coinsandmedals

@Revenant, this is a point that I likely would not have stumbled upon as I primarily collect copper. I assume this will eventually settle back down after some time? It seems like you and I are taking similar approaches @Fenntucky Mike other than a few very inexpensive coins to hone my photography skills, I have only purchased two pieces this year. I am so excited to share my most recent addition as it is ripe with interesting history, but I have much research left to do on it. As luck would have it, the progress on that project is likely to be suspended for some time as I finally got the green light on my dissertation project. Now it is time to focus all of my attention on my dissertation, my other academic research projects, and my teaching responsibilities. Hence my very delayed response to this post. For now, I am also pairing down some of the "stuff" that I have accumulated over the years that don't fit within my collection anymore to raise funds for future purchases. I may not have the time to write about and research coins, but it takes little to no time to place a bid or two. @ColonialCoinsUK yikes! I had a similar situation with a coin I wanted in an Australian Auction. The high estimate was $4000 AUD (~ $3100 USD), and I sold a bunch of "stuff" to raise funds. I was outbid within about 10 seconds and the lot sold for $30,000 AUD (~ $31,000 USD). I knew it was a longshot, but I raised enough money to nearly double the high estimate, but it was not enough. In hindsight, I should have used better judgment, but my dreams were bigger than my wallet. On the flip side, most of the money found its way into a savings account after I bought a few lovely pieces to help heal my wounds. It may not interest you, but I have found the William III copper coinage to be undervalued relative to its scarcity. Although it would be challenging to find super nice examples at any price range, you could easily build a typeset of the significant designs for well within the amount stated. @CBC, I love it when these comments come up! I have had so many interesting conversations with engineers over the years about James Watt. A couple of years ago, I met a James Watt history guru. I swear that man knew everything there was to know about James Watt, likely down to his shoe size!

The world coin market seems to be on fire so far in 2021! Even the relatively common certified pieces that I collect are fetching 3-4 times what similar pieces brought just a year ago. I may be spoiled, but it seems ridiculous to pay such a steep price hike for relatively common coins, and as such, I have been making fewer purchases. This is not all bad, as it has allowed me to focus my attention on acquiring high-quality or unique pieces that would have otherwise been more financially difficult to obtain. However, I shouldn't complain too much, as the recent hike in prices has also played to my advantage. I am now able to sell/trade my duplicates to fund more expensive endeavors. I have mixed albeit selfishly derived feelings about the recent uptick in the world coin market. On any note, I do have a new addition to share with you all. I know many collectors are not particularly interested in the coin's provenance, but in this case, I assume most collectors would make an exception. As well as the others pictured, this piece was struck at the Soho Mint (click here for more information about the Soho Mint). Although Matthew Boulton was the sole owner of the Soho Mint until he died in 1809, the mint utilized the steam engines of James Watt (Boulton's close business partner) to strike coins, tokens, and medals. Upon Boulton's death, the mint fell under the direction of his son Matthew Robinson Boulton and his partner James Watt Jr. (the son of James Watt). From contemporary documents, we know that James Watt Jr. was an active coin collector, and the Soho pieces were often some of his more prized possessions. My newest addition is an 1803 Madras Presidency 10 Cash piece from the James Watt Jr. collection. This particular piece has retained the original silver-lined brass shells and the inner and outer wrapper. The latter is labeled "Madras". Although not entirely definitive, it is thought that Watt Jr. penned the descriptions on the wrappers. James Watt Jr's coin collection was carefully curated in a carved oak box by his ancestors for nearly 200 years before it came to public auction in 2002. This coin was in a lot with five others, two of which are pictured here, which sold for a measly £440 nearly 20 years ago. Unfortunately, both holders look as though they were used as NHL regulation hockey pucks, which made photographing them very difficult, but they are both true gems. That said, you will have to use your imagination to see the coin without all of the scuffs on the plastic. Perhaps for my next journal, I will provide a brief write-up on the Madras coinage and the role of the Soho Mint. Admittedly I spent very little time discussing this within my custom registry set, and it is an area that is deserving of a deeper dive. Have you noticed any upticks in selling prices within your collecting area over the last year or so? If so, is it limited to the higher-end material, or has it also impacted the relatively common material? Has this impacted your collecting habits? Do you think prices will continue to rise or once again become stagnant? What do you think is driving these increases?

BUMP

It looks like I scored 7 out of 10. I have never collected Sovereigns, but I have learned a lot by reading posts from those who do. Thank you for taking the time to create the poll.

These were a bit more difficult, but I think I got at least 3 correct.

I believe I got them all correct except number 4. I had to guess on that one.

I agree it is always best practice to do it right the first time. The editing I do for coin photography is mostly limited to cropping and fixing any minor contrast issues. The free Canon Digital Photo Professional is far more sophisticated than I need. Photoshop is something I mainly intend to use as a cropping tool for irregularly shaped coins. I have used PowerPoint and 3-D paint in the past, but these have limitations that I hope to overcome with Photoshop elements. Had the license been more than $10, I probably wouldn't have purchased it as I do not think I will use it often enough to justify the cost. Of course, this could change once Gary shows me the ropes!

I can't speak for the 10G coins, but from my experience with English and Irish copper, NGC is far more consistent in their grading. I have viewed countless PCGS and NGC graded coins in my area of focus, and more often than not, the PCGS pieces do not meet my expectations for the assigned grade. That said, it can be very hit and miss if you do not have accurate images to rely on. In my experience, PCGS is far more liberal and inconsistent with English and Irish copper. I have read similar sentiments related to other areas of world coins, so I doubt this is an isolated issue. I would be curious to see what others have to say.

Wow, I am sorry to hear you went through such a tough time. We were very fortunate here in Northern Mississippi, but I know many people temporarily lost power. The extent of the damage here was not even remotely close to what your area experienced. Hopefully they can get the work done quickly, and kiddos can have their play area back soon.

@coinsbygary this is incredibly generous of you. I will send you a message shortly.

@coinsbygary I haven't tried it yet, but I found a license for the 2019 version of photoshop elements in the Walmart discount aisle for $10. I have it installed on my computer, and it seems to have a lot more editing ability than what I am used to. It may take me a bit to figure it out, but it never hurts to have more tools at your disposal. Any tips would be much appreciated! I haven’t tried axial photography, but I hope to in the future. I have several nicely toned pieces that I can not fully capture with my current setup. Excellent photos, by the way! The clash marks are apparent on the half-dime.

@coinsbygary I agree. Dark copper can be very tricky to photograph. I've learned a few lighting techniques over the last year that have helped me, and I hope to learn more at the 2022 ANA summer seminar. The 2019 and 2021 seminars were canceled due to COVID, but luckily the ANA scholarship I received transfers to the 2022 event. I have had a fair amount of experience with raw and certified coins. Glare and fine hairlines on the plastic are the two biggest obstacles to overcome with graded coins. The real challenge is when you come across a dark, albeit slightly toned, copper piece in a holder that looks like it was used as a hockey puck. If I did not know better, it wouldn't be a wild notion that some dealers actively try to scuff up their holders. What type of software do you use to edit the pictures of non-round coins? I used 3-D paint because it is free, but I imagine there is a more effective way of doing this.

When I first started collecting coins, I purchased whatever caught my attention with little to no discipline. As I matured, I found myself focused on EAC and early U.S. type coins. Eventually, I abandoned those areas of focus and shifted my attention to world coins. More specifically, almost all of my collecting efforts are focused on English and Irish copper, emphasizing the Soho coinage. Perhaps it is this intense focus that makes my newest purchase so odd. It is not copper, it not English or Irish, and it predates the bulk of my collection by multiple centuries. Given that this coin is so far removed from my ordinary pursuits, I would have been lost without the detailed description inscribed on the envelope by the previous owner, Eric Newman. The envelope is marked Arab Sasasnian Abbasid Silver ½ Dirham. The description continues identifying the piece as struck at Tabaristan Mint (Muqatil). Newman graded this piece as XF, and he noted that it was acquired from the Morris Collection. I find this coin interesting, and I look forward to doing a little more research as time permits, but this is not the only reason I purchased it. As it relates to my area of focus, the world coin market is very hot right now. The higher prices have made it difficult for me to add new examples to my collection while maintaining the general quality I have come to expect. As an alternative, I have been purchasing relatively inexpensive eye appealing coins to hone my photography skills. I have a fair amount of experience with copper, but silver is a metal that I rarely work with when photographing coins. The fact that this coin was silver, toned, and not perfectly round made it an ideal candidate to test my skills. Overall, I think the images do a decent job capturing the color and character of the coin, but I found the editing portion to be cumbersome as I had to test out entirely new techniques to account for the jagged edges and irregular shape. I am happy with how the images turned out, and I look forward to applying the lessons learned from this experience to a much more complicated project already in the queue. Arab Sasasnian Abbasid, AR ½ Dirham, AH 174 (AD 790-791) Issue: Muqatil – Governor of Tabaristan Mint: Tabaristan Size/Weight: 23.20mm, 1.80g Provenance: Eric Newman Collection, Morris Collection

I have decided to create a thread in the marketplace to sell the remainder of the books. If interested in any of the titles listed above, please comment on that thread. Thanks!

Thank you, I am happy to report that many of them have found new homes! To my wife's disbelief, this list only represents a tiny portion of my numismatic references. I may do several more purges between now and when we relocate.

I originally posted this list seeking advice about where to sell these books. Although it was never my intention to sell them from that original thread, a couple of members expressed interest, and we subsequently made a deal for several of the books. Those have been removed from the list, but there are plenty of good titles left. I will do my best to price these books fairly. More often than not, this equates to a 50-75% of current going rate (based on sold listings) for comparable books on eBay plus a reasonable amount to cover shipping. If interested in multiple books, I am willing to chip in a little to cover excess shipping charges. If you are interested in any of the titles listed, please comment below or send me a PM. I am also happy to answer any questions and provide pictures upon request. United States Coins Numismatics of Massachusetts, Malcolm Storer, 1981, hardcover, 319 pages. John Hull, The Mint and The Economics of Massachusetts Coinage, Louis Jordan, hardcover, 348 pages. The Treasure Ship S.S. New York Her Story, 1837-1846, Bowers, 2008, 94 pages. United States Tokens/Medals/Currency Patriotic Civil War Tokens Revised 4th edition 1982 Update 1993 die photos, softcover, 124 pages. Alaska Tokens, Ronald J. Benice, 179, hardcover, 208 pages. 100 Greatest American Medals and Tokens by Jaegar and Bowers (2007), hardcover, 119 pages. College Currency Money For Business Training Illustrated, Schingoethe, 1993, 463 pages. World Coins (2 Books) J. J. North: English Hammered Coinage. Volume I. c650-1272, 1963, 198 pages [and] English Hammered Coinage Volume 2, Edward I to Charles II 1272-1662, 1960, 183 pages. The first editions. Brand J. D., The English Coinage 1180-1247: Money, Mints and Exchanges British Numismatic Society Special Publication No. 1. 1994. 92pp, 5 b/w plates The English Silver Coinage since 1649. 5th ed., Rayner, 1992, hardcover, 254 pages. Spink. Coins of England & The United Kingdom. Decimal Issues. Standard Catalogue of British Coins. Part 3. London: Spink & Son, Ltd., 2018, Fourth edition, 227 pages. Coins of England and the United Kingdom 48th Edition 2013, Hardcover, 648 pages. Illustrated History of Coins and Tokens Relating to Canada English/French 2005, paperback, 239 pages. (324281726755) Charlton Standard Catalogue Canadian Coins 1995 49th Ed Coins And Tokens Of Scotland, Seab, 1972, hardcover, 160 pages. Sylloge of Coins of The British Isles 22 Part V Hiberno-norse and Anglo-Irish coins, 1975, hardcover Coinage in the Celtic World, Daphne Nash, 2004 Reprint, 153 pages. 2009 Standard Catalog of World Coins 2001-date, softcover, 432 pages. Thomas Simon His Life and Work 1618-1665, Alan J Nathanson, hardcover, 60 pages. World Tokens/Medals Price Guide to 18th Century Tokens, Schwer, 1983, 175 pages. Seventeenth Century Tokens Of The British Isles Michael Dickinson, first edition, 1986, hardcover, 292 pages. Schwer Price Guide To Unofficial Farthings, paperback, 248 pages. British Tokens And Their Values by Seaby 1970. Hardcover, 199 pages.

I primarily collect the coinage, tokens, and medals produced at the Soho Mint. More broadly, the bulk of my collection consists of the numerous patterns, proofs, and business strikes of English and Irish copper spanning the 17th to 19th centuries. I imagine this will be a lifelong pursuit as there is no shortage of research topics to explore. I would ask what you collect, but I already know!

The bulk of these books are very inexpensive, and I assumed they would not be interested. Perhaps that assumption was incorrect?

My collecting interests have almost entirely shifted over the last two decades. In the wake of this, I find myself with a small cache of numismatic literature that no longer suits my needs. It seems prudent to put these books in the hands of fellow collectors who might glean some enjoyment from them instead of collecting dust on my overcrowded bookshelves. Beyond eBay, I am not aware of any other venues to sell/trade inexpensive books where the shipping charges wouldn't get out of hand quickly. In several instances, the shipping charge would likely exceed the cost of the book. Any suggestions? Are there dealers who would likely purchase the entire lot (obviously at a deeply discounted price)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I have included a list of the books below to give a general idea of the subject matter. United States Coins Numismatics of Massachusetts, Malcolm Storer, 1981, hardcover, 319 pages. John Hull, The Mint and The Economics of Massachusetts Coinage, Louis Jordan, hardcover, 348 pages. Contemporary Counterfeit Capped Bust Half Dollars 2nd Edition By Keith Davignon, 2010, 326 pages. Counterfeit, Mis-Struck, and Unofficial U.S. Coins, hardback, 221 - Don Taxay Dan Holmes Collection of Large Cents, catalogues by Goldbergs McCawley & Grellman, Part III, Large Cent Errors. COMBO The Davy Collection of Half Cent Errors. Flying Eagle & Indian Cents, Richard Snow, 1992, hardcover, 161 pages. Getting Your Two Cents Worth, Kevin Flynn, 1994, 112 pages. The United States Half Dimes- D.W. Valentine, hardcover, 186 Pages. Early Quarter Dollars of the United States 1796-1838 AW Browning, Hardcover, 44 pages, 1981 Elite Clashed Morgan Dollars by Kimpton 1st Ed., Soft Cover, 2005,151 pages. Standard Catalogue of United States Coins, 1947, hardcover, 224 pages. History of the United States Mint and its Coinage, Hardcover, 2006, 190 pages. The Treasure Ship S.S. New York Her Story, 1837-1846, Bowers, 2008, 94 pages. United States Tokens/Medals/Currency Patriotic Civil War Tokens Revised 4th edition 1982 Update 1993 die photos, softcover, 124 pages. Atwood Coffee Catalogue of US & Canadian Transportation Tokens 4th Ed. Vol.1 , hardback, 548. 1973 2nd Edition Feisel's Catalogue Of Parking Tokens Of The World, hardcover, 244 Pages. Alaska Tokens, Ronald J. Benice, 179, hardcover, 208 pages. So-Called Dollars, 2nd Edition, 2008, 191 pages. (Covers intact but multiple folds; contents are okay). 100 Greatest American Medals and Tokens by Jaegar and Bowers (2007), hardcover, 119 pages. College Currency Money For Business Training Illustrated, Schingoethe, 1993, 463 pages. World Coins (2 Books) J. J. North: English Hammered Coinage. Volume I. c650-1272, 1963, 198 pages [and] English Hammered Coinage Volume 2, Edward I to Charles II 1272-1662, 1960, 183 pages. The first editions. Brand J. D., The English Coinage 1180-1247: Money, Mints and Exchanges British Numismatic Society Special Publication No. 1. 1994. 92pp, 5 b/w plates The English Silver Coinage since 1649. 5th ed., Rayner, 1992, hardcover, 254 pages. Spink. Coins of England & The United Kingdom. Decimal Issues. Standard Catalogue of British Coins. Part 3. London: Spink & Son, Ltd., 2018, Fourth edition, 227 pages. Coins of England and the United Kingdom 48th Edition 2013, Hardcover, 648 pages. Illustrated History of Coins and Tokens Relating to Canada English/French 2005, paperback, 239 pages. (324281726755) Charlton Standard Catalogue Canadian Coins 1995 49th Ed Coins And Tokens Of Scotland, Seab, 1972, hardcover, 160 pages. Sylloge of Coins of The British Isles 22 Part V Hiberno-norse and Anglo-Irish coins, 1975, hardcover Coinage in the Celtic World, Daphne Nash, 2004 Reprint, 153 pages. 2009 Standard Catalog of World Coins 2001-date, softcover, 432 pages. Thomas Simon His Life and Work 1618-1665, Alan J Nathanson, hardcover, 60 pages. World Tokens/Medals Price Guide to 18th Century Tokens, Schwer, 1983, 175 pages. Seventeenth Century Tokens Of The British Isles Michael Dickinson, first edition, 1986, hardcover, 292 pages. Schwer Price Guide To Unofficial Farthings, paperback, 248 pages. British Tokens And Their Values by Seaby 1970. Hardcover, 199 pages. General Metallurgy in Numismatics Volume 4 Royal Numismatic Society Special Publication, 1998, hardcover, 538 pages. The Coin Collector's Survival Manual, Revised Seventh Edition Scott A. Travers, Softcover, 401 pages. If this post violates any rules, I apologize and respectfully ask the moderator to remove the thread.

It looks like Spring 2013, Issue #2 will be a nice cache of useful information for one of my projects. Thank you for sharing!

The mystery is solved! With a helpful nudge from a fellow forum member, I spoke with an amiable and helpful gentleman from Colony Coin Co. today. Much to my surprise, he located a copy of the original auction catalog from 1968. Unfortunately, the descriptions provided no new information beyond what I already knew.

You can also download her dissertation at the designated University of Birmingham webpage.

While on the topic, Sue Tungate just published a new book on Matthew Boulton and the Soho Mint. This is no doubt a commercialized version of her dissertation work, but interesting nonetheless.

Thank you for the heads up! I was able to download folders 1-6 and the Mitchell-Boulton correspondence with no issues.

Thank you for the time and effort! I look forward to reading them.