Post Your United Kingdom (Great Britain) Coin Acquisitions.

The George V Half Crowns are notorious for the weakness of strike on the obverse, so I would say most of the loss of detail on yours is down to that rather than wear. Getting one with a well struck head is the challenge!

Beautiful acquisitions.

Don't worry about or apologise for your photos, they look fine to me.
And you're absolutely right, so many amateur sellers describe their offerings as stunning.
Just think about that for a moment;
Stunning.
Did you ever look at one so described and find yourself feeling faint, calling for a chair, being lost for words, such was it's overwhelming beauty?
Er, no, you didn't.
Just as you suggest, ignore the waffle, go with what your instincts tell you and, if you think the coin worth having for the price then, get it.
Keep it up. You're finding some nice things and I enjoy your posts.

Thanks Hogarth!

Totally right, I buy most of my coins on NZ site trade me and they are either clueless sellers who overgrade their coins and call them names like stunning, and believe me, my recent acquistions come from a guy who has a lot of lesser stuff called Stunning and its overpriced, but he has the bargains too.

I make my mind up and decide if a coin is worth having. I am always noticing if coins are fake or cleaned, but generally its only American classics and anything Chinese stuff that is faked for sale in NZ. British coins are generally real and more likely cleaned, as they circulated here before 1933.

Trade me has a real unregulated sales place and there are lots of dreamers selling worn pennies for $100 and the like. The other type of dealers are professional groups, but they generally sell overpriced coins and over grade them by a half to a full grade - so a near Fine coins becomes goodFine.

Any coin I buy too, has to be as honest as possible, I will buy a worn piece if its hard to find, or I really want it. I also buy coins I like and that interest me. At the moment, I am having a real Half crown fixation and thus have gone bananas buying them, first NZ ones and now UK coins.

This is my latest, a 1902 which is described as Goodfine, but I really think its GVG to about Fine and it was from a dealer that is very naive and usually sells overpriced crap (1920s coins that worn flat he calls near Fine!)







The edge ding gives it character and it has a nice circulation cameo. Far from being stunning, but a real coin.

Also for a collection that has halfcrowns going back to Charles I and every ruler from George II onwards, it was bizarre that Edward VII was missing (Well a lot of his coins are pricey) - that I add this 1902.

The final criterion being I liked it. It cost $25 (£12)

Finally with all my better coins - if it comes froma PVC album or stored in a rusty can and its nasty looking - it won't degrade any further as I buy mylar holders and PVC pages, coins live in "Archival Flips" and the only person who takes them out is me.

Basically as long as I am alive, a coin thats Fine when I get it, will remain Fine

Wanted one for ages to complete a date set of Edward VII Pennies. Type set remains elusive as you can well imagine. The 1909 1 over tooth is folklore and i'll prob never get one.A few others as well but this is a nice Low Tide 1902 Penny looks pretty much as struck 70% lustre and didn't break the bank :)

Couple of new purchases for me, one from last month and one arrived today. Both Charles I shillings from the Tower (of London) mint.

First Spink 2802, Sharp H1/1 Sceptre mark dates it to between 1647 and 1649.



Pleased to track this down as it has provenance back to the early part of the 20th century, when it formed part of Grant Francis' collection and was used to illustrate the type in his article on the classification of the series in the British Numismatic Journal of 1918 (BNJ xii 1918 Plate V).

1859 Florin

Zookeeperz - sorry I forgot your penny which is a stunner too - that lustre!

We should all starta group for British coin collectors - as we all seem to be buying cream (And thanks to the people who told me my purchases were all great - means a lot for a new serious collector like me).

Here is the latest coin (Well its still in the mail) and surprise surprise its another Half Crown!





It's an 1816 possibly cleaned coin in VG/Fine condition - but I bought it as I wanted a "Bull head" portrait (KG3 was pretty disgusted with it and demanded it changed the next year).

Also it's an 1816 the first year of the great recoinage and coins from this date would remain legal tender until the 1970s.

Notice it is perfectly round, and apart from various copper pennies and the like and bank tokens, it was the first standard coinage to be so.

I love it and it was quite cheap.