Nutsaboutcoins

I do like the Beatrix Potter 50p, it's a nice clean design, but as it is part of series I suspect the mint will either not release all of the series into circulation or have a rare one so they can increase sales from their website. Or am I just old and cynical?

I struggled to find a digital microscope for windows 8 never mind 10, the one I eventually got is so magnified you cant even picture a full date on a coin let alone a full coin. Not what I was after at all.

If there really is a regional difference, I wonder if this is just down to there are more people in London so more coins get released there, or is there a specific policy for the release of commemoratives? I know the London Underground £2 coins were released by the underground in change, so there must be a mechanism to handle commemoratives differently to standard circulating coins. Ian..

Thanks Nordle, I should have looked on eBay before asking a stupid question

I have not seen any Battle of Britain 50p coins in circulation yet. Anyone seen them yet? I think it is ridiculous that the mint have created 2 different designs for this coin, I suspect it could be the circulating design which ends up as the scarcer variety. Ian..

Here in the North East, I regularly see IOM & Chanel Islands, with the occasional Gibraltar, Falklands very few and far between.

Doesn't time fly!

The Royal Mint are issuing a decimal sixpence as part of their wedding gift sets, another overpriced made up denomination. At £30 they are just having a laugh now. http://www.royalmint.com/shop/The_Silver_Sixpence_2016 Ian..

York is the only fair I get to, how does it compare to the Midlands?

Thank you so much Matteo & Rob. As usual great information, and plenty for what I need for my display. I'm a little ashamed knew nothing about my local mint. Ian..

I'm putting a display together for the Tyneside Numismatic Society's 62nd anniversary, but I'm struggling to find information about the Newcastle mint, and it's not my normal area of interest. I don't need a lot of detailed info but just enough for a few paragraphs, does anyone know of an online resource that will give me some basic facts? Thanks. Ian..

That really is a beautiful cabinet Gary

Welcome MBE, I'm sure some of the collective knowledge will be along soon Most of my coins too are in plastic wallets, they can get a sweaty, but don't know the best way to store either. Ian..

Another RM error. What are the distinguishing features?

Maybe you are right copper, but not how I read it.

From the Royal Mint's annual report page 8: "...replacing older cupronickel 5p and 10p coins with new lower cost aRMour® plated coins, has driven significant volume for the business, while simultaneously generating a cumulative total of over £35m for HM Treasury in recovery of legacy metals."

I understand the principles of magnetism, but as the mint, despite the recent drop in metal prices, made a massive £35m in 2014/15 from the recycling of bronze and cupro-nickel coins they must have an efficient way of having large volumes of coins returned to them or an agent, therefore it is not beyond belief that they may have tried to retrieve error coins.

As far as the undated 20p goes, I believe the RM issued a letter to banks and post offices for them to return any bags/rolls of un issued undated coins, as suggested it would be impossible to remove those that were already out in the big wide world. That said the RM are actively removing Bronze 1p & 2p coins for recycling, so they must have a way of "filtering" the coins in circulation. The "Underwater" Aquatic Olympic 50p were only issued on cards, the dies were recut before coins destined for circulation were struck. There was a rumour at the time that all of the "underwater" 50p coins were issued through the same London dealer, but I have not seen this confirmed anywhere. Ian..

As you say Copper, along with all the pence coins they were issued in 2008 with their original reverse designs, then later issued with Matthew Dent's shield reverse. The mule being a mixture of the two. Both the 2008 Crowned Rose and Shield reverse 20p are common, but the undated 20 pences were withdrawn by the RM and those that made it into circulation were quickly removed by collectors etc although I believe you can still find them on eBay etc. I haven't seen any minted figures for the mule.

When the "stripes" appear on both faces, do the stripes run in the same direction?

I have seen the Martini & Heinz sets with this 2p, but was totally unaware that the RM sets included it too. I'm sure I have read a press release from the RM saying the 2p coins were only minted in error for commercial sets they produced after the original run of circulating coins were struck.

Looks uni-directional which to me would suggest it is part of the rolling process of the blanks or possibly some post strike treatment, but strange that it appears to be predominantly on one face only. Ian..

Hoist a tricolour a count the flashes!

Can anybody please help, I'm a little confused reading up on the first English Florins 1344. My 2012 Spink catalogue (I know I need to update) lists: Double Florin (Double Leopard) =6s, 108grs Florin with no value or weight but presumably 3s & 54grs Half Florin again no value or weight but I assume 1s 6d & 27grs but on Wiki I read: "The Florin or Double Leopard was an attempt in 1344 by English king Edward III to produce a gold coinage suitable for use in Europe as well as in England (see also Half Florin or Leopard and Quarter Florin or Helm). It was 108 grains (6.99829 grams) of nominal pure ('fine') gold[citation needed] and had a value of six shillings (i.e. 72d)." I also read that the Florentine Florins 1252 - 1533 which circulated widely were 54 Grains (3.5 grams) & "The 3-shilling unit was chosen because the popular Italian Florin, widely used in England, had an official value of 3 shillings" but the English Florin was not accepted as it was over valued but it appears to be the same weight & fineness as its continental cousins. So is the 6s coin a Florin or a Double Florin? Why was it a failure if the Italian Florin of the same weight was widely accepted as a 3s coin? Also is it correct that only 3 Double Florins are known, Two found by boys mud larking in the river Tyne and one by a metal detectorist. Is it not unusual that no copied survived in collections? And what quantities of Florins & Half Florins are known? All help greatly appreciated. Ian..

Interesting mule, I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up in the US.