Ætheling

Not entirely coin related, but i have a purpose to adding this one in here. How many coin collectors can honestly put their hand up and say when they started out collecting they focused on just coins? Many might have also considered other money collecting related fields such as banknotes and the absolute classic of all that is untrendy, stamps. The initial interest in these other areas may have gone after a month or two as you became more aware that coins were the thing for you. Well when i started out i actually had a choice, coins or stamps. My father had been kind enough to provide me with both of his old collections. So i had a chance to sit and ponder. Naturally i chose coins. The reason why is because they have existed far longer and therefore older specimens were around, think medieval. Even if i didn't have the money for them as a young six year old, i hoped one day i would be able to get into the old coins. The other reason i favoured coins was the metal bit. I was naturally more drawn to metals and generally metal objects... the shininess, the strength and durability, the silver, the gold and even on a really good day, the copper. I was a snobbish child, i knew copper was way beneath me back then, although admittedly this attitude issue has softened of late. But stamps being merely paper weren't entirely out of the window, i did half heartedly collect them for many years. I never bought any from stamp shops, but i'd take them off of envelopes or buy the new ones from the Post Office. Although i never bothered with the commemoratives, there were just far too many, and in the end the commemoratives were what killed stamp collecting for me, i was fed up of the trivial forced drivel being produced so i quit collecting stamps altogether. Although i haven't actively done anything with them in years i kinda just stumbled upon them again after a long, long time and i realised that these things have value. By value i don't mean financial/economic resale value, but rather historical value. How many times have i heard coin collectors from the UK chunter on about the problematic nature of Edward VIII; "I don't want a gap!" or "i'd have to buy a modern fantasy piece to plug that gap"... and alot of these fantasy pieces are, well naff. For someone who perhaps collects for historical reasons, the 1930s are a very important period, 1936/7 especially so, the entire Edward VIII fiasco, The end of the golden dreams of the 190X and 192X period, the reality of depression and a full scale war beginning to cast it's shadow as it loomed in the distance, a war that would change the world forever in more ways than any war yet. Air Raids, Air Battles, Rockets V1 and V2, Atomic bombs... it was a frightening time ahead, with a hard time in the present and a dream of a lost idealised grandness behind that was really a facade for another frightening time, the horrors of the battles in the trenches of WWI. Great icons and ideas of the late 19th and early 20th century were being torn apart either in theoretical ways or in very real terms as exemplified by the events of 1935/6 at Palmer's Shipyard in Jarrow where the RMS Olympic and at Rosyth, Scotland where the RMS Mauretania were stripped and scrapped. Two ships that once epitomised the whole ethos of the early 20th century. The class divisions, the regality, the style, the sheer grand overbearing power of technology over mother nature. The age of dreams... dreams they were indeed as anyone would be quick to point out exactly what happened to their sister ships. The mid 1930s were an important period. Thus as you might note having a modern repro or a modern fantasy piece really doesn't catch the vibes quite like something contemporary. Edward VIII coins ain't cheap unless you've got a house going spare... But to fill the void stamps can come to the rescue... The most interesting thing about them is they were there, and they saw events at first hand. Were they on the very envelopes containing letters being sent back and forth from government departments as the events of the late 1930s unfolded? Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin perhaps sending a letter to some department showing concern over Edward VIII's political views? Wallace Simpson sending a letter to Edward? The designs were also of note. George V issues and the later George VI issues look very much 1930s, they have an olde worlde look to them, almost straight out of the Victorian era. But the Edward VIII issues look very much like something that reasonably could have been produced in 1990. Infact looking at modern regular issue British stamps they're not that different. Therefore perhaps a somewhat unfashionable hobby, or a hobby you sidelined can sometimes come to your rescue when you least expect it. Thus i have something contemporary of Edward VIII with his portrait on, that were issued and used.

Here's some Machin Obverse bronze and with mint lustre these coins are summin' else. Needless to say you can't find anything from the 1970s (or even earlier than 1992) with as much lustre as this in circulation. Thus i had to buy these for £1 each. 1971 Halfpenny 1979 Penny 1971 Twopence

Here's another one; Henry VI Annulet Issue silver Halfpenny (1422-7) (Annulets are the small round circles on the reverse) Obv; HENRIC REX ANGL (Henry King of England) Rev; CIVITAS LONDON (City of London) Henry VI

Ended. Congratulations to Kuhli and please PM me your shipping address.

Pity you didn't come along sooner Michael, i just gave a few sets away. But i've finished printing them now and shipped them all off. Art will be auctioning two sets off later though, an S set and the signed A sets. So if you want one that's how you get one.

Usually -- without seeing the coin -- a hole drilled through it is for hanging the coin as jewelry. Testing with a cut usually meant making some kind of cut at the edge into the coin along a radius, or perhaps punching it on the surface, to see if the surface is just plated. Like everything else in numismatics it seems, Owls are going up in price. A nice one -- genuine from a reputable seller -- will run about $900 or so. Not that you cannot find a bargain. Centering, wear, etc., are in the eye of the beholder, as always. I'd just stick with the 12 Olympians and although i know that the Roman/Grrek equivalents do differ somewhat on some aspects i'd not diffentiate much between the two. I do tend to favour the Romans more than the Greeks though. The Owl had a hole going only half way into the coin, it didn't go the whole way through.

Hey Auld one! That York one, i saw a few of those in York when i was there. A bit overpriced they were (i would think at any rate as they were in an antiques centre) but they had a heck of alot of lustre left on them. I recognised them immediately after i'd seen a picture of yours! It's weird where things can turn up, i would never have noticed them if i hadn't have seen yours first. When i go coin browsing i tend to tune out (brain switches off) to all the coins i don't need so i stroll past them without batting an eyelid, saves me a heck of alot of money in the long run but i sure miss alot!

York's technically my home soil too, well i live in the county if that counts?

I didn't even know there was such a think as coin notgeld. I always though it was those fancy notes. As for a definition, coming at this from a rather green and totally unexperienced angle in this field i'd probably say exnuwhatsit. (Can't we have a better word for that, that i can spell?) Simply put notgeld, is not real official 'regal' currency and thus accepted or not it's something other than money, so it's outside money, so it exnuwhatsit. Don't you just love solving problems semantically?

Or chipped, or clipped, or ex-mounts, or still mounts, of general jewelry, or holed, crimped, 'broken but brilliantly repaired', weakly struck, filed, waterworn, pitted or otherwise below standard. I'm hearing you all too clearly!

I can't say i've ever got many coins that way, very few to be sure. My father did give me a tinful (well not exactly full) shortly after i'd taken an interest in coins (these were mostly junkbox world coins). Out of that tin i think i've only kept about a dozen coins, a few modern French (no idea why), some Spanish of Franco and the two US coins i got a 1944 Washington Quarter (which is to blame for setting me off on those) and a 1953 Franklin. (Dunno why i never started on the Franklins though). I got some nice Victorian coins and Geo III penny, the Geo III 1807 penny is the only one left with me. I did get some other coins from my late great, great uncle shortly before he died but most were verdigried to bits, so they all went. I kept a battered Vicky farthing though, which'll probably go in the future. And two other coins i kept, both from my grandad, one was his (and holed and polished so that it looks gold instead of bronze) and one was his late brother's this time an 1806 Geo III Halfpenny. I did get a few more from my grandfather but i think i sold those. Only some really worn silver threepences both 1918. Actually i might still have one. The other definately went. I have other things to remember them by which is why i have few problems letting go of the coins. Although the 1806 halfpenny will probably stay with me for good because it's the only thing i've got of my great uncle, who i never really saw much of. Probably only met him about five times in my whole life, if that.

Nothing boring about US coinage... $20 Liberties, Washington Quarters etc. Wonderful stuff.

You mean Victorian high reliefs? The 1840s and 1850s issues in particular before they started lowering the relief. Looking at SLQ to me they look pretty awful in even EF. They appear to wear real bad. I think SLQ's would have to be UNC minimum for me. So damned expensive though. Modern coinage in extreme low relief can even be acceptable in F. I think it all depends on the relief. Coins from the 17th/18th century tend to be in very high relief thus why i like them in high grades, 19th/early 20th in high relief (likewise needs the high grades), then by the mid 20th onwards the relief goes downhill faster than a Citreon 2CV with no brakes trying to go up it. So the grades become less of an issue with more modern coinage.

Oh yeah! I'd forgotten about that.

No Oli, John Moore of Brigantia (a small coin/antique stall in the antique centre at York) should think himself lucky he got practically ever single on of them. I got two more crisp fivers today. To be honest i think that cash point machine at Huddersfield only gives out crisp fivers. Well mostly i've had a few crisp tenners from it too also in serial run. Only had a few twenties from it (but i don't like twenties anyhow) and they were used. Out of about 50 times i've used it i must say i think 45 of those times i've always had crisp notes. It's a Lloyds Bank machine (i think), i think Llyods are the only company that still give out £5 notes. That's if HSBC don't anymore. Natwest and Halifax will only give out tens and twenties.

Well American i tend to stick to 20th century. Germany is much the same story but i don't go beyond 1945 with German coins, nor before 1930 either. With English well i'm in 871-1016 and 1422-27, i tend to ignore practically every other English coin minted outside of those periods. Currently i go as far back as 899 since that's the earliest date that can be put on my oldest coin (although i play it safe and say it was minted in c. 920). The date keeps dropping, hopefully i want to go back to the 8th century with the English one day. Then i aim to actually get something done with the ancients, so that CE/BCE line should hopefully get crossed one day... i'm just gonna keep going back in time until i get as far back as i can afford. So US/German coins i'd say i collect modern. (If 1920-1945 is considered modern, it is to me). English coins i'm early medieval (shifting towards dark ages) and late medieval.

Why what colour should the signature be? I hadn't took much notice. I know they were either signed by Kentfield or Lowther. Kentfield was the first from about 1990-1998 ish, and Lowther took over till the demise of that design and early into the next series, she has since been replaced by Bailey. Infact i'm still getting serial runs of crisp £5 notes from the bank machine with the Lowther signature. That should be long gone by now. I was most annoyed when i withdrew £130 and the whole damn lot came out in £5 notes (where were the tens? anyhow all these fivers were crisp, and all in sequence), all were soon folded and disposed so i could buy an 11th century Canute penny. Getting bank machines that hand out £5 notes is very rare indeed, since minimum withdrawal is £10.

Okay what era/eras does your collection focus fall within? Is there a certain date you will not go back beyond? Are you a modern, early modern, medieval, antiquity/classic or an ancient coin collector?

Agreed. Although i'm afraid when it comes to the modern post 17th century coins i have to have them in the best grades possibly so that i can appreciate the design and see the details. Near blank discs just aren't much fun, low EF is a good circulated grade to go for in these modern coins i find, much below EF and they just don't look as attractive to me. Coins below VF don't even get considered, i just can't live with them.

Nothing yesterday, nothing today and nothing tomorrow. There really is just nothing in change worth searching for. No 2005s yet either, not that i'm that bothered.

The problem with Scottish £1 notes is they they are released by the Scottish banks and therefore i'm not entirely sure on the legal tender status on such notes. They are very hard to dispose of, my mother works in a shop and they refuse to take them. I myself have never seen one and i wouldn't take one if i did. Firstly because i wouldn't want to get stuck with it and secondly because i want rid of the fivers, they should be replaced with coins, the last thing we need is to regress back to £1 notes! They have to be kept out of circulation. Irish money we won't take that, i don't think that's legal tender in England either. As for the Channel Islands coins they aren't legal tender in England either and thus they are usually turned away by most shops as 'foreign'... infact any coin that isn't minted with the standard UK designs for circulation in the UK itself is usually turned down flat. We have to hide them in piles of similar coins to pass them off at shops, and shops that get conned do the same to their customers. The position in England is stright forward, if it's minted specifically for circulation in England then it gets used, if it's for anywhere else outside of England specifically, then it doesn't.

The last £1 notes were demonetised in 1988. Talking of the Bank of England, they'll not only exchange any notes issued by they no matter how long ago they were demonetised, but they will also change coins. So it's the place you go to exchange the old 50p, 10p, 5p, 1/2p and any predecimal* coins you may have. *We're not sure how far back these predecimal coins go, we presume anything 1816 or later, but they might also take the 1662-1815 type too. Although they'll only do it if you have reasonable amounts of the coinage say £100 face value.

No, they were demonetised in 2003 when replaced by the 2002 Elizabeth Fry series. Shops and banks will no longer accept or exchange them. The only place to dispose of them now is at the Bank of England in London which will exchange it for one of the new fivers.

Ah you've got to love French coins; Here's a Gros, of Phillip IV struck in the 1280s. I picked it up a few weeks back relatively cheaply.

I've come across stories like this before... always nice to find such things! Now if only i could find something similar!