Sword

I haven't brought a copy for sometime and wonder if Sovereign Rarities has done a reasonable / good job for the 2025 and 2026 catalogues.

I think the penny has already lost much its dignity when the RM started making them with copper plated steel. Even then, it costs more than it's face value to produce. I agree the penny coin is hugely symbolic but perhaps it is better to retire it soon rather letting it drag on.

I am OK without a circulating coin called a penny. But it would be nice if they continue to be included in year sets and also minted in silver for collectors. It will also be retained as a denomination even if physical circulating coins are no longer minted.

When I visited Wales many years ago, I came across an area where cafes and small shops gave prices in today's money and also the prices in ca 1900. If you want to, you can change your modern money into counterstamped Victorian / Edwardian pennies and use these in the cafes. This allows visitors to spend old money.

I haven't been carrying coins on me for many years now and pay for most things by contactless. Large coins wouldn't be considered convenient by many people I think. But I still carry notes and pay for things like takeaway deliveries by cash.

Even so, it is worth now several times what you have paid and so it was a good investment 🙂

Nice coin, and I wish I had brought one before it got so expensive. £200 was a good deal even then I think.

I remember my A level Chemistry teacher telling me that people used to wash their hands with benzene in university labs. Glad that it was banned by my days. But there are of course more "hazardous" substances that are still commonly used in labs because there are no safer alternatives. For example, if I have to choose between dipping my finger into benzene or into concentrated nitric acid, then my choice will of course be benzene.

Consider getting a specimen crown rather than the RE proof as it is much cheaper. The specimen is nice, has reflective fields (but no frosting), and comes in the same red box as the proof. My specimen (top) cost me £50 in 2020 and my RE proof (bottom) cost £500 15 years ago.

Very true. But a decent EF example is now well over a thousand pounds. I don't particularly like that George IV portrait and so didn't want to pay so much. As for William IV, I would eventually settle for a halfcrown which is of the same design.

It is a moot point whether the undecimo gothic crown is a pattern. Firstly 8000 were produced which is high for a pattern. In addition, it also gained legal tender status unlike non-adopted patterns. Hence, some did circulate as currency. If I have to take a position, I would call it a limited issue rather than a pattern. Wreath crowns are not generally considered patterns either.

I would suggest eBay and selling the coins and accessories separately.

Good luck. The experience gained could be useful if you ever need to do it for a higher value coin one day.

Those George III crowns were struck with a great deal of care (graduated striking and delivered to banks wrapped in soft paper.) The engraving is truly superb.

Then it gets really difficult with the gothic (pricey rather than rare), William IV, high grade George IV, high grade Young Head. That's why I started other denominations.