Mongo

Even slimmer if all 60 million of us buys a ticket! That's odds of ... um... er... [launches Calculator]... um... 600,000 to 1? (I was never any good at maths ) I like those odds! I am feeling lucky You know what the sad thing is?... Forget houses, cars and helping family, I am thinking of all the lovely coins my winnings will buy me

Sounds like a good night in John! I bought 2 tickets, I am not greedy, 2 Million should be enough for me

It must be so frustrating for you as ex police to see these things going on John! It is blatant that this person knows what he is doing. If more than one person told me I had a fake listed I would cancel the auction right away. I just had a reply from him saying he was "leaving it up to his nephew and the highest bidder to take it to the Royal Mint for identification"...???? On a lighter note, he also said "he has had some abuse" about it, so thats nice

Could I get a quick opinion on the grade of this obverse please? It is of a low tide, I thought it might be a nice coin to have until I can afford better. It looks nicer than the usual low grades on ebay. Also is that a spot of verdigris by the neck? It is difficult for me, as the picture seems to be blurred and "jumped" near the IND. Thanks guys

And me!! Classic!!! How would the law stand on this, now he has been told several times John, is that deemed "knowingly" enough, evidence wise?

Me too! Just for the hell of it

If you decide to sell it on ebay, offer to post worldwide and be sure to pay the extra 10 pence to list it on ebay USA and Australia, that way you should get more interest and bids

It ended up going for just over £8 azda, that is about what I was planning on paying for it, just to have an example of a low tide penny. That 8 quid can go in a pot... then when I have done that a few times, I can get a BUNC! I just had another look at my ebay watch list, and realised the auction had finished before I posted the picture! I got the picture via email, as there was no obverse in the listing orginally. Seems one was added towards the end though. Sorry for wasting your time guys.

Thanks, that is very helpful Peck. I have been dismissing coins that I otherwise really like recently, because I thought anything green was verd! It is only since I read an article yesterday, about halting the damage, that I realised green spots are not always verd. I think the best thing for me to do, until I learn to tell the difference myself, is to check with you guys before parting with my money. I am glad I did with this coin now! I just hope you do not get bored with all my newb questions, as I am sure there will be many more! We wouldn't necessarily know from a picture whether it's V or staining. The best thing, if in doubt, is contact the seller and mention there's a green patch, and what is it? That sounds like a plan too. I am starting to lean towards just buying my coins from the guys on the forum, and other places recommended by yourselves. At least that way I know what I see is what I get, and defects are always honestly mentioned. Then when I have the confidence, I can shop around a bit more. In my 8 months rollercoaster of more serious collecting I have come to the same conclusion Mongo, you are unlikely to get a bargain, true, but very unlikely to get ripped off, and most will be happy to offer a no quibble return policy ... bargains still to be had on the bay if you put in the time and don't risk too much wonga! You already know more than a lot of eBayers about grades and values, and that will just get better and better, so a good place to be! Your right Paul, every single coin I have purchased from those on this forum so far has been spot on, and I have yet to be dissapointed. I think I will give myself a limit for ebay coins, of a tenner max, that way I can either lose a few quid or grab a bargain! I have more fun "shop hopping" dealers sites, than I do browsing through all the crap on ebay anyway. The fact you can come here and communicate with your "suppliers" is also a big plus, I think that is very nice

Thanks, that is very helpful Peck. I have been dismissing coins that I otherwise really like recently, because I thought anything green was verd! It is only since I read an article yesterday, about halting the damage, that I realised green spots are not always verd. I think the best thing for me to do, until I learn to tell the difference myself, is to check with you guys before parting with my money. I am glad I did with this coin now! I just hope you do not get bored with all my newb questions, as I am sure there will be many more! We wouldn't necessarily know from a picture whether it's V or staining. The best thing, if in doubt, is contact the seller and mention there's a green patch, and what is it? That sounds like a plan too. I am starting to lean towards just buying my coins from the guys on the forum, and other places recommended by yourselves. At least that way I know what I see is what I get, and defects are always honestly mentioned. Then when I have the confidence, I can shop around a bit more.

Thanks, that is very helpful Peck. I have been dismissing coins that I otherwise really like recently, because I thought anything green was verd! It is only since I read an article yesterday, about halting the damage, that I realised green spots are not always verd. I think the best thing for me to do, until I learn to tell the difference myself, is to check with you guys before parting with my money. I am glad I did with this coin now! I just hope you do not get bored with all my newb questions, as I am sure there will be many more!

Thanks Guys... that WAS quick! I love this forum I think I will take your advice Rob and wait until I can afford a better example. Now that it has been confirmed as verd on the coin, that has made my mind up for me, I do not want it passing on its desease to my other coins! On a similar subject, how do you tell the difference between the green verd and the other green coloured spots that can be found on bronze?

Rob is the man, and he's given a good answer. However the key phrase is "if you're buying at the top end of the market". If, like me, you have gradually made your focus the milled series, then only the very highest grade, rarest, patterns and some proofs, or new varieties will count. Needless to say, I don't own any such piece. As for the post-1816 milled, there's little there that would benefit from provenance - patterns, the rarest proofs of William IV and Victoria, unique items, that's about it. What seems to have replaced provenance is the TPG services. Its ironic that a slabbed coin commands more of a premium than the old-fashioned kind of provenance that floats Rob's boat and is infinitely more interesting than a plastic slab. That is probably why I do not "get it" yet, Peck. I guess there are not too many 1967 Pennies that come with Provenance! I do see where the appeal is for others now though.

This is something I do not understand yet pies, I am sure I will "get it" in time though. If Bob Smith from number 22 was selling a coin, cheaper than an indentical grade one from the ex collection of a certain person, I would give my money to Bob Smith! I have much to learn

Could the Mrs not find your Peck herself Peter? They have special pills for that, I get emails about them regularly

Morning all, Could anyone recommend websites that deal in Celtic and/or Roman British coins? I would like to add at least one of each to my collection. Looking at my spink book, there seems to be a few that are very affordable. I would love to own a "British" coin that is over a thousand years old!

This part of the forum looks lonely! I am starting a spreadsheet to record my coin collection. Hopefully this will make it easier for me to check dates, grades etc. so I do not buy duplicates as my collection grows. It should also help me, when the time comes for those "upgrades" I hear you all talk about! What details are helpful to record? So far I have started out with: Monarch, Date, Description, Grade, Date Purchased and Price Paid. Would anyone advise of anything else?

What date, time, Peter? Do you want that in the Julian or Gregorian calendar ? Neither! I would like it in the little fluffy cat picture calendar please, Peck

I picked up my first hammered coin for a few pounds, Its seen better days, but I thought it would be fun practice for me to try and identify it. I may be completely wrong already, but would like to know if anyone knows exactly what it is. So far I have made it an Edward I long cross penny, 1272-1307, spink 1408? This is where I am stuck, there are 3 types listed I believe, and all the detail terms are confusing me! Sorry the pics are not the best, I only have my phone camera at the mo. Thanks!

You could go for specific Roman coins minted in Britain, but there's not much point unless you're specialising - they're rarer and more expensive, and anyway coins circulated throughout the Empire. The best value are denarii of the later emperors, you can pick up high grade examples for under £100. The early coppers - big beasts like the dupondius and sestertius - are quite pricey, but later, smaller bronzes can be very cheap. Especially those of Constantine, Constantius, Constans, etc. Again, high grade examples can be picked up comparatively cheap. Then there's the anoninianus - these virtually replaced the tdenarius in their cash-strapped economy, and are basically bronze coins washed with silver. Also cheap. Roman coins are nice to have, and as you've noticed, very affordable. Thanks Peck. Your post has just reminded me of something! Perhaps the coin bug seed was planted in me long ago, and has just been laying dormant, I completely forgot about this. Here is that little story When I was around 12 years old, I was browsing a boot fair with a friend. I walked past a stall that had one of those glass cabinets full of jewellery and such. Something caught my eye, it was not a shiny piece of metal, but more like a lump of dirt! Turned out it was a "Roman" coin, which I purchased for the sum of £1. I took it home and showed my parents, and asked "how can I clean it?", the advice was to stick it in vinegar! Which I did. In the morning ALL of the claggy dirt had gone, and I was left with a coin that had a nice looking portrait, and what looked like a pig feeding its young on the reverse. The next weekend, me and my friend (without permission of course), "bunked" a train to Rochester, visited the Guild Hall Museum and asked if they could tell me anything about my coin. They kindly took us into what looked like one of those posh libraries you see in films, sat us down and said "we wont be long". They came back with a little piece of paper with the details of my coin written on it, and a book with a picture of similar reverses. Turned out it was a coin dated sometime just before BC! It is a shame I can not remember the details now. The coin was tucked away, never touched again, until ebay hit the internet! I sold it for around £25-£30 if I remember rightly. I wish I had kept it now The buyer left feedback saying they loved the coin, so I guess that is some consolation, that it went to a good home. Phew!... That was a long post, like a can of Pringles, I could not stop

Oi! Only Im allowed to call me a Chav, Peter.... INNIT

That does look more useful and versatile than a spreadsheet Peck. I did not even look to see if Microsoft Works has database software... It does! The templates on offer are of no use for listing coin data, but this is what it looks like blank. When I get some spare time, I will have to have a play around with it and see what I can create

Thanks Peter. That is what I will try and find, a nice round one with a central strike. I was looking at this coin, Henry VI Quarter Noble, beautiful! Just a shame it is about £700 over my budget http://www.historiccoinage.com/shop.php?action=full&id=369

Your suggestion is much easier to sort pies! Just tried it out with some of my farthings. Thanks for posting the idea, saved me lots of work

I have just been playing around with the "sort" option in my file. I think your idea is better pies! I will have a different list for each denomination, or maybe each monarch, either way will work