Colin G.

Congratulations, what a way to celebrate the new year!!

It is the The Galata Guide to the Farthing Tokens of James I & Charles I by Tim Everson. It deals with only these specific pieces. Some examples from the late great Colin Cooke's collection can be seen here. http://www.colincooke.com/coinpages/ccc_jamesi.html

I have also had mixed results, it really seems to depend on the day. I have had some bargains and also a few that I know I overpaid for...but that's the way it goes, at some auctions I seem to crash and not get anything, and at others I seem to get everything I was chasing. It really is bizarre!!

Tim's book is a brilliant resource, and I have always found him very approachable about anomolies and queries...a must have investment for those interested

If you do not have the sellers permission, I would think Ebay would just say no rather than try to deal with something which will not benefit them directly. Easiest way is to e-mail the seller and ask directly. I have done it a couple of times and they are generally positive responses/fascinated by the interest.

My main aim is to continue picking off more 1/4d varieties. I want to use my detector more and membership of a new club should help with that! I also want to pick up a few choice pieces Peter......you keep away from those hammered farthings!! An area that caught my eye in 2011. My main task is to be in a position to potentially publish (something) by the end of 2012. I know a similar post in 2010 may have contained the same statement, but my full time job was crazy last year....I am determined to be more focused on this in 2012!!

But watch out for the Jersey/Guernsey/Isle on man etc etc which are not widely accepted as legal tender.... Actually I was going to bring those up later, I can not understand why they can strike some really pretty coins and yet we seem to have "dull" ones. Are we just boring as a nation in this respect. Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder with some of these!! What have they done to Kate!!! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Coins-Collectable-Prince-WILLIAM-and-KATE-Middleton-/160617668726?pt=UK_Royalty&hash=item25658f2076

But watch out for the Jersey/Guernsey/Isle on man etc etc which are not widely accepted as legal tender....

I'd give the reverse a clear Fine, the obverse not yet there (too much wear to the hair, and a few letters going). So, NF/F is my verdict. I would generally agree with the above comments, but scans can also make the copper series look a bit "flatter" from a detail perspective. I bet a photo would put a marginally better slant on it

I think that's a fair assessment. Most of us are in 3. but working and dreaming for 2. I am in that camp as well!!!

That coin has no specific silver content, the coin is made from cupro nickel and when subject to a period underground or cleaning via various methods they will assume a pinkish tone

I knew of Colin's site, of course, and of his enthusiasm. What I didn't know was that he was systematically "doing a Freeman" ("doing a Gouby"? that sounds vaguely rude, somehow ). I thought it was ad hoc and unofficial. It was adhoc and unofficial...at first...but I always had a vision of moving things into something a bit more formal but I really didn't feel I understood varieties enough at that point in time to produce something that I could be satisfied with. I have since re-assessed my ideas/visions and finally decided it was time to make the next big step forward. I have completely reviewed my entire catalogue and way of thinking/cataloguing etc. I have in essence started from scratch because it has meant renumbering my collection and database as well as webpages etc. This is the main reason progress on the website had stalled. It is still very much a work in progress, but I am more satisfied with where I am and feel that I am finally achieving something that will be worthwhile. Watch this space

And I thought I had obsessive compulsive tendancies

The two farthings do look as though they have been cleaned, although the third farthing looks in reasonable condition. The half crown looks like it may be a contemporary fake due to the colour (base metal rather than silver) but that may just be the orangy light used for the photo

Hi Colin, I am hanging on to the notion that this is demonetised officially because the hole is crudely made. I also think that the coin was folded over in two places at the time it was holed. I could be wrong. At least holing the coin made it more affordable to people like me though. I still get to enjoy aspects of it. cheers. I agree it gives the coin added history and does appear to be a crude hole rather than something which was done with any level of care, but inevitably it detracts from the value. Mind you if it did add to the value imagine how many people on ebay would be knocking holes through their coins

I think coins of this time were used for many purposes and became a wide array of artefacts as a result. I have seen many coin buttons, brooches, charms etc. and then mix in recoinage....it could be one of many reasons....and the nail approach would also sound plausible to some extent. Without finding the culprit I don't think we will ever know with certainty. Why is it always the nice coins that get holed!!!

Interesting post about 1839 farthings. This one has a nice example of a die flaw to the reverse. Nice powdery surfaces otherwise (ignoring the ek). Alex. And the reverse. Shame about the edge knock, otherwise it does have great eye appeal. The die crack through BRITANNIAR is quite a long one!!

Well done for bringing the post back around to coins, political/religious discussions always end in disaster

But that is the point, happy enough to have us involved when it suits, but when we are not wanted, we are expected to sit in the corner quietly and just nod. I do not believe that the vast majority of this country wants a say in what happens in Europe, and would quite happily distance itself if it could, and as for the consequences, well at least we would be chosing our own fate for once!! One of the reasons we can not sort the mess out that we are in is because we are tied by rules imposed from elsewhere. Rules that are created with no common aim. Just like the approach when trying to resolve the crisis they are in, it is not a case of the best solution for the crisis, but the best solution for each individual country.....and the bigger boys get the biggest say. Union....don't make me laugh....

Well you have saved me some typing I totally agree with your stance, I would have loved to have seen the Germans or French if the boot had been on the other foot....they would not have given us a second thought. We keep being told we will be isolated, but if we are being isolated away from a pack with the lurgy that may not be a bad thing I know it's a complex issue, but I for one can not stomach the money we pour down the drain in the name of Europe. Lots of people with their snouts in the trough it's no wonder they spend all there time trying to convince us it's where we need to be. I too now feel a bit better

That is open for debate Debbie Seconded

If that was my business, I would want to know, so that I could check back and see who was responsible....it is the single most important aspect of that business. Grading is subjective, classification is not!! I know mistakes are inevitable in any walk of life, but where double and triple checks are involved...mistakes should be almost non-existant.

And spot on Peter, that is the beauty of specialising in a series, you get to know exactly what you are looking for without hesitation. This is where you really start to reap the rewards of your efforts. As Rob has said understanding your area of collecting is essential, understanding wear patterns, striking issues, key features, inaccuracies of rarity etc. really make the difference. When I think back to some of my purchases that were incorrectly attributed....and a few were from big auction houses and well known dealers... .....just waiting for someone to step in and say I have sold them a misattributed rarity now Do CGS offer the same guarantees as the US TPG's regarding misattribution? Mind you we found out what that guarantee was worth a while back with the "ahem" mule

I can always understand the logic behind the statement in terms of the word "uncirculated", but UNC is a technical grade, so I personally don't see an issue with a coin being aUNC. I love these threads they always pop up a couple of times a year we all agree to disagree and then settle back down again and then they raise their heads again And you lot.......buy the coin not the slab remember

I think this is slowly changing, I have had them defend me on a recent claim as the seller against a credit card company/buyer. They are still not angels, but the last couple of dealings I have had with them were positive. The problem is still their digital contact rather than human interaction. Every situation is different and so problem solving is unlikely to happen if managing the problem is mechanical, such as multiple choice questions. It is clearly possible for human intervention to facilitate money transfers and override the blocking mechanism as was proven in my case. The problem lies in their unwillingness to discuss matters face to face so to speak. Having to speak to the other side means that you can't hide behind a digital facade and claim the email never reached you. In my case the excuse was a misunderstanding had happened, but that isn't sustainable over the course of a couple dozen emails or more. It's presumably policy as it's cheaper to hope that complainants will go away. The question worth asking is whether anyone has ever been able to instigate a discussion with a capable, can-do Paypal rep rather than Bombay central switchboard? Not including anyone who may work for eBay or Paypal as they would be able to bypass the system. Well now you are just asking for the impossible you will be expecting them to be frielndly and polite next