they knew where it came from. It was the one sold by Colin Cooke on the first Workman sale!

Gary, It is the BEST reference. The way it is cateloged really makes it easy to understand and to use. I have the Specialized Edition, and use it all the time.

Peck is a great reference, Freeman is also a great reference for the time period it covers...but the new Gouby reference is the very best!....in my opinion!

Robj, You are right about the young head farthings, they are really detailed. In my opinion they are the most beautiful of the modern farthings. I have tried to upgrade my YH's at every opportunity, and as a result have a pretty nice collection of them, including the 1844 in EF (showcased on the "About Farthings" website). I am sure you will be rewarded by starting a collection of Young Heads!

Watch yourself there Azda...you might get struck by a bolt of lightning! LOL!