Geoff T

Hi again, Yes indeed, the William IV item is a coronation medal. Not the official one by the sound of it, but there are several others. Does yours have a maker's name anywhere and what size is it? There is a rather fine one by Thomason with Queen Adelaide on the reverse, signed on the obverse. A picture would help. The 1902 coin with a lion on it sounds like a shilling. Geoff

Thnks for your query. I'm sure the coloured coins look very attractive, but unfortunately for most collectors that will diminish rather than increase any intrinsic value. Most collectors are, to be honest, not interested in coins which have been treated this way. The 1935 crown is very common. It was a one-off design for the Silver Jubilee of George V and Queen Mary in 1935 and is often called the "Rocking horse" crown because of Percy Metcalfe's Art Deco version of George and the dragon. Geoff

This sounds very much like a masonic medal. The iconography and legend seem pertinent to freemasonry and GM stands for Grand Master. It was (and is) common for royalty to take on this role, rather like becoming an honorary Colonel in Chief of an army regiment. The Prince of Wales in question is the future Prince Regent (1810-1820) and King George IV (1820-1830). Geoff

As I just happened to have my copy of Collectors' Coins 2006 with me at work, I couldn't resist pricking his bubble by sending him the real mintage figure. (What do you mean "which is?" - haven't you all got your own copies of CC 2006?) G

This isn't a coin but a medal. It commemorates the wedding of the future Edward VII with Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863. There are a number of different medals struck in association with this event and none seems to be very rare. Does yours have a maker's name on it? Geoff

Let's unpick this one bit by bit as there's quite a lot in it which doesn't make sense. Here goes:- Heya, my gramps has given me loads of old coins. Ive been looking about the net & Ebay etc & I see they only go for like £1 or summat. For a coin made in the 1800's. Surely a piece of history must eb worth more than a quid?? No, many 19th century coins are very common and, except in cases of acknowledged rarity, the condition of a coin is more important than its age. Many coins on eBay are way overpriced. Anyways, he also gave me a really old coin book which sais that this 1946 Farthing I have with the robin on could be worth over £300 if its the brass one. Although I dont know if its brass. It shinyer than the other farthings. It's a wren, not a robin, and bronze, not brass. Even in uncirculated condition will only fetch a couple of quid. You my be thinking of the 1946 threepence, which is nickel-brass, and somewhat scarcer than most, but even then £300 would be stretchin it even for a tip-top specimen. I have some George VI threepennys from 1919 George VI reigned from 1936-1952. I think you mean George V. Again, condition will determine the value, but these saw a lot of circulation right up to 1971 so there are plenty of worn ones about that aren't really worth anything. Some Indian Anna from 1830 - 1880 Loads of hexagonal GEORGE VI & Elizabeth threepennys. They're 12-sided, not 6-sided. Apart from 1946 and 1949, only worth £1 or two at most if uncirculated Loads of George VI & Elizabeth half pennys These are very common and are likely to be worth very little Loads of George V, George VI & Elizabeth one pennys Same comment Some foreighn coins, some of which I cant even work out what country they came from... a big silver 5 francs 1945. 1 Franc 1917 50 Francs 1952 20 francs 1950 2 francs 1925 5 centimes 1856 France, Belgium or Switzerland 25 cents from the Nederlands 1951 1 Decem with Princess Charlotte on it Luxemburg and loads of others. Can someone recommend a good book? Or maybe clear up the mystery of the brass 1946 farthing? For the British coins, look no further than this site and invest in "Collectors' coins 2006". Hope this is useful - Geoff I look forward to your replies, Cheers

Exactamole!

They sound real enough. You obviously mean the nickel-brass 3d piece. The flowers are thrifts, not thistles. The coins would have had little value anyway but unfortunately even than will have been eroded by their being soldered into a bracelet. A damaged coin is in most cases a devalued coin. G

I'd offer the advice we always offer to new enquirers - If you register, you can post a picture and we might be able to deal with your query G

So that's what Rabbitese sounds like. Stanley Unwin lives! G

I'm going to stick my neck out here and go for Rank-Broadley. It has a balance of formality and honesty which I don't think we've seen since Wyon's ground-breaking William IV, which has always been a great favourite. I was told by Graham Dyer that the Queen takes a great personal interest in these matters, and that nothing simply goes through on the nod. On those grounds she presumably wouldn't have accepted the IRB design unless she approved of it. Gillick I grew up with, but I could never relate it to the person it portrayed. The same is true of Maklouf. I have a soft spot for Machin though. I wonder if the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 will bring a further design. G

Yes, you see them all the time. I picked one up - admittedly only Fine - for £2 because the seller had innocently priced it no differently from all his other late Victorian farthings. G

Unfortunately 1967 half crowns were minted in such huge quantities that even an uncirculated one isn't worth a great deal - a couple of pounds at most. Geoff

I shall certainly be interested. I'm not a farthing collector either (although an admitted weakness for them is always threatening to tip over into something more) but I can't think of a better way of remembering the great man than to own part of his collection, even if it's only a single coin. G Welcome aboard Neil!

You may be correct! Last time I was in Edinburgh (2 or 3 years ago) I only found one. It's on the main street leading down to the gardens from the Old Town. I seem to remember it was principally an antique shop which also sold coins - but nothing special. Geoff

... or Christian IX of Denmark Med venlig hilsen - G

This is a toy coin - in this case a sovereign - made by the firm of Lauer in Nuremberg. They are reasonably common. Geoff

I've been in touch a few times with Neil recently and I can report that his buying of the business is progressing well. At the moment he's up to his ears in financial and legal matters but he hopes to clear it all over the coming weeks. He's now operating from another address but as far as I know there are no plans to change the name. Neil is a fairly modest man and a good deal more knowledgable than he can appear. I'm sure the business is in safe hands and we wish him well. G

I think some people are missing the point here. Of course it's nowhere near uncirculated, but given the comparitive rarity of the 1932 florin (a point which seems to have escaped the seller) even in that condition it could prove a bargain. G

It looks as if you have a standard Whitman folder made to contain farthings. These were once pretty common and were used to store mostly contemporary coinage as it was issued. To be honest none of the farthings you mentioned is in any way uncommon. There are four varieties of 1953, one of which is substantially rarer than the rest, but the rest you can pick up easily for minimal amounts of money, even in high grades. Geoff

Does anyone have any tips on how to photograph coins successfully, preferably with a digital camera? Thanks - Geoff

Beware - forged 1905 half crowns do exist. This one is nowhere near uncirculated. I'd put it at a F-GF. Still looking for a better one... G

The double-headed Victoria sounds like the 1897 Diamond jubliee medal, which has the young head on one side and the old on the other. The Edward VII is probably the official Coronation medal of 1902. This has the King on the obverse and Queen Alexandra on the reverse. Does it have the date 9 August on it or 26 June? Neither of these items are coins: they're medals. Pictures would help, but you have to register as a member first. Geoff

David Cameron is hell bent on tearing up the Conservative election manifesto of 2005. And who was its prime author - David Cameron! How desperate can you get? G

I believe over there in Germany they call it "Kaka" (and I don't mean imperial and royal ) G