Colin G.

Although the mintage recorded for 1844 1/4d's was 430,000 I would suggest many of these were not actually dated 1844.It is the same with 1869 1d's. Both these coins are rare and availability does not reflect the mintages. Yes for mintages on this series you might as well take the number and add or subtract up to 50% just look at 1850!! That reminds me I must add a commentary note on my pages on the website. I thought I had done it but alas no

That is a very good point and well spotted, it certainly does look like some abrasion has taken place in these areas.

Have a look on ebay for "model" or "lauer" or "moore" in the coins section, you should find some examples. Here are some I had previously for sale http://www.aboutfarthings.co.uk/shop/images/products/1070.jpg http://www.aboutfarthings.co.uk/shop/images/products/1071.jpg

Happy new year to you all

Welcome to the forum, that is some quantity of coins you have, do you collect certain Countries/dates, or is it a world type set?

I have a few dates where I have kept two coins because I could not make my mind up But if you forced me to choose I would go for yours

Dave, no luck yet, is there a manufacturers name on the microscope anywhere, so I can try and find an alternative supplier

Yes Merry Christmas to you all

I must admit I assumed the QX5 would have the same problem as the QX3. Interesting to know that it definitely works on vista...hmmmmmm Cheers guys

Welcome to the nuthouse!!!

Agree whole heartedly, always been pleased with my purchases too

I know where you are coming from, but it is always difficult to tell from a photo when they state that the lustre is toning. It can very often give the appearance of not being there when it is, but has started to tone.

Ski, if you go onto Colin Cookes website and look at part 2 of the Workman sale there was a 26 ME in that sale, in fact, here it is. Now you can see the difference between an ebay sellers AU and a real AU In fairness the one on Colin Cooke's is described as Choice Uncirculated with full lustre, there will always be a whole raft of difference between almost UNC and Choice UNC

I totally agree with this interpretation, and this is how I would determine a coin to fit into this category.

Although I do agree that technically perhaps the term "uncirculated" is not literally correct, what alternatives are there? Us collectors do get picky over the smallest things!!

I have to admit I have never been a big fan of official slabs, but do store my coins in their own slabs (that can be re-opened). I have however recently slabbed a few of the 1825 farthings with CGS just to see how they got on, and so I could have a look at the product. I have been pleasantly surprised with the results, although the farthings I intend to keep I have not yet sent for slabbing. CGS do appear to be a bit harsher at grading than their US counterparts but this was expected. One was bodybagged for having a very small spot of verdigris between the trident prongs, but if a coin is rejected you do get a free re-submission, which is an encouraging feature. I have cracked coins out in the past for storage purposes, and can understand that collectors with cabinets etc will do the same, but I think slabbing is here to stay and will inevitably become more popular. "Well, as you know, the Sheldon scale goes up to 70. My personal view is that British coins in US slabs don't command any premium, or even that much respect - the more so with such a hard series as Edward." and this is why I think CGS are taking a harsher approach to determining a grade

Many happy returns Bob, treated yourself to any coins?

That's the problem area with that sentence, the rest of it was fine

Dave, I think this is going to be a huge decision for you, going back further or into the world of varieties will obviously create another load of gaps for you to fill which will be hard enough on a single denomination, never mind across the range of denominations you have. Whereas upgrading will inevitably force you into the world of selling to a certain extent, but it can be beneficial in so far as it partly funds those upgrades Good luck with whichever path you choose

A door I have recently opened, which I have to admit did not appeal to me that much at first, but I soon got bitten AGAIN!!! It is like starting all over again, especially with the hammered coins, completely new reading, a new approach to what has "appeal" and I think you have to do a lot more mileage to find the "right" examples. Don't get me wrong, I think milled copper/bronze will always be my primary area of collecting, but it has certainly been a fascinating leap. Then again....more competition over the pieces I want......Dave I would just move on to other denominations Well done on the James, the tin farthings are an area I have not yet ventured into with any real intent. I seem to have started at both ends and be working my way into the middle. I think this is mainly due to the time/finances required to fill those gaps in the tin/early copper series. I will get there but it's just going to take time and patience. I also bagged a few at the DNW auction just waiting for them to arrive they have just arrived.

Dave, That is a fascinating insight, and one which I find is also relevant to me. My budget was, and still is limited, and so the chance to grab varieties at auction/ebay does allow me to expand my collection by taking advantage of the knowledge I have gained in my particular area of interest. In many ways it is healthy that we all have our individual approaches otherwise we would all be fighting over the same coins

I think varieties are for those of us with a more severe form of OCD. Date runs just don't cut it, we need more boxes to tick I must admit I can get more fascinated by date widths and obvious repunches than a border tooth to this or that (and the fact that anyone would pay that much for an 1863 slender 3 penny in that state is beyond me, but someone did). Whilst I know the "border tooth syndrome" would indicate a change in design, the reworkings of a die helps fulfil my interest in die sinking, die repairs, and the workers themselves. Whilst I can appreciate varieties may not appeal to a number of collectors, it does appeal to me, and I don't think I even do it just to intentionally collect them. I like to think I try and understand the life of a hub and the various dies, and the effect each has on a coin's state, and as a result I have inevitably ended up cataloguing the results. Whilst I am only at the proverbial tip of the iceberg, I do enjoy what I do and that is my main reason I believe that it was not a case that even Peck felt that minor varieties were not included within his reference book because they were unimportant, but that the task he was undertaking was already of enormous complexity due to the vast time periods involved and the multiple denominations that he was researching. This is confirmed when Peck states that "the final decision to draw the line was largely determined by the impossibility of reaching any finality in the case of die-varieties of the current coins and the impracticality of describing them except by photography". In summary I guess I may be slightly mentally unstable

I think a big factor was that the Midland Coin Fair was on the next day, so I think many dealers who were doing an overnight decided to pop in due to location. There were plenty of familiar dealer faces in there!!

I also attended, I did not come away with a single lot, the prices were bizarre. There were some gems in there if you did the legwork, but even then the prices were double what I was willing to pay. I agree on the scrap silver, it was going for crazy prices/ Still it was a pleasant day, and I would have only regretted it if I hadn't gone (being as I am only about 30 mins away!!)