LawrenceChard

Thanks for spotting that. the quick answer is "YES", but a better answer might be brain misfunction! 😎

With the possible exception of 2022 Gold Double Sovereign Bullion Coins at the moment? 😎

It won't help you much if I say it would have been better to buy gold in 1964, or 1999. Nobody really knows whether the current gold price is too high, but I would rather be long than short. Gold is a better bet than silver mainly because of the VAT. This advice guide might be helpful: https://www.chards.co.uk/blog/advice-guide-for-uk-bullion-investors/1041 "https://www.chards.co.uk/blog/advice-guide-for-uk-bullion-investors/1041" If you survived ebay for 13 years, then TSF will feel like heaven. 😎

In order of quality, price, and excellence of course. Although 2nd to 5th places appear to be alphabetical! 😎

I wish the future was! 😎

You should probably look at: https://celticcoins.com/ I have never dealt with them, but I get a good feeling about them. What I would like to hear on TV or radio news is: "A hoard of Celtic coins has been found Celtic Park Football Stadium" It doesn't work in print or writing, only in audio! 😎

I think you are quite right to have preferences when collecting, although not so much when investing. The extra pleasure you get from owning something you really like is a kind of dividend, and can be balanced against the extra profit you might make by taking an accountant's view of investment. I think almost everyone agrees that Edward VII's portrait is not as attractive as most other sovereigns. If you did buy one, it might be worth getting a 1902 proof, as they do have distinctly better definition than the bullion / circulation versions. William IV, as you hinted, is also not particularly attractive, although the reverse is nice, and makes up for it somewhat. Both portrait styles of George IV are good, as is George III. There are two things most of us will agree on. They are all more attractive in higher grades, and... They are all the right colour! 😎

2019 Silver Bullion 1 Ounce Coin Oriental Border St Helena East India Company - Beauty Dish Photo Lighting This is a nicely detailed design: Doug commented: Christian: struggled with grid on this and didn't want to flatten all that detail with the softbox so got the beauty dish out - really nice gradation of tones on the obverse! 😎

Yes, Jersey. You can dig them up by the shovelful. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grouville_Hoard#:~:text=The Grouville Hoard is a,Jersey in the Channel Islands. 😎

Trajan actually, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajan Not Nerva https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerva If you read the two Wikipedia pages, it will explain the connection. 😎 Probably Vesta! 😎

Did you work out who and what it is yet? 😎

The Order of St. George: Well actually a wood carving, probably made in the Austrian South Tyrol about 40 years ago. It is supposedly hand carved. I admired it at the house of a Little Old Lady in Bavaria some years ago. When she died, she left the house to our Munich friends, and this was in the cellar among many other personal possessions for disposal. They gave it to me. 😎

Don't be concerned about the Arab vending machines, as they are almost certainly made in China. So that's alright! 😎

When you talk to yourself, at least you get sensible answers! 😎

Ah! I little too cryptic for me at this time of night, especially as I have not fully recovered from a few days driving from Bavaria. Thanks. ... And I notice they don't tell you the % premium, which would make it too easy for intelligent customers. Clever marketing, giving stuff "free", to get new customers on their mailing lists. I don't like it though, as I think it is very cynical. "Sign your best friends up to us, and get a free reward (bribe) for recommending them to us even though we are not the best value or deal". Who would do this to their friends? Most people apparently! 😎

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There are sections "See a gold / silver deal, post it here", so it is encouraged, but some spammers get paid to add multiple spam advertising / affiliate links to sites, which is clearly undesirable, and I guess these are often just bare links without any significant relevance or interest. If you didn't know why it was removed, I am sure you could have asked a Moderator and got a suitable reply. 😎

Which deal where? I don't think forum rules prohibit posting to external link and deals, except where it constitutes blatant promotion and advertising, particularly as affiliate links, eetc.

Their postage sounds expensive, and also their minimum order: There is 1 error A minimum purchase total of 99,99 € (tax excl.) is required in order to validate your order, current purchase total is 23,98 € (tax excl.). « Back Product Description . Unit price Qty Total B2B OK Total products (tax incl.) 23,98 € Total shipping & insurance 25,00 € Total (tax excl.) 48,98 € Tax 0,00 € TOTAL 48,98 € 1 oz silver KANGAROO 2022 $1 Australia SKU : 21-/ B94Capsule or no capsule : No capsule . 23,98 € 23,98 € I picked the lowest price new one ounce silver bullion coin I could find I don't know where their site assumed the order was to be posted to. Minimum order does not appear to be stated or revealed beforehand, only when you try to proceed to checkout, then it gives an error message, as though the customer has made a mistake. 😎

Most of the best dealers tell you the percentage premium so you don't have to work it out. The less competitive ones don't, for obvious reasons. Why not just post a link to the dealers offer page, then all can see, and save time. This will help the people who are trying to help and advise you. "Free" stuff and loss leaders are often not free or good deals. 😎

It's a mass produced product. Ingots get rolled into sheets, sheets get stamped. There are almost bound to be scratches, scuffs, and imperfections, unlike proof coins, for which you would expect to pay about twice the price. I presume you did pay a reasonable % premium. Expect to pay about 10% pre-owned, or about 15% new, sealed. Plus postage. Do you know how much % premium you paid? 😎

Presumably you were buying it as an investment in gold bullion. As such, you should not be expecting a perfectly engineered piece of scuptoral art. You are buying a mass produced product. If you are looking for perfection, then a proof coin would be more in line. Hopefully you bought it at a low or reasonable premium, although a large bar or coin would or should be better value. See my / our advice here: https://www.chards.co.uk/blog/advice-guide-for-uk-bullion-investors/1041 There is also not much advantage in buying a "sealed" gold bar, or a new one compared with secondary market one. In fact, sealed and certificated bars are too easily faked compared with their unsealed counterparts. 😎

Some coins can be cleaned, with care. An ultrasonic tank is good. 😎

I like my knowledge and opinions to be correct and soundly based. You contention that silver (coins) are not subject to VAT in Belgium came as a great surprise. As you purport to be so knowledgeable, I thought you might also have some pride in your own knowledge and accuracy, but it appears not. Google is not necessarily anyone's friend when it comes to sourcing accurate official information, but as you believe it is so easy, the least you could have done to defend your position would have been to find it on Google, and add the eppropriate links here on TSF. It should be easier for a French or Flemish speaker than for an English one, or you could have asked your preferred supplier, and forwarded the response. The fact that you have failed to list any other EU country where silver coins are not VATable is presumably because you realise you were wrong, but don't like to admit it. "There is NO VAT on silver coins in many EU countries, Belgium is STILL one of them but there are others too." "Why some people, like you, keep repeating that there is VAT on silver in the EU ( the EU is a whole, not one or some countries ), I don't understand ..." Perhaps it is because, with the possible exception of Belgium, that I and all the others are right, and you are wrong. Your contention that "( the EU is a whole, not one or some countries ) is also deeply flawed. Every EU member has substantial freedom to set it own tax rules, and laws, as long as the are within the general framework of the EU rules and laws. When you say " I don't understand ...", I can see why. I am used to people being wrong, but when they purport to be knowledgeable it is harder to accept, particularly when they accuse me and most other people of being wrong "Please stop with giving misinformation." We are not giving you misinformation (with the possible exception of Belgium, where you are unabnle or unwilling to clarify matters, or defend you position). I certainly do not mind being corrected when I am wrong, which is part of the reason I am usually right, but I do object to being accused of giving misinformation when I am correct, or substantially so. 😎

Some secondary market boxed coins and sets we buy in smell very strongly of tobacco smoke. We used to story the worst ones in a separate room until the worst of the small faded, which could take 6 months or longer. After the first few times, we started paying less for smoky coins. These were OK.😎