RobJ

That is most amusing. lol And perfectly true! I wonder how many of the around 120,000 coins minted that they managed to acquire to be able to offer them in lots of 100? lol Saying that, as they sell for around £50 in UNC condition maybe a purchase back then may have proved to be a good investment choice.

I think that you have made a good purchase there Marc. For around £5 and in EF condition you certainly haven't been burnt. Good Find.

I managed to obtain a Robert Burns Commemorative £2 coin in my change today. It is the first one that I have seen to date. Incidentally, the OBV of the coin also has the same 'Scuff Marks' in almost identical places as the Darwin Commemorative £2 coin mentioned earlier in this thread.

I think that you meant Mhz rather than Khz Peckris. Speaking of programming. I remember sitting for hours on end typing in Basic that had been printed in one of the Computer Magazines that I used to buy. I found that it either didn't work due to a publishing error or all that you ended up with for your hours of hard work and eye strain was a littlle box that you could move around the screen with the Cursor keys. lol

That is most amusing. lol

I think that you are right Hertfordian, things do generally find their price in due time. But I do also think that with coins, as with anything, something is only as worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. Ultimatly I do think that if someone does puchase something as long as they are happy with the item and are happy with the price that they paid for it, then I think that that is fair

Touchè Peckris! lol

I would like to request some information on weakly struck coins if I may? Are there any certain years in particular, or denominations within a certain period in particular that I should be aware of? I do know that George V coinage suffered greatly with weakly struck coins. In particular the years encompassing World War I and just beyond. Also, the first coinage of Elizabeth II in 1953 suffered with weakly struck coins, but perhaps that is to do more with the low relief of the designs as opposed to weak striking? This may sound like an elementary question but would weakly struck coins affect all denominations within a certain year or period ? That is to say, would I find for example, that all of the Copper coinage to be weakly struck but the Silver coinage to be fully struck up? Or vice versa? Or even Perhaps a mix throughout all denominations with some fully struck up and others not? Any help or information on this subject is greatly appreciated.

I remember that message very well David. lol Ah, The Acorn Archimedes, that was a very good computer, advanced for it's time I always thought. It was way out of my (Or should I say my Parents) price range. I was very happy with my second hand Commodore 64. lol 100mb was an incredible amount for it's day. Oh how quickly times change. lol

Thanks Red. I am glad that I am using it in the way that you envisaged. To me it just made sense to use it in that way.

That is so very true. lol I once saw a £2 coin described as 'Rare x 100 - L@@K!' I'm not exactly sure which rarity system the seller was using, but it looked like a common enough £2 coin to me. lol

I once explained to my Nephew - When he was impatient over his X Box taking a few seconds to load a game - That I had to wait for up to half an hour for some games to load via Cassette. I then had to explain what a Cassette was. lol You can keep your XBox's, your DS's and your PSP's. Give me a BBC Model B and a cassette with Elite and I'm a very happy chappy! lol

There is of course no truth in that myth, but I have often thought they were 'Rare' because people heard that rumour and hoarded them away believing them to be a rarity and that they actually self perpetuated the rumour themselves in that no one else was able to find one in their change. lol

That is very true and very sound advice. Especially when you take into account the issue price for some of the coins. However, I do also think that for someone who does collect such coins that an informed decision needs to be taken at some point whether to decide to buy at issue price and be comforted in the fact that they will own the coin, albeit at an high price, than to have to pay a vastly inflated price in the future if a coin is found to be a scarce or rare issue. I do conceed however that will only occur in certain circumstances, such as the aforementioned £2 Trial Set, and that your advice is very wise indeed.

That is such an excellent book! I have found that it has been truly invaluable to me. I usually read the book and study the pictures carefully before I go off on a coin hunting expedition, that way I find that the information stays quite clear in my mind. Then I find that when I do look at coins I can make a fairly quick, if undereducated, assesment just by looking for the important points mentioned in the book and if anything stands out to take a closer look at the coin. I am also learning not to just instantly disregard a coin purely on it's condition, but to also carefully check the date of the coin and try to recall any information or rarity or varietys as well. It may not be the best way to go about things, but I have found that by doing that it has helped me a great deal and I am slowly starting to not only understand Pre Decimal coins much better but to also have a fairly good idea as to the grade of them.

That is an incredibly colourful yet most accurate description. lol

Hopefully I am starting to get to that stage now. I think that I have a decent knowledge of Decimal coins as I have sifted through and collected them for some years now. Which also gives me a fair idea as to grading. I do think that it is an advantage over starting to collect coins from a completely blank slate with no knowledge or experience whatsoever. I just need to gain some experience in Pre Decimal coins now, but I am in no rush. I believe that before you can run, you first need to learn to walk.

Sadly it is just the price of the sets that deters me from purchashing one. As they have now have a starting price of £50 minimum, in fact I have seen them for around £70! I really cannot justify that price personally. However, if I saw a cheaper set or the individual £2 coin itself then I'd be most tempted. lol

I know what you mean Scott. In some ways it is similar to the Robert Burns £2 Commemorative design. And although I do like both of those designs, neither of them really stand out to me personally.

That was my initial thought too 1949. I found the design to be reminiscent of the £2 trial issue. I actually really liked the design of that coin. If I ever find a set for the right price I think that I will purchase it for my collection.

You can also achieve the same effect by placing a £2 coin in a freezer and then if you drop it the middle will fall out. I once saw a similar coin where the portrait had been rotated 180 degrees. If I remember correctly, the Royal Mint had some issues when creating the £2 coin as they were unable initially from keeping the middle from falling out. I believe a similar thing happend with the €2 coin as well.

I was wondering what everyone thinks of the new £2 Commemorative Designs for 2011? If I'm honest I rather like the design of The Mary Rose coin. I really like the lettering and the 'Edge' design. I'm not quite as taken by The King James Bible coin. I do think that it is a good strong design, however I personally do not think that it is as strong as The Mary Rose design.

I received one of these sets in the post yesterday. After having a read on the specifications of the coins, I can confirm that the 5p and the 10p for 2011 are indeed composed of Nickel Plated Steel and that they are magnetic. I really do hope that the Royal Mint have had the plating process performed correctly, otherwise as Scott mentioned earlier, we will have a lot of rusty old metal lining our pockets for some years to come. lol

Thanks £400 and Peter for your advice. I think that it is more of a case that I am trying to gain experience in trying to look at as many coins as I can. To me it makes sense to have a good rounded knowledge of coins which will hopefully hold me in good stead for the future. I am still fully undecided in which area to concentrate on or specialise in as of yet. I am still going with the idea of trying to obtain one of each Denomonation for the issue year for each Monarch. I personally like that idea and I think that it will make the basis of a nice collection. However, I have also taken a shine to Copper coins, Farthings and Pennies in particular. So I'm trying to purchase nice examples as and when I can see them and afford them, and also try to learn as much as I can along the way, as I do think that my collection in the end will predominantly Copper based. Sovereigns are not something that I have considered if I'm honest. To me I personally couldn't justify price in buying them. I know that with them being Gold they will appreciate, or at least hold their own in the future, but I think that Sovereigns are more of an investment puchase. And as I intend my collection to be for my personal pleasure rather than investment, Gold coins of any description are not an option for me. However I do totally understand your thoughts on that £400.

Wow! A Thermal printer? Now you are just showing off. lol