Sword

It does appear that LCA is not keen to "advertise" the potential live bidding. We have received 3 e-mails from them and the latest one arrived just half an hour ago. Not a word of mention about the Easylive platform.

The foam product is unbranded and so one can't be totally certain if they are "safe". The branded equivalent is "airtite" and they are £1.99 for five including the plastic capsules. Coin gallery states "The genuine Airtite rings are made from Volara and are completely free from PVC and other harmful chemicals ensuring your coins can be safely stored." If the coins are VF, then I think they can just go into the capsules without the foam in many cases. E.g. if a VF penny has diameter 30.86 mm, then a 31mm is fine.

Davies gives some details on the alloys. From 1920 - 1922, the "dull alloy" was used which has copper with either 10% nickel (from old shell casings) or 5% manganese. Both readily tone to a darkish grey. The "bright alloy" (just 50% copper) was used from 1922 onward and was also heavily blanched. I am not certain I can agree that the shallow portrait makes it harder to have coins in UNC. Any wear will make the coin lose lustre at high points and hence its UNC status, whether it is the shallow or deep-cut portrait. It's just less obvious with the sterling coins which are often less well struck to begin with. I think the 1923 is the easiest to find in UNC. It is surprisingly difficult to find a 1911-1919 in true UNC grade if one is very strict.

It is probably referring to the fact that there is no VAT charged in Hong Kong.

Not according to their website: https://www.ngccoin.uk/join/ "NGC and PMG Remain Open and fully Operational" whatever that means. I called my bank four times recently and couldn't get through either...

It's not clearly written but I think it does not apply to photos of approved companies. "Activity that doesn't follow eBay policy could result in a range of actions including for example: administratively ending,..." Maybe it would be good sport if Ebay add this emoji 😉 after the statement.

I don't use them myself but I am sure they are safe if Colin Cooke is selling them. You can e-mail to check if they are acid-free and I have no doubt they will say yes. Here is an alternative (from Rob): https://www.rpcoins.co.uk/collections/accessories/products/00099999 I think they are a good choice for circulated coins. You probably want to keep EF or better in quadrums or 2x2.

My choice would be standard. Intercepts are designed to protect the lustre of BU / aBU coins and prevent toning. I don't think there is any advantage for using them with VF+. I buy quadrums from coin gallery myself but they don't do "pick 'n' mix". Highly recommend them. Good prices and always prompt delivery.

Perhaps someone did/do sell mixed size quadrums on Ebay. The only one I can see now is this seller in Australia. But his postage is too expensive for the UK and so is not an option. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lighthouse-Quadrum-2-x-2-Square-Coin-Capsules-MIXED-PACK-OF-10-YOU-CHOOSE/133183530325?hash=item1f025b6555:g:UpcAAOSwKQ9aJedv

Don't think you can buy Quadrums in pick 'n' mix sizes unfortunately. Boxes of 10 should be fine if you have favorite denominations.

Very occasionally, the washer can rotate within the CGS slab. Those are not fibres but marks on the coin surface. The coin was struck on an existing coin and I think the marks were made in the minting process. This is a photo of the coin before it was encapsulated showing that at least some of the marks are raised.

I think having a divot is preferable to the horrid green colour of verd. The coin already looks considerably more appealing to my eyes after the cleaning attempt with toothpick.

It does look like they are very reluctant to start offering live online bidding. Otherwise they might at least have said that they are looking into this option. My guess is that they will be doing it by advance bidding only and hope that future sales will be back to normal.

LCA is just burying its head in the sand. Might be they will announce their decision regarding live bidding when they publish their catalogue.

I can't wait that long. Have been using clippers already. When the lockdown is partially lifted, which of the following two methods would you prefer your hairdresser to use?

CGS hasn't changed their numerical system. It is still 1-100. But they have removed the prefix grades from their numbers. E.g. they used to give grades such as CGS AU78. Now it is simply CGS 78. (Their reason being that there could be grade inflation over time but claim their numerical standards do not change. Hence, they are saying that their 78 (AU, 10 years ago) is now what market would now consider UNC). Of course CGS is now called LCGS.

I didn't mean to sound undiplomatic with regard to its "value". Although it might not be worth much in monetary terms, it is certainly an interesting item to "rediscover". Simply speculating how it got there and who it might have belonged to is a lot of fun.

The initials GN are not mint marks. They were engraved onto the coin sometime after it has been minted by a private individual. A mint mark has to be part of the original design of the coin. The coin is sterling silver. However, it is only worth scrap value it this condition.

A really good collection! They are well struck examples and most are nice round coins.

Just a thought. No coin fairs, no room bidding in auctions, less lots being assigned etc. Will there simply be much less new stock on the market in the next 6 months?

It's working now.

It's much easier to agree on a price for a problem-free coin than to suggest a value for a cleaned one. For me, I just don't want a lightly polished coin in my collection and would rather have a lower grade honest example. A 30% discount off the problem-free price won't tempt me but others might think differently.

That's fair enough. He does provide very good photos which are of course much more useful than grades. I know I am probably losing out, but I just don't buy from Ebay. I am more comfortable buying from dealers' own sites.

I have brought from him too and he is indeed a very decent dealer. But personally, I would prefer if he grades his coins conventionally using UNC, EF etc. rather than his own scale of "superb - very nice - nice". I know buyers should be able to grade for themselves but I would like the seller's opinion nonetheless.

Apart from the black marks, the 83 is a very nice coin indeed. The braid is very clear. The loss of detail in the top lion is due to weak striking I think. But I agree, the marks are distracting.