jaggy

Update to previous comment. With IOS 8 on the iPhone, iBooks is a standard app. I was able to 'sync' my existing copy of CCGB to my iPhone so I now have my 'handy-dandy' reference on my phone.

Congratulations on your find. Who said that exercise was bad for you

Try here: http://www.predecimal.com/forum/topic/7880-posting-pics/ My impression is that more US collectors are interested in 'error' coins than UK ones. Though off-metal strikes and coins that have been mint damaged do have a following, natural degradation of the dies seems to very much depend on which denomination and reign we're talking about. . There are 'errors' and 'errors'. For me, some errors have curiosity value such as my 1949 Uniface sixpence which is only struck on the Reverse. Others, such as the 1878 Dritanniar sixpence or the 1821 BBitanniar sixpence are more 'mainstream'.

Outstanding. Really well put together catalogue and a great read.

Agree with all that....I bought some cracking Siege pieces from Peter at Grantham and have always bought well from MR and Steve Mitchell at Studio.....the worst over grader of all time in my personal opinion was John Welch Coins....I believe D J Traynor went on Her Majesty's naughty step for a while ? Yep .. and I bought from Dolphin Coins many moons ago and was pretty happy that I got what I paid for.

I have two 1855 sixpences. One has a small die crack not dissimilar to yours. 1855 sixpences are considered 'scarce' but not 'rare' per Seaby (ESC). The die crack has no influence on this.

Collections tend to hit the market as collectors die off (as we all must do sooner or later). So I think we will continue to see a flow of decent quality coins at the major auctioneers. The real issue is what is going to happen to prices. Will they continue to increase as they have been doing? Will the gap between high quality and the rest continue to grow as is so evident in the prices at Heritage (e.g. an MS65 vs an MS63)? And there is an opportunity for knowledgeable dealers/speculators to make money by exploiting market differences and the premium that slabbed coins can bring in certain markets. The buy at London Coins, slab and sell at Heritage phenomenon. Also, there are collectors/investors who will pay well over the odds if it is the coin they really want. You may recall the unsolicited offer I received for an 1853 proof sixpence which I sold for almost double what I paid and just two months after winning it at Heritage. And if you take the long view then they may be right. The coins I was buying 20 years ago are worth substantially more now than I paid for them then.

Just to say that I bought a coin from Clive on here and was happy with the price and grading.

An 1893 JH sixpence graded 'EF or better' sold at DNW on 18th September 2013 for £2,500. At the time it was outside my price range. Had it been this last sale I would have probably bought it. The last 1854 'EF" at DNW was September of 2009 when it sold for £1,900. I think that when these rarities come around you just have to go for it. Finances permitting of course. The operative phrase is 'Finances permitting of course.' And the problem is the sheer number of coins that would require this level of expenditure. That becomes prohibitive and so I have to decide where I'd prefer to spend. Would I like to upgrade my fine condition rare date sixpences, or do I buy a new coin altogether to fill a gap? With my most recent purchase, I'd rather have the 1703 plain halfcrown for £1850, than update a rare date, but ultimately relatively boring coin such as a Victorian sixpence. Nothing boring about Victorian sixpences

An 1893 JH sixpence graded 'EF or better' sold at DNW on 18th September 2013 for £2,500. At the time it was outside my price range. Had it been this last sale I would have probably bought it. The last 1854 'EF" at DNW was September of 2009 when it sold for £1,900. I think that when these rarities come around you just have to go for it. Finances permitting of course.

It means that anytime you have the number 7 in a photo it will be painted out

I still actually prefer books. Same here. Yeah, but with the Kindle app I can read it like a book, and it takes no space on my bookshelves I love having it on my iBooks app. I can browse an auction catalogue and just toggle back and forth between CCGB and the catalogue. If only I could get ESC electronically too.

I still have my Zorki 4 from penniless student days "Ohhhh, those RRRRRussians..." When I was a student I had an Instamatic. Now that really is 'penniless'.

Sony bought Konica Minolta which is how they got their camera making expertise. Yes, they did. But they haven't persisted very far down the line with what they inherited - they've kind of ploughed their own furrow for some years now, and have used Zeiss rather than Rokkor (or equivalent) for the same time. Though I believe Rokkor lenses may be usable on earlier Sony cameras? Interesting. I don't really follow the photography industry. I chose to go with Nikon and pretty much stick with their lenses.

Sony bought Konica Minolta which is how they got their camera making expertise.

Oh, [he said, backtracking fast ] I've nothing against DSLRs! They are capable of the best quality, I'd say, though mirrorless systems are their equal now. If you are able to heft a DSLR and its lenses (I'm not) then why not? Having said that, I'm amazed at the number of DSLR owners who now have a very capable 'second' camera, usually pocketable, that they carry around at all times. The latest iPhone is dam' good, but also the trend begun by the Lumix LX5 (compact, fixed zoom lens, 'enthusiast' cameras - the Fuji X100 also comes to mind, though as it's a fixed focal length lens only, I struggle to see how it would be as flexible as most other cameras). Horses for courses. I still maintain that DSLRs will be replaced by mirrorless systems, but there are photographers out there who still use SLRs and film! And why not...? I know a pretty eminent photographer who would agree with you. For me the key is not the camera body but the lenses and what they allow you to photograph whether it be macro, wide angle or telephoto.

Hi Jaggy, Very nice image of a small coin! Just a few thoughts...you will get slightly sharper images if you use an f-stop of around 5.6 to 11, possibly up to f-14. Opened beyond that, macro images will show softness (blurriness) due to diffraction. Also, if your camera is mounted very solidly with no vibrations, you will get sharper images if you set your ISO down to 100. If your tripod is really sturdy, a slightly longer exposure can actually sometimes increase the sharpness of macro photos because the shutter slap isn't as pronounced. Cheers, -Brandon Brandon Thanks for the tips. Still have a lot to learn with this photography malarkey. Peckris ... to avoid requoting your post. You may well be right re: mirrorless cameras. But I already have my DSLR (which I did not buy just to photograph coins) and I already have a couple of lenses. So that is a 'sunk cost'. I learned long ago that it is very hard to keep up with technology but if what you have works ....... Charles

Which macro lens do you use? I have a Nikon DSLR but it would appear that there are several macro lenses available from 40mm all the way up. We use at present a Tamron 90 mm Macro lens Thanks .... Did a bit of 'googling' and it turns out that the longer the macro (i.e. over 100mm) the better. Problem is that the longer the macro the more expensive. I think I need some of those non-coin investments to produce.

Which macro lens do you use? I have a Nikon DSLR but it would appear that there are several macro lenses available from 40mm all the way up.

I use a DSLR on a tripod. As I do not have a macro lens or specialist lighting, I use my 17-55mm lens with the f/stop as high as it will go and the standard flash unit in the camera. I then use Photoshop Elements to crop the photo and adjust lighting and contrast as needed. This is an example: Exposure time: 1/60 sec F-stop: f/25 ISO: 250 Focal length: 55mm

Photoshop Elements gives you most of what you need in photo software and is less expensive than the full package.

I was actually only going to bid on two lots. And I got those two for quite a bit less than I expected to pay. So I spent the money 'saved' on a third lot

I won three lots today and four at London Coins last week. I tend to bid at LC, DNW and Heritage. Not that there is anything wrong with the others but I am comfortable with these.

London Coins sold a couple in UNC for £80 each about a year ago. So, I would price a VF in the £15-£20 pound range.

Speaking as someone who likes to buy coins, I would be up the creek without a paddle if nobody ever sold them. But, I agree with you. We all have different circumstances. I spend what I am comfortable with. How much I choose to spend is nobodies business but my own (and that of my wife ). I generally choose not to sell coins because I don't have to. That nice man who manages my retirement money and that other nice man who sends me a pension cheque every month (I took early retirement) means that I can continue funding my hobby.