| Author |
 Replies: 13 / Views: 1,961 |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
5417 Posts |
So, I'll be stopping by London on my way to Asia in August but being a Canadian Citizen I have a UK Visa, so I though I'd get in a cab and look around as I'll be sitting at the airport for a few hours otherwise.
Does anyone have any recommendations for good shops near the airport (Preferably no more than 30-45mins)?
Here's what I'm looking for:
- 1819 or 1820 Crown (gVF-EF)
- Commonwealth Coinage (Richard and Oliver Crownwell)
- Some Greek Silver.
- Decent Roman Bronzes' that I can buy in bulk.
- Lower-end Hammered Silver
- VF-gVF George II Shilling (Young Bust).
- 1797 Copper Tuppence (Preferable Mark-free aEF).
Thanks.
-zx
|
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1321 Posts |
Edited by andyg
07/06/2014 7:13 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5417 Posts |
Yes, I will be landing in Heathrow.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
17942 Posts |
The only ones I know are in central London. Museum Galleries (Richard Lobel) right opposite the main entrance to the British Museum; the Gold Coin Exchange in Charing Cross Road, just off Trafalgar Square and a smaller, relatively new LCS in nearby St Martin's Lane. Any of these would be worth trying. If you are in London on a Saturday morning, the Coin and Stamp Market in the vaults under Charing Cross Station (entrance at the south end of Northumberland Avenue) is worth checking out. Vera Trinder in 38 Bedford Street (near Covent Garden) doesn't sell coins but is great for books and accessories, if you need a new catalogue or some album pages.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1321 Posts |
Numisrob - do you mean Phillip Cohen numismatics in Cecil court?
One dealers that will probably have all of the things on your list is Coincraft (museum galleries?) opposite the British Museum - another thought is Baldwins though I've never been to them. Both are top end sellers that charge top end prices though....
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
856 Posts |
Gosh, I don't know if you're allowed to mention Coincraft and Baldwins in the same breath andy!  Coincraft are a more commercial operation where you can get commemoratives to souvenir coins. Yes, Richard Lobel has invested heavily and has handled some interesting pieces such as the Edward VIII patterns. But their day-to-day business is as much year sets and RM issues as numismatic rarities. But Baldwins are as much (if not more) an auction house though they were once the premier coin dealership and have handled some of the rarest coins for well over 100 years. I doubt you'll find year sets (unless pre-decimal proofs) on their lists! Both have websites where you can get a flavour of them. Might be worth checking those before a visit? Edited by Tom Goodheart
07/07/2014 6:04 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1351 Posts |
May I say avoid Coincraft.
TAT.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
5417 Posts |
I did happen to check out the website, Baldwins has some real nice stuff, but mostly out of my price range and even then I`d end up getting one coin that`s a higher grade than it needs to be in my collection. I saw the 1820-LX Crown they had and it`s overpriced for what they`re saying is an EF.
Coincraft`s website seems good but what you`re saying is true and they mostly sell Mint Sets then they`re definitely not what I`m looking for.
I wouldn`t mint visiting some of the smaller shops, I will be there Friday, not Saturday. I`m also hoping to pick up the latest copy of Spink.
Where do you guys get the majority of your coins from?
|
|
Valued Member
United Kingdom
109 Posts |
I've never had a problem with Coincraft, whether it be buying or selling to them (I sold Mr Lobel one of his Spink Patina Edward VIII gold coins). As everyone here has posted however, for what you are looking for, they probably wouldn't be you best point of call. To be completely honest, if you've got 30-45minutes, I wouldn't say you have enough time to really go around a coin shop in London given you're coming in from Heathrow
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1321 Posts |
>>Gosh, I don't know if you're allowed to mention Coincraft and Baldwins in the same breath andy!
I can if I want to :p
Not all of the stock in Coincraft's shop makes their sales list/newsletter thingy. As with everything though you have to know what you are buying.
Something else which we've not yet asked is if the OP is travelling on a weekday or not - if not opening times will have to be considered, plus as Beeston1890 writes it will take a while to get to a dealers from Heathrow.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
5417 Posts |
Quote:
To be completely honest, if you've got 30-45minutes, I wouldn't say you have enough time to really go around a coin shop in London given you're coming in from Heathrow No, I only meant that the drive either way should only be around 30-45 mins as I have a total of 2 hours to spend on "coins stuff" and will be spending the rest looking around London. I made sure that there are more than a couple of hours between my landing and connecting flight so I get sufficient time. If CoinCraft is not where I'll find the aforementioned coins then where do you think I will? The Crown and 1797 Tuppence aren't of high priority as I can easily find them on ebay later. I'm more into the early Milled/Hammered coinage and the Roman Bronzes'. Thanks. -zx |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
17942 Posts |
Quote:
Numisrob - do you mean Phillip Cohen numismatics in Cecil court? That may be it - I don't remember the name! I've bought quite a few things at Coincraft - I agree that they sell a lot of overpriced tat, but they do usually have some quality earlier British coins: I got quite a nice Commonwealth halfgroat there a couple of years ago. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
856 Posts |
Quote:
Where do you guys get the majority of your coins from? To be perfectly honest zx I get everything via the internet! Online dealers, ebay and auction houses. Been a few years since I actually visited, let alone bought from, a coin shop I'm afraid. I did drop into Spink a couple of year back when in London and found they really had very little to interest me. (Though they were having problems with staffing then so it may have improved since..) London's not a small place and I'm not aware of anywhere you can find several coin dealers close to each other. Which makes me wonder whether you could end up wandering the streets without actually finding anything you want? Had you thought about visiting the British Museum coin displays or the Bank of England Museum and leaving the purchasing for another day? Even the Tower of London, which was the site of The Royal Mint for 500 years or more. Plus the Crown Jewels display is worth a visit IMHO. Sure, it's not as much fun as rummaging through bins of coins and having a real dealer to chat to. But may be better use of time? Just a thought. |
|
Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5394 Posts |
Your time is better spent drinking beer. The commercial well stocked London coin shop is gone forever. Advice .... visit when there is a coin show or two.
|
| |
Replies: 13 / Views: 1,961 |
|
Posted 07/06/2014 7:59 pm
