xthomasx

They could do a "high relief" for the first KC sov to accommodate that. 😃

All the 1 troz platinum Panda issues from before (1987 - 1990) were all proof issues (highest max mintage was 1989 with 3000).


1987 - 1990 are shown in the above photo. The two on top are Coin Show Commemorative Pandas. 1987 NY platinum and 1988 Basel gold with an error Pt die designation (no Pt were issued for Basel).

I have one of the 2014 mules and a proof 2014 they make a great comparison. 

I’m a long time seller on eBay, almost 20 years. First few years buying and selling vinyl and the last 12 years or so, the same thing with coins.
Never been on the end of an attempted sting until very recently, but it’s happened twice in the last month.
First occasion, a £5,000 coin took the interest of a buyer in Japan. However, as the Global Shipping Program no longer ships to Japan, and I am unwilling to take the risk of shipping overseas independently, the sale could not proceed.
The interested party then informed me that they have an address in the UK and would I ship there. I agreed, as long as the address was first registered as an official eBay shipping address on his account. Once this had happened we processed with the sale.
Only at this stage did I realise that the address wasn’t on the UK mainland, but on Guernsey (my bad). This worried me a great deal, as it involved a customs declaration which I had wanted to avoid, but the item duly arrived after several days delay with the taxman.
Fast forward a week and the fun begins. I received a message from the buyer stating that although the item had arrived, the courier he had intended to use for the next leg to Japan, was no longer willing to carry the shipment, and they wanted to return the coin and have me send it to an alternative address.
This would have invalidated my eBay seller protection, so I ignored the message and waited for a refund request which never came.
My conclusion is that the buyer was simply chancing his arm in the hope that I was naïve enough to do as he asked. Eight weeks later, the buyer is still sending me messages with the same request, which I continue to ignore and will report when I find the time.
Second occasion, today, a buyer opened a refund request (£400) claiming the item had not arrived.
Alarm bells immediately rang for me, as this coin was shipped 13 days ago, one day before the 14 day returns period ends. Nobody waits 13 days to report a £400 coin that hasn’t arrived, when they know it’s been shipped Special Delivery.
The pertinent point here is that I had not completed the tracking details on eBay.
The buyer has waited as long as possible before opening the case, in the hope that I no longer have the tracking details and therefore, have no way to prove that the item was delivered.
Five minutes after uploading the tracking details complete with signature, the buyer sent me a message to say he’d made a mistake and had intended to open a case on a different item. Another chancer.
You have to understand the rules before selling anything of value on eBay. Be careful and always keep your tracking details.
 

I thought it is the other way around.
For the double sov bullion 2021 (not available in Germany as everyone was awash with 2020) I was required to use my prepaid card (i.e. debit), and for all the proofs I use the credit card.
 
 

I thought it is the other way around.
For the double sov bullion 2021 (not available in Germany as everyone was awash with 2020) I was required to use my prepaid card (i.e. debit), and for all the proofs I use the credit card.
 
 

What colour will it be 😁

Showed up at 9:59 local time and got queued with 7 (!) before me. Seems to be a side door, while at the main gate the usual shouting, pushing and rock-throwing is in full swing...?
Placed my order (just the full sov) and left. Confirmation email arrived.

Closer look 

I've just ordered the 3 coin set from chards, bypassed the queue and it was cheaper than the mint. @LawrenceChard many thanks 😊 

The five-piece set seems to be gone

I liked the 2002 but not 2005 and certainly not 2012. 1989 is unrivalled...

Oh for crying out loud! 🤬

 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334216267628

Hattons of London seem to do quite well selling "the world's first" 1/8 sovereigns.
Aside from the world's first you have mentioned, they also have this world's first - https://hattonsoflondon.co.uk/product/the-2020-pre-decimal-50th-anniversary-gold-one-eighth-sovereign/
Or this world's first -  https://hattonsoflondon.co.uk/product/the-2021-george-and-the-dragon-200th-anniversary-gold-one-eighth-sovereign/
Alternatively, here's the world's first again - https://hattonsoflondon.co.uk/product/the-2021-queens-95th-birthday-24-carat-gold-one-eighth-sovereign/
 
I wonder when they will release the worlds first 1/16th sovereigns? At least if you miss the first one you can still catch the first, or the first, or the first ∞

My Saturday morning read of the newspaper was rudely interrupted by a large, colour advert for a coin.
I suppose I should have been excited because this was a new gold sovereign, in fact a world's first.
But...

I instantly knew I was at risk of going blind trying to read the minuscule print, and have to wade through all or most of it to discover which country it was from (or at least in the name of).
I could of course see that as often, the reverse had been cunningly overlaid over the obverse in just the right place to obscure the name of the country. In most of these cases, the obscured legend says "T.D.C.", standing for Tristan da Cunha, which it is in this case.
Also, the price was cunningly hidden away, or almost so.
Turns out to be a special introductory price of £69, plus £4.99 P&P, until 31st December, after which it will be £99.
Other small details:
Diameter 11mm.
Weight 1 gram.
Purity Solid 22ct gold.
So, the fine gold content = 0.02947149 troy ounces, and the effective price per ounce of fine gold is
£2341.24 at £69,  £2510.56 inc postage
£3359.17 at £99, £3528.49 inc postage.
The ofofer is from Hattons of London.
Strict limit of one per household.
I was underwhelmed when the Royal Mint started making quarter sovereigns in 2009, and I am still not a fan, but an 1/8th sovereigns is even more underwhelming.
The only good thing about it in my opinion, is that if the images can be believed, it might actually have some silver in it, making it a better colour than the Royal Mint's UK sovereigns. 😎

The bullion sovereigns will be much later. Here in Germany they use to arrive in early-mid January, and in the UK not too much earlier. 
Half and double bullion sovs should be another few weeks later. 

The bullion sovereigns will be much later. Here in Germany they use to arrive in early-mid January, and in the UK not too much earlier. 
Half and double bullion sovs should be another few weeks later. 

9am. That makes 10am over here. I'll be wide awake all morning
My plan is to buy all (full) sovereign issues for 2022. No matter how many SotD, matte, plain edge, bullion etc. they are doing. So, after a hiatus of 3 or 4 years, this proof full sov is a must.
 

15.000 mintage sounds quite a lot for me for collectors' demands. I am not sure about investments. But I would not expect it to become scarce anytime soon.

Platinum is one of the odd metals, so opinions are not as well defined as with gold or silver.
My basics are:
Platinum is more of a commodity (like silver).
Platinum has not been imprinted as a monetary metal (unlike silver or gold).
Platinum has fallen from a high value (higher than gold), to a value lower than gold.
The usage of Platinum, mainly as a catalyst, went down, because it's mainly used with Diesel engines.
My conclusions:
Platinum is potentially undervalued at the moment and has an upwards potential.
Platinum is a speculative investment.
My thoughts on buying Platinum:
I'm using my usual considerations on price over spot.
Nationally minted or 'named' coins and bars are the more substantial investments.
Personally I would not buy under an ounce - it is relatively cheap, at least as opposed to gold, and a speculative profit needs a certain volume to make an impact.
My suggestions:
Buy if you want to diversify, but realize it is more for speculation than wealth conservation (i.e. a higher risk than gold).
Buy more for the metal content than for the form of the metal, i.e. do not key your decision to collectability
Mind VAT, buy from private if possible.

Don't worry. The share of platinum-related posts here is, I would estimate, roughly at par with the share of platinum in the wider PM market...
I noticed the Kooka 1/10 oz but haven't made up my mind. I set my eyes on another 2-3 full ounces this winter; maybe I just throw in the Kooka.

Anecdote: somewhere in the 1980s or 90s, a couple found hidden under the timbers of their attic a bundle of 20 Mark Banknotes, a couple hundred Mark hidden away by possibly their grandparents. Hidden away for a rainy day. If the cache had only contained the same in 20 Mark Gold Coins...

I have heard it's week commencing 15th but not 100% sure...

Here in Germany they are available. Price level isn't too funny, though. I got mine long ago for less than half of today's prices...
The Griffin is the only one that is hardly available over here, and for completely mad costs.

Given the German origins of the royals, King Karl-Heinz would be appropriate.