Alex944

I’m a stacker, not a collector, so the main thing for me is always the precious metal content of the coin, not its design. That said, some coin designs appeal to me more so than others, and generally I dislike the more overtly political symbols. Faces of rulers are obviously political symbols, and so is a lot of other motifs on coins. The Brittania too is a political symbol, being a personification of a nation, glorifying rule, power, empire, dominion, subjugation, war…
 
One of the least political coin designs must be the Wiener Philharmoniker, having musical instruments on both sides. It is hard to see how that glorifies the state, political authority, and violence.

Finally completed one collection, fingers crossed the 2022 comes back a 70 😊

I massively overpaid for my first silver coins in 2015. I got a tube of Brits from an expensive place and paid VAT onto. I paid close to £20 per coin, but that does not seem so bad now and I have sold some for a profit.
Some people like to spread their purchases to help average out prices over time.
But as you already seem to understand its a long game. And its not just about the profit/loss, its about the pleasure of owing and collecting some nice shiny things.
You stacking plans and targets will likely change over time as your own life situation changes, but either way I think holding a little gold for 5+ years is a good bet.
Defo stat a spread sheet as others have suggested. I have one too, dont wait too long to start it like I did or you will regret it.

Also great move to make,
Create a spreadsheet of dates you purchased, what you got, how much and use the formula cells so you can always see your average cost over time,
I created a cell where I put in the current price and it tells me my total potential profit loss.

This is very true. Though I'll say that in my experience, bullionbypost is good for singular items; often a single piece there with ''free shipping'' is price better than a single piece from a different dealer that doesn't have shipping included yet. From my experience (being in Ireland so still in the EU), shipping is usually between 30-40 Euro. However, if you're buying more than one piece, that ''free shipping'' included in the bullionbypost prices starts to add up, so I usually do purchases of multiple items through a different venue.

Also, congrats on getting your hands on your first few coins! Stacking and collecting is a journey. Mistakes will be made, deals will be missed, but it is definitely rewarding in the long run.

Since I live in the UK, I convert the face value of the coins to UK pounds based using the first hit I get via Google Search.
So US dollars to UK pounds I search on us dollar to uk pounds, which meant a few times I paid more in postage than the converted face value of the coins.
I normally put the coins in a standard envelope or two, put these into a padded envelope, a note to the person saying hope you enjoy the gift, and seal the envelope.  Tape in up good.
If I am lucky, it is less than 5mm in height so it fits thru the letter size guide that the Royal Mail Post Offices has, since the rate for that seems to be lower.

Hopefully the clerk can read the customs form so they know what your are posting....but often they still ask.

Then the waiting game to hear from the recipient to know that the items arrived safe and sound.

Yes, I agree that many people would not appreciate receiving coins as a gift.

Here is a link to an article about one person who try to pay for petrol with a £100 coin.
https://metro.co.uk/2021/10/26/driver-arrested-for-buying-fuel-with-100-coin-wins-5000-damages-15486151/

Then there were the people buying a bunch of £20, £50, and £100 coins from the Royal Mint at face value and then deposited them at the bank to pay their credit card bill so they would get the airmiles.
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-3390519/I-buy-Royal-Mint-commemorative-coins-bulk-credit-card-gain-airmiles-cash-bank-s-refusing-accept-them.html

So that basically lead to these coin series being cancelled.....of course, it was not surprise to some people since similar things happened in Canada as well before the Royal Mint did their face value coins.
https://coinweek.com/world-coins/armageddonroyal-canadian-mints-20-for-20-silver-coin-program/

Just for my clarification (since I intend to send world silver coins, so no Euro/Pound/Dollar denomination), you take face value based on denomination converted to $?

 
 
Very sorry to hear that, but thank you for sharing that with me. I'll make sure to tape this up properly
 
I have to agree, but I think there's a reason behind the face values being present and low:

1) giving a precious metal coin face value avoids profit margin taxes when it comes to selling (at least in the EU), since it is technically currency.
2) They give them very low denominations to prevent loss of value. I don't recall this exactly but I'm pretty sure there was a police/court case in the UK because someone had a couple of those 50 pound and 100 pound silver coins (which at some stage, the value of the silver dipped below the denomination) and used them to pay for their gas. The employee of the gas station actually called the cops on that person (thinking it was fake money) and there was a whole case around it. Perhaps someone can link that article as I've read about it before on the forum. Giving reasonable/realistic denominations to the silver coins is harmful in the long run when the fiat currency that is denominated loses or gains opposed to the actual silver content of that coins.

I'd also say it's a nice way of educating your nieces. In my enthusiasm for coin collecting, I've also gifted coins to multiple people, but I've come to the realization that most people do not appreciate it as much because they don't fully understand what it is. It was a lot of fun to explain this to my niece and nephew, but it definitely landed on deaf-mans ears in some other scenario's.

Thanks again for sharing your insights and experiences everyone, I do appreciate it.

This is very true. Though I'll say that in my experience, bullionbypost is good for singular items; often a single piece there with ''free shipping'' is price better than a single piece from a different dealer that doesn't have shipping included yet. From my experience (being in Ireland so still in the EU), shipping is usually between 30-40 Euro. However, if you're buying more than one piece, that ''free shipping'' included in the bullionbypost prices starts to add up, so I usually do purchases of multiple items through a different venue.

Also, congrats on getting your hands on your first few coins! Stacking and collecting is a journey. Mistakes will be made, deals will be missed, but it is definitely rewarding in the long run.

This is very true. Though I'll say that in my experience, bullionbypost is good for singular items; often a single piece there with ''free shipping'' is price better than a single piece from a different dealer that doesn't have shipping included yet. From my experience (being in Ireland so still in the EU), shipping is usually between 30-40 Euro. However, if you're buying more than one piece, that ''free shipping'' included in the bullionbypost prices starts to add up, so I usually do purchases of multiple items through a different venue.

Also, congrats on getting your hands on your first few coins! Stacking and collecting is a journey. Mistakes will be made, deals will be missed, but it is definitely rewarding in the long run.

This is very true. Though I'll say that in my experience, bullionbypost is good for singular items; often a single piece there with ''free shipping'' is price better than a single piece from a different dealer that doesn't have shipping included yet. From my experience (being in Ireland so still in the EU), shipping is usually between 30-40 Euro. However, if you're buying more than one piece, that ''free shipping'' included in the bullionbypost prices starts to add up, so I usually do purchases of multiple items through a different venue.

Also, congrats on getting your hands on your first few coins! Stacking and collecting is a journey. Mistakes will be made, deals will be missed, but it is definitely rewarding in the long run.

I agree, put the face-value of the coins.
This is what the governments value them if you go and redeem them from their federal banks.
So that what they get from us. Eye for an eye.
😡I always criticized the face-value on coins, I think they are very low and do not work well as gifts (as some people think that whatever face-value on the coin is the true value; I had to explain the other day to my nieces (after I gifted them some coins) the intrinsic/numismatic value of a coin, and whatever government put as face-value on it is misleading).
 

When I sent coins to a friend in the US (silver or clad), I call them medallions on the customs form and put the value down as face value of the coin.
We have been doing this for over 13 years of trading.
For the form, I also group them by weighs to keep the folks are my local post office happy.
One item to note, the sender can't be a business address and when I asked about that, the customs folks said that businesses can't send of gifts.

It's good to hear you are delighted with your new arrivals, but I must point out:
There is no such thing as free postage.
Whenever you read or hear of "free insured postage", the postage and insurance cost has already been added to the price, and the seller is making you feel good by feeding you propaganda.
My advice is to be aware when you are being targeted by false claims or propaganda, and also to be sceptical of those who try to use it on you, which admittedly is about 90% of the world's businesses including bullion dealers.
😎

@pillowcat2012
If I were in your position, I’d agree with Lawrence in terms of writing to ebay. Moreover, I’d actually go on LinkedIn (if you have a profile there)and see if you can try and find someone in the upper management chain and message them directly. 
 
i’ve done this before (to An post rather than Ebay) in a situation where parcels from the UK kept being declined by customs. I reached out to a director at An post and after a few messages it turns out that they had a break in their declaration process for UK senders and that got fixed. 
 
not the same issue, but I do feel like if you’re just fighting against the bureaucratic system, it sometimes helps a lot to reach out to someone directly. 
 
sorry for your loss in this case, but a valuable experience either way. 

Pack it very well, even tape the sides of the envelope, sent some coins and some chocolate to friends. The sides had been cut, they got nothing, nicked within the US

Great to see this kind of offer from @James32. I would certainly take advantage of this if it could verify the purity of the metal.
Usually people would want to charge for this kind of service. The old saying that "nothing comes for free" springs to mind.
But not here on TSF, I've quickly learnt that this is a special community of like minded people, and like others have said, it's the absolute best place for buying and selling precious metals.
Kudos to @James32 for offering this peace of mind not once but twice during this conversation 👍

Sincerely doubt ( without knowing which dealer) you have been sent fake coins.
Step 1) magnet test... magnet won't stick to a silver coin,but tilt coin at approx 45 degrees a slide magnet down it ( should be slight resistance)
Step 2) pull manufacturers (RM) dimensions and thickness from RM or even bullionbypost and check with calipers. 
Step 3 weigh coin on accurate scales , preferably ones that go down to 0.1gram ( suggested weight can also be found from same place as above)
If you have passed all these tests so far the you are doing very well and likely OK.
Step 4) can if still in doubt then do a specific gravity test at home ( backyardbullion has a foolproof video on YouTube) 
Step 5) if for any reason you still feel unsettled, buy 1 x 2022 britannia from another reputable dealer to compare with.
Ps, although not ever going to be cost effective with postage both ways, I'm happy to test for free if you cover postage. 

"Gifts worth up to $100 may be sent, free of duty and tax, to friends and relatives in the United States, as long as the same person does not receive more than $100 worth of gifts in a single day."
Sending by Royal Mail you can ask for the customs declaration at the counter - a small slip to fill out. Fill out as gift - put something like 3 medallions, could even put 3 badges - give the spot price value plus a little bit more - don't put a big value on, not b/c of customs but b/c of theives. - make sure it is less than $100. Sign it. Attach it to the outside of your parcel.
i received a parcel in the post today - it was some coins - it was described as aluminium nails. There were no taxes on the parcel, it was for security purposes.

I personally stick with smaller fractions (sovs, 1/4 and an occassional 1/2) mainly for liquidity / ease of use. In my experience its been easier to liquidate as opposed to 1oz, but it of course depend on yor strategy. I’ve been on the end of selling both quantities and selling sovs on second hand is a lot easier than 1oz coins (I take it that price and trust play a role in this). Of course 1oz can be sold at any dealer but the prices may be lower than expected. 
 
i’d also argue that smaller fractions are more obtainable based on price and are therefore appealing to a wider audience. I guess it also depends on your environment. 
 
eitherway, buying gold is still worth it regardless of the fraction depending on how long you’ll hold. If the idea is 10++ years, i think you cant go wrong with any faction between 1/10 and 1oz.  In my opinion of course

This is the case with silver proof £1 coins, the only 'as minted' proof coins I own. I'm sure the RM advice says something like "proof coins should not be handled as doing so can damage the finish", I would add "and negatively affect it's value" to get the message home if you were looking to include an info card yourself @LawrenceChard.
What mad bugger buys a premium gold proof coin then fondles it to the extent that it looks like it's been in circulation for a year? The lady in question must not be shy of a few quid and possibly has questionable judgement. May I have her phone number...? 😜

 

Keep it short and sweet I say!
"Touch a proof and the value goes POOF"

If you don't currently  have a 1 oz gold coin in your possession, in your position I would be severely tempted to put this extra income into acquiring one, even if you are ultimately looking to liquidate it sometime in the future.
Compared to sovereigns or halves, a 1 oz coin is a proper lump of a thing and beautifully shiny and lustrous in 24 carat form.
I don't think you can go far wrong if you acquired a 1 oz Britannia (probably the cheapest way in if you are buying new), or perhaps buy a design that you like the most - for example either the Royal Arms or the Tudor Beast Lion would be an excellent choice.
However, if quantity and/or liquidity are more important to you, I would agree with the others who have suggested buying 2022 bullion sovereign(s) and/or half-sovereign(s).
Excellent position to be in!

Thanks Alex! (out of reactions on the forum for today! - must be 24hours - or working on US time? as only left a couple this morning…🤔)
Coming to the conclusion that for liquidity it’s sovereigns, closely followed by fractional gold and 1oz bringing up the rear. But yes, if I’m holding for a longer time, shouldn’t make that much difference.
Will have to decide if I can afford to lock away the cost of a 1oz coin and accept that I might get a little less back if needed in an emergency.
Ideally, I’d have enough to get a 1oz coin and a selection of fractions - but that may be being a tad optimistic 😏

Hi to all!
Friend who's been collecting for years got me hooked on the shiny rocks a few months ago. He mentioned this forum, and must say he really undersold it, this looks amazing.
Anyways, just wanted to say hi from Spain!

Big congrats, its a brave move, wishing you all the best