Oxford_Collector

Hi - I was at the London Coin Fair today (and picked up some nice coins, but that's for another thread) and noticed that a few of the dealers had some of their nicer coins in thin, clear, but crinkly, open-topped baggies (perhaps Mylar?), that could be folded right around the coin. I was thinking that for my BU coins, this kind of thing might be a good idea, as would protect them from casual handling, but the coins would still fit easily in my coin trays, and the coins would be easier to pop out for direct handling than the normal thicker plastic pockets, where there's perhaps risk of wear/scratching sliding the coins in and out (and I'm paranoid about PVC damage, though I know you can get non-PVC pockets e.g. polyester). Any I was wondering if anyone knows what I'm talking about and where I could get such items from? Thanks!

I see, yes, I guess that's another option. BTW I was assuming that the felt material itself (mine looks like some kind of synthetic material rather than actual felt) in the trays is not going to harm the coins (many of which are currently BU silver...) long-term? I was thinking, though, of perhaps putting the more valuable BU coins in thin mylar baggies (if I can get hold of any, see my other thread in this section about this...), so the coins would still fit in the (square) recesses , or is this overkill?

The felt is not removable in my trays, but I guess I could just put the coins on the side without writing, I think the paper of the coin tickets is probably acid free?

As well as British Silver, I also collect pre-1965 US silver (and some Nickels), though try to aim for fewer, but better condition coins. If you have any nice Walking Liberty halves, Standing Liberty quarters, Mercury Dimes, Buffalo or Jefferson War Nickels, then I might be interested, though! :-) I also collect pre-1965 US proof sets, which can be obtained sometimes for not far off the spot value of silver, at least for the later sets. I've got all of those but not in great nrs. I wouldn't say nice (between Good and GVF) I also have a nr of Barber 1/4's,liberty head nickels...and washington 1/4's. For my US coins I'm trying to stick to UNC / MS-62 or better coins...

As well as British Silver, I also collect pre-1965 US silver (and some Nickels), though try to aim for fewer, but better condition coins. If you have any nice Walking Liberty halves, Standing Liberty quarters, Mercury Dimes, Buffalo or Jefferson War Nickels, then I might be interested, though! :-) I also collect pre-1965 US proof sets, which can be obtained sometimes for not far off the spot value of silver, at least for the later sets.

The 2012 Spink catalogue has it at £85 in EF. BTW If its any help the 2011 Rotographic catalogue has is at £60 in EF

DO you mean early milled? ;-)

Hi - I mostly collect 1816-1936 English silver (and silver from that other place that claims to speak English, but I'll keep quiet about that for now...), but to date the only coin reference book I have is the Rotographic one (I have a 2011 copy), much of my other research I've carried out in the internet or the local library. I almost got the the new Spink book, but then thought that perhaps much of it won't be of relevance to me, though the 2011 copy in the local library does seem to have nice photographs. Also I hear the prices in there are "optimistic" (from a sellers point of view). The new book by Groom - "The Identification of British 20th Century Silver Coin Varieties" looks very good, but of course doesn't cover the 19th century... I've borrowed a copy of Davies - "British Silver Coins" from the library and it definitely covers my period in some detail, but I don't know that I actually *need* all the detailed variety information it gives, the pictures aren't very good and I'm not sure I like the way its organised. Also the prices are of course well out of date, except as relative prices, perhaps. How does Davies compare to Seaby "English Silver Coinage from 1649" as a book (as opposed to just detail about varieties)? Unfortunately my library doesn't seem to have this, so I've not been able to check it out properly, apart from glancing at it in a coin shop, though the idea of having rarity ratings, rather than actual prices, seems quite a good idea for a reference work. Also I guess I *might* venture pre-1816 at some point... Ideally I guess I should get both Davies and Seaby, but my collection is not really large enough to justify this (yet...) Lastly - what's the best price guide book (for prices I would expect to pay a dealer) to complement ESC or Davies- there's Spink, the Rotographic book, the Coin Yearbook, and British Coin Market values. To date I have been using a combination of the Rotographic book, Tony Clayton's website and keeping an eye on prices on dealer's websites and eBay, but some other source would be useful, to avoid paying over the odds for things and to make realistic bids on eBay etc.. Thanks!

Damn! Ah well... Not sure she still has any notes, but will check!

Hi - my wife, who is French, recently discovered a purse containing about a dozen French 10 Franc coins and some smaller denominations from the 1980s. None of the coins are in particularly good condition or rare, I think, so I was wondering if anyone knows whether it would still be possible to exchange these for the equivalent in Euros at a French bank next time we're in Paris? She also has some possibly more interesting French coins, mostly from the 1970s and 1960s, including a small number of larger coins that are real silver, that her late father had collected. My wife would prefer to sell these, I think, and I'm not so interested in collecting modern French coins (though do have some 19th and early 20th century French gold...), where would be the best place to do so - www.ebay.fr perhaps? Thanks

BTW have now received both Spink 2012 and the Coincraft book from 1999. I have to say the Coincraft book is fantastic for a relative beginner like myself, has some really useful information about collecting coins in general and history and collecting notes for each coin series. Also, looking through both of these books has indeed tweaked my interest in coin outside my existing 1816-1936 comfort zone, not so much the hammered stuff, but the early milled coinage... Some of those early shillings look interesting

(refering to a gold 1915 "Indian Head" Half Eagle ordered from the US ) But should it be taxed at 5% or 20%?

ESC is ok but I think a little dated now. The rarity scale is a fair reflection, though milled is not my thing now, but like the Spink price guide the ESC is only a guide too with regard to rarity, for example a few years back I owned a 1825 shillig with the roman I in date which is classed as an R7 in ESC...hmm R7 states one or two examples but I have seen probably at least a dozen the amount of these in the last decade...so worth thinking on!! Okay, will probably just stick with the Spink 2012 and Coincraft 1999 that I've ordered for now, and will try to "digest" these first. BTW I found the Introduction section of Davies very educational, especially the Historical outline, hope there's more useful background material in Coincraft and Spink, not just coin lists (though they're useful too, of course). Whatever else you think of Coincraft or their catalogue, there is a phenomenal amount of useful background information in there. Not just good articles as appendices, but in the introduction to each denomination and reign. It has the added bonus of recommending what grades are best collected in each series. It's a mineshaft of information. But which copy of coincraft is best, the latest ( 2000 ) or previous ones, not all newer versions of something are better than the past ones. I'd read it got a lot better from 1998 onwards, better drawings and photographs and more info.

So a gold 1915 "Indian Head" Half Eagle ordered from the US would be fair game then?

ESC is ok but I think a little dated now. The rarity scale is a fair reflection, though milled is not my thing now, but like the Spink price guide the ESC is only a guide too with regard to rarity, for example a few years back I owned a 1825 shillig with the roman I in date which is classed as an R7 in ESC...hmm R7 states one or two examples but I have seen probably at least a dozen the amount of these in the last decade...so worth thinking on!! Okay, will probably just stick with the Spink 2012 and Coincraft 1999 that I've ordered for now, and will try to "digest" these first. BTW I found the Introduction section of Davies very educational, especially the Historical outline, hope there's more useful background material in Coincraft and Spink, not just coin lists (though they're useful too, of course).

I've wondered about the situation on gold - in theory there is no VAT on gold bullion, but I've definitely been charged import duties (and more than 5%) on gold coins I've purchased from the US in the past, which doesn't seem right?

I think it is false economy to think small in terms of reference material. Unless you are determined to only collect within a fixed range in perpetuity, having books which only cover the existing collecting criteria means any expansion will result in you having to buy literature which in all probability will also duplicate your current books. An added advantage of having literature outside your current field is that you can do a bit of reading and maybe find that it gives you inspiration to broaden your collection. Very few collections can ever be completed. Currency issues over a narrow range possibly, but beyond that you will in all likelihood struggle to find a few rarities. I can almost guarantee that you will see things outside your current range of 1816-1936 which you find atttractive and wouldn't mind collecting. Post 1816 there are a few killer dates for whichever denomination you choose. For halfcrowns it is the 1839 currency issue, though a decent 1828 will be problematic too. Shillings come unstuck with an 1850, florins with 1854, sixpences you are stuck with the solitary 1847 - so which lucky person is going to be the one that completes the series? For the moment it appears to be quite easy to say that only 1816-1936 are collected, but in time, as it becomes more difficult to fill the gaps, the temptation to diversify gains momentum. View having reference material for both current and potential future collecting periods as a means of problem solving. Yes, I see what you mean - perhaps I should get ESC then, as I can borrow Davies easily enough from the library (for now, anyway), and it might be interesting to find out something about the early milled coinage. The rarity ratings sound useful too.

Bento (i.e. a database) will give you a lot more flexibility of views than a spreadsheet, plus it will be easier to incorporate pictures. So that sounds like a good way to go. Okay, thanks for the tip, will probably give this a go!

A Wikipedia of coins, great stuff....But what a task!! Anyone got the time or will!? In the US its the third party grading companies that do it (and of course they benefit from it), perhaps CGS would over here? Though I guess it might drive prices up...

Look in the local sellers' inventories if you want to buy non-US pieces. First of all the quality is likely to be better than on home turf and the quantities are also going to be greater. Very few items are found worldwide on auction sites, though the US is better served than most in this respect being the melting pot that it is. The lower grade material inevitably gravitates to ebay because most people don't have things that are worth considering for conventional auctions. At least in the US you are able to get mint state or thereabouts British coins with several sales coming up in the next week containing a good amount of qualtiy material. Greek and Roman are similarly widely traded, but beyond this you will need to look in the countries of origin. The US being geared towards slabbed coin sales means that only the higher grade pieces pass through the saleroom there. European countries have a reasonably diverse selection of material and you could do worse than explore this avenue. For most dealers, foreign coins tend to be a by-product of their own national currency which is what pays the bills. There are a few dealers in the US specialising in British material such as Allan Davisson in MN, but he tends to specialise in upmarket pieces which may be beyond your pocket. There are plenty of people on this site who would be able to offer British material if you were interested. Yes, I've been looking at several British sites, however I'm waiting for my current statement from my bank to make sure that there aren't any hidden fees with currency conversion, then I will buy higher grade pieces. The worst part is shipping, especially to fill my Bun Penny album, I'm going to completion at the moment for date and major varieties and less for uncirculated quality. The biggest issue with the auctions is the price which has kept me away. Unless I know I'm going to get a good deal, am buying a bullion piece or a piece I really, really want for my collection, I'm not going to spend more than $100 on a coin (at least at this time). However, once I graduate and start making some money, I'll move on to the nice auction pieces. LOL! I have the opposite problem, I do collect British silver coins (though am still very much learning and my collection is small and not very focused currently), but I also have a great interest in US silver (mostly the post-Barber to 1947 or so stuff, though I also have some pre-1965 silver proof sets), though because of the difficulty obtaining good examples (MS-64 or 65+ equivalent) at reasonably sensible prices over here in the UK, and the fact that many US sellers won't ship overseas, or charge lots if they do (plus the risk of import taxes), my US collection is very small. I'm interested in Peace Dollars, Walking Liberty half-dollars (*love* these), Standing Liberty quarters (*how* expensive, though!) and Mercury dimes. The buffalo nickels are nice too, but hard to find in good condition, so I've not acquired one yet. I'd like to collect an MS-65 or better type set of all of these. The war issue 35% silver Jefferson nickels are also interesting, I think.

The US coin info. sites offered by NGC (Coin Explorer - mostly free, see: http://www.ngccoin.com/NGCCoinExplorer/) and PCGS (Coin Facts - more comprehensive, but not free, but you can trial it for free though, see: http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/) look very comprehensive, but of course only cover US coins... Worth having a look at though, for ideas?

Thanks for the tips guys, all really useful stuff! I'm tempted the go the Bento route, as Bento itself is pretty cheap (around £35 I think) and you can get a version to run on the iPhone too (I have an iPhone, but no iPad... yet). On the other hand, it would be useful to learn Excel better, as this would be useful for my work, and as Declanwmagee says, this would be a more interesting way to learn it.. Either way, I think the custom route sounds like the best option, and the example fields people have given are very helpful. If I get Bento, I might have a look at the existing coin templates for some inspiration, but ultimately building my own system will probably be more rewarding in the long run. I'm reasonably computer-savvy, so hopefully should be able to produce something workable!

Okay, I've ordered a new Spink from Amazon, also an old (1997) copy of "Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins, 1066 to Date 1997" for a fiver, including postage, as this seems better for background information from some reviews I've read. I will probably buy Davies too, but have a library copy out at the moment, so will wait until that has to go back, at least. Thanks for all your help! BTW I only recently found on predecimal (here: http://www.predecimal.com/p10great_recoinage.htm) the "12 part history of British Coinage", written by Ken Elks and am working my way through this, is an interesting read!

Okay, some really interesting discussion here, I'm not adverse to using eBay, and have managed to get some nice coins through it, but also a few I've ended up being disappointed with, have even returned a couple. Good photos help (and I ask for larger/better ones now, if not provided, though only get them some of the time), but its easy to miss things in photos and amount of lustre and toning can be difficult to assess, for example. I like going to "real" coin shops, but there are none where I live (Oxford), so it usually means going to London (an expense in itself, unless I'm going there anyway) and takes time, and even then they won't necessarily have what you're looking for. Back to my original questions: * So is the consensus that for a reference work, Davies is definitely worth getting over ESC for silver from 1816 onwards, and Groom is best for 20th Century? * Is there a consensus on the most realistic printed price guide for 1816-1936 issues (and I do realise they are just that, guides)? Rotographic? The Coin Yearbook? Spink even? Thanks again!

BTW I also found another Bento spreadsheet for Mac called the The Numismatist (http://solutions.filemaker.com/database-templates/detail.jsp?serial=2551152# ), though as with much coin inventory software, it looks geared towards the US market (mind you, I also collect US coins...)