National Household Notification - Subject: An Official New 24 Carat Gold Coin

[LawrenceChard]

National Household Notification - Subject: An official new 24 Carat Gold Coin issued to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

Well, I could hardly contain my excitement when this  dropped through our letterbox this morning, possibly delivered with The Telegraph. So much so, that I paid a quick visit to the toilet to relieve the intensity.

Later, I ripped it open to reveal:

A magnificent new 24 Carat Gold coin issued to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II - available for just £39.

On the leaflet, the coin measures just over 50mm, or about 2 inches; that does sound magnificent!

Although, on second thoughts, for £39, it can't possibly be that magnificent, can it?

But it does say it's official, so maybe this is someting from the government or the Queen, to reward us all for our devotion to Her Majesty, and for paying all our taxes.

I wonder what size it really is? Will I need a magnifuing glass to see the coin? It is an official UK coin, isn't it?

Turns out, I needed good lighting and an eyeglass to discern some lettering cunningly concealed by the overlay of the reverse on the obverse "Y CI." (although there was only part of the "Y" showing). Even though the coin image is 50mms diameter, the photo lighting made it almost impossible to read. My scan actually makes it much easier to read.

Oh, and it's not from the Royal Mint. It appears to be from Harry and Brian, who live in Mayfair London.

Let's see the important stuff, the Specifications. Ah, there thay are, in small print across the bottom:

If you have a 32 inch widescreen monitor like mine, you migh be able to read it:

Diameter 11mm | Weight: 0.5g | Metal: 24 Carat Gold | Finish: Proof | Year of Issue: 2022 | Mintage 2,999 | Country of Issue: Alderney

I hope "g" stands for grams, and not grains!

Why do Harry and Brian insist on trying to conceal the issuing country, or make it hard to find?

What percentage of people reading the leaflet will think it is an official British (UK) coin? How few will realise it isn't from the UK, but from Alderney in the Channel Islands (C.I.)

Is it a good deal?

Well, it does work out at only a 63% premium, which is not unreasonable for a proof coin, or one so tiny, but is it really magnificent?

With so much hype and subterfuge, should anybody buy one?

Personally, I will wait until some of them turn up being sold for scrap gold at intrinsic (currently under £24), or less. Then they will probably get added to most of the other half gram gold coins which keep turning up.

SEND NO MONEY NOW

Call FREE on...

If you phone them, do they try to flog you something twice the size at ten times the price?

I did a Google search for "An official new 24 Carat Gold Coin issued to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II", but the coin "A magnificent new 24 Carat Gold coin issued to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II – available for just £39", seems to have a different design!

Instead of being a "FIVE POUNDS" coins, it seems to be a "TEN DOLLARS"...

... and the name of the country? Again cunningly concealed! Isn't this a fun guessing game!

SOLOMO...

Although the Specifications say it is from Alderney!

This is very confusing!

I think I need to go for a lie down...

or perhaps go for a Coin Related Acrostic Puzzle!

😎

 

Edited June 4, 2022 by LawrenceChard

[Roy]

They offer a half sovereign SOTD too!

 

 

[LawrenceChard]

Just now, Roy said:

They offer a half sovereign SOTD too!

 

I didn't get that far!

😎

[Roy]

1 minute ago, LawrenceChard said:

I didn't get that far!

😎

I hope you haven't missed out! 😃

https://harringtonandbyrne.co.uk/pages/2022platinumjubileeweekendcoin

[LawrenceChard]

14 minutes ago, Roy said:

I hope you haven't missed out! 😃

https://harringtonandbyrne.co.uk/pages/2022platinumjubileeweekendcoin

Thanks for the link.

That will give me further entertainment tomorrow, especially if it rains!

😎

[LawrenceChard]

18 minutes ago, Roy said:

I hope you haven't missed out! 😃

https://harringtonandbyrne.co.uk/pages/2022platinumjubileeweekendcoin

 

2 minutes ago, LawrenceChard said:

Thanks for the link.

That will give me further entertainment tomorrow, especially if it rains!

😎

Although at a very quick look, it is 8 times the weight, but 12.8 times the price.

It is only 22 carat gold though, as opposed to 24 carat, so it contains 3.66' grams of fine gold, or 7.33 times as much as the 0.5 gram jobby, and about £175 intrinsic value.

And that make it a whopping 185% premium!

I feel sure I must have made a mistake somewhere in those calculations, although I have already checked them at least 3 times.

It's getting late, I've done enough, time for bed!

😎

[HerefordBullyun]

Ive got an order for 5000.

Hope they give discount on bulk orders....

[LawrenceChard]

11 hours ago, HerefordBullyun said:

Ive got an order for 5000.

Hope they give discount on bulk orders....

How bulky are you?

😎

[LawrenceChard]

14 hours ago, Roy said:

They offer a half sovereign SOTD too!

 

2022 Platinum Jubilee Weekend Gold £5 Coin

CHOOSE FROM THE OPTONS BELOW

(Is an "opton" an optional add-on, the opposite of opt-off, opt-out, or something completely different?)

SECURE TODAY WITH AN INITIAL PAYMENT OF JUST £99.80

At least they fo inform you about "4 further monthly payments of £99.80 - Total cost £499"

It even says "British Isles Half Sovereign", although you have to read through, or scan directly to, the small print at the end:

Specifications:

Diameter: 19.30mm - Weight 4g - Metal: 22 Carat Gold - Finish: Proof - Country of Issue: Alderney - Obverse: Queen Elizabeth II - Reverse: Crowned 70 Design

To find out it is issued in the name of Alderney, as if revealing that inconvenient fact up front would put people off, which it would for me.

One of the other things that would put me off is that it is more expensive than an official UK proof half sovereign, which will almost certainly still be in demand long after the Alderney versions are no longer being promoted, and are available for not much more than a bullion coin.

Compared with the minuscule 0.5 gram version, this is bigger, and therefore arguably better.

It is only 22 carat gold though, as opposed to 24 carat, so it contains 3.66' grams of fine gold, or 7.33 times as much as the 0.5 gram jobby, and about £175 intrinsic value.

And that make it a whopping 185% premium!

I am sure there will still be more than enough people suckered into buying them, possibly as investments, by the hype, and the headling £99.80 deposit.

For those wondering about the "OPTONS":

😎

Edited June 5, 2022 by LawrenceChard

[LawrenceChard]

And now for something completely different:

The rare Solomo / Y C.I. coin.

Yes, strange but true(?), it looks like the Solomon Islands have joined forces with Alderney in the Channel Islands * to jointly issue yet another:

A magnificent new 24 Carat Gold coin issued to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II – available for just £39

So actually, it's not all that much different!

If you look very carefully at the coin image above, you may be able to make out "SOLOMO", although the rest of the country's name has been covered up for some reason I can only imagine. But don't worry, for those interested in knowing important information, you just need to locate the small print right at the bottom (why does that word seem curiously appropriate?), to learn: "Country of Issue: Alderney". Confused? If so, you are probably one of the typical target customers for these coins - confused old people sitting in wing chairs, with nowhere in particular to go, and nothing better to spend their money on, and who will probably forget to cancel their standing order for the next 500 coins in the series, or who will appreciate and enjoy the phone from the nice man who will tell them about the next exciting new coin issue, at a very special price for existing customers...

* Of course, it could just be an error. Perhaps Harry forgot to tell Brian which country's name would be going on this coin!

😎