DrKarlMoneys

🇬🇧🔥New pebble back Davy Jones prototypes. 999 fine silver 
Just playing with this new design this morning. will look at releasing these later in the month 1oz 1/2oz and 1/4oz versions with an iridium finish 
These are available as the Protos for £60 plus post. 
Add to box or shipping out later next week once back from vacation 😎
 

2023-04-06-094402877.mp4

Due to age and ill health I have now disposed of all of my collection and accessories through the Forum, and I should like to thank all the members for their help, advice (and purchases)
In particular I thank everyone with whom I have dealt for their friendliness and courtesy in all my dealings.
Kind regards to all - I am still in the market for a Kilo silver coin for my Great granddaughter if there are any bargains about!
Frank

So heres my first sand cast silver pour. (To be honest i missed getting the molten silver in the mold the first time round and the result you can see below!)
Theres a few things that i'll change for the next attempt, but overall i'm happy with this as a starting point.
 

It's a safe bet that trying to clean silver isn't really a great idea but I thought I'd share my results from the aluminium and bicarbonate of soda process. 
This is an overly wordy and probably unecessary walk through of what I did but there you go. I've got nothing else going on today. 
Thanks to @James32 for selling me some 'interesting patina' silver 😁
Step 1: Get light-headed while cleaning all the tarnished coins with Isopropanol to get oils and any grime off. Microfibre cloth only! 
Step2: Discover that bicarb and baking powder are not the same thing. 
Step 3: Purchase pure Sodium Bicarbonate. Wait for Yodel to deliver it four doors away. 
Step 4: Line a dish with aluminium foil (must be proper foil, not coated so industrial non food safe stuff is definitely better if you can get it but just make sure it's not plasticised)
Step 5: Boil enough water to fill the lined dish and cover the silver by about 1cm or 2/3 inch
Step 6: Place silver in the dish and cover liberally with bicarb - the worst tarnish should be touching the foil - that definitely works best
Step 7: Pour boiling water in carefully and leave for 10 to 15 minutes
Step 8: Remove each piece with a little slosh to get any remaining bicarb off and rinse thoroughly with cold water before drying with a clean soft cloth (preferably not the one you cleaned the grime off with). You might have bicarb rings so be careful not to try and scrub them off, just go back to rinsing.
You might need a second go for any tarnish that doesn't come off. See my photos for an example of how well it works but where the worst bits need another bash. 
Quick side note, any time I put silver away for long term storage in tubes I clean everything with isopropanol and a super soft cloth, including the tubes.  Possibly completely pointless but I like giving bullion grade PM the best chance. 

Please put me down for 2, don't mind what numbers.

Some people here seem to be confusing certain 'woke' ambitions by a minority (which they don't even seem to have even tried to understand and usually in the US) with the gay rights movement in the UK that this coin is celebrating. Gay people have only been allowed to even get married since 2014, it was illegal to even be gay in the UK until 1967.
I'm straight but I'll still be picking one of these coins up. I don't collect 50ps but I appreciate the design and it celebrates an important cultural milestone-a lot has improved in the last 50 years.

Some people here seem to be confusing certain 'woke' ambitions by a minority (which they don't even seem to have even tried to understand and usually in the US) with the gay rights movement in the UK that this coin is celebrating. Gay people have only been allowed to even get married since 2014, it was illegal to even be gay in the UK until 1967.
I'm straight but I'll still be picking one of these coins up. I don't collect 50ps but I appreciate the design and it celebrates an important cultural milestone-a lot has improved in the last 50 years.

Some people here seem to be confusing certain 'woke' ambitions by a minority (which they don't even seem to have even tried to understand and usually in the US) with the gay rights movement in the UK that this coin is celebrating. Gay people have only been allowed to even get married since 2014, it was illegal to even be gay in the UK until 1967.
I'm straight but I'll still be picking one of these coins up. I don't collect 50ps but I appreciate the design and it celebrates an important cultural milestone-a lot has improved in the last 50 years.

Gilbert Baker made the pride flag in the late 70's. I spent some time living with some gay veterans that were friends with Gilbert, and they would love to see his design on a British coin. A shame to not have seen a mention to him and the history behind the flag. 
The point i feel is contentious is, are the RM captilising on virtue signalling, or genuinely "tributing to the indomitable spirit of the UK’s LGBTQ+ community."?

Lived in this house for a bit whilst in SF, kinda had to get used to the rainbows and cross dressing/Elvis/dudes 🤣
 

Haha! I had one mate years back who'd go in a club's bog looking like Rambo and come out looking like Megan Fox.  

The comments here are an absolute disgrace.
It’s a new release 50p to represent people who have gone through hell to be who they are. I repeat, people who have gone through hell to be who they are.
Come on guys, you’re better than a comment as a joke for a few ‘likes’ or reactions.
I love this forum until I see these comments.
Imagine not being able to walk down the street holding hands with the person you love.
Imagine not being able to kiss your partner in public through fear of relatiation.
Imagine pretending to be someone you’re not.
Studies have shown: The most homophobic men are themselves bi or gay.
At the end of the day it’s a 50p. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
So many comments above could have never been if only the writer thought twice.

Well just for the record. I hate everyone.
So you are all equal.....
Do carry on... I am enjoying this..... this is what society has become. 

I think it is a nice coin..and hopefully there will be a range of different  versions....we all have our own opinions on pride but posting photos of Rainbow kids programme from years ago shows that there is still a lot of prestigious- Anti gay views and still people who can't except the world is a different place.....shame on you for your anti gay views..but not unexpected as there are still so many anti LGBT+Q people who are stuck in the past and can't move on. That's your problem and to disrespect a coin that represents the LGBT+Q society.....well live with it and keep your stupid posts to yourself...my views and opinions and I don't care if it upsets some gay haters on here...get a life and welcome to the modern world.

It was absolute filth
 

hey everyone these are my homemade coins that are made from 999 silver some weights vary between 2.9 to 3.1 grams I've used the old medieval way to make them the hammered style to bring the medieval feel to the modern times. as you can see i've added the Nottingham castle to represent my home city of Nottingham. whats everyone thoughts on them any advice is welcomed 

Waiting list please.

i cant agree more, always has the "final" Fortunately, I bought a similar design before, but it was designed and issued by the British Isles, but the guardian beast is the symbol of British royal power rather than the queen. After all, the monarch will change over time, but the royal symbol will not change.

One thing I tried and actually had some success with is using a scanner. Especially for very reflective coins it means you don't have the distortion of having to take the photo from an angle. I've found it also picks up a lot of detail that shows just how much of a qualitative difference there is between bullion and proof coins, picking up things that aren't so easily visible to the naked eye.

Personally I don’t know anyone else who collects gold so I’m interested to learn how other people got started, their motivations and what it means to them. What’s your story?

I'll start with my own.


 
My initial fascination with gold started when I was a kid. Like many households we always had an Argos or Index catalogue lying around that I would flick through when I was bored. As you would expect I spent a lot of time looking at all the toys but it was the jewellery section that really caught my eye. I liked all the birthstones and gems but my favourite pages were near the end of the jewellery section, it was all the gold chains. I used to sit and stare at the weights, purity and price of them for a reason I can’t fathom even to this day. The first piece of gold ever bought for me was by my mother when I got my ear pierced. I got a 9ct gold stud and hoop. A few years later after a fair amount of begging at shop windows she bought me a half sovereign ring and my brother a full sovereign. They were either lost or sold I guess and my gold story goes cold for a decade.

The financial crisis and great recession was my induction into the world of economics. I remember watching the TV as the queues formed outside Northern Rock and then like dominos the banks started to collapse. The government started QE and the bailouts commenced. What caused it? Where did this money come from? Who was going to pay it back? Pandora’s Box was open and my studies began. All the cash for gold shops appeared on the high street as the price took off - gold was more than just jewellery - gold shone bright once again. I seriously considered buying my first gold during this period but never followed through although my faith in the financial system was gone never to return. In the following years new terms and trends emerged. Help to buy, 0% finance, balance transfer credit cards, PCP car loans, early pension drawdowns and negative interest rates. I reasoned this was totally unsustainable, can only end in pain and it was time to prepare. I cleared all my debts then began living well within my means and saving in earnest. I knew what I had to do.

I bought my first gold from the Royal Mint. Three and a half ounces of pure gold were delivered by post the next day. When I opened the parcel and held the coins in my hands I was taken aback by the density, the purity, the colour. It was outside the financial system, untaxable, free from manipulation. It was perfect. It was that day I became a goldbug.

I’ve accumulated more incrementally and now it amounts to around half of my total assets. I’ve learned more about golds history as money and its universal appeal across ages and continents. I still don’t fully understand our love of gold which seems irrational but so is much of what we do. Gold is many things to many people but I view gold as the perfect way to store time. Immutable from government policy and excess in perfect parallel to its physical properties. I don’t care too much about price fluctuations because in the long run I’m as certain as I can be that gold will serve that purpose. During times like these it brings me comfort to know that I own gold and I’m sure I always will.

@Nick1368 could you go back to bed please 😂 

Well today I received what I would say is the most beautiful coin I will ever own and was on the top of my wishlist for a long while.
1917 Mexican gold veinte pesos 15 grams of .900 au.