Wampum

save it and wait for dips.
Buy as it dips then around the bottom and again as it goes back up. 1oz easily 3-4 times a year. 
Wont be spot on but you will certainly nail the best one. £320 is my buy in rate this year - anything over is not doable. 

You could ask the RM but I have a feeling they’ll tell you to bogof. 😆

Can you show a picture of it?
Quite a number of older forgeries of older sovereigns are very good, and are worth studying.  Often modern forgeries are not very good - but I am sure there are exceptions to the rule.

Financially I hope it's a BOGOF.

Financially I hope it's a BOGOF.

Financially I hope it's a BOGOF.

I have been caught out with a few, some of the earlier fakes where easier to spot as for some reason they looked oriental around the eyes,
and have seen a few more recent that have wear showing however look freshly minted , they are now faking them with designations such as MS cleaned or AU scratched ,
the idea behind this methinks is that people will think that they are faking perfect coins , so a cleaned coin should be alright.
Great idea for a topic @LawrenceChard ,the more info collectors have the better.
 
         https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/chinese-coin-counterfeiting-ring-4071202
 
Apologies if this has already been shown as the images are at least 10 yrs old
however the 1822 is interesting as I have never seen a quality 1822 counterfeit mentioned ,however have seen a few worn examples. 

1902 Edward VII Silver Crown
Another fake from China:

and the Obverse:

The blowhole to the right of Edward's chin looks like a casting flaw, although I would have thought these fakes were struck rather than cast. I might need to book a holiday research trip to China to see if I can visit a few of their factories to find out.
Of course, the "coin" contained no silver, as shown on this Niton XRF test:

I think I mis-recorded the 2nd Zinc reading as 203 instead of 263
So, approximately
Copper 60%
Zinc 26%
Nickel 9%
Manganese 2%
The eagle-eyed might spot this does not total 100%, but there were a few traces of other metals which I have not shown.
The 1934 crown and two other "silver coin" fakes I tested had a very similar composition.
 

Many thanks @LawrenceChard for sharing.  The images really are first class!
I am surprised by the quality of the coin to be honest - better than I would have thought.  My first impression is that it looks struck rather than cast. There are areas that look weak including a few of the denticles on the obverse, so happy to be wrong about it being stuck.
One of the things I look at on Sovs which I suspect might be counterfeit is the letting and numerals. In my experience (as an amateur) the forgers do not get the letters / numbers quite right. I suspect this is a result of the forger not being 100% familiar with the typesets. On this coin, they look pretty good.
Best
Dicker
 

That's a great idea, it's the harpsicords I'm having difficulty with for the Half Sov's.   

Perhaps we could have a piano trade section on the forum? I seem to be going through one or two a week at the moment!

There are a couple of coins I would only buy slabbed and that’s because I cannot tell if they are counterfeit - notably the US Incuse Indian Heads.  
When gold is on the way down, It does seem to have an effect on auction results - particularly with coins at the lower end of the numismatic scale (not lower scarcity).
My guess is that with multiple auctions, close together there was a lot of choice for a limited market, coupled with a lower gold price.
As for slabbed…some people like slabbed coins and it does make a difference, particularly when buying online and you cannot examine coins yourself to determine a grade.  I find it hard enough judging AU58 or MS61 with a coin in my hand and impossible with photos on a coin auction site!
Best
Dicker
 

Nobody forces anyone to buy slabbed coins. There are plenty of outlets selling raw coins as well. As you say, however, Caveat Emptor. You only have to look at the number of threads in these very forums started by individuals who have bought or thinking of buying coins that they are having doubts about authenticity. Then you have the other side, where someone will post a photo of a coin and ask for an opinion on it's grade, only to be told it is not possible to reliably judge from a photo. But isn't that what you do when you buy a raw coin online. You look at a photo and make a judgement whether it is worth what you are being asked to pay for it. 
At least with slabbed coins, you are buying something which is 99.9% guaranteed genuine and is of known quality, which you can then compare for value to similar quality coins.  

I wonder how many other pianos have been sold over the years with a few sovereigns safely stored inside ?

Raw vs Plastic slabs....albeit graded and slabed coins are worth more..(can never get my head around that) but raw everytime...paying some company and coin grader I don't know and never met...to ascertain in their opinion what condition rarity if its PL,ULTRA CAMEO etc etc.....my coin is and giving it a MS or PF/PL......66/67/68..........is just not for me..just my opinion..but I just can't pay so much money for a piece of plastic!.....can I get a higher price for my coins if I wrap them up in a crisp packet...🤔🤔🤔🤣🤣🤣🤣

Only just seen the CoR auction looking at lot 98 and Lot 99,can't believe the difference, price of plastic must be on the rise.

In fairness, MS66 is the highest that a 1957 has been graded, and there are only 6. That commands a high premium in itself
 

Aye lad there could be a possibility I am closer to a Bus Pass than you,
It was the time when Disco was all the rage, and the only thing on-line was my washing.😄😄.
Not a bad price for a 2015.    

I used to keep mine well wrapped up and hidden in a piano, however I will be damned if I can remember where I put it.
You could buy self seal flips which you can have three on top off each other in the trays for storage.
The capsules are the best. I think you need 22.5 mm so they cannot move around to much. The box above looks really good.   

I used to keep mine well wrapped up and hidden in a piano, however I will be damned if I can remember where I put it.
You could buy self seal flips which you can have three on top off each other in the trays for storage.
The capsules are the best. I think you need 22.5 mm so they cannot move around to much. The box above looks really good.   

The way I look at it is 10 quid for 100 sovereigns (30k) not only looks after them, makes it easy to store and I number each capsule so I know what I paid for each one. Good value in my mind. 

I always store them in capsules . After a while it's interesting to see how scratched the capsules become. That surely tells you something  . 

I think its me be overly critical.... and is just the way the frosting is applied

I looked into this the other day a seemed to remember the price being reasonable compared with other services. Just double check the t/c as sometimes there are a few hidden cost in there somewhere. I use similar services with other companies but I was intrigued as this may give access to future dealers and promotions through the royal mint. 

Hi All
I collect coins, pens and have a particularly have an interest in treasure wrecks.  
One object brings all of these together… the 1966 Parker 75 Spanish Silver. 
The pens (fountain and ball point varieties limited to 4000) were made with silver recovered from the 1715 Treasure Fleet that was wrecked off of the Florida coast and primarily re-discovered by Kip Wagner (Read his excellent book “Pieces of Eight” for the story).
The silver was being transported from Bolivia, Peru etc via Cuba when a hurricane hit and wrecked many ships on the Florida coast now known as the “Treasure Coast”.  Coins and artefacts are still being discovered despite the area being one of the most heavily searched and metal detected in the world.
A lot of the coins had lost any detail and as such a deal was struck with Parker to melt them and turn them into a limited run of pens, which were:
- Supplied in a presentation case
- Had a CoA signed by Kip Wagner
- Contained a silver coin from the 1715 fleet

The pens retailed for USD75.00 - expensive in 1966.
If you can find one in unused condition with the box, paperwork and the silver coin, I think you would need to pay GBP2000 plus for it.
A great bit of history and at the time a marketing masterstroke from Parker 
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Dicker