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Many dealers including Chris at Buckscoins use ebay as a shop window, we do too. For £20.00 you can list 200 coins in the hope that collectors will be sensible enough to find you online. Mark

http://www.londoncoins.co.uk/?searchlot=2054&searchtype=2&page=Catalogue Can anyone work this out ? It's an attractive coin but.... Mark

I take it you disagreed with EF then Dave? Mark

Hi Tom, I really like Gothic's. Yes it's not bad, but it's not choice. Although the reverse is good. I have noticed that there are not as many in the higher grades around as a a couple of years ago. Having said that I was the under bidder at a couple of auctions recently for a grade I wouldn't normally bother with. The coins just had such good eye appeal. Mark

I want a mint state Godless and haven't seen one in the past 6 months. I thought I just wasn't looking hard enough. Hello Potlings. Well I have a really good one that's going up soon. For all the reasons stated you normally have to make compromises depending on how deep your pockets are. Regards Mark

Dave, Martin did me a really good turn. He got a bargain accordingly. Regards Mark

Well Rob I think there is a lesson there. If it really is choice overbidding a little may be no bad thing. After all they don't make em any more. Suppose the art is to separate the good from the 'also rans'. Of course I'm know im not teaching you anything you don't know. Mark

I want a mint state Godless and haven't seen one in the past 6 months. I thought I just wasn't looking hard enough. Hello Potlings. There was a really nice 1856 slabbed PCGS 65 in London Coins 117 (2007) which I stopped bidding on and have regretted ever since. I haven't seen one like it since. Super coin with a greenish tone. I want a mint state Godless and haven't seen one in the past 6 months. I thought I just wasn't looking hard enough. Hello Potlings. There was a really nice 1856 slabbed PCGS 65 in London Coins 117 (2007) which I stopped bidding on and have regretted ever since. I haven't seen one like it since. Super coin with a greenish tone.Rob,This sounds like the 'fishermans one that got away' , what did you bid up to? Do you regret not going higher? Mark

Lot of common sense there Rob. I have just been looking at a slabbed GVI date run in an upcoming Auction. All high grade but way over estimated because they are Slabbed. Guess which Auction house. LOL Mark PS wouldn't mind getting a copy of Peck. The latest edition. You wouldn't have one at a sensible price would you?

And I'm charging a modest £80.00 for this. I think I should apply for Job with CGS LOL. Mark

I should have been clearer. I wasn't suggesting my coin was an equal to the London/CGS one. Just that if I were in the market for one I'd want a stronger reverse. That makes the 1918 unappealing to me, irrespective of the amount of wear CGS have decided it has been subject to ....Well Tom I think your coin is interesting it's EF/UNC IMO. It demonstrates that this period throws up some anomalies. One being a whole grade differences between one side and another. Mark

Well Stuart you and I are 1/2 grade apart on the reverse. Can't see us falling out. In fairness I do generally find CGS consistent it's just every now and then you get some glaring anomalies. Now of course all of us can make mistakes, but most dealers don't charge for trying to accurately grade a coin. Most of us would agree grading is an opinion, however numerical grading seeks to take itself above that idea. So when questionable examples come along they tend to stand out from the pack. Mark

Well Stuart I buy the GEF for the obverse. However the reverse even allowing for the closed faces of the Lion's in this period and the weakness of strike, are flattened through wear IMO. So reverse a generous EF. The thing is we can all argue about 1/2 a grade but collectors are shipping coins in bucket loads to CGS and accepting their grading as the final authority. Would just say I'm not against CGS or numerical grading, just prefer traditional. It's the final authority bit that gets me. I'm now building a reservoir of examples to show anyone who thinks slabbing is the final word. This one is going in front and centre. Mark

Well Dave I agree. However the reverse just dosn't make CGS 80, I'm struggling with EF. I know this period is difficult and it's always good to be humble, but the ear on the obverse looks decidedly flat. mark

I should add that the address is the same, but using a different name. I'm not going to comment publicly again on this as I'm contacting the police later in the day after seeing if the cheque has arrived. If anyone wants to speak about this please use my contact details. Regards Mark

Chris, It is illegal to write a cheque 'knowingly' that it will bounce after entering into a contract. Regards Mark

Hi Chris, Had an order online today for a choice 1799 Spade Guinea from the same address. Paying by cheque. Will let you know where it goes. Kind regards Mark

Obviously I don't collect mint state coins. But I too am surprised by the percentages.To me a grade is surely entirely down to wear (surface preservation)? A sharp-as-you-like coin that has bag marks should to my opinion still grade the same as one that has no marks.Clearly if the surface is damaged in some way by natural wear or by cleaning, some percentage of the original surface has been removed and the grade drops. This is where lustre and strike come in, to allow determination of whether a coin is worn or normally poorly struck.In theory I think a BU sharply struck coin should grade the same as a BU weakly struck one. If there's no wear at all it should attain top grade.Of course that doesn't happen in practice because people generally favour more sharply struck coins, as we know. Hence 2,3 and 4 which I rather feel all fall into the catch-all of 'eye appeal'Oddly 'eye appeal' is what I (almost exclusively) go on when buying coins ... strange that..Tom, You have absolutely nailed it. The fact is the two systems, tradditional English grading and numerical are not comparable. It's apples and pears. Are both relevant? Perhaps. The benefit of the tradditional method is that it allows for much more description and qualification. Mark

I really like CCGB. I think some of the prices are on the low side, certainly in comparison to Spink and the Token book which forms the basis of Tony Clayton's site I believe. However the mintages are useful as are the interesting bibs and bobs thrown in for discussion. It is refreshingly down to earth. Love the fact that I can get it on my iPad and my phone, something I can't do in February 2015 with Spink. Pleased to see it now goes back further. Chris I for one hope you take it back even further. The other thing is it, along with the standard grading book, is that they are sensibly priced. I don't have to talk myself into buying it. Long may it continue to be published. Mark

Did we not discuss under another thread that under European law any buyer has the right to return anything purchased on the net within fourteen days. At the end of the day so much of this is opinion as to grading, cleaning etc. Surley if you want to maintain good will you just accept it back. End of. How many buyers who have had you refund money promptly would refuse to buy from you again? Very few I would suggest. Mark

Chris, Downloaded very easily. Good to see the extension and the number of varieties. Mark

Thanks

Dave, How much insurance does this buy you? Mark

Stuart, Is absolutely correct. In fact one could argue that is not cleaning at all, not in the sense that it is generally understood. Azda do it in the chemist section for a £1.00 a bottle. Mark

Glad I'm not the only one that needs the kids ( grandchildren) to sort me out.LOL M