Sword

It is rather sad that so many people only care about the number on the slab rather than what the coin (and even less what the slab) looks like. Can you imagine the insult of putting for example a Charles I Oxford Crown in a plastic slab? If one were to slab such a treasure, it should be between two pieces of sapphire glass at least!

I have wondered if TPGs will offer super deluxe slabs for very valuable coins in the future. E.g. non scratch glass instead of cheap plastic. It does look strange to slab a 50 or 100k coins in some cheap plastic that is easy to scratch.

UNC with cabinet friction is one of those self-contradictory term. There is wear but it could be due to mishandling rather than circulation. Sure.

It is a matter of seeing any old man with a goatee one wants to see. 😀

Perhaps. I admit Lenin was the first thing to come to mind.

Reverse of the coin:

Although I don't know anything about Soviet coins, I am inclined to think it is not Lenin. I find it hard to believe that Soviet coins would bear a portrait of Lenin in 1943. Surely it would not have been PC to have a soviet leader on a coin like the Tsars before. The CCCP emblem would be much more appropriate. E.g.

Forum member Madness came to mind too. 😀 And he still logs into regularly.

He states "As winning bidder if you are not happy and return the item to me I will refund your purchase price and postage costs without question". I have a suspicion he might not be honoring that promise.

That phrase generally mean giving advice to someone who is more expert in a particular area. But then again, I do find it useful for friends to occasionally emphasise things I already know. Articles / sites on fakes are so instructive and entertaining for collectors of all levels! It will be greatly appreciated by all.

This is a potential risk. But the fakers have already compared images of real coins with their creations and probably do know where the differences are. Besides, indicators such as poor quality of edge lettering, raised spots, same scratches on cast coins etc are much easier to spot then correct.

Depends on what you want to photograph I guess. My current compact is a cannon sureshot sx700hs brought a few years back. It is a very good holiday camera and comes with a 30X zoom and optical image stabilisation. Hence I can use max zoom without tripod. The lower zoom versions will be around £150. But I am not certain if it is any good in photographing coins though.

Found one for you. This shows the portrait of Yuan Shikai (The portrait of the Fat Man Dollar).

There is no indication of date for the Tael. Nice items!

Indeed! Great item.

I have done GCSE Chinese and can give you some information. The first one is indeed Chinese. The portrait is that of Sun Yat-Sen, the founding father of the Republic of China. The Chinese characters translate to "25th year of the Republic of China" (1937). Dr Sun died in 1925 and so this is a commemoration item. The reverse states finess 98.00 (98%), Weight 1.000. The logo is that of the Hang Seng Bank in Hong Kong. I won't describe it as coin coin weight but (if genuine) as a silver ingot issued by a bank. The second silver weight: this has characters for Hunan Provence. The weight is one Tael which is a traditional Chinese weight. "In China, there were many different weighting standards of tael depending on the region or type of trade. In general the silver tael weighed around 40 grams (1.3 ozt). The most common government measure was the Kuping; "treasury standard") tael, weighing 37.5 grams (1.21 ozt). A common commercial weight, the Caoping "canal shipping standard") tael weighed 36.7 grams (1.18 ozt) of marginally less pure silver.

Sounds a bit like the episode "Long John Peter" in Family Guy... "In the episode, Peter steals a parrot from the vet and becomes convinced that he is a pirate. He becomes the scourge of the neighborhood, terrorizing every corner of Quahog until he accidentally kills his beloved bird..."

Park sign in Amsterdam pointing out the obvious.

3 to 6 millions at auction? It's only worth just over half a million euros if all the coins are made of pure gold!

From their T & C: "You are strongly advised to examine the images provided online and if in any doubt ask for condition report that is available on request." So it might not be possible to view any lots in hand. In addition, 20% seller's commission and another 20% buyer's commission look excessive to me for the service offered. Does look like a higher class ebay.

Most of us have been amused by the standard of English in foreign hotels. Here is a selection: Japan Is forbitten to steal hotel towels please. If you are not person to do such thing is please not to read notis. You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid. Information booklet about using a hotel air conditioner: Cooles and Heates: If you want just condition of warm in your room, please control yourself. Guests are requested not to smoke or do other disgusting behaviors in bed. Depositing the room key into another person is prohibited. Germany Berlin cloakroom: Please hang yourself here. It is our intention to pleasure you every day. Greece: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 A.M. daily. France Please leave your values at the front desk. Name of a hotel in Lectoure: Hotel de Bastard. Wondering what to wear? A sports jacket may be worn to dinner, but no trousers. Romania: The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable. Poland On the menu of a Polish hotel: Salad a firm’s own make; limpid red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger; roasted duck let loose; beef rashers beaten up in the country people’s fashion. Switzerland Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose. Special today – no ice cream. We have nice bath and are very good in bed. Mexico: The manager has personally passed all the water served here. South Korea Choose twin bed or marriage size; we regret no King Kong size. Measles not included in room charge. Italy Suggestive views from every window. If service is required, give two strokes to the maid and three to the waiter. It is kindly requested from our guests that they avoid dirting and doing rumours in the rooms. Hot and cold water running up and down the stairs. Finland: Instructions in case of fire: If you are unable to leave your room, expose yourself in the window. Ethiopia: To call room service, please open door and call Room Service. Please call quiet, people may sleep. Spain We highly recommend the hotel tart. Take Discotheque with or without date, in summer plus open air bonging bar Turkey: Flying water in all rooms. You may bask in sun on patio

😀😀😀

The Rotunda of Mosta. Note the damage to the dome where a bomb dropped through during WWII. The bomb did not explode thankfully. A replica of the bomb is shown inside the church.

Some photos from Malta. The St John's Co-Cathedral.

One thing to be careful about is that many auction houses has a clause that "bulk lots" might contain items that are not genuine. This is fair enough if a bulk lot contains 20+ items but somewhat harsh if it contains just half a dozen. I have never brought a bulk lot before and certainly won't do so by looking at photos.