SlowFrog

Interesting topic! I understand the obligations and responsibilities placed on business owners when it comes to following the regulations but I personally just don't want the hassle of providing different forms of ID. In addition, I'm a bit paranoid about data security and so it does put me off when such requirements are involved. Perhaps I'm alone in this respect but thought I'd mention that it does influence where I purchase from - even though I promise I'm not up to any funny business!

Cheers, Liam! I shall take a look 👍

Thanks for your reply! It is indeed interesting to think about a coin's story. There's just so many possibilities bundled into one little piece of metal that has a societal and cultural value. I did notice what looked like clamp marks and imagine you're right which makes it even more interesting to me. I wonder why it was mounted into some kind of jewellery!

Wow, fair play! Thank you.. Just noticed that its composition is listed as copper which is leaving me a bit confused.. .. I looked for a silver variant on there but couldn't find one. Pretty sure mine silver so I've just weighed it to check the difference. Pretty rare! 👍

This silver coin/medal was given to me by my dad when I was very young. He had no interest in coins so no idea where he got it. Part of this story will make some of you numismatic folk pull your hair out. I clearly recall proudly showing it to one of my uncles who proceeded to rub his thumbnail back and forth across the face of the coin to, "work out if it's really silver". I snatched it back but he'd already done the damage you can still see clearly some 30 years later (scratches)! I've kept it in a box ever since but still know absolutely nothing about it. I've tried searching but to no avail. If anyone knows anything about its history it'd be much appreciated!

Nice product! Does indeed look premium and expensive. From my perspective, I don't have enough to justify spending a lot. I rely on a combination of methods inc a neodymium magnet, measurements, weight, a loupe for visual issues and a 'ping test' comparison. Sometimes I might even go as far as a specific gravity test with some distilled water and a bit of thread! Given all that, I think I'd be tempted to go for a reliable testing option if it was under £250 - anything above and it probably doesn't make too much sense for me personally. Best of luck regardless!

@Bigmarc I can't stop laughing because that is so, so accurate. Absolutely brilliant. @trozau This is terrible but I'm getting Medusa vibes! https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b3/fe/3e/b3fe3e23b644b414130db1cfbf2490cc.jpg

I'm totally with you and @prichaon the 2012 (it's one of the few that I do actually have) and as for that Harry and Meghan monstrosity - I reckon I'd have to get that melted down.. lol. Your George III sovereign looks absolutely awesome apart from his unfortunate profile. What's going on with his bulgy eyes? I find it upsetting..

Not Mr. Pistrucci's finest work, I have to say! To be fair to him, perhaps he created an accurate depiction of old George but I find his profile so repulsive that I would honestly trade it for any coin of a similar value if I had one!

Bit of a lighthearted topic but given that I'm relatively new to this whole coin collecting/buying thing, I'd love to see some ugly coins! It's a shame I can't really start it off with one of my own but I will say that I don't think I could bring myself to buy one with the face of George III.. On a slightly related note, my first purchases were a couple of 2015 sovereigns and after since buying some oldies, I have to say that the new sovereigns look ugly in comparison! Much prefer the yellow gold look. All subjective of course but it'd be great to see some contenders.

The pattern is more like a cross-hatch so lines cross in both directions - I think the light might just be picking out certain lines and giving that impression. I totally see what you mean, though - looks that way in the pic!

Chards is definitely one of them!

Hi! I purchased 2 Britannia gold coins recently, both minted in the same year. I'm relatively new to this so I was surprised to see they differed quite significantly in colour given that they're 'pure' gold. Each coin came from different bullion dealers - 2 of the most respected here in the UK so I don't for a moment doubt their authenticity. I am however curious as to why they look so different so any thoughts/insights would be much appreciated! It's way more noticeable in real life but in the following 2 photographs, the coins switch positions when they're flipped over. One is more gold-like, and they other more reflective/silvery. Yellow coin = 31.14 grams Paler silvery/metallic coin = 31.25 grams

Thanks for the info! I've not yet seen any marks left by my DIY thing but I haven't tested it with any proof-like coins and don't think I would - especially given what you've just said. There's quite a choice of 'nubs' out there for the DIY one because it has a flat surface - you can find all sorts of self-adhesive options made of silicone, hard plastic, rubber, sponge etc. The coloured things I stuck to the pink sponges are hemispheric in shape and hard plastic - it means the surface area touching the coin is absolutely minimal which I believe would also enable the coin to ring better but I have absolutely no scientific proof to back that up!

I have one Maple somewhere so I'll have to try and dig it out and give it a whirl. Got me curious now

I was paranoid about it scratching/damaging coins but the one I got with the little sponges/plastic things are perfect. In all honesty, I don't think it'd damage the coin without them either - it's actually quite lightweight and the edges aren't sharp. The grip is just enough for a coin too - I thought it'd be much stronger but it doesn't hurt at all if you let it squeeze your finger.

I'm intrigued by it too - from the research I've done, it seems like there's only a few relatively inexpensive ways to test for tungsten filled gold coins - ultrasound or ping (apparently, tungsten gives a dead thud with no resonance). As you said, if we had a common way of testing the 'ping' and recorded a library of genuine coins with something like Audacity, then in theory it should be possible to compare the sounds/waveforms. It'd be great to do this on PC rather than using a phone app as it'd be free and probably more accurate. Would be an interesting project but I haven't got enough time either! BTW, I did just test it with a gold sovereign too and although it isn't loud, you can put it next to your ear due to the easy grip and it 'rings' for ages. The pitch is nice and clear too - unfortunately haven't got a fake to compare against so I may have to get on eBay!

Hi all, I wasn't quite sure where to put this one but after browsing a bunch of websites and watching various YouTube channels, I noticed there are some tools/devices out there for holding a coin to do a ping test. I don't know about you but I keep dropping it off my finger every time I try to do it and I didn't want to pay a ridiculous amount for some weird contraption (most of which seem to be outside of the UK anyhow). After some digging for a suitable tool on Amazon, I found something called a 'fish lip grabber' and purchased one for under 3 quid. My wife also had a pack of self-adhesive little sponge sequins that she uses with my young son to decorate cards etc (I think they're also super cheap). Long story short is that it works a treat for pinging a coin (even with an old copper 2p I found in the garden) and doesn't do any damage either. Just posting in case someone else finds it useful! John

Thanks for the reply, Lawrence! I registered on your website a couple of weeks ago and fully intend to make a purchase or two in the near future. It's really heartening to read you have such an open and honest approach to the way you deal with customers. Given that I have nothing bad to say about the "very reputable bullion dealer I'm sure you've all heard of", I don't mind mentioning that it was from Atkinson's. I have no complaints with them at all but I'll definitely give Chards a go for my next purchase. Many thanks, John

@AndrewSL76 Thank you for the kind welcome! The info regarding folks that collect coins with strike errors is really interesting and it didn't occur to me that it'd be worth sending off to the likes of NGC/PCGS. Before doing that, I'll try and take a better photo for you all to take a look at and update this thread if I get anywhere - it might be that it's not as significant/interesting as I made out. Appreciate your advice and thoughts! @LawrenceChard I haven't asked the dealer about it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's been a few weeks and I've only just noticed the difference. Given their reputation, I basically had so much confidence they must be real that I just put them away. In addition, I've only recently gotten myself some decent scales, a loupe and neodymium magnet - my intention was to try and pick up the odd coin from eBay (I bought a silver Morgan Dollar and fell in love with them for some reason!) and learning how to spot issues/potential fakes in silver/gold coins was part of the reason I got them out to take a look. With the goal of trying to learn more, I thought I'd post here first before bothering the dealer! I do indeed have an iPhone - haha! I also have a really nice camera that I hardly ever use so the batteries need recharged - I'll take some more pics when I get the chance. Many thanks once again - appreciate all of the replies! John

Thank you both! Really appreciate your replies. I had absolutely no idea whether something like that would even be a possibility when minting a relatively modern coin. It's good to know and I'm enjoying the learning experience so thanks again - my mind has been put at ease.

Hello! First post so please be gentle! I recently purchased several pre-owned sovereigns from a very reputable bullion dealer I'm sure you've all heard of. One of the coins looks visibly thicker than the others. I'm new to this and just getting into testing/measuring everything etc - if I'm using the correctly terminology, the field of the coin sits quite deep within the edge/rim. It weighs 7.97 grams and I even did a specific gravity test for the first time earlier - that came in at 18.1 using distilled water and a bit of thread to submerge it. On the Queen's head side, the rim is even. However, on the Pistrucci side, it doesn't look centred so the rim is very thin on one side and gets thicker as it goes around if that makes sense! I'm a hobbiest 3D artist so I did a quick render to better illustrate this because my phone camera is pretty terrible! There is also a close-up shot of the coin taken through a loupe. I feel pretty confident it's gold based on all of the tests (not magnetic, the ping sound is the same as the others, correct weight etc) but the thickness, depth of the edge and offset is troubling me. Any thoughts would be welcome! Thanks in advance, John