Geoff T

You mean there are people who don't? G

Although there was a time when the pound and the Irish punt were of equal value and sterling was therefore freely accepted in the Irish Republic. Pre-euro currency from the Irish Republic was never officially legal tender here.

Yes - bring back grammar schools so that everyone knows how to spell the word :-) Ocean Finance Culture - wozzat?

Strictly speaking, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are crown dependencies (not colonies) and not part of the UK, so their currency is not legal tender here. Manx coins bear the effigy of the Lord of Man, those of the Channel Islands the Duke of Normandy as their respective heads of state, which is why the Queen's titles differ slightly, as they do in the dominions. However, since most people don't actually spot their coins, they find their way into our change and get circulated. It's a good deal easier to spend a Manx coin, which isn't legal tender, than a Northern Irish banknote, which is! G

MG is the initials of the designer, Mary Gillick. After 1953 the relief of the coins was altered slightly as it was realised that the original relief was comparatively shallow. It's also true that small, low relief markings like initials are the first things to disappear with a bit of circulation.

One option is simply to spend them at their face value. Although the last crown intended for circulation was the 1902, all subsequent ones have been deemed to be legal tender. The letters patent which gave the official royal rubber-stamping to decimal currency specified that coins previously with a face value of 5 shillings would remain legal tender at 25p, so you can in theory spend your Churchill crowns (although you might get a response similar to that when tying to use a Northern Irish banknote!) Decimal 25p crowns of 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1981 are certainly legal tender, just as are their recent £5 successors. You could also in theory still spend any crown which has not been demonetised, just as you can spend sovereigns, half sovereigns, double florins and maundy money - but you'd be mad. Geoff

This is likely to be a medal, not a coin. Since so many were produced for the Diamond Jubilee in 1897 we really need a more detailed description in terms of size, material and design before we can judge. A picture is the ideal solution; you can post one if you're a member. Geoff

I'm flattered, but Charles I isn't my area and I don't feel I'm in a position to comment. One of these days I ought to grasp tbe nettle and learn about the complexities of Charles I coinage, but in general my knowledge of any hammered coins is pretty limited. Sorry to disappoint - Geoff

Yes, the inversion is deliberate. It's called reverse die axis and was the norm on many British coins up to the late 19th century. The oppostite - parallel die axis as on our modern coins - only became standard for silver with the Jubilee head coinage introduced in 1887. The value of your 6p will depend on its condition, but I suspect that if it's been in the drier for a long time it will not only have taken a few knocks but will effectively have been cleaned, both of which will diminish its value. Hope this helps - G

I saw a black bear eating berries in the wild last week, not to mention elk, marmots, ospreys, an eagle and any number of golden-mantled ground squirrels and chipmunks. Moose, however, were obviously all in hiding. Oh, Canada! G :-)

Courtesy of a taxi driver in Preston last February, I have a fake £1 which bears the date 1995 (a Welsh dragon year) has a Scottish thistle reverse has the English edge inscription "Decus et tutamen" (in the crudest lettering) has completely misaligned obverse and reverse has a worn centre to the reverse through which a different metal is visible I knew he was giving me a dud but I let him get away with it because the thing is so terrible you could use it as an object lesson in how to make an obvious forgery. I also have a dud £2 as well. That just looks shoddily produced but at least the details are correct. G

It's one of those things I've seen written several times but can't for thelife of me think where. Since I have most of these sets, that might be a good place to start looking. Geoff

Happy birthday from me too! Geoff

Neither of these are real coins. The smaller one is either from a toy set or is some kind of gaming token - it has the word "counter" written on it. It's made to look like a half sovereign. The larger coin is a medal, probably commemorating either the queen's golden jubilee in 1887 or the diamond jubilee in 1897. It would be one of the many non-official ones which were produced for these events. Geoff

This is all explained on the home page of this site.

Belated greetings from me too. I've been away in tornado-struck Moseley at a wedding, so I missed the day itself and York too. Geoff

Try Airedale Coins in Yorkshire www.airedalecoins.com They make something of a speciality of modern stuff and I've had Britannias from them at a reasonable price. Geoff

Actually, modern decimalisation was first proposed under the Tory government of Harold MacMillan c.1960 and we even produced a few trial pieces before we had established on what basis decimalisation could be realised. The Wilson government merely gave the green light to the outcome of the research done by their predecessors. I think that was in 1966, and by 1968 we had issued our first decimal 10p and 5p pieces. G

Ted Heath had lived for many years before his death in the cathedral close in Salisbury. I can remember the shock of the Tories winning the 1970 election when everyone was confident that Labour under Harold Wilson was set for an other term of office. I can also remember the three-day week and doing my A-level homework by candlelight because of the fuel crisis and enforced power cuts. It led to the Tories losing the first general election of 1974. No party came out of it with an absolute majority; Harold Wilson was asked to form a government, so he went to the polls later in the year and this time Labour won outright, which led to five more years of the country being run by the trade unions. The rest is history... Although decimalisation happened under the Heath government, the decision was taken under Wilson in the mid-60s. G

In bronze, in that size and condition, and in the original box, you're looking at around £15, assuming the box is also in good condition. Geoff

Hi Eddy, Can you let us know where the visit was to and if there's a date on the medal. I might then be able to offer response. Geoff

Yes, it was quite a surreal day, but thank you all for your good wishes. I must confess I spent much of the day glued to the television. This is a part of London I am frequently in and I have colleagues who work at the British Library, right in the thick of it, so I hope they're OK. I should see a number of them next week when I'm at a conference in Warsaw, so no doubt I'll get some first hand accounts. Things brightened up in the evening. We opened a bottle of vintage champagne and my children took me for a meal. I can't get my head round 50 though - inside I'm still 15. G

Are you sure you don't mean Myfanwy?

Happy Birthday, Geordie! Geoff (STILL a 40-something!)

That would make sense. The Welsh means "Iestyn son of Gwrgan Prince Morganwg 1091". Beyond that I'm afraid I can't be of much help, although I this sounds more like a medal that a coin. Diolch yn fawr - Geoff