ESC vs Davies or Spink? Others

[Oxford_Collector 0]

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 Also the prices are of course well out of date, except as relative prices, perhaps.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!

[Peckris 579]

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!

I would definitely say - as a recent owner - that Davies is the defining work from 1816. You can ignore the prices but still use them to judge relative rarity. Dave Groom's book is very good for the 20th Century, but you'd have a big gap before that.

ESC is best for early milled - from 1816 it is completely superseded.

If your period is 1816 - 1936 then I'd start with Davies. And add Groom for 1902 to 1936. You need not really bother with ESC after 1816 if you have the others.

Rotographic is pretty good for prices. Spink isn't bad but a bit optimistic for certain modern issues (a better guide to prices is their Numismatic Circular but what's in there is only a tiny selection). Tony Clayton is out of date, isn't he? The Coin Yearbook is absolutely hopeless for varieties, but not too bad on prices. BCMV I've always found is very unrealistically low on prices, even more in the eBay era - but it's a few years since I've seen a copy (it's also hopeless for varieties). You pays your money ... (All guides are just that - a guide to prices, an average.)

[Gollum 2]

"Lastly - what's the best price guide book" .

personally if I want the realistic value of a coin I look on the completed auctions on ebay. As a seller you want the max you think it is worth, as a customer the opposite, ebay whilst a ***t hole seems to speak for the various groups or grades of buyers. Unless of course your elitist and want to buy from a shop where you can see it in hand and judge it first. I am merely a peon.

[Rob 3,152]

"Lastly - what's the best price guide book" .

personally if I want the realistic value of a coin I look on the completed auctions on ebay. As a seller you want the max you think it is worth, as a customer the opposite, ebay whilst a ***t hole seems to speak for the various groups or grades of buyers. Unless of course your elitist and want to buy from a shop where you can see it in hand and judge it first. I am merely a peon.

This isn't elitist, rather common sense. Buying blind is the easiest way to make purchases you later regret. For all its benefits, eBay is also the repository for most of the people on this planet who are incapable of grading, or at times even identifying what it is they are selling. Good pictures are a must if you are going to make a purchase on eBay and as an aside, the prices realised are frequently too high for the item bought. Many times you can buy at a proper auction much cheaper than on eBay with quite a lot of the former items being sold on the latter site almost immediately after the auction because there are sufficient numbers of people willing to pay over the odds out there to make it feasible.

[Gollum 2]

"Lastly - what's the best price guide book" .

personally if I want the realistic value of a coin I look on the completed auctions on ebay. As a seller you want the max you think it is worth, as a customer the opposite, ebay whilst a ***t hole seems to speak for the various groups or grades of buyers. Unless of course your elitist and want to buy from a shop where you can see it in hand and judge it first. I am merely a peon.

This isn't elitist, rather common sense. Buying blind is the easiest way to make purchases you later regret. For all its benefits, eBay is also the repository for most of the people on this planet who are incapable of grading, or at times even identifying what it is they are selling. Good pictures are a must if you are going to make a purchase on eBay and as an aside, the prices realised are frequently too high for the item bought. Many times you can buy at a proper auction much cheaper than on eBay with quite a lot of the former items being sold on the latter site almost immediately after the auction because there are sufficient numbers of people willing to pay over the odds out there to make it feasible.

Well I won't disagree with you Rob, you have been at it far longer than I ever will be, but having read a number of magazines and articles, buying blind may not be so bad or with blurred pictures etc if the fact that a number of rare or incorrectly attributed coins have been purchased for peanuts on ebay by sellers not knowing what they had, so someone is getting lucky if not me, likewise if you have a run of the mill ordinary coin worth no more than 20p and you put it on ebay, you and we al know you stuff the title with rareor hard to get and someone like me will part with silly wads of cash to get it from you. Maybe elitist was an incorrect description, maybe I should of said intelligent or a knowing collector knows that going to a decent shop whose expertise in coins is probably the best way to buy what you want, how you want, or the reverse, at a price you accept as reasonable. Most of what I have is what you may call run of the mill, and therefore I use ebay for prices, also because as you say, I can shove it straight back on if unhappy with it. I have now lost the plot and train of thought, so will be quiet before I dig the hole any bigger, not bad for a untrained monkey !

Edited January 20, 2012 by Gollum

[Rob 3,152]

"Lastly - what's the best price guide book" .

personally if I want the realistic value of a coin I look on the completed auctions on ebay. As a seller you want the max you think it is worth, as a customer the opposite, ebay whilst a ***t hole seems to speak for the various groups or grades of buyers. Unless of course your elitist and want to buy from a shop where you can see it in hand and judge it first. I am merely a peon.

This isn't elitist, rather common sense. Buying blind is the easiest way to make purchases you later regret. For all its benefits, eBay is also the repository for most of the people on this planet who are incapable of grading, or at times even identifying what it is they are selling. Good pictures are a must if you are going to make a purchase on eBay and as an aside, the prices realised are frequently too high for the item bought. Many times you can buy at a proper auction much cheaper than on eBay with quite a lot of the former items being sold on the latter site almost immediately after the auction because there are sufficient numbers of people willing to pay over the odds out there to make it feasible.

Well I won't disagree with you Rob, you have been at it far longer than I ever will be, but having read a number of magazines and articles, buying blind may not be so bad or with blurred pictures etc if the fact that a number of rare or incorrectly attributed coins have been purchased for peanuts on ebay by sellers not knowing what they had, so someone is getting lucky if not me, likewise if you have a run of the mill ordinary coin worth no more than 20p and you put it on ebay, you and we al know you stuff the title with rareor hard to get and someone like me will part with silly wads of cash to get it from you. Maybe elitist was an incorrect description, maybe I should of said intelligent or a knowing collector knows that going to a decent shop whose expertise in coins is probably the best way to buy what you want, how you want, or the reverse, at a price you accept as reasonable. Most of what I have is what you may call run of the mill, and therefore I use ebay for prices, also because as you say, I can shove it straight back on if unhappy with it. I have now lost the plot and train of thought, so will be quiet before I dig the hole any bigger, not bad for a untrained monkey !

Most rarities obtained cheaply on eBay will have been identifiable to the expert as a rare type even if a positive attribution was impossible and probably with a sufficiently blurred image to deter the casual bidder. There are people out there who can identify Tealby pennies for example and tie a coin down to a particular die pair on the basis of just a small amount of detail by matching the unknown to their databases. You stand no chance in competing at this level.

The problem with ebay is that the tat achieves prices way over what it should, yet quality frequently sells for under fair value. That is why so much dross ends up there starting at low prices and the expensive things are overpriced to begin with to allow for eBay and Paypal fees.

Edited January 20, 2012 by Rob

[Oxford_Collector 0]

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!

[Rob 3,152]

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!

Yes.

The price guide I would choose is Spink simply because it has more information. If the reference you buy is only going to be an approximate guide which ever one you get, it may as well be comprehensive at the same time.

Edited January 20, 2012 by Rob

[Red Riley 2]

"Lastly - what's the best price guide book" .

personally if I want the realistic value of a coin I look on the completed auctions on ebay. As a seller you want the max you think it is worth, as a customer the opposite, ebay whilst a ***t hole seems to speak for the various groups or grades of buyers. Unless of course your elitist and want to buy from a shop where you can see it in hand and judge it first. I am merely a peon.

This isn't elitist, rather common sense. Buying blind is the easiest way to make purchases you later regret. For all its benefits, eBay is also the repository for most of the people on this planet who are incapable of grading, or at times even identifying what it is they are selling. Good pictures are a must if you are going to make a purchase on eBay and as an aside, the prices realised are frequently too high for the item bought. Many times you can buy at a proper auction much cheaper than on eBay with quite a lot of the former items being sold on the latter site almost immediately after the auction because there are sufficient numbers of people willing to pay over the odds out there to make it feasible.

Buying on e-bay is fraught with hazards - and opportunities. The first rule is to never assume that anything is unc. It's EF at best. Bid accordingly.

Secondly, be prepared to spend hours dredging through acres of dross to find the nuggets that are in there somewhere. When you spot something that looks worthwhile, put in a realistic bid using an Auction Sniper, go away and forget about it until the auction is over. That way you won't be tempted to increase your bid. If you didn't get the coin, so what, what have you lost?

Thirdly, completely ignore sellers' grades, learn how to grade yourself and trawl dealers sites to see what an item is going for on the market and bid some way below this. You will learn that price guides can be a long way out.

Rubbish photographs; you can sometimes get bargains on these simply because not everybody has or can use a camera, but your bid must be ultra-low. If what turns up isn't as good as you expected, send it back. If it is, then you've got yourself a bargain. Beware though of sellers with dodgy photos and say, 5000 transactions. If they've been doing it that long, isn't it about time they learned how to handle a camera?

In short though, with experience it is possible to come out on top but also, be prepared to work for it.

Edited January 20, 2012 by Red Riley

[DaveG38 405]

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!

Whilst I have no desire to diss my own publication efforts, my book(s) are about identifying 20th Century varieties, not about the coins in general. So for instance I go into great detail about all the types of 1920 halfcrown, but don't even mention the 1923 because there are no known varieties. The intention with these books was to bring together all the disparate descriptors that are used to identify the varieties and to bring together all of the more minor type that are rarely identified. The aim was to give 20thC collectors an added dimension to their collecting. So if you are into 20thC silver and its varieties then this may be one book for you. On the other hand, if you are overwhelmed with indifference as to whether the crown on a sceptre of a 1920s florin points to a space or a border tooth, then this book isn't for you.

[Red Riley 2]

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!

Just a suggestion, if you want to know about coins but aren't that interested in mega-varieties or UTD prices, then why not buy a 2 or 3 year old Spinks? £2-3 should cover it.

[coin watch 1]

For a price guide and a start I would go for Spink standard catalogue purely because it seems most coin dealers (apart from a couple I know of who live in cloud cuckoo land!!) use this to price to the given grade of thier stock, and I would agree it's also worth purchasing a couple of older issues from say 5 and 10 years back to give you a good guide how the market has gone in that time. But if it's a specific coin type or group or demonination which could eventually lead to forming a specialist collection then I would say the best advise would be to start reading up and finding out as much as you can along the way, In my experience I have found this to be a continuation of building as good a knowledge as you can with study whilst also collecting. There is plenty of study material out there (it's not all about the regular guides and catalogues!) and if along the way you may find that you get so far into it your knowledge just might start to be recognised. All good fun

[Oxford_Collector 0]

For a price guide and a start I would go for Spink standard catalogue purely because it seems most coin dealers (apart from a couple I know of who live in cloud cuckoo land!!) use this to price to the given grade of thier stock, and I would agree it's also worth purchasing a couple of older issues from say 5 and 10 years back to give you a good guide how the market has gone in that time. But if it's a specific coin type or group or demonination which could eventually lead to forming a specialist collection then I would say the best advise would be to start reading up and finding out as much as you can along the way, In my experience I have found this to be a continuation of building as good a knowledge as you can with study whilst also collecting. There is plenty of study material out there (it's not all about the regular guides and catalogues!) and if along the way you may find that you get so far into it your knowledge just might start to be recognised. All good fun

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!

[argentumandcoins 70]

For a price guide and a start I would go for Spink standard catalogue purely because it seems most coin dealers (apart from a couple I know of who live in cloud cuckoo land!!) use this to price to the given grade of thier stock, and I would agree it's also worth purchasing a couple of older issues from say 5 and 10 years back to give you a good guide how the market has gone in that time. But if it's a specific coin type or group or demonination which could eventually lead to forming a specialist collection then I would say the best advise would be to start reading up and finding out as much as you can along the way, In my experience I have found this to be a continuation of building as good a knowledge as you can with study whilst also collecting. There is plenty of study material out there (it's not all about the regular guides and catalogues!) and if along the way you may find that you get so far into it your knowledge just might start to be recognised. All good fun

You'd better add me to your cuckoo land list then as I don't use Spink to price my stock. A selling price for a dealer has to be a percentage above purchase/part exchange price with a margin built in for discounts/fees/taxes and enough to leave a profit as that is how we make our living.

Once I have priced an item it sits in stock until sold so if I was happy with £xxx profit 5 years ago my philosophy is that the same amount will do now. Any dealer using Spink would have to totally overhaul all of their prices individually year on year.

Another problem is that Spink is already almost a year out of date as soon as it is published due to the time taken to compile it. It therefore follows that the market may already have overtaken Spinks prices pre-publication (or fallen away in some areas).

As a dealer the most infuriating comment I hear is "well Spinks only want blah blah but you're asking more than that" Spink is a guide price NOT A RETAIL PRICE LIST

[coin watch 1]

For a price guide and a start I would go for Spink standard catalogue purely because it seems most coin dealers (apart from a couple I know of who live in cloud cuckoo land!!) use this to price to the given grade of thier stock, and I would agree it's also worth purchasing a couple of older issues from say 5 and 10 years back to give you a good guide how the market has gone in that time. But if it's a specific coin type or group or demonination which could eventually lead to forming a specialist collection then I would say the best advise would be to start reading up and finding out as much as you can along the way, In my experience I have found this to be a continuation of building as good a knowledge as you can with study whilst also collecting. There is plenty of study material out there (it's not all about the regular guides and catalogues!) and if along the way you may find that you get so far into it your knowledge just might start to be recognised. All good fun

You'd better add me to your cuckoo land list then as I don't use Spink to price my stock. A selling price for a dealer has to be a percentage above purchase/part exchange price with a margin built in for discounts/fees/taxes and enough to leave a profit as that is how we make our living.

Once I have priced an item it sits in stock until sold so if I was happy with £xxx profit 5 years ago my philosophy is that the same amount will do now. Any dealer using Spink would have to totally overhaul all of their prices individually year on year.

Another problem is that Spink is already almost a year out of date as soon as it is published due to the time taken to compile it. It therefore follows that the market may already have overtaken Spinks prices pre-publication (or fallen away in some areas).

As a dealer the most infuriating comment I hear is "well Spinks only want blah blah but you're asking more than that" Spink is a guide price NOT A RETAIL PRICE LIST

True Spink is only a guide, I think you misunderstood me (or I should have put it another way) I meant 'some' dealers should maybe use Spink as a guide as there prices are in "cloud cuckoo land".....hope that covers me!!

[coin watch 1]

For a price guide and a start I would go for Spink standard catalogue purely because it seems most coin dealers (apart from a couple I know of who live in cloud cuckoo land!!) use this to price to the given grade of thier stock, and I would agree it's also worth purchasing a couple of older issues from say 5 and 10 years back to give you a good guide how the market has gone in that time. But if it's a specific coin type or group or demonination which could eventually lead to forming a specialist collection then I would say the best advise would be to start reading up and finding out as much as you can along the way, In my experience I have found this to be a continuation of building as good a knowledge as you can with study whilst also collecting. There is plenty of study material out there (it's not all about the regular guides and catalogues!) and if along the way you may find that you get so far into it your knowledge just might start to be recognised. All good fun

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!

The old Coincraft catalogues (I think it was only issued for a few years) I have found to be a very good reference with plenty of photos and references (I have the 1998 edition) But obviously ignore the prices now (mind you I ignored them in 1998!)

[ski 1]

i think our collecting interest are similar....

i would say that davies is better for 1816 onwards, i bought groom in december 2010 for something to read over that xmas and value it as one of my best referece books for the period it covers. having said that, i own esc and refer to it often.

i would not want to have to give any of them up.

Spink i upgrade when my book becomes tatty, so ive gone from 2006 to 2012, i think spink is a great reference book, but too much emphasis is placed on the prices contained within.

Not much of answer, i think the replies here are all along the same lines, build up a small library over time

if i were doing that now it would be

1/ davies

2/ groom

3/ spink

4/ esc

above all that there is the amazing wealth of information contained on this forum.....now that really should be looked at.

[Gollum 2]

Ok so all of you that would like to see it, what would you want a web site to show you in reference to a coin and its value, what layout etc.

[Oxford_Collector 0]

Ok so all of you that would like to see it, what would you want a web site to show you in reference to a coin and its value, what layout etc.

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?

[coin watch 1]

Ok so all of you that would like to see it, what would you want a web site to show you in reference to a coin and its value, what layout etc.

A Wikipedia of coins, great stuff....But what a task!! Anyone got the time or will!?

[Oxford_Collector 0]

Ok so all of you that would like to see it, what would you want a web site to show you in reference to a coin and its value, what layout etc.

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...

[Rob 3,152]

Ok so all of you that would like to see it, what would you want a web site to show you in reference to a coin and its value, what layout etc.

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...

CGS have already inflated their slab prices to double or more that of a raw coin to reflect the "added value". A Wiki of coins if it ran concurrent with a census would only serve to drive prices down. No more would some believe that there is only a handful of Charles Darwin £2s left on this planet.

Edited January 20, 2012 by Rob

[Gollum 2]

I would like to see a site where the info is upated freely by such as Rob or Peter or Dave Groom and others here and is not just done by the large companies. One that would be freely available to download by forum members and the like. realtime info on new finds, errors, or the such.

Dream on huh.

[Paulus 1,975]

I would like to see a site where the info is upated freely by such as Rob or Peter or Dave Groom and others here and is not just done by the large companies. One that would be freely available to download by forum members and the like. realtime info on new finds, errors, or the such.

Dream on huh.

That would of course be great, but if we want it free who would do it! And if it's all on Wiki it looses a bit of mystique and we can lose an edge and there is misinformation ... IMO we have a great resource right here, maybe the best for English pre-decimal, I for one would like to see a members' area for coin collections with photos and comments, links to a photo site like photobucket can provide this for free! Any other opinions?

[Rob 3,152]

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!

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.