Paulus

It's been working fine for me (Google Chrome) and is up right now

Your 1900 Viccy Half Crown I would not grade above VF I'm afraid, way too much wear, and not just on the high points. The later coins are much better, let us know which 1915 you have / bought, and the 1936 Florin is excellent, these are both very plentiful in top grades, and may I say your photography is top notch

Your father-in-law is a collector too? That's handy. may help to keep the wife on side !

Sorry NM, I didn't even notice the denomination! Yes, the 6d is much scarcer for 1917, although 7.7 million is still quite a few! Perhaps I would be prepared to pay £50 for it if I wanted one, the EK reducing the value by perhaps £20-£30 for me. But I would rather pay more for one without the EK!

I wouldn't buy that 1917 shilling personally, the rim knock and the degree of wear completely put me off. It is EF for wear at best for me, looking at the flatness of the lion's face and elsewhere. A fair price? Possibly £25.

I have had a couple of false starts recently with proofs, sending back a Gothic Crown and a 1902 proof set to their respective sellers, not being happy enough. Still dipping my toe in this area, as I want examples of all different types, including proofs. Much happier with this, a 1911 proof florin, aFDC for me, comments welcome

Tilted photos to follow, watch this space

Please ask, that's exactly why I posted the thread! Proofs are proving problematic to photo and obtain, I'm sure I am not alone! Despite the issues raised based on the pics, so far I am inclined to go ahead with the purchase, The 'scrunge' is not raised, cannot see any cross-hatch 'in-hand', I am happy this coin is pretty much untouched since it was struck, but I will conclude that proofs are a minefield!

Agree Peter, it's a good time for buyers if you pay attention, but there are so many coins going through that some will miss the bids and attention they would otherwise get. Some sellers even list their coins to finish within less than a minute of each other, that's just plain silly. I like late Sunday evening as a seller though, especially just after many people's payday. When have you advised her to schedule her listings to end out of interest, and can you post a link in case we are interested in any of the items?

I thought I would resurrect this thread with a coin description that annoys me on SO many levels! Several eBay sellers seem to be fond of it!: “In Very Good Condition for its age” Aaaaaarrrrrggggghhhh!

Yes, the seller's fine, I have bought from him plenty of times. Always nice coins available on eBay on Sundays, I have hoovered up a couple myself today

Looks like the coin sold on eBay this evening for £10.50 delivered Yes, much better

In that case, you must attend the Midland Coin Fair, held every month at the National Motorcycle Museum, Bickenhill, Birmingham, B92 0EJ (Opposite the NEC on the M42/A45 junction), next is Set 13th at 10 am. Seek out our Rob (RP Coins) and talk to him. Peter also likes it a lot, and goes regularly. Wish it was nearer to me! Or did you know about it already?

Whereabouts do you live NM?

Gold prices are quite low at the moment (the lowest for around 5 years), the bullion value of a full weight sovereign is currently around £160 - if you only paid a few £ more than that I think you did well. As Coinery says, we all start off on this path, and the trick is to keep mistakes to a financial minimum. Upgrades are inevitable, but do factor in commission and postage when buying and selling at auction (including eBay). At the end of the day it's a hobby, and the process of acquiring, attributing, and trading coins is enjoyable in itself, along with owning and admiring your collection. Keep a record of what you paid for each coin, who from, and when. Many dealers will offer a no quibble refund if you are not happy (for any reason) with a coin once you have it in hand and/or will send you a coin on approval at no cost to you. This gives you the huge advantage of being able to examine the coin in hand before committing to the purchase, rather than relying on photos (often only 2) and subjective descriptions and grades. It's also helpful if you can focus on a collecting area, or at least one area at a time, rather than trying to collect any and all coins from any period and any country. Make full use of this Forum, it's the best free resource there is, for English coins at least. Just a few of many many tips that so many on here would offer I am sure! Above all, enjoy it NM!

I echo the comments above, which is possibly what you expected to hear!? Keep em coming, nothing we like more (except arguing about debating grading and TPGs!)

Who says he was (mis)quoting Shakespeare? Anyway, twas all Much Ado Bout Nothing

The 1919H is pretty nice IMO, although I don't collect them and don't know how it compares to other high grade examples of this variety: CGS have given it a grade of 80 (Choice UNC) and a valuation of £1300

A good point, Stu, well made I am genuinely interested in understanding your thought process, it definitely sounds more sophisticated than mine! Here are comparison pics of the 2 reverses in full:

I do enjoy these grading debates, love hearing how others view things. It's possible that I have become a little too strict over recent years, but I would expect an EF later milled piece to at least show the lions' faces. Seller's pics on the left, my example of the same type on the right. As a benchmark, I would grade mine as EF, with " Slight wear on high spots on close inspection, and all other detail clear and sharp", while, for me, the coin on the left clearly has more wear than that

I agree, the reverse is considerably better. And definitely NOT EF money, with all those digs and dings on the obv!

I completely agree. My grade assessment of GVF on the obverse is based on this seller's pic (It's all we have to go on, as usual) For me there is too much wear on the ear, the leaves and the hair, in particular, for it to make EF. Other opinions?

Pete's 1868 Gouby BP1868Ab Penny:

I have also had excellent problem-free transactions with this eBayer link

Doesn't quite make EF for me. perhaps GVF / NEF, and the obverse in particular definitely looks polished. I quite like natural toning, I find it can be very attractive if it's not patchy. I wouldn't describe this coin as having 'rainbow' toning however, that suggests to me the kind of unnatural effects that some US collectors seem to prefer, even when obtained artificially, for example