mrbadexample

I don't like like slabbed coins. I can't make up my mind. I'd never owned a slabbed coin before Colin sent me a farthing. (Sorry Pete, he beat you by a few hours!) I hate the loss of tactility - I like to hold the coin. I like the reassurance it brings that if I need / want to sell it someone will buy it because it's slabbed. The grading given isn't mine. I don't feel the need to (a) overgrade my coins because I want them to be worth more than I paid, or (b) undergrade because I fear my grading isn't critical enough and I don't want to oversell what I've got. And that is a genuine dilemma for me - I'm not hugely experienced, but I like accuracy. I've collected coins for 30+ years and always thought I graded reasonably accurately and reasonable consistently. Since I joined this forum I've had to rethink - almost everything I've got is a grade lower than I thought. I've always been a "close enough" sort of person. I tended not to pay £100 for perfection when £60 would get me pretty close. That's the Yorkshireman in me I guess. Take this 1903 half crown. I bought it a good few years ago in the highest grade I could afford at the time. I can't remember but it probably cost me no more than £40-60. I desperately want it to be VF, but realistically I don't think it's quite there. Maybe GF? If I had it slabbed, I'd have an answer and a definitive value that someone would probably pay. Please give me your view as to the grade, I'd like to know if I'm anywhere near the mark. Wayne, a chance for you to practice. The jury's out, for me.

I think that's really good of you both.

Particularly stunning reverse.

Well done Mike. What are the indicators on this one? I bet if the seller didn't know what he had he nearly fell over when he saw what it made.

Which would be here Wayne: http://www.rpcoins.co.uk/collections/milled-silver/products/00002585

I suspected as much.

I bought my 1913 penny from you. Do you need it back?

So the next question must be: "Is the diameter uniform?"

So just a fraction under then. Could wear account for that much if the coin was normal sized?

Told you already, not my thing. I'd only buy it for far less than it's worth. WOC forum the best place I think for the arabics, although there is a foreign board here somewhere.

Double strike notwithstanding, is there any precedent for larger pennies like this?

The sold listings I was looking at were in broadly similar condition to yours. Don't sell it short. Unless, of course, it's to me.

I don't think it's squashed either. You couldn't do it without affecting the detail in some way. Can't wait for the explanation, if you ever get one. Did you think it was normal sized when you bought it?

Krause 38th edition (2010) gives values as: F $20.00, VF $60.00, XF $210.00. Grading's a bit tricky because the coin is unfamiliar to me but looking at the wear where the fez meets the head I'd guess around VF? Having looked at the sold listings on ebay I think you've got to be looking at £50-100. Nice one.

No, not my thing - just wanted to know what I had. But I'm quite pleased with the knowledge I've acquired in doing so. Yours is an Egyptian 20 piastres, 1923 (1341 AH). I couldn't have told you that a month ago.

That's a good start. Most of mine isn't.

Already looked!

I could look in trays, but they'd be rubbish and I'd want to upgrade immediately. I'm not (knowingly!) buying a Chinese copy of anything. And I want one to hold, not a picture. Sure, I could get one from ebay but I'd just like a decent, problem free example to start with and I know if I ask on here there's a good chance of someone coming up with something that'll fit the bill. Worth a shot, anyway.

Greetings all. I've always said I collect milled coins from 1860-1970. But I'm diversifying somewhat. It's probably Rob's fault. I don't own a single Victorian copper penny or halfpenny. I'd like to acquire one of each, just to start me off. So I'm looking for something relatively inexpensive (hopefully) but in decent grade to see if it generates some interest. Anyone got a spare please? Cheers, MBE

Let me know when you start, I'd like to take a look.

Yes, of course. It's mister. As far as identifying world coins, this board on this forum is extremely useful: http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php?board=87.0 Read the first post to see what they need (weight, diameter etc), post decent pictures. They haven't failed me yet, even with some pretty worn stuff. It gets a little easier after every one, as you start to be able to pick out the details. I found the numbers on Thai coins quite challenging at first. I enjoyed going through mine as they'll very often post plenty of additional information rather than just "it's a Bhutanese ngultrum from 1979" or suchlike. Have fun, Jon

I think you have a starting point. If you like that one, you'll like a better one even more.

I thought I had one of each but closer inspection shows both to be 8/7.

Since I joined this forum at the beginning of February, I've pretty much dropped a grade across my whole collection. I didn't think I was generous either, but they're mostly pretty mean on here. "Oh look at all that wear where the wind's blown across the obverse". It does get you to be realistic, and to have higher expectations. Which is a good thing, I think.

The As on the obverse are clear enough: