TeaTime

he he he... Everyone saying that these bars are not very good hasn't stopped them being instantly bought as soon as they appear. I've had one email stating they're now available to buy but took too long to log in - back to 'awaiting stock'. It looks like the RM are playing silly buggers again and releasing multiple small batches to keep the interest up. They know how many are available so it makes no sense to do this. If i am unable to purchase a couple of 1 oz bars from the Mint because of their ludicrous selling strategy then i think i'll seriously consider giving up on them 😐 I have to be at work during the day and can't keep logging in on the off-chance that i strike lucky.

Blimey - probably the most uninspired and boring jewellery i've seen for a long time. Still, it's 'ethically' sourced so that's good. The plain silver cufflinks are priced at £395 - about £300 more expensive than the Queens Beasts sets they were selling previously. Bemused.

I have no doubt there are logistic issues with obtaining silver or blanks. It still doesn't explain why i am now in month 3 of waiting for my Britannia purchase whilst the RM are sending out coins (utilising the same blanks) that went on sale after i made my order.... I just appears to be very random and amateurish. ☹️

@GoldDiggerDaveYep - i got the 'apology' email. The 'ongoing challenges with global supply' doesn't really cut it when they are sending out newly advertised coins whilst some people are waiting months for coins which use the same bloody blanks. It's nice of them to acknowledge there's an issue but a bit of truth would go a lot further. Something containing the words arse and elbow would be more palatable.

...'of the utmost quality and craftsmanship'... also includes the special 'scar-face' privy.

...'Papua New Guinea established its sovereignty in 1975'... perhaps they picked three of the numbers, threw them in the air and went with however they landed. A twentieth of an abucco is 9.82 grams. A third of a duella is 9.44 grams. 2 zolotnics are 8.53 grams a masha is 9.72 grams I'm done !

I have a few colourised coins that i either won or bought for pennies with a view to either scrapping or selling on to those who like them - i detest them and consider them a gimmick. In 30-40 years time they'll probably look like the tattoos on a geriatric sailors arm. Which brings us to; are the RM relying on this process to sell sub-standard designs like the pride 50p ? Are they using colour instead of higher relief because it's easier on the dies ? Are the designers getting lazy knowing that they can get the printers to optimise a lacklustre coin ?

he he he... maybe it will have 'culture, creativity, heritage and history' in a swirly typeface.

Lucky you're not a RM coin designer ! Just writing slogans across the face of a coin is lazy and a bit too 'in your face' - it seems to be the fall-back option the RM take when they want to rush out more product or virtue signal. Something with a little more subtlety could be entwined roses. If no-one can come up with a valid design at the RM then it's a sad state of affairs. What next, remove the figure of Britannia and just write 'helmet, trident, shield, person' .... 😁

Most people posting here are natural cynics so it's perfectly understandable that they would mock this coin - to most it's not the theme of the coin itself but the perception of the RM's reasoning for releasing it. Following soon after the 'diversity' 50p and 'ethnic' Britannia it could appear to be a tick-boxing exercise. Personally i think it's another typical lazy example - if you have to write all over the coin what it is meant to represent then you have failed in the design. As for equating posting a clip of a once popular childrens show with homophobia - that's a bit of a stretch. P.S. I have one openly gay friend, and one cross-dressing acquaintance (who looks disconcertingly attractive in full make-up). I know of at least a dozen other openly gay people who i don't particularly like. Not because they're gay but because i don't like them as human beings.

Well that should appeal to 1.5% of the population.... Can't wait to see the designs for one-legged Wellington boot testers or short shelf-stackers.. A truly remarkable time to be alive and a welcome addition to the world of numismatics.

Whether true or not some people are going to assume that an ungraded coin will have issues. This could affect re-sale values. Some people (me) would not dream of paying extra for a rectangular plastic coffin so the cost of slabbing is a waste of time. Personally i stick the packaging in the loft and keep the coin in a capsule. There's no right or wrong - just what makes you happy/comfortable.

I've seen plenty of second hand .925 proof coins at spot or just over spot on most forums. I often see them advertised by weight and, to me, are the obvious choice for stacking. As long as you're not looking for anything aesthetically pleasing 😁

I too received a year set where the coins were loose in the packaging - They are basically a set of BU coins placed in a pre-formed plastic sleeve and then sealed in a cardboard folder. Two of the coins were not visible because they had either moved when the packaging was sealed or had been thrown in with no regard for where they ended up. The coins were ok but i had to destroy the packaging to get to them. This was so obvious that i can only think that either there is absolutely no quality control (one half-second glance would be enough to notice two of the coins were not visible) or it was done deliberately by a disgruntled employee. I have never known RM quality to be this poor. It's also been two months since i ordered my Britannia one ounce two-coin set - when i see people posting pictures of their new coins that were released last week i really have to wonder what the hell is going on with this company. I sincerely hope that whoever is managing this shambles is held accountable.

Older coins that have a grey tone (usually caused by handling) really show the detail of a coin. I have occasionally artificially toned modern bullion coins to bring out the detail - without toning some 'busy' coins are virtually impossible to see if you're getting on a bit.... A collector will accept toning on a coin as part of it's history - A stacker shouldn't really care either way, silver is silver.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kings-Queens-England-Coins-Poster/dp/B007N2WLEQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2A77X76LLYI9Q&keywords=kings+and+queens+of+england+coins+of+the+realm&qid=1650972707&sprefix=kings+and+queens+of+england+coins+of+the+realm%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1

'Investment grade silver'..... or, according to some peoples perspective, no condition description would be necessary because it's just 'bullion'... '2012 Mexico Libertad 1 ounce silver bullion coins' 😁

The RM produced a few different rounds but, as far as i am aware, they were for the USA market and they carry a hefty premium. I can't think of a single UK supplier of minted silver rounds - plenty of poured stuff about though.

I cannot recall ever seeing a RM .958 (Britannia) proof silver coin with milk spotting. The majority of coins that i own with spots are .999 silver.... I do have some .925 proof coins with small spots but until fairly recently most collectors (including me) put the spots down to natural toning rather than a defect. Really though, natural toning can be confused with spotting - if there is no defined hard edge to the discolouration then i wouldn't consider it as milk spotting. This i would consider patination - something that will happen to every silver coin ever minted.

The difference in cost between the individual 1997 1oz proof and the four coin proof set has always astounded me. Basically people are willing to pay upwards of £50 for the single coin packaging.... There were just shy of 12,000 sets sold and 16,000 individual coins - the highest mintage of any of the proof .958 Britannias yet still one of the most sought after years. Anyone who wants to make a bit of money should be buying up the sets, manufacturing the individual boxes and repackaging them. Instant £50 profit and a whole lot of fractional silver left over 😁

It's an eye opener for sure - If production flaws do not count against the grade of a coin then any coin that is minted and placed directly into packaging for distribution should grade at 70. The only exception would be a coin that suffers damage during transit from the mint to the customer. That would mean that the RM - who claim a 68 graded coin is acceptable - are admitting to damage occurring as part of the packaging process. This also, perhaps, highlights the obsession with obtaining a perfect grade as a bit of a nonsense. Most people equate a 70 grade as being a 'perfect' coin when, in reality, a 68/69 graded coin can have more aesthetic appeal to a collector..

It's fairly typical of the BBC to dumb an article down. If they were to mention third and quarter farthings then they would need to explain about our historic colonies (which could upset a certain demographic of their audience and is probably too much effort to research anyway). Or to give them the benefit of the doubt perhaps they'd reached their word count and decided accuracy was not paramount.

....'The white purse is filled with uniquely minted Maundy money — silver 10p and 3p pieces — to the value of 96 pence'... I have never heard of a Maundy 10p - looking forward to seeing one 🤨

The RM have delved into the jewellery business before - usually with coin themed objects. I purchased the Queens Beasts (lion, dragon and unicorn) and Britannia cufflinks and tie-pins a couple of years ago - they were all for sale at 50% off. I can only assume that there was no demand. Not sure what's changed now.

The biggest problem with the RM is that they tend to release coins on a whim - often with no information available to the general public (and often to regular purchasers too) - they also have been known to release coins internationally that were not available in the UK. There are several fractional Brits out in the wild - 2006 tenth ounce bullion, 2011 half ounce bullion, the Gairsoppa 2013 & 2014 quarter ounce bullion... As far as i am aware the Britannia bullion coin was released in tenth ounce, quarter ounce, one ounce and 10 ounce in 2021. There was no oriental boarder released (these were 2018-2020 only). Kilo coins are generally proof only with the exception of the Queens Beasts 2021 completer.