jelida

I also lived in Roath as a student, in the late '70's. Not a bad city to be a student in, though I try to avoid the 'skull attack' these days! Purchased my first pennies while in Cardiff, from an elderly dealer called Frank Webster, long dead now I am sure. Still got them. Jerry

We don't get them in my part of South Wales. Or if we do, they don't get past the council estate up the road ?. But the nicest steak I ever had was from a couple of kilo of venison I was given by a patient a few years ago. Jerry

How about using coin capsules in your tray? I have recently found the ones from 'Windsor Mint' to be nice, rimless, compact and a good fit (31mm for a penny) but you will get bombarded with postal 'special offer' flyers that you should ignore! I use them in my coin cabinet trays, you can handle the coin safely and yet they are well presented. Jerry

Thanks to Pete for my copy of the Freeman sale catalogue which arrived safely today. Pete, you are a great benefactor to members of this forum for which I am sure there is much gratitude. Jerry

Thanks Pete, looks like Matt's loss is my gain, so thanks to Matt as well. Jerry

I have an apology to make, I posted the wrong pictures as the F175, instead those of an F174 I bought on the same day! Thanks to Terry for pointing this out. And thanks to those who posted kind comments anyway! I can be such an idiot at times! I hope this is right. Jerry

I do carry a booklet of indicators to which I can refer if needed, and the summary pages from Michael Goubys book, and I do ask to check everything that might be of interest- I am sure I have checked some coins several months running! But there is of course the element of luck, it has to be there for me to find it! There are still plenty that I need, especially C20 varieties. Jerry

Not a lot for me recently, but pleased with the 1913 F175 from the Midland, and a £10 penny from Ebay that arrived today, rather worn and with a lamination flaw to the base of the bust, but I think a BP1860V with the narrow colon. Jerry

I popped in on my way to the Audiojumble in Kent, parked and got the tube in from West Hounslow. Nothing for me in the penny way, but lots of lovely high value coins to look at. Roll on the Midland next weekend, much more to browse. Jerry

Is that the one MR has for sale? I had a good look at that at a coin fair earlier in the year. Beautiful example of an 1898, and by far the best of the new '8' varity that I have seen, but the dealer did admit that the asking price was a 'chancer' , and promptly dropped it very considerably, but not enough to tempt. I have posted before that I found two in my tub of 29 1898's. On this basis one might expect around one in 14 to be the new variety, and that would apply to uncirculated specimens too. Probably up there with the 1902 low tide, for example. So quite a scarce coin, and I would pay quite a good premium, but I hope to find an unc one at 'normal' price eventually. Jerry

I would get on to DNW on Monday am, they might not have posted it yet! If you need to speak to Finch he is a great guy, very approachable and very helpful. Worth getting to know, he slips out DNW catalogues for free at the Midland Coin Fair if you ask him nicely (but dont tell anyone!)?. Jerry

Mike, you could have had Chris Finch Hatton ('Finch') of DNW bring it to the Midland Coin Fair , and collected it from there, you are apparently in Warwickshire so perhaps reasonably near you? Chris brings up my purchases, saves me a few bob over the year. Jerry

This is great advice, thanks Brandon. Jerry

Beautiful penny. Jerry

Oh alright, I'll give you a fiver! ? Jerry

Some people are bonkers! Some of these AA01 notes advertised have serial numbers over a million, they are never going to be rare! Most of us can have one for £5 if we wait a little time. If you do find one, sell it now! Jerry

I got the 1889 penny, and the F18 (sorry Mike). The latter has the potential to be a nice coin once the thick old lacquer is removed, the surfaces are fine and should tone quite quickly. Will post before/ after pics in due course. The 1889 is one of the best I have seen. The 1911 Gouby x shot off of course, I only got one bid in. It is one of those you hope to find unrecognized at a bargain price, so I will keep on dreaming! Jerry

True, though I find the TPG's gradings to be somewhat inadequate as regards lustre and even-ness of tone, and I have on a number of occasions seen true verd in a slab. Clearly the coin cannot always be inspected, but I always make the effort when practicable. I dont think any vendor will ever be perfect, and you become more wary of some than others through individual experience, but I would still be watching them for that 'impossible to find' coin. Personally I like the LCA setup, though cannot comment on (L)CGS as I have never used them, though their slabs that have come my way are fine. I often use their (free) site to search past sales and review prices. Jerry

There is an important difference between the green waxy material that can look like verd initially, but will wash off with acetone (or more easily petrol, provided any oily residue is washed off with acetone after), and true verdigris, the hard green or powdery light green corrosion that has removed metal in its formation. The latter can never be removed invisibly, it will always leave pitting or worse. Unlike some, I have actually found Verdicare rather good, provided mechanical 'picking' at the verd with a cocktail stick is done as per instructions, and plenty of time is taken for it to soften. The verd I saw on several coins yesterday was true corrosion. Jerry

I agree with you, and dont think the photos are the worst either, though certainly not the best. Issues with lighting and poor white balance , even good focus seem endemic in the numismatic trade. For this reason I always try to see a coin before buying, and to that end LCA are the easiest as they are out of the centre of London and you can view even during the auction. I made a 300 mile round trip yesterday purely to view a few coins at DNW, spent 4 hours in traffic getting home, but I found verd on several of the coins that was not visible and not mentioned in the catalogue, and got a far better idea of lustre and toning. This is the reality with auctions, caveat emptor if you dont examine the wares first. Jerry

I'm so pleased for you Peter, after the incredible trauma you have suffered its great to know that you are again getting some joy from life. And dogs can be so helpful, company and distraction. Even our ageing Burmese cat, when the father-in-law was dying of cancer a couple of years ago (he lived with us) was such great (petting)company for him we called it Palliative Care Cat. The daughter's 'chiuiuaza' (?) dog was so welcome a (walking) distraction after the event that he became 'Bereavement Counselling Dog'. Have a great fish. Jerry

Will do, of course, Richard, and thanks for the comment. I have one in at least GVF, previously shown on this forum, but was surprised to see this one from a dealer who specializes in bronze. I had to look at an 1875 narrow date as well to confirm my thoughts, but was safe in the knowledge that it was an improvement on my 'normal' F72 anyway, so not a massive risk. A good loupe is needed with this variety. Give me a day or two, must add my F21 to your list, will check for others. Jerry

Got a nice F72, Gouby ja Freeman H* reverse today at the Midland coin fair, as a normal F72 for £220. Doubt I can better this. Jerry

Certainly Freeman obverse 4, possibly also Gouby 'G', even fishtail ribbon end, variety with the missing tuft of hair at the nape of the neck below the bow. Also slightly smaller/narrower colon after F:D. Look forward to higher res photo as requested above. Jerry

The 1934 went to a phone bidder, who clearly rated it. It did have quite a lot of lustre, but was quite streaky, perhaps due to uneven exposure to the toning solution during the artificial toning process. The halfpenny was again nice without being exceptional, so at about £300 inc juice was a tad high IMO. My only purchase was an 1886 penny to upgrade my current, nicer in the hand than the pics. The 1918KN with the verdigris made a couple of hundred less than when sold as part of the Elstree collection, despite quite successful removal of the verdigris in the interim. I suspect that sometime in the future it will be sold without the past damage attracting mention. Jerry