DaveG38

13.5% fees if its paid by Paypal, they take 3.5% to Absolutely right - there's paypal too.

The one positive aspect is that if they are silver (need to check) then the price of silver has gone up significantly in recent years and this may help to offset some of the losses on the value compared to the original retail price. For instance, about 5 years ago, silver was around £5-6 per once. It's now £18.50, and was near £30 about a year ago. Having said this, on ebay you may get a bit over melt, but remember the 10% final fees.

Left 2 bids and got an acknowledgement back. Not heard any results yet.

When I was researching my 'Bronze' book, I came across references to these being in both the 'Martini' and 'Heinz' packs, but not the Royal Mint Uncirculated sets, so I would say this isn't especially unique or rare within its own population of rarity, if you see what I mean. Last time I saw one was at a cost of around £800, so £3400 looks like a total ramp - it's not even as though they are especially sought after, since decimal isn't on most collectors radar. For many collectors on limited budgets, decimal is an easy series to go for, but then they are not likely to spend this kind of money. For the wealthier collector, there are better things to spend £3400 on - like a 1934 crown, or something really nice from the 17th/18th Century. That probably leaves a limited number of collectors, who 'must have' every type of every denoimination and they might be willing to spend this much on what is a very mundane coin. I'll be surprised if it goes.

I worked in Emergency Planning/Disaster Management for BT plc for most of my working life, and 'lessons learned' was always an absolute when looking at incidents. From the most mundane internal disaster such as fire or flood in an exchange building right up to 7/7 through Lockerbie, Dunblane etc there is ALWAYS a 'lessons learned' meeting or assessment after the event. No exceptions, every single time. It's the only way that process improvements can be made. Same was true for exercises to test procedures. The wash up afterwards always looked at what needed to be changed/improved. So when somebody stand up telling you that lessons will be learned they aren't talking about some exceptional procedure that has to happen and which they will be putting in place. They are simply telling you what will happen anyway, regardless of whether they say it or not, but obviously they like to give the impression that they are somehow the driving force behind the review that will take place. That's all complte bo**ocks as most of them will have no input or say in the matter, nor will they be included in the review process.

I'd hate to see unattractive lustre!! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170848161762&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

You could try post a picture here they've helped me with a couple of problem coins Thanks for this advice. I'm trying to post the pictures there, but am having some difficulty as I don't use a photo hosting site.

And here's the reverse.

Here's something I picked up a few days ago for about £2. It's 14 mm diameter and appears to be tin or another soft alloy. It was sold as British, but obviously isn't, probably because of the flag. It's a bit macabre because of the arrow through the skull. Anybody got a clue what it is? It was bought from Thailand. Reverse is in the next post.

If Di Matteo has any sense, he'll get out of Chelsea whilst still on a high. After all after that performance, the team isn't likely to do better next season, and the expectation will be that they should do so. Then there's the fact that football management is probably the most poisonous in the UK, with the Chelsea job up there as possibly the most toxic. Add these together and, if it was me, I'd be off to another management job in the premier league, hopefully to win something and then move again, and so on. If he stays, then I don't see him there very long, despite this last season.

I'm with you here regarding records. I built up a collection of about 200 vinyl LPs, eventually found that the stereo I had was on it's last legs and bought a new system. Didn't bother with a record deck and so I'm left with a pile of LPs. All in pretty good nick as I wasn't careless with them when they were bought and I'm amazed at the going prices for some of them. For example I have some early stones stuff, like 'Between the Buttons' and 'Aftermath' and these can go for around the £60 each mark. Ditto The Beatles and some of the other early rock material like the Who. There's a vinyl record specialist shop next to where my other half works part time, and they have some really interesting old and new material, and they have a phenomenal knowldge base. As for other other interests, I have a Volvo P1800, but that's just a labour of love, not part of a collection. My other main interest is a Yamaha Motif XS synthsiser, which I have learned to use and have produced several songs on. Eventually, I want to get enough material together to produce a full blown album - top of the charts here I come. My stuff is my own style and as a result, and in keeping with my personal vintage, I call it the 'mature retro' genre! There's something about modern styles, using an older person's themes and Stratocasters that works for me.

Sorry, but no. I have no problem whatsover with it. Suits me fine. Personally, I'm not that keen on lists that go by reign, since it means I have to scan through each reign (e.g. Corbetts latest) to find out whether there is anything that I might want, rather than look for the denomination that maybe interests me. Perhaps we could suggest that Lockdales and others build their websites so that we could choose the layout that best suits us for examing the lots (obviously, the actual order on the auction date would have to be fixed).

Well the seller does say that it's a carefully crafted from a genuine coin by altering the date. Guess I'll go with that as an explanation. Surprised some people have bid it up to £29 though. Oops, didn't notice that £29 was the starting price!!!!

Hi all, Can anybody recommend a really comprehensive book on English token coinage - 17th, 18th and 19th centuries? I'd like to be able to attribute my tokens, understand any varieties, assess rarity and if possible get a handle on prices/values. Many thanks in advance.

I have a 1949 edition Full title is Seaby's catalogues-Copper coins and tokens-British Isles A wonderful reference; It covers Roman coins struck in Britain during the occupation,Anglo-Saxon sceats,English copper coins 1860-1936,Billion and copper coins of Scotland,Irish coppers etc,Coins and tokens of the Isle of Man,Coins of Lundy Island,Copper coins and tokens of the Channel islands,17C tokens,An introduction to 18C tradesmen's tokens (by Peck ),18C tokens,19C silver tokens & 19C copper tokens. I note that this publication records the large date 1737 1/4d which that "slacker" Peck missed 11 years later The preface lists Trade tokens in the 17C by W Boyne 1889-91 Provincial token coinage of 18C D&H 1910-18 The silver token coinage by Dalton 1922 The 19C token coinage by WJ Davis 1904 Seaby goes on to say the book is not a complete list as he was aware of 15,000 copper 17C tokens Happy hunting Dave....is there a book in you? Not if Seaby is right that there are at least 15000 17C coppers. That sounds like a lifetimes work to find, photograph and catalogue. Too much for me at my time of life.

It's still not worth the money paid, not in that condition. I wonder if somebody (or a few bidders) thinks this is a halfcrown and has bid accordingly. If it had been a halfcrown then the price might be reasonable, although I would have thought anybody with a bit of knowledge might have spotted that it obviously isn't.

Thanks everybody. Much to consider before I decide where to go with this.

Can anybody resist this one? I predict a major bidding battle http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1806-Proof-copper-Farthing-George-III-/190670887612?pt=UK_Coins_BritishMilled_RL&hash=item2c64dedabc

And don't forget that well known Met copper, Inspector Robin Banks.

Depends on what you collect. I have a complete run of milled halfpennies, back to 1672, with the exception of the James II 1686 (anybody got one cheap?). The 1689 is probably the rarest, and even the best example available is only around VF and costs an arm and both legs. As a result, mine is a good fair at best, but it fills a gap, and is probably the only one I'll be able to obtain, unless I wait forever. I'm quite comfortable with the idea of gap fillers, until something better turns up, simply because I can always sell on the spare, when an ungrade appears - if I'm lucky its price will have gone up too, so its a win win for me. In some ways too, I get satisfaction from the filling of spaces and the eventual upgrades which all adds to the interest of collecting. For me, a collection of top grades would be very nice, but once achieved has nowhere to go, or is an unattainable goal, whereas my way gives me a constant ongoing interest. Does this help?

Now I understand the 'Red Riley' moniker, Derek. Luckily I bought into a classic, from one of the brands you mentioned, at the bottom of the market in the early 2000's. Mine's also red and not been a bad investment despite the heavy annual service costs though, as I only drive it on the odd sunny Sunday, the cost per mile is something I don't want to know! There must be a few classic car owners amongst us? I always regretted not buying an Aston Martin DBSV8 back in 1986 or so, when it could have been had for £17k. By 1990 the price had leapt up to around £90k, before coming right back down again during the late 90s, to more the sensible £20k mark. However, instead of buying one and looking after it, I succumbed to the entreaties of my missus and bought a white Volvo P1800 - remember the Saint? Still got it and last year spent many happy(?) hours dealing with seized brakes and a blown head gasket, quite apart from the 'fun' of dealing with it's instruments, most of which seem no longer to work. The net result of ownership over some 13 years is that is that the value has probably increased by about 10% if I'm lucky, and that doesn't take account of all the costs of parts etc. By comparison, Astons have near on doubled their price over the same period and are going off into the stratosphere again - drat and double drat. I shall have to wait for prices to fall again before I can afford one. Even the more reasonable classics, such as the E-type are going off the scale. The only ones that aren't are Volvos! I've always thought the Volvo P1800 a stunning car, much like the Karmann Ghia. I was never a fan of the DBS, just too big and bulky for my taste. My Aston favourite will always be the DB5. I agree about the styling - I can't believe that Volvo ever came up with it, let alone put it into production. However, it also has stunningly lousy performance, even by the standards of the day, probably because of it's weight. Mine is a 1965 model and when I recently took the door panels off to sort out the window runners, I was amazed to find that even back then it had side impact bars. The body work steel seems to be about a half inch thick, so all together it's no wonder the performance is poor. By contrast the 5.4 litre Aston engine - sighs in delight - for me it's the difference between a BU 1689 halfpenny and a VF 1845. No contest. I must say that if I do go for another classic, I might just be tempted by a Jensen Interceptor. Performance isn't much short of the Aston, parts are much cheaper, cubic capcity is enormous and the styling again is brilliant. And more importantly, the price is under half that of an Aston. On the other hand, that's a whole lot of coins I shall have to forego! Mmmm, tricky decision. The V8 Aston engines are gorgeous and I've always had a soft spot for the Jensen. The engine in my classic toy is different altogether Mmmmm, VERY nice. Makes my Volvo engine look like a clear date Victorian penny!

Now I understand the 'Red Riley' moniker, Derek. Luckily I bought into a classic, from one of the brands you mentioned, at the bottom of the market in the early 2000's. Mine's also red and not been a bad investment despite the heavy annual service costs though, as I only drive it on the odd sunny Sunday, the cost per mile is something I don't want to know! There must be a few classic car owners amongst us? I always regretted not buying an Aston Martin DBSV8 back in 1986 or so, when it could have been had for £17k. By 1990 the price had leapt up to around £90k, before coming right back down again during the late 90s, to more the sensible £20k mark. However, instead of buying one and looking after it, I succumbed to the entreaties of my missus and bought a white Volvo P1800 - remember the Saint? Still got it and last year spent many happy(?) hours dealing with seized brakes and a blown head gasket, quite apart from the 'fun' of dealing with it's instruments, most of which seem no longer to work. The net result of ownership over some 13 years is that is that the value has probably increased by about 10% if I'm lucky, and that doesn't take account of all the costs of parts etc. By comparison, Astons have near on doubled their price over the same period and are going off into the stratosphere again - drat and double drat. I shall have to wait for prices to fall again before I can afford one. Even the more reasonable classics, such as the E-type are going off the scale. The only ones that aren't are Volvos! I've always thought the Volvo P1800 a stunning car, much like the Karmann Ghia. I was never a fan of the DBS, just too big and bulky for my taste. My Aston favourite will always be the DB5. I agree about the styling - I can't believe that Volvo ever came up with it, let alone put it into production. However, it also has stunningly lousy performance, even by the standards of the day, probably because of it's weight. Mine is a 1965 model and when I recently took the door panels off to sort out the window runners, I was amazed to find that even back then it had side impact bars. The body work steel seems to be about a half inch thick, so all together it's no wonder the performance is poor. By contrast the 5.4 litre Aston engine - sighs in delight - for me it's the difference between a BU 1689 halfpenny and a VF 1845. No contest. I must say that if I do go for another classic, I might just be tempted by a Jensen Interceptor. Performance isn't much short of the Aston, parts are much cheaper, cubic capcity is enormous and the styling again is brilliant. And more importantly, the price is under half that of an Aston. On the other hand, that's a whole lot of coins I shall have to forego! Mmmm, tricky decision.

Now I understand the 'Red Riley' moniker, Derek. Luckily I bought into a classic, from one of the brands you mentioned, at the bottom of the market in the early 2000's. Mine's also red and not been a bad investment despite the heavy annual service costs though, as I only drive it on the odd sunny Sunday, the cost per mile is something I don't want to know! There must be a few classic car owners amongst us? I always regretted not buying an Aston Martin DBSV8 back in 1986 or so, when it could have been had for £17k. By 1990 the price had leapt up to around £90k, before coming right back down again during the late 90s, to more the sensible £20k mark. However, instead of buying one and looking after it, I succumbed to the entreaties of my missus and bought a white Volvo P1800 - remember the Saint? Still got it and last year spent many happy(?) hours dealing with seized brakes and a blown head gasket, quite apart from the 'fun' of dealing with it's instruments, most of which seem no longer to work. The net result of ownership over some 13 years is that is that the value has probably increased by about 10% if I'm lucky, and that doesn't take account of all the costs of parts etc. By comparison, Astons have near on doubled their price over the same period and are going off into the stratosphere again - drat and double drat. I shall have to wait for prices to fall again before I can afford one. Even the more reasonable classics, such as the E-type are going off the scale. The only ones that aren't are Volvos!

Now I understand the 'Red Riley' moniker, Derek. Luckily I bought into a classic, from one of the brands you mentioned, at the bottom of the market in the early 2000's. Mine's also red and not been a bad investment despite the heavy annual service costs though, as I only drive it on the odd sunny Sunday, the cost per mile is something I don't want to know! There must be a few classic car owners amongst us? I always regretted not buying an Aston martin DBSV8 back in 1986 or so, when it could have been had for £17k. By 1990 the price had leapt up to around £90k, before coming right vback down again during the late 90s, to more the sensible £20k mark. However, instead of buying one and looking after it, I succumbed to the entreaties of my missus and bought a white Volvo P1800 - remember the Saint? Still got it and last year spent many happy(?) hours dealing with seized brakes and a blown head gasket, quite apart from the 'fun' of dealing with it's instruments, most of which seem no longer to work. The net result of wonership over some 13 years is that is that the value has probably increased by about 10% if I'm lucky, and that doesn't take account of all the costs of parts etc. By comparison, Astons have near on doubled their price over the same period and are going off into the stratosphere again - drat and double drat.I shall have to wait for prices to fall again before I can afford one. Even the more reasonable classics, such as the E-type are going off the scale. The only ones that aren't are Volvos!

Can we seee some photos and descriptions of what to look for please?