Stuntman

Looks genuine to me.  No obvious issues on that score.  The condition is another matter 😄

Wow.  Not sure whether the punishment actually fits the crime.  Cheeky so-and-so, regardless.

Nice sleuthing there, @westminstrel.  Looks like they may indeed recycle those £1 coin designs.

18 hours ago, Bruce06 said:

Talking about Paddy, there were some posts weeks ago over there mentioned and concerned about him, as he was last active in Jan 2022, also similar day in another coin forum.  @StuntmanDid u come across Paddy recently?

Hi @Bruce06 - no, I was last active over there in about 2019 I'm afraid.  Last predecimal coins I bought were in 2019 and I've resisted temptation so far.  Met a couple of them in real life at the Midland Coin Fair.

I love seeing a really rare coin that has had a proper circulating life.  Those 1905 shillings and 1905 halfcrown absolutely fit the bill.

Just think how many hands those coins passed through, probably all of them blissfully ignorant of the rarity of what they were holding.

Here's my 1905 shilling and florin - I don't have a halfcrown.  Again, these are fairly well-circulated coins that didn't cost the earth.  Bought them both in 2015, from memory, on separate occasions.

@SidS- amazing, what an endeavour.  Best of luck. 

I'd love to see pictures of your 1903 and 1905 half crowns, for example.  The 1905 is very valuable in any grade, as well you know!,

As is the 1905 shilling.  Those two 1905 coins are perhaps the most desirable of the 20th Century.

There is/was a chap over on predecimal.com called Paddy who is another date run completionist for pretty much every denomination.  I think he had a market stall in Devon where he bought and sold coins over many years. 

I haven't been active on that site for years, but I think he put up various galleries of all his coins.  They were in various grades and he just loved filling gaps and finding upgrades to ones he had.  Very impressive.

Key dates from 1920 to 1946 will depend a little bit by denomination.

As a general rule for shillings, florins and halfcrowns - 1924, 1925 and 1926 are scarce or rare, especially 1925 for florins and halfcrowns

1932 is scarce/rare for florins

1930 is scarce/rare for halfcrowns

1923 is scarce for sixpences, I think that's the only date to look out for on those coins

1928, 1930, 1942, 1943 and particularly 1944 are the dates to look out for on silver threepences

If you find a 1945 silver threepence, you will be very rich indeed!

5 hours ago, SidS said:

A lovely specimen!

I too like florins. I thought about sticking a date collection together once. A lot of money for the gothics though. Although, I do have a full date set of circulated florins from 1887-1967. Nothing to write home about though being F-VF grades.

I have tried being a type collector. I always end up chasing the dates though.

Wow - that's quite some date run, especially since you will have 1891, 1892, 1905, 1925 and 1932 in there.

I have a 1905 and 1932 but I would love an 1892 with decent eye appeal.

Thankfully when it comes to UK predecimal coinage I am very much a type collector who has 'a little bit of everything'.  At least one example of pretty much every denomination (I don't have any Bank Tokens or Dollars), and at least one example of every monarch from Charles II onwards apart from Edward VIII.

Some in good grades, some not, some rare, some not.  This covers about 160 coins and gives me an eclectic mix.  While in an ideal world I would like to add the collection, I haven't bought since 2019 and since then have concentrated on the modern precious metals!

UK predecimal completionism requires dedication, patience and deep pockets!

Britannia Groat, you say?  Here's the last of the line, an 1888 specimen.

The only one I have!

I agree about the shilling, florin and halfcrown designs mentioned but I also have a soft spot for the 1927-36 florin design too.

In fact, florins are a really nice denomination for the type collector because there' aren't too many different types and many of them are attractive designs.  Godless, Gothic, Veiled Head, Standing Britannia etc.

I would agree that the coin is VF or thereabouts and is likely to have been dipped.

Still a very nice coin, though.

Value-wise it's perhaps £10-£15.

Here's one for sale from a reputable dealer for £22 in perhaps a slightly better grade:

https://www.thecoinking.co.uk/collections/halfcrowns/products/1916-halfcrown-george-v-british-silver-coin-very-nice-10

Cracking collection there, well done!

I bought the Cupro-Nickel £5 Platinum Jubilee coin last year and I think that's an absolute belter of a design.

Was too slow for the proofs of that design and they were somewhat pricey (but I would love to own them in 1oz gold and 1oz platinum).

I'll be happy with a Cupro-Nickel coronation coin, or coins.

All five of those in a set would be pretty smart, I think.  Probably will cost about £100 assuming it comes in a nice folder or something.  

Be even better if they made them in 1/4 oz gold bullion, or 1 oz silver bullion...

The more time I spend on here, the more impressed I am with Chards, and Mr Lawrence Chard.

I order bullion fairly infrequently these days but it is no coincidence that my last two orders have been with Chards.

Hopefully my next order will be with them too.  Hint: please can you stock the 2022 bullion Memorial Double Sovereign...

Long-Eared Tit?

I wonder whether the RM found itself contractually obliged to fulfil all its orders from its authorised distributors first, before it fulfils its direct orders from individuals like you and me.

Meaning that if you and I had ordered it from the likes of Chards, BBP etc - with a discount as well - we may well have received our coins some time ago.

It's really poor whichever way you look at it, especially since you can get the Memorial Bullion Sovereign coins before they have delivered all the proof and BU versions.
Shame on them.

I ordered my coin and paid for it in November and I had an email over the weekend confirming that my order would be despatched to me 'by early April, at the very latest'.

BU Five Sovereign Piece.

Tremendous.

Atkinsons and Chards are my first ports of call for new coins, so I will be keeping on top of these developments when there's something I want.
BBP (for gold) and SilverTrader (for silver) are my next ports of call.

Only then the RM!

22 hours ago, LawrenceChard said:

 

"Coins are collectibles because they have designs on them"

I have designs on the girl next door, but that does not make her "collectible".

 

Bravo.

Sadly it's kind of the luck of the draw.  

Thankfully most of the bullion coins I have received have been pretty good.  Perhaps about 1 in 8 have had defects that are noticeable under magnification.  Of those, only 1 or 2 coins have defects which are properly noticeable with the naked eye.

If I have received a semi-numismatic bullion coin with noticeable defects under magnification, I have tended to order another one and then keep the better one in the collection.  The other one remains in the stack and will get sold at some point.  In some cases the difference is extremely marginal and the 'worse' coin is probably still acceptable to the majority of people.

Ordering duplicate gold bullion coins is probably beyond my means now, given the increase in spot and also a reduction in my own income.  So I will probably have to accept the luck of the draw from now on.

Proofs/Brilliant Uncirculated coins are a different story.  I'd expect these to have zero or minimal defects, otherwise I'd probably return the coin and ask for a replacement or refund.  I only have 3 such coins (4th one STILL not delivered...) and so far they have been acceptable to me.

I'd probably want the 2017 out of that photo, because it looks like you're getting more bullion for your buck, even if you aren't!

The 2003 and 1915 look like the runts of the litter, even though they won't be.

Good job that most of us spend more time looking at the coins' faces, rather than their edges!

My bullion memorial sov was delivered today, from Chards.  Cost me £401.something all in when the spot price was in the £1560s.
I'm very happy with the quality of the coin.

Shame about what the spot price has done since, but I want a bullion double sov so that'll help me if spot remains at that sort of level when I'm able to order.

91.3%

As I've said already - I'd order a bullion double sovereign from Chards if/when they have them available.  Far rather from them than the RM...

I'd definitely be a seller at $50 per oz assuming that it would equate to at least £35 per oz.

I would then just spend the proceeds, it's not going to make my fortune but it would give me a decent amount to splurge on either a holiday or something fun.

If it did go well over $50 I wouldn't have any significant seller's remorse, I'd just be happy to have more than doubled my money.