AppleZippoandMetronome

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.

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.

Nice tip - thanks for sharing that

OK, I stand corrected.
If you move the cursor over the date of a post, it will tell you the time of the posting.

Exchange. Join the club of those of us who have sent ours back. Quite a few of us so far!

Exchange. Join the club of those of us who have sent ours back. Quite a few of us so far!

I have something of a love/hate relationship with sovs. I love em because bullion sovs make for such an easy entry point into owning physical gold. They are easy to buy, generally won't pay a high premium and when the time comes just as easy to sell. Their size also helps with regards to the barrier to entry and they (again thinking bullion here) generally don't have the premium you'd expect to pay for a 1/4oz bullion coin.
The bit I don't like about them...  the overwhelming amount you need to learn in order to effectively buy some of the varieties. I'm a big proponent for knowing what you are buying - something I feel too few do much to their detriment. This has prevented me from seriously getting into sovs because as someone newish to them the varieties and information surrounding them feels overwhelming and too much of a time sink to get into. Apart from my bullion sovs bought just for the gold content I have focused on Canada sovs and feel comfortable with that small sliver of sov collecting mostly because it is so small covering only a few years. Between work and other hobbies I don't imagine I'll ever have the time to get into them much beyond this.

I have something of a love/hate relationship with sovs. I love em because bullion sovs make for such an easy entry point into owning physical gold. They are easy to buy, generally won't pay a high premium and when the time comes just as easy to sell. Their size also helps with regards to the barrier to entry and they (again thinking bullion here) generally don't have the premium you'd expect to pay for a 1/4oz bullion coin.
The bit I don't like about them...  the overwhelming amount you need to learn in order to effectively buy some of the varieties. I'm a big proponent for knowing what you are buying - something I feel too few do much to their detriment. This has prevented me from seriously getting into sovs because as someone newish to them the varieties and information surrounding them feels overwhelming and too much of a time sink to get into. Apart from my bullion sovs bought just for the gold content I have focused on Canada sovs and feel comfortable with that small sliver of sov collecting mostly because it is so small covering only a few years. Between work and other hobbies I don't imagine I'll ever have the time to get into them much beyond this.

I agree on everything you wrote why you love them, except the bit why you also hate them is a part why I love them even more. I love reading up on them, the varieties, the years, the scarce ones and then all the special stikes. It baffles me that there is so much to learn about 'a simple' coin. There is so much knowledge about these little coins, it can be overwhelming. On the other hand there is so much info on these coins it could also feel like well documenten and can't go wrong when one takes time to read up on them.
I started to collect bullion sovereigns with all different years. At this moment i nearly have all bullion years in my collection by now. And therefor i am on the verge of switching from bullion stacker to collector and continue to search for the more scarce, special sovereigns. It is a delicate and slow process as (like you said) there are so many varieties and information. But isn't that what a hobby is? And I am in no rush either.
 

I have something of a love/hate relationship with sovs. I love em because bullion sovs make for such an easy entry point into owning physical gold. They are easy to buy, generally won't pay a high premium and when the time comes just as easy to sell. Their size also helps with regards to the barrier to entry and they (again thinking bullion here) generally don't have the premium you'd expect to pay for a 1/4oz bullion coin.
The bit I don't like about them...  the overwhelming amount you need to learn in order to effectively buy some of the varieties. I'm a big proponent for knowing what you are buying - something I feel too few do much to their detriment. This has prevented me from seriously getting into sovs because as someone newish to them the varieties and information surrounding them feels overwhelming and too much of a time sink to get into. Apart from my bullion sovs bought just for the gold content I have focused on Canada sovs and feel comfortable with that small sliver of sov collecting mostly because it is so small covering only a few years. Between work and other hobbies I don't imagine I'll ever have the time to get into them much beyond this.

And of course what is crazy about buying this coin based off a crappy photo of a screen is there is no guarantee what you will get. If there was a genuine buyer for that coin they haven't done their homework as a lot of these coins suffer the same issue. Not one I'd be buying without a good look first.
For the silvers it is worth noting that for a lot of RM releases the silver proofs do very well in the short term but eventually settle well below what they initially sold for once those that actually want them have them. Those looking to make some profit off of them should do so promptly. Not all coins are Una's...  in fact that is the single exception to the rule from what I've seen.

It would seem something special is quickly turning into something flawed at least with regards to the 1oz gold proofs. A number of them have been reported to have a defect in the arch above the unicorn including my own. Attached is a photo of mine but there are a bunch of others at this point including the one that was put up for auction on ebay earlier today - this fault is the reason the auction was ended. The theory I've seen given elsewhere is that the mint overused the die. Some I've seen look worse than my own with even more of the arch missing.

From what I've seen it isn't the norm but more and more of the faulty ones seem to be surfacing. Quite a few people seem to believe it won't affect the grade. Whilst that may be true I have to imagine if two PF70s came up for sale - one with the defect and one without...   the one without would sell better.
Mine will be going back. If they don't replace it I'll have my money back and maybe buy the bullion version from elsewhere. Its a gorgeous coin but it is unacceptably faulty. In this market which seems to value perfection over anything else its too much of a risk for me to want to carry.

The more I look at it... the more I like it. Nice to see some decent new bullion releases from the RCM. I especially like the 2oz size that they seem to be ramping up production of. Thanks for posting!

Can’t see it makes any difference to the coin, it’s not a scratch or a print. On panda coins have some with extra/less frosting and they are defined as different.   Can’t see how it would effect grade as it’s a minting issue not post minting issue. If I had one I’d keep it and enjoy knowing that there may only be 50 odd like it

It would seem something special is quickly turning into something flawed at least with regards to the 1oz gold proofs. A number of them have been reported to have a defect in the arch above the unicorn including my own. Attached is a photo of mine but there are a bunch of others at this point including the one that was put up for auction on ebay earlier today - this fault is the reason the auction was ended. The theory I've seen given elsewhere is that the mint overused the die. Some I've seen look worse than my own with even more of the arch missing.

It will be packaged up and sent back to them when the post office opens up Tuesday morning. My fear is that there are going to be a lot of them like this and if they get too many people sending them back they may not replace them all. There is some debate in other groups about how it might still grade so there is the chance the mint won't replace it if they still think it will grade 68+. To me it is a very clear fault though - one visible with the naked eye. It isn't what I'd expect on a coin with a £1000+ premium.

It would seem something special is quickly turning into something flawed at least with regards to the 1oz gold proofs. A number of them have been reported to have a defect in the arch above the unicorn including my own. Attached is a photo of mine but there are a bunch of others at this point including the one that was put up for auction on ebay earlier today - this fault is the reason the auction was ended. The theory I've seen given elsewhere is that the mint overused the die. Some I've seen look worse than my own with even more of the arch missing.

It would seem something special is quickly turning into something flawed at least with regards to the 1oz gold proofs. A number of them have been reported to have a defect in the arch above the unicorn including my own. Attached is a photo of mine but there are a bunch of others at this point including the one that was put up for auction on ebay earlier today - this fault is the reason the auction was ended. The theory I've seen given elsewhere is that the mint overused the die. Some I've seen look worse than my own with even more of the arch missing.

It would seem something special is quickly turning into something flawed at least with regards to the 1oz gold proofs. A number of them have been reported to have a defect in the arch above the unicorn including my own. Attached is a photo of mine but there are a bunch of others at this point including the one that was put up for auction on ebay earlier today - this fault is the reason the auction was ended. The theory I've seen given elsewhere is that the mint overused the die. Some I've seen look worse than my own with even more of the arch missing.

It would seem something special is quickly turning into something flawed at least with regards to the 1oz gold proofs. A number of them have been reported to have a defect in the arch above the unicorn including my own. Attached is a photo of mine but there are a bunch of others at this point including the one that was put up for auction on ebay earlier today - this fault is the reason the auction was ended. The theory I've seen given elsewhere is that the mint overused the die. Some I've seen look worse than my own with even more of the arch missing.

Look out look out !! Flippers about 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133746866627  1oz gold proof 'completer'  @ £4000
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133746839023   1kg silver proof 'completer'  @ £8250
Lets see if anything shifts 
 

First in their 1100 year history. Must be a flawless coin. 😂😂

A bit of fun.  

For the next large TSF prize draw to advertise and bring awareness of the forum, which will be in around a month or two. Should we double the prize and have 2x 5oz silver bars up for grabs, 2 different winners each winning a 5oz silver bar. If you think we should then like this post. 

If this post gets 100+ likes we will give away 2x 5oz silver bars. (I have set this target deliberately low so that it is easily obtainable)

If this post reaches 200+ likes, we will add a small bonus  

Also worth noting for H&B if you don't want the sale calls...  don't register with your actual number. I couldn't think of any good reason they should have mine when I registered and I remain undisturbed. Only ever give the details you absolutely have to give on any registration form. Use fake details for the rest.