Yum!

[TomGoodheart 401]

I was reading a thread on a US forum, started by someone asking about investing in coins and which to choose.

Apart from the risks of such a strategy, it got me thinking a bit about why I collect what I collect. And the answer is .. um, well, actually it's quite difficult to pin down why I like one coin over another!

But someone on the thread above mentioned the 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter. Now I know it's a key date and a pleasant enough coin but ... it's not one I would have any pleasure owning I'm afraid.

Whereas this, which I just saw on a UK dealer's site, now ... I think that sitting in my tray would give me a pleasant glow for many months to come. Yum!!

So what's your fancy? Or ... whatever the opposite might be, that just leaves you cold?

[azda 979]

Because you just can't beat history

[Coinery 1,153]

I was reading a thread on a US forum, started by someone asking about investing in coins and which to choose.

Apart from the risks of such a strategy, it got me thinking a bit about why I collect what I collect. And the answer is .. um, well, actually it's quite difficult to pin down why I like one coin over another!

But someone on the thread above mentioned the 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter. Now I know it's a key date and a pleasant enough coin but ... it's not one I would have any pleasure owning I'm afraid.

Whereas this, which I just saw on a UK dealer's site, now ... I think that sitting in my tray would give me a pleasant glow for many months to come. Yum!!

So what's your fancy? Or ... whatever the opposite might be, that just leaves you cold?

How does the price compare to the £290 delivered coin that went on eBay the other week?

http://www.predecimal.com/forum/topic/8375-common-e1-6d-but-top-grade/#entry94906

When you look at the roses, you can see the extent of the varieties, not to mention the reverse differences, yet both 1561!

Dave'll be digging his new book out and studying all this very soon!

[Coinery 1,153]

Because you just can't beat history

Staggering C1 that!

Is the Liz coin a former guilded coin I wonder? When looking at the bottom right quarter of the shield?

Edited December 15, 2013 by Coinery

[azda 979]

I was reading a thread on a US forum, started by someone asking about investing in coins and which to choose.

Apart from the risks of such a strategy, it got me thinking a bit about why I collect what I collect. And the answer is .. um, well, actually it's quite difficult to pin down why I like one coin over another!

But someone on the thread above mentioned the 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter. Now I know it's a key date and a pleasant enough coin but ... it's not one I would have any pleasure owning I'm afraid.

Whereas this, which I just saw on a UK dealer's site, now ... I think that sitting in my tray would give me a pleasant glow for many months to come. Yum!!

So what's your fancy? Or ... whatever the opposite might be, that just leaves you cold?

How does the price compare to the £290 delivered coin that went on eBay the other week?

http://www.predecimal.com/forum/topic/8375-common-e1-6d-but-top-grade/#entry94906

When you look at the roses, you can see the extent of the varieties, not to mention the reverse differences, yet both 1561!

Dave'll be digging his new book out and studying all this very soon!

Still awaiting the book Stuart, and thats a decent Lizzie, much is that TG?

Edited December 15, 2013 by azda

[TomGoodheart 401]

Because you just can't beat history

Staggering C1 that!

Is the Liz coin a former guilded coin I wonder? When looking at the bottom right quarter of the shield?

dNot sure. I had a shilling with similar silvery areas though, like this, generally darkly toned. I assumed it was down to how it had been stored/ found.

Still awaiting the book Stuart, and thats a decent Lizzie, much is that TG?

This one is £300 on Lloyd's site. Just up today. http://www.coinsofbritain.co.uk/pages/coins/coins-details.asp?ID=4249

Edited December 15, 2013 by TomGoodheart

[Peckris 579]

Well, here's a Yum and a half, but sadly I don't have one:

[TomGoodheart 401]

Well, here's a Yum and a half, but sadly I don't have one:

p1106.jpg

Yeah, but if we didn't have coins to aspire to, or dream about, it wouldn't be much fun now would it?

[Peckris 579]

Well, here's a Yum and a half, but sadly I don't have one:

p1106.jpg

Yeah, but if we didn't have coins to aspire to, or dream about, it wouldn't be much fun now would it?

True, true!

[Coinery 1,153]

This one is £300 on Lloyd's site. Just up today. http://www.coinsofbritain.co.uk/pages/coins/coins-details.asp?ID=4249

That's great value!

Edit: provided it's not guilding above the lis? I reckon he'd achieve that and more, even on eBay at a .99p start! 231082908262

Edited December 15, 2013 by Coinery

[TomGoodheart 401]

This one is £300 on Lloyd's site. Just up today. http://www.coinsofbritain.co.uk/pages/coins/coins-details.asp?ID=4249

That's great value!

Yes. But I'm trying to Only Buy Shillings. Fortunately looking is free!

As for gilding, I'm sure any potential buyer could ask him to check. It's not in the listing and Lloyd usually mentions issues like cleaning etc.

Edited December 15, 2013 by TomGoodheart

[Garrett 76]

Interesting topic (and nice coin by the way !)

I would like a wide cross section of coins across monarchs and denominations.

I've noticed that a lot of collectors here are much more specialised, i.e. pennies, sixpences, Charles I etc.

Perhaps at some stage when my collection gets larger I too will decide I like a narrower field (like copper pennies of Victoria, they are very nice).

Did any of you guys start out with a broad collecting interest, that subsequently narrowed ?

cheers

Garrett.

[DaveG38 405]

Garrett,

The simple answer is no, some of us just collect by date. I started collecting all denominations by date when I could get coins from change and have continued to do so ever since. Although not all in top condition by any means, I find there's a certain satisfaction in date runs, especially when a long-empty gap gets filled. It was nice to finish a run, when for instance I recently obtained a 1686 halfpenny and completed my milled halfpennies. Ditto, a 1689 farthing to complete that series. Still working to complete the sixpences and shillings in the early 1700s, but it's coming along. There are frustrations though. Obtaining a 1839 or 1841 halfcrown will be prohibitively expensive. Ditto maybe a 1823 halfcrown first bust. Ditto a 1816 3/-.

I console myself with the thought that I'm not a date collector of 5 guinea pieces!!!

Edited December 15, 2013 by DaveG38

[Peckris 579]

Interesting topic (and nice coin by the way !)

I would like a wide cross section of coins across monarchs and denominations.

I've noticed that a lot of collectors here are much more specialised, i.e. pennies, sixpences, Charles I etc.

Perhaps at some stage when my collection gets larger I too will decide I like a narrower field (like copper pennies of Victoria, they are very nice).

Did any of you guys start out with a broad collecting interest, that subsequently narrowed ?

cheers

Garrett.

God, that's a hard question!

I never was a total date run-ner. With pennies, at school, yes, and I do have a bronze date run from 1860. With other denominations it has been a patchier ride : halfpennies from 1937, with types before that. Sixpences and halfcrowns from 1911, with types before that. But apart from bronze pennies, and George V last issue halfcrowns, I'm not bothered one tiny jot about complete date runs anymore.

From sometime in the 1990s I changed my focus to being a type collector instead (though I'd become a haphazard one for years before), and set my sights on early milled onwards. Unfortunately, with my current need to have minimum VF to enjoy a type coin, I've lots of gaps - the whole of James II, and George I silver for example.

Having said that, it's easy to cheat for early milled : one can say "one of each monarch in each metal", allowing for the fact that there are only two different reverse designs for copper from Charles 2 to 1775, and - give or take roses, plumes, LIMA, SSC, etc - one basic design for all silver coins (excluding the affordable small / Maundy denominations).

[davidrj 194]

I went from collecting pennies from change. ( Date run, but NOT all varieties completed long long ago (though many are in cr*p grade)0 - to foreign pennies and penny sized coins

I just need one to complete my French bronze 10 centimes date/mint run (1853-1921) - the 1878 K ... very rare & pricey assuming you can find one

Nowadays I tend to buy what appeals to me at the time, most likely still to be large copper/bronze though

[TomGoodheart 401]

I've pretty much only ever collected shillings. I started with first date of issue and any major obv or reverse design change. But as I filled all the easier slots (Victoria on) I started to realise the earlier coins like James II in the grades I wanted were going to be out of my comfort zone price wise and eventually it was going to be a rather patchy collection.

I got interested in the Tower issue of Charles I partly because it offered a decent number of types and varieties, but as much because I felt it would be a cheaper way to get what feels like a complete collection in the long run. Of course it's by no means complete, even ten years on! But then I'm less worried about filling all the possible gaps than I used to be now.

I think I have 66 coins now, including a 6d I bought because I liked it! All funded from a one off 'investment' 10 years ago with occasional additions of cash from sales, birthday and Christmas gifts.

[Accumulator 52]

As a lad, I collected date runs of most denominations. I still have most of them, though many are not in the best condition! I did rather majored on pennies and half-crowns, so these were better.

Since returning to the hobby I've focussed solely on copper & bronze pennies from 1797 to 1970, though I have played with the idea of building up a crown collection too.

[Coinery 1,153]

I can't seem to avoid denomination sets myself! I like the idea of collecting say all the 1901 coins (gold inc.) and then maybe look at something else...at least it can feel as though the collection is complete, in as much as I would not be looking for any further 1901 coins!

Of course Liz, and anything Liz, I'm not fussy, though I very nearly got caught up in a date run with the 3d's once, when I realised I had a few of the harder ones!

I am secretly itching to go for a big full-variety date set of Lizzie's, but money holds me back presently...but soon!

Having said all that, I'll probably always be too skint to make a big run because I want some Liz gold and a nice Crown or two...oh, and a couple of Halfcrowns too!

[Accumulator 52]

I can't seem to avoid denomination sets myself! I like the idea of collecting say all the 1901 coins (gold inc.) and then maybe look at something else...at least it can feel as though the collection is complete, in as much as I would not be looking for any further 1901 coins!

Of course Liz, and anything Liz, I'm not fussy, though I very nearly got caught up in a date run with the 3d's once, when I realised I had a few of the harder ones!

I am secretly itching to go for a big full-variety date set of Lizzie's, but money holds me back presently...but soon!

Having said all that, I'll probably always be too skint to make a big run because I want some Liz gold and a nice Crown or two...oh, and a couple of Halfcrowns too!

I've never gone for them myself, but the cased proof/vip year sets always seem to sell well at auction. Apart from the common ones like '37 & '53 they get a little pricey though!

[DaveG38 405]

Well, it's very nice to see people acknowledging that not everything in their collection is EF+. Sometimes, I get the impression that everyone on here collects only top quality material and anything less than UNC is be discarded (metaphorically speaking).

[azda 979]

I have another curious question. Do any of you set out targets for each forthcoming year or just buy what fits?

[TomGoodheart 401]

Well, it's very nice to see people acknowledging that not everything in their collection is EF+. Sometimes, I get the impression that everyone on here collects only top quality material and anything less than UNC is be discarded (metaphorically speaking).

LOL I wish! I'd hope that many, if not the majority now, have 'eye appeal'. But there are still quit a few pieces of junk I picked up in the earlier days I need to shed at some point!

I have another curious question. Do any of you set out targets for each forthcoming year or just buy what fits?

My current aim is simple. To buy nicer than usual examples when I find them without breaking the bank! Some of the groups (D and the later Gp F coins (Sharp F5/1, F5/2)) I'd really like to upgrade. But if I see something nice that doesn't quite fit ... I shan't rule them out.

[Paulus 1,975]

Very interesting thread Richard, thank you for initiating it!

Like many, my focus has shifted since I started out, and will continue to change I am sure. When I started out (only 5 years ago really), it was virtually "all and every date of all and every major variety of English milled pre-decimal silver, nF or better". Of course there is some leeway there, in terms of what I consider to be 'major' varieties or not, and what constitutes nF!

After a while I became frustrated by the absence of certain dates and major varieties within my affordable horizon, and found I was getting far more pleasure from owning, holding, looking at the higher grade and/or more eye-pleasing examples (especially toned) I had acquired. I found I got little or no (extra) pleasure from owning a rare date or variety, especially if I owned another of the series in a much higher grade ... so I guess I am not a completist with regard to dates or varieties, I have moved on from that.

Where I am now is in 2 areas

- high grade/attractive examples of significant circulation English Milled silver - anything that catches my eye and fits my budget at the time I will go after, especially if I don't have something similar. So I will try and get at least one of each monarch from Charles II to George VI, of each very different design, that was issued for circulation, in silver ... plus a nice milled Liz I. In this area I generally rule out all proofs, patterns, models, Maundy, and 'non-major varieties' - which (at the moment, for example) for me means I will want superb 1723 SSC examples, but not bothered about French Arms at Date, 2nd Bust, etc, or WW obliterated Godless florins, etc etc etc

- I have found I want my collection to be of interest to me and anyone I show it to, from a history point of view, in addition to my primary focus. So I have also been collecting the odd attractive example going back to Roman, including hammered (esp Tudor and Charles I (esp Civil War) / James I), Gold, Copper, Bronze, Tin, Pattern, Model, Enamelled, Proof, Piedfort, Conder Token, etc etc. This makes my collection more colourful and interesting, and I do like showing it to anyone that shows an interest (not suggested by me), and allows me much more latitude in picking up virtually any English coin that I find attractive at a good price

Like many, my focus might change again in a year or 2, but I am very happy with this balance right now!

Edit: Just to add, this forum and the many experts on it have been a great help and inspiration!

Edited December 16, 2013 by Paulus

[Gary D 76]

Me I'm a completest and proud of it. I started collecting from change in the mid sixties then put the collection away for 25 years. When I picked it up again I got rid of all the Victorian bronze, silver in your change was very rare by then. I've now set the bottom limit at 1900 and top limit at 1967 (1970 + 25p are included). To broarden my collection I have added the Maundy series and have moved into varieties to keep it alive. UNC is my aim, probably 75% there with the usual exceptions like the 1903, 1909, 1922 pennies etc.

[Peckris 579]

I have another curious question. Do any of you set out targets for each forthcoming year or just buy what fits?

Nope.