Geoff T

It's in his printed catalogue as well. I meant to ask him about it. In the immortal words of Lady Bracknell, I have known errors in that publication. For ages he had Queen Victoria down as 1937-1901 and I've reminded him that Edward VII's wife wasn't called Alexander

As a child I would go absolutely hysterical if I saw a dead bird. I still don't like the things and on the few occasions I've had to deal with one that's been the victim of a cat I've done so with the utmost reluctance. Pigeons are by far the worst; I can't feel comfortable even when the things are alive. Ironically, I eat tons of dead birds but they come to me as free range poultry or game. So long as someone else has done all the business of making them not look like a dead bird I have no problems at all. My pheasant ragout is to die for.

The pro-hunting brigade always takes refuge in the idea that foxes are vermin which must be eliminated, but true elimination would spoil their fun. What they really mean is that they want to kill a few off but leave plenty more left over for the next time they're in the mood for ripping animals apart for the hell of it. Who was it who said that pro-hunters always come up with upteen reasons why they do it but no real arguments? I've even known supporters who objectively can see that that's a valid comment.

Reading this romantic nostalgia for pre-decimal days from those who never experienced them prompts me to post a message which has been running through my thoughts for a while. I'm acutely aware than many of our regular forumees - and indeed our esteemed webmaster - never have spent a shilling in the days when it was worth 12d and that a certain misty-eyedness creeps in when they look back to those times. I thought, then, I'd put on record just what it was like to live in the pre-decimal era, or at least its final years in the 1960s. For a start, you have to put yourself into the mindset which didn't see pre-decimal currency as anything unusual. We were aware that others saw £.s.d. as rather quaint an old-fashioned, but to us it was just the norm. You need to bear this in mind when you dismiss the decimal stuff which is the norm today as uninteresting. Furthermore, the idea that our pockets were bursting with a miscellany of coins from 1816 onwards just wasn't true. Most of the silver wasn't, in fact, silver. It was post-1946 cupro-nickel, and mostly post-1953 apart from a plethora of 1948 stuff. Forget all that romantic nonsense about finding 19th century silver in your change. You didn't, because then as now all the best stuff was in the hands of dealers and collectors and you were left, literally, with the common coin of the day, generally quite worn as it was in constant circulation. You might occasionally get the odd bit of George V silver, but only very infrequently and you never saw anything earlier. The early stuff you did see was post-1860 bronze, but anything Victorian was usually worn to a disc which no collector would look twice at. 20th century bronze was common, but again usually worn through circulation. Funnily enough, almost everybody seemed to know about the 1933 penny and was on the look out for one! So, before all you youngsters get carried away waxing lyrical about pre-decimal days, hear it from one who was there that it wasn't as you fondly imagine it. Moreover, what was ordinary to us was once modern to our predecessors, who no doubt waxed equally lyrically about the good old days when we had guineas - and you can carry that argument back as far as you want. I've said before that no system is written in stone, which fact those who misguidedly go on about keeping the pound as if it had been with us since time immemorial do well to remember. Here endeth the lesson

Actually, Oli, it would be "Who are your favourite King and Queen?".

It all depends on what makes them your favourite. George IV, for example, was one of the most cultured monarchs we've had, which would make him a favourite with me, but his spendthrift attitudes contributed to the growing unpopularity of the monarchy in the late Hanoverian period. Charles II, another cultured man, was wise enough to know not to appear too clever if he was to be accepted. I have a soft spot for George V too, but the prize on the female side has to go to Elizabeth I, easily one of the greatest monarchs we've had. I guess if I had to invite just one to tea, I'd cheat a bit and have that superb all-rounder Prince Albert. In terms of intellect and achievement he's the greatest non-monarch of them all. I am, of course, speaking purely non-numismatically here.

This, as the description says, is a model penny. It comes from a very high class set of toy coins such as those made by Lauer, who was also active as a medallist. It's therefore interesting as an example of a Lauer model, if not as a real penny. Complete Lauer sets sometimes come on the market. The rarest ones are those which include a half farthing.

Did you know that the actor originally lined up to play the Bogart role in "Casablanca" was - Ronald Reagan - and that they had two different endings ready but didn't tell the actors until the last minute?

Frankly, I think "Independence day" was one of the worst pieces of formulaic Hollywood good guys/bad guys crap I've ever seen. I'd go for (again in no particular order, excerpt that the top one is the all-time favourite). Jesus de Montreal Le phantome de la liberte All quiet on the Western Front Some like it hot Priest Casablanca American beauty Psycho Brief encounter Goodbye, Lenin

As an educated guess I'd say that this is a medal struck by the allies as a mark of solidarity at the start of the first world war. The motto means "for the cause of justice" and the figures are the heads of state of the allied countries. They seem to be George V in the centre surrounded by figures including Nicholas II of Russia, Albert I of the Belgians, the President of France and the King of Serbia. I'll get back if I find anything else out. Is the medal signed anywhere, either in full or with initials? The design of the obverse - somewhat art nouveau - is very typical of many medals of the time.

I think it's something you grow into. At your age my children never touched tea and coffee, but now in their late teens and early twenties they drink gallons of tea. (Yes - this is my 200th posting, but I'm being very grown up and not drawing attention to it )

I have a feeling - and correct me if I'm wrong - that's it's only illegal to own fake coins if they're still legal tender, which an 1819 shilling would not be as of 1990 when the old shilling-sized 5p was replaced with the smaller one now in use. Up till then all post-1816 shillings would have been legal tender at a face value of 5p.

This may depend on the condition of the coins to start with. If they had seen a lot of circulation, for example, they would have lost most of their lustre. Another factor is related to the alloys used in silver coinage 1920-1945. Because these are only 50% silver, the composition of the other 50% did change as the Mint experimented with new alloys. That could be a reason why yours look the way they do. Whatever the condition, silver polish is a complete no-no

I think the solution is quite simple. Now that we have a members only area, there's no reason why we shouldn't have an adults only one as well Don't you agree Mr. Moderator?

Yes, it's a standard 1977 Silver Jubilee medal - like it says on both sides. The reverse has an orb in the middle surrounded by flower emblems of the UK (as on the plastic surround) and a crown at the top, plus the legend you quote. The obverse has HM QUEEN ELIZABETH II SILVER JUBILEE 1952-1977 on it. It's crown sized. It's worth about £1-2.

The one with the horse is a coin - a crown worth 25p if you spend it. The other one is a commemorative medal, which is probably worth more (depending on condition and metal) but you can't spend it.

I'm not convinced that slabbing is that good an idea. It's redolent of an approach which wants to categorise and label everything and say "this is the definitive solution, therefore all others are deemed wrong" - whether it's the grading of a coin, the definitive diet, the "true" religion or the perfect self-help manual guaranteed to bring you happiness. Things are generally too complex to be divided along either/or lines, whether you're talking coins or good guys/bad guys. So treat slabbing with a healthy suspicion and use your own judgement.

The Ottawa mint 1919 sovereign is a little scarcer than the other mints, so you're looking at up to £125 if the coin is UNC and around £85 in EF.

Well done Chris - you must have friends in high places

You need to bear in mind that in the 20th century there are usually three types of commemorative coronation medals. At the top are the official ones struck as award medals to be given to the dignitaries, officials and so forth who attended the ceremony or were otherwise deemed worthy by the king or queen to be awarded a medal. There's usually a separate variety of these as well for police. The standard design of these is the king and/or queen on the obverse and the royal cypher on the reverse. Award medals command the highest price as there are fewer of them (although we're still talking 1000s rather than 100s). Next down are the official ones struck by the Royal Mint for sale to the public. These, like the above, were often designed, at least in part, by the same people who were responsible for coins. De Saulles. for instance, did the Edward VII ones. These medals usually have the king on one side and the queen on the other. The one designed for Edward VIII but never issued had a different design on the reverse as there was no queen consort. The problem didn't arise with Elizabeth II as there was no official medal except the award medal. At the bottom, and by far the most numerous, are the unofficial medals produced for sale to the public. In 1902, for instance, every local authority produced their own design and these are very common. Many would have been given to e.g. schoolchildren. Most are anonymous, although some use a common obverse by a named designer such as Emil Fuchs. These medals are usually in base metal. What you have sounds like medals in the third category. They won't be worth more than a few pounds, although they may well be attractive items in their own right. All the Edward VII medals will have the date 26 June 1902 on them, as this was the planned date of the coronation. In the end it was postponed until 9 August as the king had appendicitis. The official public medal by De Saulles has the correct date. It's quite common in both silver and bronze (I have both). A picture of your Edward VII would be useful to clarify the inscription. The inscription on your George VI refers to the Dominions within the British Empire - a common design. Hope this helps.

That person was Graham Dyer, sometime Librarian to the Royal Mint - and he was an expert in most things numismatic. You can read the whole story on Colin's site.

In that case it's not the official Pistrucci medal. That has the reverse legend INAUGURATUS DIE JULII XIX ANNO MDCCCXXI in the exergue and PROPRIO JAM JURE ANIMO PATERNO over a picture of the King being crowned by allegorical figures of Britannia, Scotia and Hibernia. There were quite a few non-official medals for the event, including the what must be the first appearance of area-specific ones, but I'm not aware of any but the Pistrucci being struck in gold.

Definitely real - and definitely a bargain at £19!

The 1902 coronation proof set contained no bronze coinage, only gold, silver and maundy money. There is no bronze either in the sets of 1911 and 1927, although George V pennies exist in proofs from 1926-36 with the exception of 1933. There are reputedly proofs in existence for all the George VI pennies; the commonest are from the 1950 and 1951 sets. 1953 certainly. Not sure precisely which ones exist in proofs 1961-67, but don't forget the 1970 from the sets.

Yes. all post-1816 crowns are still legal tender. The letters patent of 1971 specifically refers to coins of 5/- being redefined as coins of 25p. Post-1902 crowns have always had an odd status anyway; they're principally commemoratives but can be used as legal tender. That's true of the current £5 coins as well. Therefore, unless they are formally demonetised at some stage, crowns remain currency. Now try spending your Churchills in ASDA...