kimchi

You need to have a conversation with Steve Hill!     Seriously well done for your work! 👍
Got one for you mate.
2018 Piedfort sovereign.   page 158 (353) just says Piedfort no reference to the 65 privy mark as the pervious mention no(352)
Also the mintage figure is wrong shows 2,750.    RM sales figures 1930.   Also they only ever sold 1930 how come my COA is 2289?  I know the COA are most probably auto generated but mines a number higher  than they sold!
2018 SOTD Georges 5th Birthday (354) plain edge   Book says 457 sales figures show  485 were 28 returned and melted down? 
I have both and more than happy to buy 2 modern sovereigns both with R rating.   
 

The 2021 edition of Marsh did not add many new Die number discoveries to the full sovereign list (p.96).  Today I examined eBay’s listing of full sovereigns but I could only find one unrecorded Die number:
1871 Die 90 (item 333731856361)
Interestingly, the superb Bentley Collection of sovereigns (as stated in the auction catalogue Part 1 in a Table between lots 97 and 98) only added five new Die numbers to an earlier edition of Marsh (in about 2002).  Whilst the Bentley Collection concentrated on quality, I think this does show that it is much more difficult to find previously unrecorded full sovereign Die numbers which is probably because sovereigns have been much more avidly collected than half sovereigns.
 
Also regarding sovereigns, on this Forum there has been a debate about the number of 2018 SOTD of 65th Anniversary of the Coronation Sovereign that were sold.  According to the Royal Mint's 2018 sales page, 650 were sold:
https://www.royalmint.com/discover/uk-coins/mintage-figures/2018-dated-uk-commemorative-coin-sales/
However, the recent edition of Marsh (p.163) states that only 323 were struck.  Can someone provide an original reference source for the 323 figure?  Otherwise, this may be another alteration required.
 
Also on p.163, the date for the 2021 95th Birthday SOTD sovereign will need to be changed to 12th June 2021.

As I stated in my original post, the 2021 edition of Marsh has not added many new Die number discoveries to the half sovereign list (p.187).  So, on Friday (30/4/21) I reviewed eBay’s listing of half sovereigns and I managed to spot eight unrecorded Die numbers.  As I don’t have the copyright for the pictures, I am not showing them, but I have listed the eBay items’ numbers:
1865 Die 12 (item 313319460272)
1865 Die 24 (item 164169726902)
1871 Die 68 (item 223622642371)
1872 Die 124 (item 153279604923)
1873 Die 278 (item 324583971493 – listed as 1872)
1874 Die 10 (item 402328242603)
1877 Die 40 (item 153797177047)
1878 Die 50 (item 402636885621)
This shows that discoveries of new half sovereign die numbers can be made and it would be useful to keep a track of them.
As I mentioned in my original post, I have an 1867 Die 2 half sovereign which is unrecorded in the 2021 edition of Marsh, so I am now showing it.

I start by saying The Gold Sovereign Series is a superb book, but it is almost inevitable that omissions and errors will have occurred when such wide-ranging topics are covered.  I think it would be good to have a thread which brings together possible suggested amendments to future editions.  So, I will start off with things that I have spotted.
On p.32, the Matt BU 2019 quintuple sovereign is omitted.
On p.36, the Matt BU 2020 quintuple sovereign looks to be illustrated but it is not listed (only the 2020 proof version is listed).
On p.59, the obverse head illustrated appears to be from the £2 Britannia bicoloured coin rather than from a double sovereign (both the obverse and reverse illustrated show the date “2015” – so this would be a very rare mule!).
Also on p.59, the bullion double sovereigns for 2020 and 2021 are omitted.
On p.96, hardly any new sovereign die number discoveries have been added since the previous edition (I’ve only spotted one).  It would be useful to have a listing in one place of any new die number discoveries.
On p.158, the 2019 sovereign is listed as “normal” (No.355), but there are in fact three types: proof, bullion and Matt BU.  And in 2020 there was a Matt BU sovereign with the GR privy mark (with reeded edge which is not a SOTD).
On p.187, only about five new half sovereign die numbers have been added since the previous edition.  It would be useful to have a listing in one place of any new die number discoveries.  I have an 1867 Die 2.
On p.227, there still appears to be confusion over which half sovereigns between 2009 and 2015 have the letters “B. P.” to the right of the date.  As far as I can work out, the years 2009 and 2010 do not have “B. P.” next to the date, whilst 2011 to 2015 (excluding the special 2012) do.  Do people agree with this?
On p.228, bullion half sovereigns for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 (all with no privy marks) are omitted.
 
So, as you read your copy, have you spotted anything?  Have you any die numbers to add?

He was on that Juice back in the day. 
Ripped

I think they are very attractive and also very cheap for what they are, you can pick up an UNC Gillick for around the price of a new 2021 sovereign, don't mind paying a few quid more.  Hands down the Gillick blows the new sovereigns completely away.  The alloy that's it's made from has a lovely sheen/patina and tones with a lovely reddish colour, some testing has shown the sovereigns of this era to contain 1 part silver and I think this is what give the sovereign its beautiful finish.   Also I do appreciate the craftsmanship that's gone into the die work on the older Sovereigns as a skilled person has actually crafted the die.  The new Sovereign dies are just laser cut 12 at a time in a machine for 4 hours this is why they are in low relief.  On the reverse where the sword passes over the horse looks like it's been badly photoshopped and highlights the limitations of this new die making process in my opinion. 
Collecting for the bullion price v's numismatic can be debated endlessly and ultimately the choice of the buyer, I do have many beautiful Victoria young heads.  I split my sovereign collection into 2 groups.  Numismatic for the gems and semi-numismatic for the bullion/investment and enjoying really great coins for the best value possible I call it "Bonus Bullion".  If you can save/invest money and enjoy doing it at the same time making a hobby from it then it's like getting paid to play golf or go cycling.   
 
Happy to talk 
 
Dave
 
 

My first post here....Thank God for this forum and for bft6969's post. I just almost got taken by the fake buffalo mentioned here on Craigslist. https://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/clt/d/oak-lawn-gold-buffalo-coin/7236421934.html I was moments away from meeting up to purchase this when I got suspicious. The seller offered to sell it to me for $73 under spot and I wondered why he would not just stumble into any coin shop. That is when I found this thread and decided to investigate further.
It seems there are too many coins with the same PCGS number out there.  
PCGS company cannot verify the authenticity of the coin. 506885.70/81852632
https://www.pcgs.com/cert type in this number 81852632 and you get "Notice from PCGS Management: If you own the item with this certification number, please contact Stephanie Marine at 949-567-1296 for an important message."
Here is one for sale with the exact same PCGS number for $2600. https://www.ebay.com/itm/50-American-Buffalo-9999-Fine-Gold-PCGS-/392968098714 probably also a fake
Anyway. Thank you thank you thank you bft6969.
This internet company uses the same PCGS number as well... https://www.moderncoinmart.com/2011-w-50-gold-buffalo-pcgs-pr70-dcam-proof-70-deep-cameo.html 
Edit:Getting to the bottom of it....
 Here is the end of the trail. Same PCGS number shipped direct from China Gold plated Tungsten  
https://www.bonanza.com/listings/American-Buffalo-2011-fine-gold-plated-1-5-grams-999-gold-graded-PF70-one-troy/619403465

I've been trying to find a place who will sell gold/silver to me for cash, maybe I should have a look around car boots, but my main worry here is picking up a fake, Im very new to metal purchasing so could easily be duped into buying something thats not real gold/silver, I contacted various real companies but they all told me to use their website and theres no purchases in the shop in real life.
The car boots ive been to just seem riddled with dodgy stuff other than the odd family who is selling stuff cheap, but not gold or silver.

Ha ha ha no don't be sad, I was joking, I loved the chocolate and seeds 😄 The "really heavy shiny yellow packaging junk" I was so dismissive of was the actual bullion, I was pretending it was the chocolate and seeds I'd actually wanted and the rest was irrelevant packaging!  Sorry I wasn't clear 😄
 

Hi Millicent
I am really sorry you didn't like our gifts. We are celebrating our 12th Birthday and what you received was a packet of wild flower seeds to help butterflies and bees and also a small bar of chocolate which was made by a local Swiss chocolatier. 
We have gone to a lot of trouble to do something nice, so I do feel a bit saddened by your comments.
If you want to ensure we do not send any additional materials in your package please add a note to your future orders and we will do our best to minimise the contents.
Kind regards
Caroline

I like collecting older sovereigns and buy the best condition as close to the sovereign bullion price I can.  The older sovereigns with  silver in the alloy are far more attractive than the modern bullion sovereigns IMO. You can pick up  good quality Marry Gillick (first portrait QE2) for very reasonable prices I feel these are under rated at the moment. 
If you can “stack” with semi-numismatic gold with no or little premium over the bullion price then you can’t go wrong. 
 
Cheers 
D 

My 3 remaining please BYB, just to confirm  

I clocked the queue starting at 20 minutes before the hour on this release. I have seen other releases, such as The Three Graces queued at 30 minutes prior, if I recall. And typically others are nominally 15 minutes. The reason I recall these is that I am setting my alarm for 0325 or so in the morning to be prepared. Five hour time difference can be painful...the worst was several weeks awaiting The Three Graces release...but perseverance paid off with that one!
I would hope so, buddy!! I picked up the 5 oz and 1 oz Silver Proof. Will likely get the 1 oz Bullion when I save up more funds from all this time working the second career.

Yes the low grade C will carry a lesser premium on resale, but also the "Minty" option may not retain all the dealers premium when sold privately. Even the mint coins will get spot on resale to dealers. The happy middle ground is the Secondary, or finding good deals on minty fresh coins as the are available.  
Truth is that they are all good purchase's, as long as the spot goes up 😅
 
Also noted that the quoted price's are for "Order-able" products, for which you could have an indefinite wait for delivery. If looking to hold your gold any time soon i would purchase else where! 

@papabearxxx i see you are in London - to ensure immediate in hand delivery, you can look at buying in person 
you got Hatton Garden Metals & Baird & Co, in Hatton Garden  
ATS Bullion at the Savoy Hotel
and Sharps Pixley close to The Ritz on St James St 
All dealer with great rep

given the unique terms you have like "MINTY" "GRADE C" it singles them out as a certain UK dealer you are considering buying from 
whatever you are buying, read your fine print before committing, or you may find youll have to wait weeks or months to get them in your hand
Not a great business practice, selling stuff you don't have, but some buyers seems to like it to save a couple of quid on the purchase price

That was the issue. I asked for a quote for full insurance and he offered partial insurance. I said OK if you can accept that risk. Oddly enough, he did not!

You can always buy from me in confidence.
As the saying goes You cant beat a bit of bullly....
NO caravan nor speedboat included - terms and conditions apply!
Stay out of the black and in the red and nothing for 2 in a bed! 

All I'm known for is the pants down specials lol where I sell at a loss, on this basis I'm probably not the best to give advice lol 

If you have that feeling, don't do it. Should be a trust relationship both sides. 

If your nervy I would say no, simple as. 
Plenty of fish in the sea 

Yes if I could reserve that bar that would be great. I would also need my name taking off the reserve list then please. 

@BackyardBullion hello, I have just purchased 2020 #61 from @kimchi so I would like to reserve the same number for 2021, and take me off the waiting list if possible, please.
Many thanks
 

Hello everyone. @ChrisSIlver and I are very happy to announce the official release of the 2021 1 oz Silver Forum Bars!
We would also like to thank everybody for their patience in the build up to this release - it has been a busy year to date and it is no easy task to bring a project like this together. 
There is a lot of information to disseminate so please bear with us, some of this might be relevant to different people. I have broken this post up into different sections for ease of reading. 
If you have any questions please feel free to ask here on this thread or via PM. 
First, here are some glamour shots of the 2021 1 oz forum bars!



Changes for 2021 
2021 does not see any design changes for the 1 oz Silver Forum Bars other than the year date stamp.
2021 does, however, see the first increase in mintage for the 1 oz bars (more information on this later in this post).
We think these are by far and away the best iterations of the 1 oz forum bars to date and I am very honoured and privileged to continue to work with @ChrisSilver, The Silver Forum and ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL MEMBERS out there!
There are a lot of different aspects to tell you about so I have split this post up into various sections, hopefully this will cover most of your questions but if there is something I have not covered then please feel free to get in touch or comment on this thread. 
What are The Silver Forum Bars all about?
The Silver Forum hand poured products (in all their sizes) have been created as a way to draw the silver forum community together but also as a fundraising and brand awareness raising exercise. Some of the proceeds from the sales goes directly to the forum and helps greatly with running costs and keeping the forum the way we have become accustomed to. Silver Premium, Gold Premium and Platinum Premium and now platinum plus memberships go a long way to helping the running of the forum and to help keep the membership prices as low as practical, The Silver Forum Bars we make help a lot too. 
In addition you are supporting the Backyard Bullion brand and poured silver from us. This is our 5th year producing hand poured silver for the silver forum and 6th Year pouring silver - it is because of the support we get from members on and off the silver forum that keeps us doing what we do and striving to do better every year. 
These bars are all hand poured, stamped and finished by myself meaning each and every bar is unique in some way. The weights will vary bar to bar (although none less than 1 ozt) and the cooling patterns of the silver will also be unique and different for each one. 
The allure of hand poured silver is growing stronger year by year and these bars are a brilliant way to start collecting hand poured silver and at the same time supporting The Silver Forum and the Backyard Bullion brand too. 
These bars are ready to be shipped immediately.
In previous years we have done a pre-release reservation period - we have moved away from this model of business and now any releases we make are only announced when they are finished. 
The bars are all finished and can be dispatched as early as the end of this week.
Hallmarking
As with all of my Hand Poured Silver products these bars have been Assay Tested and Hallmarked by the Edinburgh Assay Office. 
Hallmarking is a very good addition to any poured silver. It is your guarantee that these bars are indeed 999 fine silver and made by me in 2021.
Mintage
The mintage for 2021 will be: 250 bars
Previous years we had mintages of 200 (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020). 
This is the first mintage increase for this product line and reflects the growing popularity of these bars and the expanding silver forum membership. 
As with previous years members with bars from a preceding year have first right of refusal at the same serial number in the current year. This often leads minimal bars available for new members. 
This year, there will be at least 50 new bars available for new members to have a chance to get a bar. 
Serial Number reservations & previous bar ownership
Questions regarding serial numbers and securing a bar are the most commonly asked questions I get. 
The rule of thumb has been and always will be if you own the previous years serial number you have first right of refusal for taking up the bar in 2021. 
For new members or people without a 2020 bar this might seem like you have no chance of getting one - there will always be people who do not/cannot take up their 2020 bars and as such there is always a batch of bars available for new members.
In addition we have increased the mintage, so there will certainly be bars to go around for new members. 
Deadlines to secure bars
To claim your existing serial number and bar (if you own a 2020 bar) please contact me and confirm (and pay) before the end of May. After this date we will not be able to guarantee your purchase and will offer these serial numbers out to members on the waiting list. 
Waiting list for new members/owners
If you would like to purchase a bar past experience has showed me that there will be a lot of demand. As such, we will be operating a waiting list which will ultimately end up in a random lottery to see if members will be allocated a bar. It is the fairest way to do this. 
We will be restricting this waiting list to 1 bar per member to ensure as many different people get access to a bar as possible. 
To be placed on the waiting list, please comment on this thread and we will make sure you are added. 
We will not be contacting people on the waiting list until the first week of June to collect payment and distribute bars. 
Pricing and shipping details
Prices are as follows for the different Silver Forum membership levels
Standard or Non member price - £40 per bar
Silver member price - £39 per bar
Gold member price - £38 per bar
Platinum member price - £37 per bar
Platinum plus member price - £36 per bar
UK Postage & Packaging: +£3 via Royal Mail Signed for delivery or £7 Special Delivery
International postage: +£10 tracked and insured, +£5 untracked and limited insurance
A few notes on pricing
These bars are not cheap bullion. They are not advertised or sold as investment products but as unique collectable items.
Some of the proceeds from the sales of these bars goes directly to The Silver Forum. 
Every bar is UNIQUE. These bars are hand poured, hand stamped and polished by me. They take a lot of time and energy and equipment to create. These are premium hand poured silver products, not cheap bullion. They are a way to support the Backyard Bullion business, my brand and most importantly, The Silver Forum. As I said earlier, proceeds from the sale of these bars go towards the upkeep and running costs of this forum. This helps keep membership prices as low as possible for premium and gold premium members and ensures that standard members can still use this forum for free. 
The price also incorporates the Hallmarking costs, this includes postage of these bars to and from Edinburgh and the application of the hallmark.
Forum membership and pricing 
As you can see there are some very good savings to be had for upgrading your membership - so take a look at all of the benefits that are available for Premium Members today!
 
 
A few notes on pricing
These bars are not cheap bullion. They are not sold as investment products but as collectables.
These bars are hand poured, hand stamped and polished by me. They take a lot of time and energy and equipment to create. These are premium hand poured silver products, not cheap bullion. They are a way to support the Backyard Bullion business, my brand and most importantly, The Silver Forum. As I said earlier, proceeds from the sale of these bars go towards the upkeep and running costs of this forum. This helps keep membership prices as low as possible for premium and gold premium members and ensures that standard members can still use this forum for free. 
Standard members - The difference in price is as a way for you to support the forum in a one off style payment rather than signing up for membership. But also please feel free to upgrade your membership to take advantage of the discounts available. 
The price also incorporates the Hallmarking costs, this includes postage of these bars to and from Edinburgh and the application of the hallmark.
Payment Information
We can accept payment via PayPal, Banks Transfer or Credit/Debit card (Phone call will be required to complete the transaction)
If you would like to order a bar please PM or reply to this thread and we can link up with payment information. 

This release taught me that there is a lot of value in being active in more than just one community. The morning of this release the silver forum was down but the Facebook groups were going strong giving members a heads up and allowing those of us not in the know to get in there in time. The Royal Mint email was a joke arriving well after all the coins had sold out so you can't rely on that.
With regards to the silver 1oz proof - I really think its worth keeping in mind that most people who collected this series (based purely on what I've seen people collecting over the years) collected the 2oz bullion silver coins. This coin will be released as a 2oz bullion allowing everyone who collected them in that format to complete their sets. There is no point scrambling for an overpriced 1oz proof when you've collected the bullion set knowing the bullion version will be out soon.