Kookaburracollector

1 hour ago, augur said:

How right you are 😊 I initially thought to leave it alone but now you made me think better. It is a long elaborate process that takes time but is quite satisfying. It is a bit like developing a photograph the old fashioned way. 

@augur I am sure the readers of this thread would love to hear about your long satisfying elaborate process for cleaning coins ..do tell! I bet you studied chemistry at school. I did as well, but can only remember how to make beer, which doesn’t help me clean coins.

Should I be adding fixer and HCA (Hypo Cleaning Agent) to my shopping list for tomorrow?? 

1 minute ago, KevinFlynn said:

I have a black stub like that on a 20 Goldmark, soaking did not help... 

I'm contemplating a toothpick...

Don’t! that would be too abrasive I think. Maybe a cotton bud to start with! Doesn’t really matter with a bullion coin I guess. A jeweller friend of mine occasionally allows me to use his ultrasonic cleaner, but again, only on bullion grade coins.

 I am am sure augur will have a superb, non invasive method to deal with such issues..

@augur I would so have to soak that coin in some hot soapy water 💦💦💦

Welcome to the forum and especially this thread @eddi

I watched Powells’ speech live,at the same time as having a live stream of the gold price..interesting to see what comments caused the 

price of gold to rise and fall..bottom line is...dovish fed = less likely the fed funds rate will rise ...will watch Gregory Mannarino on YouTube tonight to get a proper traders view on it ...

@KevinFlynn Hi, hope the shopping trip goes well. Let us all know what you discover ...we might send you back next week  to collect our orders...

Some pictures of the shops would be very interesting. (And coins of course)

kind regards...

1 hour ago, augur said:

Macro Lens for phone of evil and some post processing (crop, exposure and shadows up, contrast and highlights down)

in this case fish eye lens as the macro lens wouldn't fit larger than half sovereign or 1/10 gold

Always an open mind on this thread, and willing to learn...so I took out a 20 Franc Angel and experimented with @augurvision..(copyright pending)

I think the value of my small collection just went up a notch..

Before...

Agreed ..pretty rubbish.

Then two attempts using augurvision techniques..

Alternative ...all down to preference.

And that’s in 30 minutes..

Ciao.

4 minutes ago, augur said:

coin photography pushes the limits of technology as the dynamic range (dark to bright) usually maxes out the capabilities of the sensor, especially proof coins (hence the matte proofs in the past).

in order to compensate for the shadow when photographing without a semitransparent mirror (to avoid the reflection/shadow of the lens/camera) you can play with the exposure to make use of the dynamic range the sensor has captured (the display can show even less than the sensor captures).

to adequately capture a coin you would have to photograph through a semitransparent mirror and create a HDR (high dynamic range) picture to capture the brightest reflection to the darkest shadow but this requires an extensive setup and extensive post processing. I haven't yet risen to this challenge, so this is my shortcut 😊

 

Phone of evil – the one with the bite on the forbidden fruit.

You took the words right out of my mouth with that excellent summary of coin photography!!!

I like forbidden fruit....don’t go there....enjoy your day.

6 minutes ago, augur said:

Macro Lens for phone of evil and some post processing (crop, exposure and shadows up, contrast and highlights down)

in this case fish eye lens as the macro lens wouldn't fit larger than half sovereign or 1/10 gold

Not sure what a ‘phone of evil’ is.....but the rest sounds like cheating to me lol! I will have to experiment with the above options in future.

cheers

@augur and @StevenDS You have both posted some really high quality photographs...without polluting the thread too much, could you explain how you achieve such good pics..

@Cornishfarmer Good morning...

Just wondered if it was possible / wise  to rename this thread. There is a wealth of knowledge being accrued on here for all 20 francs coins, and not just French. Maybe include the term Latin Monetary Union or just 20 Francs Advice Please..

Just a thought...this is one of my favourite threads on the forum (along with ‘Today I Received’ and of course......World War 1 coins!😀)

Or just leave it as it is..if it ain’t broken why try to fix it!

@ilovesilverireallydo hi, neither would I NOW. Just a pity he went about it all in the wrong way.

Unfortunately, for the wise ones on this forum,we are aware of what lurks out there..not everyone can be trusted.

2 hours ago, mezmer1411 said:

Very informative topic here.

I'm just starting out with PM and latin monetary union coins hit all the right notes: they're fractal so I could afford a new one much more often, plenty of beautiful designs and prices very close to spot for the most common releases.

I have a question for collectors: how easy are they to sell (in the EU)?

Is there any issue (when it comes to selling) in the fact they are .900 gold?

I have a couple of sovereigns and from observing the forum here for the past month or so, it seems to me they are highly sought after and selling for close to the purchase price wouldn't be an issue. Is it similar with latin monetary union coins?

This is probably the final question I have before deciding whether to pull the trigger or not.

Thanks!

Hi Mezmer,welcome to the forum and to this thread.

To put your mind at rest...I don’t think you will have any problems selling any of the LMU coins, either on this forum (after you become known) or to a dealer...gold is gold at the end of the day, and these have become more collectible recently.

22ct gold is also not a problem..most gold coins made are not 24ct, as this makes them too soft to go into circulation..they would not last very long at all.

Regards to sovereigns - they will always be the most liquid of coins in any collection, as the collector base for these is huge. As much as I love, and personally prefer the 20 francs coins, I do not think they will ever compete with the popularity of the sovereigns.

The big plus for me with these coins is they are relatively inexpensive to buy...you can pick them up for a little over spot if lucky.

The only issue I can foresee is your location...not all sellers of coins on this forum are happy to sell into countries outside the UK, despite the fact you live in a beautiful country.

Best of luck and enjoy the forum, suggest you spend some time looking through old posts to improve your knowledge.

Regards @mezmer1411

Kook

Thank goodness they aren’t on my ‘wanted’ list..January has been an expensive month for quite a few members I think.

Apparently the seller is legit..he came in for quite a bit of flack last night on a newbie thread for appearing out of the blue, then selling expensive coins immediately.

If you are interested in any of the coins he is selling, I suggest you read the related thread for clarification as to who he is and who supports his integrity..

Not sure I would like to see gold that high...would make our collecting a lot more expensive.

@shortstack68 The USD GBP (cable) exchange rate back then (Aug 11) was about $1.60 to $1.65,  so $1824 would be around £1100 and not £1384 unless I am mistaken...happy to stand corrected..

If gold hits $1400, then the GBP price of gold will be close to, if not above it’s all time high..around £1100 /oz I think. As I only started collecting coins 3 years ago, I have not witnessed the coin market in this environment. Based on comments in TSF, I guess a lot of coin collectors will reduce their purchases ...do you agree or am I way off the mark ...

As I hold investments in gold mining companies and get leverage on the price of gold, I will look forward to a higher price, but I guess most on the forum would not...will be interesting to see how this plays out..

At £1350+ it better come in the best capsule known to mankind! I think I will probably leave it in its capsule for quite some time..At the moment I am just hoping the IBAN transfer goes through ok and I actually get the coin..fingers 🤞 

@sixgun I don’t use charts myself, but understand $1302 is a key level to close at...what are you reading in the golden tea leaves at present...just curious.

Not heard of them fortunately. Read the article..that fellow better keep his trap shut about Bernie..a man that has some very interesting friends...I wouldn’t want to cross him in any way!

@ilovesilverireallydo I sold an old car a couple of years ago which gave me the funds to start collecting. My proof purchase will definitely be a one off and I am already having grave concerns about how to look after it. Could you suggest a particular type of capsule.I really will need to look after this one properly..

@ilovesilverireallydo That rooster looks to be in great condition, as do the other coins you picked up. At a price I rarely ever seem to be able to buy at...

I have ordered, and paid for a coin today, but it isn’t a 20 francs coin..’.I can resist everything except temptation ‘and boy I have been tempted ...A 1oz Reverse Proof gold Libertad is heading my way sometime soon hopefully...just had to have one..you know how it is!

Coin budget blown to pieces for quite some time unfortunately, so might see me heading to the For Sale section some time soon. Got a few spare 1oz gold Eagles, Britannia’s and buffalos which are in reserve...

Always hope at the start of the month for a premium bonds win so might hold on a week or so...let’s not be hasty in parting with our coins..

Will of course, raid the kids piggy banks if the right 20 francs coins turn up so let’s all keep looking...

Do they ever crop up at the London Coin Fair?..I go to the Midlands one frequently, but very few to be seen there..

Good hunting...

Just looked at my trading account..paid for the 1oz Reverse Proof Libertad I ordered today lol! Not a realised profit of course, but I feel a bit richer...let’s hope the trend continues...been here sooooo many times before..

 I see a golden cross looming....let’s hope so.

Then watch everyone complain about the high price of gold...it will be a double edged sword for some..

Maybe someone at the PPT has a fat thumb today and hit the button with dust on it lol😳