Garrett

Yes I like the E7 Florin and the Britannia on the reverse too. My example was acquired when I was a kid, is well worn, and the last digit in the date is indistinguishable. Will have to upgrade soon !! (I've only recently come back to collecting after a long break)

Just had a look for some information about the man behind the collection. Looks like this fellow is one of the greats of our hobby. Others (beginners) may also be interested in these links, Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_P._Newman Gallery of some coins - http://www.ngccoin.com/gallery/newman.aspx cheers Garrett.

Yes nice tokens David ! Not much into tokens, but wouldn't mind those in my collection at all. Do you have any other coin dealer tokens ?

Very good humour chaps !

Thanks everyone ! Coinery - no I was not able to find any information either on the net or in Spink about these being faked (thank goodness), I just get a bit over-cautious ! Rob - that is a magnificent site and I have immediately bookmarked it ! It's nice how the provenance is given for some coins as far back as a hundred years. We are only caretakers of our coins in a way I guess.....

ha ha - I hit post and I remembered hearing about some others. Let's just say, complete as far as Spink is concerned The others can wait. Probably a long, long time. having said that, if you have any of the others feel free to show us !

My new acquisition for January and she's gorgeous ! It's a 1714 farthing, from looking at London coins and the like I make it to be a Peck 741. Looked at it a while before buying as it was a touch expensive. Also was concerned for a while about the damaged letting as it reminded me of the Northumberland Shilling fakes, but the letter oddities appear on other farthings I found on the net. Britannia's face is interesting too, but it appears like that on a lot of these farthings from what I could find on the net. Wikipedia says that Isaac Newton was in charge of the mint when these were produced. My set of Anne coppers is now complete

Yes welcome ! I have the 'Grading British Coins' book on my iPhone and I very much like it. Does Derek's book go back further than 1797 ?

Very interesting ! That would be a hell of a mark up though

Thanks for the link Paulus ! Load of information there.

Yes good effort ! Nice coin too ! I want to start photographing soon too and interested in any info on gear/ techniques.

Would you want to sell him the first coin now ? Do you have a choice if he pays ? I'd be worried about it going 'missing' in the mail or some other misadventure....

As far as circulation coins go I really like the Edwardian florin Britannia. I like the first reverse of the George IV farthing too (as a whole). But any Britannia where her face doesn't look too male will do. cheers Garrett.

Where's the king ??

This amused me. Someone was obviously interested in the lot and had a few quick-fire bids, thought about it for a minute and had another stab, gave up, went away for 10 minutes and came back for a couple of last tries.... ha ha ha - got to giggle. The lot itself not that interesting (a bunch of proof dollars 221357180839) and I only noticed because I bid on (and won) some farthings and sixpences from the same vendor. cheers Garrett.

Yes he is spot on. Buy pieces you enjoy having. You've just given me a marvelous idea. I have a fridge half full of beer and rum cans, it's a hot afternoon, the cricket starts in half hour, and it's our national day. Don't know why i didn't think of it myself . see you tomorrow.

It looks like a fair amount of wear present, despite the apparently lustrous state. In fact, possibly too much lustre for that much wear. Any chance of seeing in the hand to check? Hi Rob It's here http://www.colonialcollectables.com/uk-coins/1733-1731-halfpenny-.html The vendor describes it as gVF. You can have a closer look for a little over 50 quid + any UK import charges. I'm not really buying it, I was just joking around . I will hold out and get a problem free one some day. Do you suspect it's had a bit of a clean at some stage ? cheers Garrett. cheers Garrett.

Rightio As soon as we work all this out I'm buying this one....

Received the new Downies auction catalogue in the mail this morning. Probably not too much that will excite the crew here but there is a really nice looking 1746 Lima half-crown purportedly UNC with 'attractive golden toning'. Looks nice enough in the picture but the toning looks more like coffee stains. The example I bought in my youth is only VF, but I am not out to upgrade at the moment. Also, wouldn't mind having a side wager that this coin sails well above estimate (750 AUD + commission). I am guessing the online catalogue will be available soon. Cheers Garrett.

Yes beautiful token, and thanks for giving a bit of the story behind it too.

Ha ha classic Peck !

I would have guessed that the right is the obverse because it has a crown (monarchs = obverse) while the shield on the left image reminds me of coats of arms often seen on reverses. I really have no idea though, does any reference works give any opinion ?

I wouldn't worry too much. You'd expect a few 'buggers' here and there in a book like that. A collector would be mad to spend a fortune on a coin based on information from a single source. It's a good book, I like it. Seems easier to navigate than Spink, the prices on the couple of coins I've looked at so far seem more realistic, and I had a third point but I've forgotten (oh hang on I remember - had a farthing variety that Spink didn't list). cheers Garrett.

Welcome to the forum Rich ! Some great responses here. Reading up before you buy is great advice. Keep in mind you can download some really good coin eBooks to your iPhone/iPad as well. It was a good option for me as the eBook was less than the postage on a real book, and your books are available anywhere, anytime. cheers Garrett.

Good one guys and thanks for the correction.