ShineyMagpie

Hold on...... I read that wrong lmao

Or pre-unloved! 

I'll be on the phone to them first thing on the 3rd. I was told the piedforts were being minted on the 23rd so hopefully mine is sat on a tray somewhere in the vault in perfect condition, best of the bunch and ready to be put into its box and brought to me on a royal carriage in the next couple weeks. 

The first coins came into being almost 2,500 years ago, and a substantial part of our historical knowledge is based on coins, including those from coin hoards (evidence of early coin collecting / stacking).
Postage stamps only came into existence in 1840, and as far as I am aware, have never provided any sustantial contribution to our knowledge base.
True numismatists are primarily interested in coins for many diverse reasons, and investment is not one of the main reasons. 
I suspect the same is true of philatelists.
Those who primarily collect for investment value are missing out on much of the potential pleasure and enjoyment they could get from the knowledge they could acquire. As it happens, I believe that real numismatists often end up with better investments than those whose prime motivation was the investment potential, and who probably ended up learning little.
The most extreme examples of this are the "armchair collectors", who only or mainly buy from what I call "Coin Marketing Companies", who mainly but not exclusively sell new issues, at what most TSF members would consider to be rip-off prices. These people hardly ever learn much about coins, countries, history, geography, or anything. Eventually, some of them learn, too late, that they overpaid. Sometimes it is their beneficiaries who realise this. Neither of these outcomes is good for the long-term image of collecting.
I should add that similar applies to stamp "collecting".
It is very frustrating, as a dealer that, day after day, we get this type of "collection" offered to us, and often have to deal with the disappointment and fallout from it. 
One annoying question we often get asked is "Why is your offer so little compared with the original cost?". The response I always want to give is "Why did you or the buyer pay so much for it in the first place without learning anything about coins or the market?" 
Before 1970. most UK coin collectors formed collections of mainly UK or other coins which had originally been issued for circulation. Since then, the UK market has changed, and most "collectors" accumulate new issues, commemoratives, and other made-for-collectors material. Even when they do buy "real" coins, they often want them "graded" (slabbed) or accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
In another 50 years, who knows?
😎

Happy new Year forum!
i have picked up these two coins on holiday, which for me are quite interesting so I wanted to share them with you and also ask your opinions on perceived value. 
 
2 Pula Botswana 1986 proof
100 Shillingi Tanzania 1986 proof
These are part of a series made by the British Royal Mint as a celebration of conservation efforts of the WWF in 1986. Both are in good condition and have their CoA. 
 
- how do you like them?
- what value would you place on them (individually or as a pair)
for transparency, I paid 35€ for the pair which I think is a good deal. 
 
hope you enjoy them and thanks for all of your inputs!

I'm starting to think you have landed a job at the mint? Tour guide or incharge of QC sticker's.

Don’t be hard on your self!  You’ve just fallen into LCs spiders web of mathematical mumble-jumbo. It was no contest! He also has an honours degree in Pedantics, grammar, and spelling…….😃😃

A less subtle answer was available!
😎

Not sure if this has been posted already or not? But Travex have a 1g gold bar for £53.70 for 1, about £10 cheaper than anywhere else.
https://tavexbullion.co.uk/gold/1-gram-tavex-gold-bar-uk-london/

Unfortunately I'm not a premium member so these deals don't tend to last, and are rightfully snapped up prior to me seeing them. 😅
Would have definitely been interested.

Not sure if this has been posted already or not? But Travex have a 1g gold bar for £53.70 for 1, about £10 cheaper than anywhere else.
https://tavexbullion.co.uk/gold/1-gram-tavex-gold-bar-uk-london/

Not sure if this has been posted already or not? But Travex have a 1g gold bar for £53.70 for 1, about £10 cheaper than anywhere else.
https://tavexbullion.co.uk/gold/1-gram-tavex-gold-bar-uk-london/

Wow subtle reply, 
Yes I had made a typo in this instance and missed the 2nd 8, not disputing that rounding early exponentiates the problem. However, if you had also continued to read the calculations i eneded on:
Yes I did round 7.32238(+) to 7.3224 but thought for ease and simplicity of calculations that was fine.
I do appreciate the rrepones's I myself am trying to learn more. And hopefully this will also prove useful to others.
I would press thanks to replies but as a basic user I have exceeded my limit 😅

Wow subtle reply, 
Yes I had made a typo in this instance and missed the 2nd 8, not disputing that rounding early exponentiates the problem. However, if you had also continued to read the calculations i eneded on:
Yes I did round 7.32238(+) to 7.3224 but thought for ease and simplicity of calculations that was fine.
I do appreciate the rrepones's I myself am trying to learn more. And hopefully this will also prove useful to others.
I would press thanks to replies but as a basic user I have exceeded my limit 😅

Its hard to have a formula for this sort of thing and the market and the margins are ever moving,
A 5% over spot price on any sovereign is rare from dealers these days, even for best value sovereigns.  And stock levels are super low and demand seems to be through the roof so premiums seem to be creeping up and up from dealers.
Where ex-mount is concerned I would pay a lot more than spot for a Guinea or a George IV half sovereign ex-mount or a double sovereign if it was not polished/harshly cleaned, but I would not even buy a 1905 (for example) for spot if it had been mounted if there was one speck of solder on the coin.  A lot of mounts, those that hold the coin rather than use solder, do not really damage the coin but I find anything with any age that has been mounted has been treated like jewellery and polished to buggery, which ruins any premium on anything but the most rare of coins.  

400 tonnes of gold. Well damn it. I thought I was doing well with my stack this year but. Hey ho, only 399,999.15 kgs to go and I've caught up to them 🤣

Thank you so much again for your reply and help! It makes me feel much better now about buying coins in eBay  (I was desperate to get this coin but couldn’t find it anywhere else…) I’m new to collection and it’s good to learn that the famous Royal Mint may possibly make this kind of mistakes  

https://www.thesilverforum.com/dealerdirectory/

Well said, takes only a few seconds to send a message. If you can make a cup of tea/coffee then you have time to update the man/woman you have just agreed a deal/taken payment from.
I noticed this a few times recently...it's almost as soon a sales post is listed, the seller then throws his/her computer out the window and cuts the mains electric cable for good measure 😀 

To all sellers and especially relatively new sellers that may not necessarily have a lot of experience:
 
COMMUNICATION IS KEY.
 
Everyone on here have busy real life priorities, errands and activties to complete HOWEVER if you are listing an item for sale here on TSF - it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to keep up to date with incoming potential buyers messaging you and requesting updates on their pre-agreed purchases.
If you know that you are having a "busy week" in real life maybe postpone your listing until you have a bit more free time to be on top of things? Or give the community advanced notice on your listing beforehand. The last thing both parties want is radio silence on either end of a sale...
This thread should be a sticky in my opinion. Lot's of vital information for all members new and old to go through and absorb.
 

The OP posted asking for help and stated he had been sent the link, and later posted he does not actually have Facebook himself so is unlikely to be au-fait with the minutiae of its workings
This forum is a community where some of us try and help each other out, and comments like yours are just rude and unhelpful. 
Please try and be a little more considerate with what you are commenting on others posts 

So we often show our nice shiny coins how about something different.
Maybe a stunning shield with horrendous damage to the portrait?
Perhaps a proof that arrived looking like it got kicked down the road all the way from the mint itself? 
I'll start us gently with this crown

Thanks 👍 

Managed to pick up a proof 2020 Sov at a little over bullion price and another shield so all good from me at COTR auction tonight 👍🏼

It's possible, but I doubt it. They obviously have buyers at that price to keep it so high. Its surprising how many folk don't realise that you can shop around ( take ebay for example) I often see prices achieved on there higher than main street dealers with websites. 
I suppose its still better than buying jewellery etc from the likes of H Samuel's. 
I can't really laugh as my first 12 kilo silver bar's came from bullionbypost.co.uk, but I wasn't happy just settling for their website/vat inclusive price, I bought them from their eBay account including those extra tacked on fees too 😆 🤣 😂