DaveG38

Eh? I just browsed the September catalogue online and there isn't a single wreath crown in there, that I can see? Lots 2061 to 2081?

I've just been looking through the London Coins catalogue and was struck by the collection of wreath crowns being sold, almost all of which are well worn. It's almost as if the seller set out to buy the lowest grade he/she could find.

Perhaps the answer to this lies in the question of how the Royal Mint actually distributed these crowns. Were they simply put out to banks for people to buy as souvenirs or were they actually put into circulation. Or were people invited to buy them direct, rather like the RE Proof of 1935. Anybody know as it might give a clue to the issue of wear?

Some certainly were, as the degree of wear is well beyond normal handling or keeping in change. The 1934 I saw, from a local dealer, was a poor fine and well worn. No way was that just a bit of handling wear. Going by Derek's grading book, I'd say the obverse was almost exactly like the illustration at the top of page 88 and the reverse, if anything, was worse than that on page 225.

I've seen one in no better than fine condition, so why not a currency piece?

Dave, I just took a look at Martin Platt's 1860, that you guys referred too...in my opinion it really is a Mule...FYI! Ha,Ha Bob, Fair enough - from the pic, I didn't like the look of the bead like teeth. Maybe more obvious in hand. Either way, at £1250 and cleaned, I'm not interested.

Some of those obverse 'teeth' look very bead like to me.

Here's his website, although curiously it makes reference to the prices he will pay for coins by reign and grade, but apparently doesn't list any for sale, apart from gold. http://www.malcolmelliscoins.co.uk/

That's REALLY weird. The first time I clicked on one of those links I was taken to the Photobucket site itself and watched paint dry while it finally decided to load the image. Then I clicked Goback and returned here. When I clicked the link a second time, I instantly got just the jpeg image on its own, and nothing else - no Photobucket. How is that even possible? At a guess, I'd say from the temp files on your PC.

Apparently this is a 'nice grade.' http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1914-KING-GEORGE-V-BRITISH-GB-FARTHING-COIN-NICE-GRADE-/161073593496?pt=UK_Coins_BritishMilled_RL&hash=item2580bbfc98

I don't know, but that's a very, very nice coin. Personally, I'd be inclined to send it to the American guy for a professional restoration. The damage would then become almost invisible and the result would be a fabulous coin, and I could easily live with it.

When it comes to grading, I guess he should have gone to Specsavers.

That's just over £21 each. And you've got to find 2794 collectors of farthings, who haven't already got one, or who are prepared to trade up in grade. That's a very long term investment.

Which branch of Poundlands would that be and when?

This one is claimed to be a proof halfcrown, and although cleaned, according to the seller, does seem to show the very sharp edges characteristic of proofs. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-1887-SILVER-PROOF-HALF-CROWN-NICE-COIN-L-K-/261246731602?pt=Coins_BritishProofs_RL&hash=item3cd384c552

I'm not an expert, but I'd say not, simply because the edges look too rough all round on both coins. In my experience the proof strikes have a very sharp edge, which is unmistakeable when you see the genuine proofs.

Going rate on ebay at the moment for a decent garde 1890 (not UNC) varies up to about £15.00. After that there are plenty of BINs for much higher prices, but obviously no takers or they'd already have been bought. Ditto Colin Cooke's website. I'd say that its going to be a very long slog to sell that many for any kind of reasonable premium. To shift them, you'd probably have to try for around £10-15 and hope you can move enough to cover your costs, then drop the price a bit to gain a profit. But 2794 of them - that'll take some doing. Even if you sold one per day (unlikely) it's still going to take just over 7 years to do so, and over that time you've tied up a good deal of money. Not only that but if they go for top end of estimate with buyers premium of 22% plus VAT, you're looking at a cost of around £8.10 each. That means you've little room to move on price if you want any kind of profit for all the 7 years work you have to put in. Not worth it in my opinion, unless the price was much lower than the estimate.

Here's a new and very accurate grade. Not sure where it sits - between poor and fair maybe, or perhaps its a poor-poor! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CEYLON-1801-ELEPHANT-1-24-RIXDOLLAR-DUMP-TYPE-UGLY-GRADE-BUT-SCARCE-L-K-/261238994558?pt=UK_Coins_World_RL&hash=item3cd30eb67e

The photo isn't that definitive for me, but it certainly does look like a 2a obverse. If you do buy it and it is a 2a I'd appreciate confirmation so I can include in edition 2 of my book.

I'm only seeing half of the forum headings on the forum page - the bottom group is still missing.

I'd love an invisible phone - except its difficult to see how to press the buttons to make a call!

I considered one of the bigger engined S classes when I bought mine, but the drawbacks outweighed the advantages. Downsides were: 1. Lousy fuel economy 2. Need to use premium grade fuel. 3. Double the Road Tax. 4. Double the insurance. 5. Loads more gadgets to go wrong, but mostly ones I wouldn't use anyway. 6. Double the price. Upside was about 1 second or so off the 0-60 time. On balance it didn't seem worth it to me.

I'm a Merc man myself. But I wouldn't buy a new one - let somebody else take the depreciation. Currently running an S350 that had only 30k on the clock and cost less than a quarter of the Gothic crown. Goes like a dream, not a single fault so far as was the case with my previous E class.

I have to recant and hold my head in shame. Just got an invoice for two of the three items I wanted - I shall soon be the proud owner of the Nicholson 1689 halfpenny and a nice 1717 sixpence. Failed to get a 1839 halfcrown but it was a crap one anyway, so not tto worried.

Am I the only one who failed to get a single item, even though my max bid appears to be thw winning one - in other words, I was in the wrong half of the bidding cycle when my max was reached.