Sword

Why did Glens mention hairlines when there are in fact none? If it was a mistake, then why didn't the vendor object? Well done in acquiring it in any case. :-) Also, that was 16 years ago when standards were higher. The phrase "cleaned with hairlines" has a somewhat different meaning today...

"Clean" would imply rubbing or polishing to me. I don't think auction houses would mention previous "careful removal of lumps of dirt or grease" as they probably wouldn't know in the first place. "Of bright appearance" would imply likely dipping.

He has indeed. Copied from Baldwin's fixed price list. https://issuu.com/baldwinscoins/docs/baldwin_s_fpl_2014_w_-_for_issuu.co Page 123.

This remains me of a dialogue from the film Inglorious Basterds: Perrier LaPadite: Rats spread diseases. They bite people. Col. Hans Landa: Rats were the cause of the bubonic plague, but that's some time ago. I propose to you, any disease a rat could spread, a squirrel could equally carry. Would you agree? Perrier LaPadite: Oui. Col. Hans Landa: Yet I assume you don't share the same animosity with squirrels that you do with rats, do you? Perrier LaPadite: No. Col. Hans Landa: But they're both rodents, are they not? And except for the tail, they even rather look alike, don't they?

I might try a combination of repellent sprays and ultrasonic repellents. The type which uses solar power in addition to batteries is probably best. I have used them with some degree of success for cats but don't know how effective they are for squirrels. (You can adjust the frequency for different type of pests). Apparently they also work for teenage kids as they can hear higher frequencies than us. I read that some councils have been using them to discourage kids from gathering at certain spots.

I suspect the coins would look OK once they have been straighten out.

LCA catalogue now online if interested.

My side effect lasted less than a day. I felt like someone was sticking needles at the top of my shoulder periodically. I have also heard that the side effects can be severe for those who actually had covid.

Nearly all hobbies start off as luxuries and indulgences.But some (not me though) do eventually become expert enough to make some money from their interests. Others just do it for the fun.

I have decided to give acetone a go. It's quite a nice George V halfcrown but the dirty mark on the cheek has been seriously irritating me. The result is quite good. There is only a trace of the mark left now which is much less distracting than before.

That's an impressive coin, even for those not normally interested in errors.

There was a thread about his appointment at the time. http://www.predecimal.com/forum/topic/11188-new-managing-director-at-baldwins/?tab=comments#comment-149669

He was appointed MD of Baldwins in 2016 and left the running of Colin Cooke to Lee Brownson.

One problem with cotton gloves is that they don't come in enough different sizes. The gloves I get are usually too big for my hands and this can make handling more difficult. I think there is no point wearing gloves when picking up hammered coins by the edge. There is probably enough "stuff" on the edges since the items have been around for hundreds of years already. The main concern from the video about wearing gloves is the added risk of dropping the coin and causing edge knocks. Surely, this danger can be eliminated by using a decent padded surface when examining coins just in case of accidents? Would you want to handle a rare plain edge proof with bare hands? You probably wouldn't if you consider the edge to be the third surface of a coin. I think it would be a good idea to use a little air blower remove dust or lint from surfaces on lustrous coins.

I personally find it difficult to get consistent photos of coins in slabs. Sometimes, I can get very good photos as if the plastic isn't there. However, I do find that high grade toned coins can sometimes result in "flat" images.

Might be I should explain that I don't think the seller actually passed away. The buyer left a feedback in his own language and probably has a limited command of English. One of the recent items of the seller's is a certain "Cromwell crown"...

An original eBay feedback:

I have never been a fan of coin first day covers. For it to work, you need to incorporate an attractive and relevant coin to a well designed cover. Stamps and coins only go together if there is a strong link between them. I have recently brought one of these covers which I think is very attractive. The 1966 World Cup is the historic event in English football. The 1996 football 2 pound coin is particularly relevant and attractive. It was signed by Geoff Hurst, who scored the hat-trick. The design is very nice too.

I agree that first day cover/coin combination is generally not a good idea and is somewhat of a forced marriage. If the coin is nice and expensive, then I want to keep it with my other coins and not on its own in an envelope. It is also out of place keeping it in a folder as the coin sticks out and can leave an imprint on the other covers. The 1996 £2 is also one of my favorite decimal. It went into general circulation at the time (although I didn't keep one then). The slightly domed centre gives the football a 3D effect. I think autographed first day covers are much more interesting unsigned ones. The signature is far more interesting than the stamps for me.

The Royal Mint has made a 10kg gold coin with a face value of £10000. The scrap value is approaching 400k and the price is supplied on application. I imagine the price won't be much less than a million. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56920734

... back to the £10,000 coin, apparently "it has already been sold to an unnamed buyer for a price that’s likely to be in the region of six figures" according to the Metro.

It's no surprise that George VI refused. Since, his brother didn't want to be King, why should he want a set of the coins? Edward VIII's abdication hurt George VI deeply. Hence he didn't allow the Duchess of Windsor or their future descendants to use the HRH title. George told his staff not to put phone calls from his brother to him. The coins of George VI faced the same way as George V, which simply ignored the fact that Edward VIII faced the "wrong" way.

I don't understand why they wouldn't make their photos available. It would only make their coins more marketable. I am uncomfortable buying a slabbed coin without the pre-encapsulation photos. The CGS capsule hides the entire edge of the obverse making it impossible to see any nicks or knocks.

Come to think of it, we don't have moderators who visit the forum very regularly. (Not that this has been a problem in recent times). Perhaps Chris might consider asking if some of the long established members like yourself, Rob, Mike etc would consider being moderators?

Yes, that mark on the cheek is too distracting for me.