Princetane's Growing Collection Of British Coins

Actually I think he does - most of his stuff is second hand goods and he sells coins as a side hustle only. Also deals in stamps and plenty of bric a brac and chintzy things.

I have seen Wedgewood, Toby Jugs etc on his page on Trade Me.

The last 2 weeks has brought in some fantastic new shillings and pushed the boundaries historically!

First we have the 1594/96 Elizabethan shilling - mm Woolpack and this is my first and so far, only 16th century coin.



This ancient and worn beauty is hammered and is almost the size of a halfcrown but 1/3 as thick. I just love its primitiveness and how it comes from such a distant era.

The next few are really historic too. Starting with James 11 my 2nd coin of his, the first being that halfcrown.



This is a fabulous 1st year coin of his reign and it was actually the year he became king (Charles died in March). Again worn, but enough survives to show you what it is.




Moving just ahead 38 years, we leave absolutist Stuart monarchy and meet the half pied capitalistic Georgian era with its Prime ministers and gin craze.
This 1723 shilling is very nice and shows the SSC, South Seas Company a bubble that burst in 1720, yet they provided silver in 1723 dated coins and managed to prop up the bank of England until 1857!!!

It's my first King George I coin!

And the last 4 coins were bought last week and came today Tuesday November 16th.

A 1720 shilling that joins my 1723 for similar examples of the design, this has the plumes and roses suggesting the silver was provided by the Western English mines of the Pit and Sea Coale(sic - medieval style english of the time) company. It looks like these dudes provided the silver on my 1731 Halfcrown back on Page 5 as well.




More Georgian cream came with this better than average 1758 shilling. This was the last regular (I say that as there was the scarce 1763 Northumberland shilling - mainly as the Duke of that place melted some silver to make them) and the 1787 one off issue until 1816. Most of these got trashed in the interim.

To give you some context, that is like us still using coins from 1963 now and none since issued!




Also a very nice high grade 1940 English style shilling - the black wear was not as bad in the photo.




And another first, my first William and Mary coin - a decent and wornish Halfcrown. It features the scarce second shield bust.




The shield thing did not fly and by 1691 they were back to the quatered shields design that held on until 1787 and then rehashed in the Victorian Jubilee and early KGV eras.

These pre 1707 coins were English ones, at the time this half crown came out, William and Mary had only subdued the English, most of Scotland and Ireland was rallying behind James the Second and not until 1746 was this Jacobism finally suppressed.

In 1689 you would have likely used Merks in Scotland (Their halfcrowns were 30 shillings, not 30 pence!) and Irish were using halfcrowns made out of melted guns!

Big series of updates here from last November

Shillngs - These were from bulk silver lots I brought, so all blulk price of $7 per coin except the 1835 and 1887 which were about $15 each



1835 VG a scarce old coin



1860 fine, some dings - a nice coin at the bulk price!



1887 Good/aGood - very worn but a scarce young head coin!


Family of cheap Threepences, mostly 1900s and 1910s


Family of cheap Sixpences, all sterling


Better 6ds from bulk lot, 1879 Fair, 1902 VF and 1908 near Fine.

In early December I managed to buy 4 much older coins than worn 1910s shillings!

Starting with the oldest.



1696 Exeter Shilling, William III - VG+ condition, a honest example from Newton's great recoinage of 1696 - 1701. Provincial mints like Exeter and Chester were bought in, the first time since the 1540s.



A gorgeous 1707 Post Union Halfcrown of Queen Anne. Minted in Edinburgh, it is near VF and has a big gouge near her mouth. A year earlier it would have been a 30 shilling coin of Scotland not 30 British pence!



A nice 1739 Shilling of George II showing the young bust and roses, a beautiful coin - sorry for faded photo. The roses suggest West of England silver was used.




Finally, a full Fine George II shilling with the Lima mark on it from 1745, this was Spanish bullion taken off a French Ship in 1745 and it was used to mint silver and gold coins in 1745 and 1746. Full fine and showing the older head of the King.

Looking good!

December continued with my best buy in. However at this time my partner got very sick and spent the first of 3 very long stays in hospital, a condition that has resulted in his descent into senile decay and subsequent movement into an old folks home.



1551/3 Edward VI shilling, this was my second 1500s coin and my new oldest. This ancient coin is bent and very thin showing a facing portrait of the child king.



My 1st year coin of the modern groat, this is a near VF example of coin issued to help those hiring hansom cabs, which refused to give change for 6d coins in 4d fares.



A VF 1836 Shilling, a great coin also as it is my best grade of all my William IV coins, this short reign ensured few coins were issued and most were heavily worn. The designs on his shillings and sixpences were retained into the Victorian era.

The best coin of this era was this very high grade Godless Florin a Christmas present to myself.



This is a stunning first year coin and a almost EF example, I nearly died when I won it.

Fantastic!