Collecting the best and the worst

[Guest andysmee]

Hello! I've recently registered and thought I would say hi. I've recently returned to coin collecting having dabbled in Victorian coins a few years ago, and now concentrating on proof sets. Along the way I've started sifting my pockets for fake pound coins which are a curiosity (and plentiful!). I'll be interested to read some of the threads on those subjects.

Cheers

Andy

[1949threepence 3,367]

Hello! I've recently registered and thought I would say hi. I've recently returned to coin collecting having dabbled in Victorian coins a few years ago, and now concentrating on proof sets. Along the way I've started sifting my pockets for fake pound coins which are a curiosity (and plentiful!). I'll be interested to read some of the threads on those subjects.

Cheers

Andy

Welcome Andy. I'm currently collecting a date run of EF+ Victorian bun pennies. You'll have to let us know what Victoriana you've got.

What type of proofs do you collect ?

[Peckris 579]

Hello! I've recently registered and thought I would say hi. I've recently returned to coin collecting having dabbled in Victorian coins a few years ago, and now concentrating on proof sets. Along the way I've started sifting my pockets for fake pound coins which are a curiosity (and plentiful!). I'll be interested to read some of the threads on those subjects.

Cheers

Andy

Yes, welcome Andy

Just a quick word of warning if you're collecting modern proof sets (i.e. decimal era) : please IGNORE the values you see for these in the Spink Standard Catalogue. They are based on the 'original selling price', i.e. as charged by the Royal Mint. But if you ever decided to sell your sets, you would get barely a fraction of this.

The 'secondary' (i.e. collectors') market for modern commemoratives is awash with them. At auction, dealers look to pick them up for around one third book price, perhaps a little bit more. Don't buy your sets from dealers. Get them from auction. You should aim to pay NO MORE than around half book price for them. There are occasional exceptions to this : e.g. 1971 & 1972 sets, the first two years struck. 1972 especially, as there were no currency coins minted that year.

A big clue to the truth of what I'm saying, is that prices in Spink - though artificially high and based on RM selling price - have barely moved in the last 10 years. A stagnant pond is less stagnant...