scottishmoney

CP approves, I just nuke the spammers

Actually the Star with six points, commonly known as the Star of David has also appeared on Islamic coins, the late 19th and early 20th century Moroccan coins have had it, it has also appeared on US Silver Dollars and has no significance other than is just a six pointed star. In fact until the WWII and the Holocaust and subsequent foundation of Israel in 1948, outside of Judaism not many people would have referred to it as a Star of David, because they would not have known that it had significance to that faith.

I am in the midst of planning several changes with my current website to update it to W3C standards, so easier navigation and thumbnail images are planned. But I am also thinking of just selling the stuff I want to get rid of directly off of my site, and not through eBay anymore. My last selling experience earlier this month resulted in all being sold, at a loss due to low bids, paypal and eBay fees etc. I just really do not care for buying or selling on eBay like I used to. There are many things, primarily pricier items that I would like to buy on eBay but don't because there are lousy sellers, or someone sees your bidding on stuff and knows what you have etc. A few people and perhaps more on the way are feeling a bit ambivalent about eBay lately, in essence it is becoming a victim of the fools whom abused it for selling and buying-fraud purposes. Whilst I do not anticipate a precipitous fall from popularity within a period of time, I do wonder that it's time in the sun has wained.

eBay has become a victim of the fools that abused it, so much so that policies regarding auction listings are arcane. I hate listing stuff for sale on there anymore, it is just such a total and complete pain in the bum - nothing like the venue it was 10 years ago.

Judging by dealers still selling bags of 5,000 pennies etc, I bet that quite a few of them survived in one fashion or another. The 1943 zinc plated steel cent in the USA was not necessitated so much by a copper shortage, but has been suggested was more a publicity stunt to get people to convince people that the country was really in dire need of metal scrap for the war effort. Notice that the bronze cents returned in 1944-1946, albeit with allegedly recycled shell casings from the war. The real short material all over the world was rubber, which then came primarily from Malaysia and Indonesia both occupied by Japan.

Idiot that cleaned it oughtta get sent to Iraq to serve his country.

Bonkers about coins anyway.

I kind of find a coin regularly struck in bronze, but this example is in gold, less an error and more a deliberate!

As evidence to the theory that perhaps it was just shoddy workmanship, ponder English pennies during the XII and XIII centuries, they got to the point during Henri I and Stephens reign where they were little more than crude abominations. Surely some had to do with the chaotic nature of the times, but there was more to it than that. Matilda's coins were struck on the fly so to speak, but they are of a fantastic design, similar to the sovereign pennies of Henry VII.

Besides, what would we do to compete with the Russians?

Kuhli is around on CP, he posted something just today. In fact he lives almost spittin distance from me.

Now everybody be on your good behaviour, no posting nudey pictures of your girlfriends etc.

Going slightly off topic with discussions of metal detecting and the Treasure Trove Act. However it does not escape me that one of my collecting interests, that of 17th century English tokens is largely supplied by detectorists finding individual tokens. The great majority of these tokens were not saved by anybody, and often after a period whence they were useful they were cast off which is why for the most part they are found in miserable states of preservation. Seventeenth century tokens usually never circulated out of a specific village or town so that is pretty much where they are found.

I would love to have an oak cabinet, but it would not fit in the bank vault too well.

Having been on some detectorists forums in the UK, I am convinced I could find the 5th David II Noble

I'm surprised they fit back in the case after putting them in coin capsules, it doesn't look like there's room in the case I have... These are small capsules called Kointains, I buy them directly from the manufacturer, but I think you can find them on Vcoins also.

Good show, enjoyed viewing your site, what an incredible piece. Just wish the boss would let me buy it.

I really need to get a Charles II bronze from England. I only have them from Ireland and Scotland of course. Curiously, apparently as with the Scottish bawbees of Charles II, there are many varieties due to the manufacturing conditions. It is a nice farthing even with the verdigris

From the Belfast Telegraph today.... What would happen if Scotland achieved its independence? Tuesday, January 16, 2007 Could Scotland survive as an independent nation? Paul Kelbie asks The Big Question Why are we asking this question now? Today is the 300th anniversary of the signing of the Act of Union between England and Scotland, and if the latest political opinion polls are to be believed it may be one of the last. In little over four months the Scottish parliamentary elections could see the Scottish National Party (SNP) win power, or at least enough votes to hold the balance of influence and push a referendum on independence. And according to recent polls, around 52 per cent of Scots would back moves to dissolve the Union of 1707, which means that after three centuries of shared blood, toil and tears, the marriage of convenience that turned a small island into a world power is shaping up for divorce. What was the Act of Union? The treaty of Union signified the end of England and Scotland as separate states and the birth of Great Britain. It was a marriage of convenience. Although the two countries had shared a monarch for almost 100 years since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when King James VI of Scotland succeeded Queen Elizabeth I, they remained two distinct countries. However, when England found itself at war with France at the turn of the 18th century and King Louis XIV began pushing for the Catholic James VIII to be the rightful heir in both England and Scotland, there was a need to protect the Protestant succession of Queen Anne. Fearful that Scottish Jacobites would let England's enemies "in the back door" the Westminster parliament threatened to stop all trade with Scotland and deprive Scots of any lands they owned south of the border, unless they agreed to the House of Hanover succession. In return for creating a new joint country, the Scots were guaranteed access to England's overseas trade routes and the independence of its own legal system, universities and church. After much debate and despite widespread public hostility, both the Scottish and English parliaments were dissolved on May 1, 1707 and replaced with a new British one. Would a separate Scotland flourish? If countries such as Malta, with a population less than Edinburgh's, can be self-governing, supporters of independence believe there is no reason why Scotland shouldn't. Optimistic nationalists claim Scotland could be as prosperous as Ireland, Norway, Denmark or Iceland with enough revenue from oil, gas, renewable energy and other industries to invest in a fund to look after future generations. The idea would be to invest revenues in a permanent reserve fund and use the interest to fund public services, pensions and other expenditure for years to come. According to UK government estimates only about half of the reserves of oil in the North Sea have been extracted so far, which means that there is still enough to support a population of just five million people. An international convention has determined that the North Sea north of the 55th parallel is under Scottish jurisdiction, which means some 90 per cent of the UK's oil and gas reserves are within Scottish waters. As far back as 1975, experts recognised that oil could make an independent Scotland one of the richest countries in Europe. A government report saying as much was labelled incendiary, classified as secret and hidden away for 30 years until it came to light at the end of 2005 as a result of Freedom of Information legislation. In addition to oil Scotland has as much as 25 per cent of the EU tidal and wind resources, which if managed properly could deliver a second energy windfall for the country. However, like any divorce, it is likely that there would be a great deal of argument over the splitting of assets. Pessimistic supporters of the Union claim that there wouldn't be enough money to finance Scotland's dreams. Far from being rich, they claim Scotland would have a huge deficit of between £6bn and £11bn and would need to raise taxes which, unionists claim, would drive away much-needed businesses. What would happen to the relationship between Scotland and England? If you believe the nationalists, the relationship would change very little and perhaps even improve. For years pro-unionists have argued Scots could not survive without English financial support and as a result many English people perceive Scots as a nation of sponging whingers. Independence would force Scots to stop blaming the English for all their ills and put a stop to southern resentment at "carrying" Scotland. According to pro-unionists Scotland receives far more in subsidy than it contributes to UK coffers. However, separatists argue that Scotland actually subsidises England to the tune of almost £3bn a year. Culturally, there would be little change as the Queen would remain as monarch, just as she does in other members of the Commonwealth, while Scotland has always had its own legal, educational and religious institutions. How would Scotland fare in the EU and on the world stage? As a member state of the European Union, Scotland would possibly have more of a role in international affairs than now, as its politicians could argue their own case. Unionists have warned that an independent Scotland might not be able to join the EU if the UK was split. However, such a situation is highly unlikely, not least because the same argument of denying membership could be applied to an independent England. Similarly, many countries share overseas embassies and assets and there is no reason why Scotland and England couldn't continue to co-operate. Would it be secure? The SNP has already said it would scrap Trident, the nuclear submarine deterrent, and would prevent Scottish troops from taking part in any future illegal wars - such as the invasion of Iraq. This, they claim, would likely make Scotland less of a terrorist target. However, Scotland would continue to have a conventional military defence that would work alongside English forces in the mutual defence of the British Isles. What would happen to the rest of the UK? With a population more than 10 times the size of its northern neighbour England will always be the dominant force in the British Isles but without Scots troops and revenue, it would probably have to adjust to a diminished role on the world stage. And while England would retain Britain's nuclear deterrent, it would mean having to find a new base for the Trident fleet and supporting it from a smaller national defence budget.It is also possible that if Scotland made a success of independence, this would hasten calls for Wales and Northern Ireland to seek self-determination of their own. Could Scotland survive as an independent nation? Yes... * Scotland would be much wealthier and better prepared than many other independent nations around the world * Revenue from oil and other energy industries could be invested to provide a secure fund to support future generations * Much of the political and civil infrastructure needed to administer the country is already in place, and the people are highly educated No... * Without subsidy from the rest of the UK, it is claimed by unionists that there would be a fiscal deficit of up to £11bn * Nationalist promises to cut taxes while increasing spending on pensions and higher education would put the country in the red * If the bonds that unite Britain were severed, all the countries of the union would suffer economically and culturally

Has Charlie had the `op` then or have I missed something? You cannot ask about what you don't know or have heard about. That is the way Princess Charles wants it. Rumour hit Fleet St a couple of years back and it was quashed by Buckingham Palace.

£30 for an overdraft! Wowza, how about usury? They might just as well stick a pistol in your side.

It was a good theory whilst it lasted, all of about 20 minutes until I searched on Wildwinds and Vcoins and noticed the same conclusion, Christ lost his head when the coin wore down. On Vcoins though, I noticed that some early Medieval Hungarian coins were struck in syphate also. Another trend I notice with them, perhaps due to the differing spread of the metal when the coin was struck, they have much more frequent splits in the flan than the usual roundish and flat flans. Here is a scyphate example from Manuel I 1143-1180: And another from Hungary ~ Bela III(1172-1196)

For some reason, when the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed in 1801, George III renounced the old claims to the French throne. Perhaps HRH could make a case that due to his porphyria and the resultant madness, that such a renunciation was made under duress and is therefore not valid. Then when Charles III becomes queen, the monarchy can claim the French disease.

With Byzantine coins the image of Christ and sometimes the Emperor were usually in the design. It is presumptuous, but I wonder that because of this there was an effort to preserve the integrity of the design over time so that the image would not wear as typical with flat surface coins. Frankly it is one of the features of Byzantine coins that is a bit of a turn off for me, in fact I own none so far, but I would like at some point to purchase a coin of Justinian or Anastasius. If I buy a syphate coin, it will have to be gold flavoured.

Russia doesn't want to join the EU, frankly Russia will not have to. Who supplies vital quantities of natural gas for heating etc? Who supplies so much energy in Western Europe. Russia has a huge trade surplus, and the old bankrupt USSR is a distant memory. Why were Germany and Poland so concerned when Russia briefly shut off gas and oil shipments into Belarus and resulted in Belarus shutting off the pipelines west into Poland and Germany? The EU is very uncomfortably dependent on the Russian Federation and the whims of Vladimir Putin and his Oligarchy.