Additions to your collection - April 2023 🐣

 Happy April 1st everybody! I just made this topic because no one made it yet today! Post what you collected this month! Happy Hunting!

What I got today from my dad. Link of the coin: N#9096

 Three recent additions … 

'Medallion of a man and horse – not sure what it is but heavy metal item' [3.5"] 

 Guess it was a trial stamping of a new die to see if what it produced looked alright. 

Then somewhere in the world is the same for the reverse. 

Will have to try to work out the lettering when it arrives. 

‘Medal - 1758 Fredrick King Of Prussia’ 

 I already have one, and created this page, but this is in better condition. 

N#84423 

https://en.numista.com/forum/topic47012.html#p398339 [2016] 

‘Spitfire - Gibraltar 2007 Crown Coin Cover  ~ Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’ 

N#44446 

bought this today in a little antique shop,  nice lot of Swiss pocket change.  pretty good date range.

A big buy up of coins from Canada and the UK for me.

A 1743 shilling that had been “gilted” previously (Wearing off, did some one try to palm it off as a guinea?)

A 1743 sixpence in much better condition, the chances of finding 2 coins from 1743 were uncanny. Both coins have roses suggesting Welsh silver was used.

1827 Shilling, again very worn and stained, but a scarce date (99% of them seem to be 1826!)

1826 Sixpence, very worn VG, but a coin I needed as a spacefiller (Cheap)

1843 Threepence, this was still when they were colonial use, so 3d from this year are scarce, goodVG. It also pushes my emerging 3d collection back another 30 years from 1873.

I finally started to get serious with Canada and these are all new adds and beginnings to complement the silver dollar collection I brought last year.

Old 5 cent coins including 1870 and 1894. The older coin is quite nice.

10c coins including 1907 and 1908 the orientation changed in the later year.

Very old and worn quarter from 1886, this coin is quite scarce.

Group of four quarters from 1902 to 1905, despite the wear, these coins were around $25 each and apparently Edward VII Canadian silver is hard to get in any condition.

1913 25c - this is a bit better (Close to VF)

1914 25c - George V early silver is not that common either, this is near VF

Some nicer ones.

Very nice 1916 Quarter, this is close to EF!

1941 25c - a good coin despite toning (My new phone takes such flat photos)

Some half dollars now!

1906 A worn coin, but incredibly hard to find here!

1908 - another worn coin, but again it must be scarce. 90% of Canadian silver 50c coins

are 1937 or later and older are usually post 1920 KGV.

1913 50c, this is a stunning coin in gFine/aVF condition and it cost a packet, still a beautiful coin.

1941 - a nice high grade example of this more common era.

Early Canadian silver is rather expensive in higher grade, especially the higher denominations (25¢ and 50¢). Probably few people could afford to take such coins out of circulation just for collecting.

Quite a few varieties have been identified for the 1886 25¢. One of the best places to know more is now Coins and Canada. 

1918 and 1919 are the commonest George V 50¢ dates. The more difficult dates are in the 1930s, especially 1932. Oh, well, I almost forgot the most classic of Canadian rarities, the 1921 50¢.

Among Victorian 50¢, the most difficult to obtain are the 1870 “no LCW ” variety and the 1890. The years 1904 and 1905 are by far the most difficult to obtain in the Edvard VIII series, but they're still much easier to find than the Victorian dates I've just mentioned. The two varieties of the 1910 date are the easiest.

The Ottawa Branch of the Royal Mint (now the Royal Canadian Mint) opened in 1908. Almost all Canadian coins were struck there (including the entire 1908 production if I'm not mistaken) until the opening of the Winnipeg location. The one exception is a part of the 1968 nickel 10¢ production which Ottawa contracted out to the Philly Mint. These coins contravene Canadian law since all imports must bear the country of origin.

Thanks for that info. I knew these coins were special when I saw them. Post 1936 Canadian seem very easy to get, but earlier ones are hard and most of these coins cost between $20 and $50. The 1870 5 cent coin was $65 and the 1913 50c was $95 (NZ dollars). I turned down the chance to buy an 1895 50c coin for $250.

UPDATE:  I went back and brought that coin - it was actually 1905

They complemented a collection of silver dollars from 1938 to 1967 and a handful of worn quarters from 1912 to 1936 - so now I have my foot in the door (I already have a lot of cents and nickels going right back to about 1927 and 2 cents from the 1890s).

Found this in a bag of coins last weekend

Any thoughs?  Sloppy QA, fire damage, tampering, etc. ?  It looks original, so more of a quality assurance issue.

 The first item shown three days ago arrived today. 

It is heavy and huge - 95mm diameter and 5 to 7mm thick. 

 I have no scales to weigh it. It is not magnetic. 

It may be French, as top left looks like FLANDR lettering. 

Shown for size comparison against an 18mm UK 5 Pence coin. 

Two additions to begin April:

500 Réis 1891 Silver, Portugal

100 Escudos 1971, Guiné Bissau

Also I visited a temporary exibition in my hometown Lisbon regarding ancient greek coins:

Hope you enjoy! 

ZacUK

 The first item shown three days ago arrived today. 

It is heavy and huge - 95mm diameter and 5 to 7mm thick. 

 

 

 

 I have no scales to weigh it. It is not magnetic. 

It may be French, as top left looks like FLANDR lettering. 

Shown for size comparison against an 18mm UK 5 Pence coin. 

Could be Philippe, Comte de Flandre? See his seals on this page.

Gothic Florin

 

Could be Philippe, Comte de Flandre? See his seals on this page.

 Thank you! I think of the nine items on that page it looks most like the seventh. 

http://www.sigilla.org/sceau-type/philippe-ier-flandre-troisieme-grand-sceau-26659 

 With the sword dividing the lettering. Apart from thinking it might be a medal trial, my other 

thought was it looks like a seal - with the slightly smaller inner image then pushing up parts of 

the outer untouched sides. Just now had a look round the edge and can see no ribbon cut off - 

though with it being very heavy not sure what it would seal that way - such as on 

letters with a red wax seal. With it not being magnetic then it could be lead, 

as I gave it the smallest amount of bending, and despite its thickness I think it did move a little. 

 I added yellow lettering to visible letters, and green for unsure …  

+ SIGILLVM PH / ILIPPI . COMITI / S FLANDRI / E   [SIGILLUM PHILIPPI COMITI  S FLANDRIE] 

 Lastly, maybe then it is a genuine lead seal over 800 years old. 

Philip I of Flanders
Count of Flanders [1157 - 1191], Count of Vermandois [1167 - 1191], Count of Valois [1167 - 1191]

Male secular
A.k.a. - Philip of Alsace / Filips van de Elzas

Birth / Creation - 1143
Death / Dissolution - 1191

Family ties
Father - Thierry d'Alsace
Mother - Sibyl of Anjou
Marriage(s) - Elizabeth of Vermandois
Date of marriage 1159 - Matilda of Portugal (1157-1218) 

My love affair with South Africa continues - 3 more Springbok crowns.

1953 - Stunning UNC (Quite scarce as most are AU), but looking at it I can't find wear. Again photo does not do it any justice. It is very shiny in real life.

1957 - This one actually has some noticeable wear. The seller calls it gVF, but I reckon its EF easily. It's still shiny and apart from the high relief of the Queen and springbok's flank - its decent. A bit cheaper than the other 2 coins - its proof at least these coins were being circulated. Lustre can persist on coins down to VF.

1958 - Another stunner, this one is described as AU, and I agree as there is very light rubbing on the Queen's sbhoulder, her hair around her ear and the cheek. The Springbok has some contact marks on his nape and flank. But this coin is shinier than the UNC one at top. It also has the cartwheel lustre. I suspect a die crack too at the last A in Africa (5 o'clock).

That leaves only 1949 - 51, 52 (Which is very common), the rare 54 and 59 and the common 56 to go. I don't need any of the 50c crowns.

Also I brought this Danish 2 Kroner issued in 1937 for King Christian X's silver jubilee as King.

Basically UNC except for a stain on the King's forehead (Caused by a broken 2 x 2 cardboard holder it was in). This coin was the only silver coin issued in Denmark between 1918 and 1965. The standard 2 Kroner coins of the time were cheap aluminium brass, Denmark abandoned silver and gold after WW1 and only started again issuing silver commem coins in the later 1960s.

Despite this, this coin is common and it only cost me $25. The date ironically was 3 days after King George VI was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

this but 1717

Found this yesterday…

Only my second corin.

Some indian princesely states 😀

Another silver dollar off my list, and a half-crown with lots of detail.

After much internal debate I finally decided to admit the 2003 series Hong Kong banknotes into my Hong Kong collection on 30 March. They are getting more rare lately and I do have a soft spot for them as the series I grew up around. (As in, I was most often greeted by them when it came time to rake in the red packets during Lunar New Year.)

Some of the notes in this photo were late-March stragglers which I have never posted before. 

A small selection to start this expansion, although other notes of the 2003 series have already found their way into my collection before with their special serial numbers. Also HSBC in particular has always fascinated me with the action-packed dioramas on the reverse. I remember staring at them as a kid. 

Specific details of the entries in the pictures above are as follows, clockwise from top left: 
HSBC $20 (2005, 2008 not shown; 2009 not shown)

HSBC $50 (2009)
Standard Chartered $50 (2003)

HSBC $500 (2009)
HKSAR Government Paper $10 (2003)

Bank of China $20 (2009)

The 2003 series was also the last one in which the three banks were given creative freedom with regards to their watermarks, and to some extent other security features such as the optical variable ink prints (top right for HSBC & SCB, bottom right for BOC). In 2010 they standardised the watermarks, and in 2018 they standardised almost everything else. 
 

Those are nice, collecting $500 ones must be very expensive though!

I remember those notes when I visited Hong Kong in 2014, mostly the low value ones - we usually had the $100s and lower notes and remember that you also had the paper $10 and some with a polymer window thing.

It helps that I am collecting occasional notes of our older series (1999 - 2014). These are disappearing and almost gone for the $5 and $10 but $20 and $50 are plentiful. $5 and $10's are usually always worn and battered as these near worthless notes got almost constant abuse. $20s can be rough too, as its a workhorse note - although banks are slowly but surely making the $50 the new workhorse as inflation grips and a $20 becomes pretty useless (Its about $100 Hong Kong dollars).

Finding nicer examples is hard and the bulk of the ones you find are 2012, 13 or 14 dated ones (The last series). A real prize is finding a note from 1999 or 2002.

The date is the first two numbers after the letters in the serial number.

You will never find notes before 1999, as that was the year we switched to polymer from paper.

Moneytane

Those are nice, collecting $500 ones must be very expensive though!

I remember those notes when I visited Hong Kong in 2014, mostly the low value ones - we usually had the $100s and lower notes and remember that you also had the paper $10 and some with a polymer window thing.

The $500 happened to show up in my change while clothes shopping. So it wasn't too expensive (okay not as expensive as it could have been). I just had to trade off $500 of my own money. 

We made the switch to polymer $10 notes in 2007, which rendered the paper variety a rare find. 

Must have been some nice clothes!

I brought a lot lately, but because of Easter break dragging on and on, most of it hasn't arrived. Just 2 small Canadian coins. It coincides with autumn holidays for School and University here, so its a bit of a “go slow”.

1920 - 5 cent piece, this dinky coin was the last tiny 5 cent coin issued by Canada. They minted some for 1921 - yet these coins were melted and a handful survive. In 1922 a nickel 5 cent coin took its place. These coins were very fiddly and tiny (15.5mm) and easily lost. It was also the first year of 80% silver. Good VF condition

1913 - 10 cent coin, not much larger - cleaned VF and still a cute little coin.

I have a lot of later and more common Canada arriving next week.

Well yesterday I got back from my trip visiting Dunkerque France, Bruges Belgium and Sluis Netherlands.

All these coins are new years/types that I acquired through change.

Also bought these Belgian tourist tokens from the early 80s for several euros.

Working on filling a type set album so I purchased a 1950 5 Yen & a 1997 Heisei proof set,

Currently waiting for the Proof set to be released from US Customs inspection.

I am very eager to have the proof set arrive as I got one for a reasonable price.

Bought these in an auction. I don't collect much in UK Decimal, but couldn't resist them.

Got these in a swap with Najuk.  Amazing coins in UNC condition. 

N#89581

N#47743

N#202699

Amitav Ghosh

Been looking for this signature a very long time. Impossible to get these for cheap.

Had to settle for a stained note. Happy nevertheless.

Awful colour in these pictures, but a nice high grade. 2 Dracmai 

N#545

1775 A (Amberg) Bavaria Taler - Maximilian III Joseph 

This coin was a steal at only $30. Still has most of its original luster.

1685 A Écu de Flandre - Louis XIV 

At over 37g Flemish écus were (as far as I know) the largest coins ever made for circulation by France. This one was minted in Paris but for Flanders with the goal of stopping the circulation of foreign coins there and in the other conquered northern territories. 

Those 2 are just beautiful!  More Canadian bulk from me

These groups are all bulk coins that cost me around $7 per quarter and $3 per dime, all of them were dates I needed, this is again the whole “instant collection” I embark upon when starting a new country. Dimes include 1930 and 1936 in reasonable condition. The 1964 dime was UNC.

Sadly buying bulk means you have many spares, still - nothing wrong with silver stacking. I now have around 1.5kg of loose bulk silver coins and with silver at $25 USD an ounce, I am not complaining.

Better coins include

1922 5 cents - VF/gFine - cost me just $2, first year of the nickel coin.

1932 Quarter - worn but cheap at $7, pre George VI is always good.

1940 quarter AU - very good for a bulk price as average 1940s quarters are F - VF if you are lucky.

1958 and 1961 halves, harshly cleaned but a good buy at melt.

1965 and 1967 Quarters UNC, 1967 is 80% silver - good purchases at melt prices.

I got this lot of early 20th century Italy as a bonus. 40 5c, 15 10c, and a 1929 5 lire.

The silver coin has a nice gun metal blue color, and there are some better dates among the little coppers.

A nice change for you, a purchase off a friend and it ticks off another monarch on the British coin list.

England James I shilling, 2nd coinage - Rose mintmark (You can see traces of a petal near I in Iaco). Good VF condition, but sadly holed and clipped. The portrait is stunning and really sharp. Its the 3rd bust with the sharp and defined armour.

Date 1605 - 1606 by the mintmark - so totally from the Guy Fawkes era. If it was not damaged, this would be a choice coin - as it is, its still a decent piece.

I love how the shield was struck twice and the second strike has the line a good 15 degrees to the south of the first, you can see that in the right quadrants.

Overall I am thrilled, this means I have at least one coin of every monarch from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II (Charles III soon), and also Henry VI and Edward VI.

Overall I am thrilled, this means I have at least one coin of every monarch from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II (Charles III soon), and also Henry VI and Edward VI.

Milestone! Congrats!😀

Thanks!

My eventual goal is get right back to William the Conquerer. Medieval coins prove elusive though (In fact anything before Victoria here is hard work).

My analysis of eras and rulers

15th century - 1 (Henry VI -1)

16th century - 6 (Edward VI - 1, Eliz - 5)

17th century - 12 (James I -1, Charles I - 2, Charles II - 1, James II - 2, William and Mary - 2, William III - 4)

18th century - 16 (Anne - 3, George I - 2, George II - 9, George III - 3)

1800 - 1837 - 33 (George III - 8, George IV - 13, William IV - 12)

Victoria onwards it gets crazy, but my guess is at least 150 - 200 Victorian coins (I have 90% of her halfcrowns and nearly all of the post 1860 bronze).

I stopped of at the bank today and got £100 of 10p's hoping to get some “Alphabet letters” to sell on ebay to get funds to feed my growing USA silver habit. (didn't get any)

But I did get a Canadian quarter, a Gibraltar 10p, a USA 2000 'Old Man of the Mountain - NEW HAMPSHIRE' (hole filler).

Then about 15 out of the 20 bags in I found this nice little keeper. A 2011 10p with a chipped reverse die.

then in the very last bag of the 20 ….. WOW!!! I got this . A 180 degree rotated die, I'm definately keeping this one.

Thanks, Merv

Got these 2 in the post this morning. Bought on ebay , my first of each type.

Thanks, Merv

Nice Franklin half!

This 1938 Fiji Florin is one of the rarest dates with just 20,000 minted

It was a steal at $21, many people try to charge as much as $100 or more for these, this is EF with some light wear.

I went crazy buying more Canada again yesterday including a real rarity.

1905 50 cent coin, this very worn (aVG) coin cost $250. It is worth that much and likely more. The rarest of all the Edward VII 50 cent coins, it had just 40,000 minted. Most years of 50 cents were in the 200k to 2 million (Which is still quite low). Bear in mind too, that pre 1908 Canada was minted at the Royal Mint or Heaton in the UK, not Ottawa.

1906 quarter, high Fine, near VF - this is a scarce coin too. Probably cleaned in past, but these coins are hard to find above VG.

1909 25c, near Fine but harshly cleaned, this coin has the “Victorian leaves” variety.

Like someone else said earlier, Canadian silver halves and quarters before 1920 are usually found worn flat.

I am having a lot of fun with these Canadian coins, as they are mostly scarcer ones I have never seen, let alone owned. And I know that most coins in Canada will be a lot easier to find.

1914 50c, another scarce early half dollar, cleaned and near Fine - yet this would still be considered “above average” for the type. The goal is a 19th century half dollar.

Also some early 10c and 5c, these are a bit easier to find in higher grades than the 25c and 50c.

1898 10 cents - probably VF or almost so. Nice details

Hazy photo does not do this 1905 10c justice, its gFine to VF

1904 tiny 5c, the photo of the king is poor - but this coin is EF or better, its really nice

1909 - my camera does not like these tiny 15mm coins - this one is high VF

1915 5c - aVF, but harshly cleaned portrait - another scarce coin

1917 - gEF/AU probably my best 5c coin conditionwise, this is nice and even a decent photo.

Notice the genuine lustre.

being a little late, but addition came 28.04.

I got from an auction a collection of swedish coins in an old album. Collection was not completely described and therefore easy to get.

Content are about 100 billon/silver coins with a silver weight of 400gr and about 250 further coins, almost all 1910-75. It was and will be a hard work to clean coins and album and to reorganize. Two examples of pages:

fIrst page cleaned, with a good find, year 1927 is very rare for this type: