KOTCT Members Forum

I started my pics North of me in Holland with Willem the third 1877 MS63 and Wilhelmina the year before she became queen 1897 MS65
These coins were available on ebay France below melt since the French did not want them

http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=406

I added Wilhelmina with the collar 1912 and without collar 1925
Both MS63 with a little finger grease which probably would solvent away
But I got these at a moneyexchanger in Belgium for melt

http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=406

These are the 4 best I got
They have one thing in common MS and meltprice

The year of the coronation for instance 1898 goes as much as 100% premium over gold

Characteristics 10 FL ( florin or guilder ) coins 6.729 gram at  0.900 purity diameter 22 mm
This is a non standard weight in a Europe that had the Latin Union standardisation ( Union Latine )

Very nice, I duly regret which I have parted with my Dutch and Belgian gold coins years ago, I had a nice Ducat that was struck in Brussels in 1829, several other Dutch Ducats from the late 19th century and of course the obligatory YH Wilhelmina 10 Florin from 1897.  That is the coin I miss the most.  I have looked for them again, but now they seem to be so baggy etc.  I like those coins because she reigned for so long, well over 50 years and had a variety of portraits on her coinage.

There is a 1897 for sale right now on ebay germany ( saw it two days ago ) may or may not be MS since I did not analyze the pic in my usual mode witch takes 20 minutes at least
I explained this on the old old mom forum
Sharpen
Lighten
Make blue
Render verdict

PS 1897 is the last one with youth and long hair cause in 1898 as a young queen she looks ten years older

Scottishmoney the YH Wilhelmina is one of my favorite coins of the world, both silver and gold. After losing a great job of 28 years due to elimination my Netherlands gold eventually had to go. I held on to that 1897 for a long as I could but....! Still have some silver but it is just not the same!

I understand Terry
I had to sell much but fortunately only MS South Africans and MS Suisse etc
All coins that are difficult but not impossible to replace today

Scottishmoney

I never had a ducat in my life
I generally have little below the 20 francs norm of the Latin Union
However your comment on Ducats makes me remember I asked the forgery forum about a Venice Ducat which I suspected to be false and their verdict was indeed false

So I have a proof restrike with certificate and number of a double Ducat ;D
I forgot so I added it to the Holland section

http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=791

Back before I was wifed and kidded I owned quite a collection of European gold, the LMU was very fascinating, how else could you link currencies diverse as the Spanish Peseta and the Russian Ruble(well 7.5 Ruble)

The 20 Units were referred to as Napoleons in France, and that was how I asked for them when I bought them in banks in Paris.  I liked the novelty of buying up old gold coins for spot.  I don't think I want to collect them all again, but would like of course the Dutch 10 Gulden of 1897 with Wilhelmina as a young girl, one of the early Vrenelli's from Switzerland, a 10 Kroner from Denmark etc.

France has a goldtax now so the place to buy is Belgium
Attached is the price of the exchange agents ( if it does not open to the right page you want goudkoersen )
105Euro for the Union Latine coins on friday close

http://www.munters.be/servlet/javaparser?pgm=lst_or_new&lg=nl

People in France started hoarding gold from 1852 onwards
So it is pretty easy to get an AU from that date upwards
That means Napoleon III and The lucky angel and of course Marianne and the rooster
I think in 1908 they started the restrike series so beware if you want an original ( correct year is in Krause)
Since I got them at melt I did not really care but I have an MS 65 angel which I treasure

The old French people still refer to the coins as Louis d'or ( incorrect) whereas the name Napoleon is as incorrect for an angel or a rooster
So I ask for French 20 FF coins

In general I have free access to Guilders and Sovereigns and Vrenelli and Napoleons but not to Russian or Danish coins
and a money exchanger does not let you pick and choose for meltvalue
Standard are Nuggets and Kruger and New Eagles too

My preferred money exchanger made a nice mistake at one time
I walked in and he had four coins from the isles of man and said  1.85 ounces
When I was back home I found they were MS and 1.99 ounces  ;D and I only paid melt plus 1.5% for 1.85 ounces

The YH Wilhelmina impresses me as it could just be the "girl next door"? The coin just does NOT scream Royality, government, power or wealth. It is probably the most down to earth design, with a real human feel, of any gold I have ever seen. Just a really feel good, clean, crisp design of a young lady. Someday I will own "her" again.

One year later the year of her coronation it screem Roalty
Unbelievable
Ho by the way since I seem to be excluded from posting in the news thread which is a teatalk amongst moderators tell TK100 that most flatbed scanners hate gold and or silver and or copper and to try it out in the shop first

bye

Now on ebay germany shipped world wide
Lousy pics but at first glance nice coin
I still am strapped for time but if anybody wants a pic analysis will see what I can do

http://cgi.ebay.de/Holland-10-Gulden-Gold-1897-Wilhelmina-Nederlanden_W0QQitemZ300176074352QQihZ020QQcategoryZ28683QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I need new equipment but this is simply too expensive
Pitty nice Polish Knight and harmer

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300175513056&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=020

Test to post the young head here directly

First test failed
img and properties of pic inserted between img
Second test failed url
Third test img and general properties of pic
(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=465&g2_navId=x28c79044)

Can anybody tell me how to insert the pic here directly ?

Luxemburg I can be short I only got one coin 40 F but I think it is a commem medal
Without further ado the charming ERMESINDE

http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1081

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1081)

¿To view that I am being prompted for a password?  ¿Que?

I clicked the link and it does not go to the place I linked it to but the entry of my album which asks my pasword
I try again to give the right link because old dan seemed able to view the pic
I also tried and failed to figure out how to insert the pic here directly in the thread

http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1081&&g2_fromNavId=xfb31c52e&g2_navId=x4c9f6095&g2_GALLERYSID=1dc18d94096fb0f6913b13720de60f31

well Ermesinde was quite elusive for 3 years I bid and never got her and it is probably an MS64 which I got at melt way back when
the double ducat I got by surprise bottomfishing in germany I got it at melt too without really trying
so I did not even bother to grade it but put it in my bankvault after scanning
I love Ermesinde which is a duchess and put her next to princess Sirikit another favourite and I put the Babenberger Knights next
they make a lovely study in color differences

I only have half a dozen German coins so I can be short
Wilhelm I 1887 about AU56

http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1148

Wilhelm II 1910 MS65
Vendor pic cause I did not want to handle this coin which is the best of the kind I ever saw

http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1145

Wilhelm II 1914 start of World War I
MS60 and looking mighty warlike

http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1150

Nice of you to say Old Dan but even if I deny it loudly (being a Flemish) most of the coins I cherish are French so I am leaving that for last on the European coin tour

I like Belgium(Walloon and Flemish) and the prettiest girls in Europe, the best beer, the best chocolate and the best pommes de terre.

Thank you
On the wrongly named French Fries ( they are not French  ) I agree every city in Belgium has at least several specialist vendors
On the chocolate I agree too allthough Switzerland and Cadburry UK come close ( except the latter cannot call it chocolate because the content of expensive cocoa butter is not high enough)
On the beer I think we have to share the honor with Germany for some kinds like Weizenbier ( the white beer that takes 5 minutes to fill the glass without excess foaming so you order two at the same time  ;D )
On the girls ; the French girls are nice too  :D

But the Belgian girls smell better.  Eeww, but true.

Well they do not eat all that garlic all day  ;D

And there's a reason the French became Master Parfumers.  ^^;

Yes but one of the best Karl Lagerfeld left them and went to work in the US
Perfumers need above all a fantastic nose

Reminds me of a Belgian French joke
Guy makes a perfume which has an aftersmell of dogshit
So he repairs it with pineforest essence and tests it again
Reports come back it smells like dogshit in a pineforest  :D

Back to coins
On Romania I can be short again
I only got one 20 Lei coin which I expect is not a coin at all but a commem
It is very sought after on ebay Germany under the name of the three kings or Siebenbergen 1944
MS 62 and nice layout of knight shields on the reverse

http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1183

http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1185

I had to repair the year to 1944 cause I typed in my birthyear again  ???

I suppose Russia is on the European shelve ( tectonic plate )

For Russia I can be short too since I got two coins

First is the 10 Rubel 1975 MS 63 and very sought after on ebay Germany

I seen it spelled a dozen ways Tscherwonitz or Tjerwonitz etc

http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1280

One of my favorites
100 Rubel
The proof Sword Danseress 1988


Since proofs are nearly allways over PR66 and since I do not have a reference I did not grade this
This coin is difficult to get at a decent price


http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1284&g2_serialNumber=2


PS Note how the scanner reacts to the proof finish by letting the blue background go underexposed and a lot darker then it really is

(http://www.geocities.com/scottishmoney/misccoins/italia50lire1911.jpg)

One, hopefully coming my way in the next few days, probably early next week.  One I have looked far and wide for a nice example of, curiously these are a better value than the 10 Centesimi, 2 Lire or 5 Lire coins which had similar designs, but all of which are popular and more affordable than the gold, but conversely higher priced for the denomination because there is more demand.

That is a beautifull coin
I cannot remember ever having seen it for sale

Ole Dan
I finally figured it out without any help from nobody  ;D
See the dansing girl
Seems I made a classification error and it is 100 Yuan sorry


(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1284&g2_serialNumber=2)

I hate computers
I just spend two days on installing a bought and paid for graphics program I cannot get to perform 100%  ???

I sent a scorching email to the vendor of the programm  ???

On Italy I can be short too
I think I only got two but have to verify

I got Maria Luiga di Parma better known as Marie Louise first wife of Napoleon I or thanks to the grace of her father Emperor of Austria she got to be Duchess of Parma in Italy after Napoleon discarted her
If my memory is correct she was also the mother or Napoleon II who died of consumption age 6

The best smoked ham is from Parma
So the story goes every ham vendor wants to give this coin to his best client
This is the second best example I ever saw

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1351&g2_serialNumber=1)

I found the pic of the second coin which is Umberto 1882 20 Lire
It is a low AU

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1548&g2_serialNumber=1)

Ok on to Switzerland
My favourite melter series the Vrenellis
The new girl is very easy to get at melt , but not the 1947 in MS 64
Restrike dates can be found in Krause
Nazi gold stories can be found on the internet
This is my birthyear  ;D

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1550&g2_serialNumber=1)

The old Helvetica 20 Sfrancs 1886
AU

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1552&g2_serialNumber=1)

I like the Helvetia series of 20CHF a bit better than the vrenellis.  I hope to buy some 1883 and 1886 dated coins very soon.

The 50 Lire finally showed up in the postbox, what a long wait.

If you have access to ebay germany and france the old Helvetica is easy to get in AU and up for close to melt
Beware buying in Switzerland though since the Euro customs brigade does not understand the Euro rules for investment coins
and has made pay enough french and belgians to warrant a warning Also be aware that the ebayer called Erdnueslli will sell anything as uncirculated even if it passed the entire war of 1940-1945 under the weels of a Leopard Panzer tank  ;D

No concerns about the coins I want, I have known the seller for quite sometime ;D

For me it's the other way around, but oddly enough i prefer the Helvetias on picture, but not in "person" :)



Congratulations! Saw your post on CP, also had some issues with that seller a few months ago trying to buy a coin from him (two emails sent and no reply, made my business somewhere else...), maybe due to a temporary human resource problem caused by their first auction...

Jose  8)

That seller was the worst issue I have had with a seller in a very long time.  To start off the guy wants cheques, not paypal or credit card etc.  Okay, so I send a cheque, it clears the bank, like they all do now in the USA in three days.  But he says it takes longer, then blames the Midwest storms, Christmas etc for the delay - A Month!  I am chaffed because I spent a pretty good sum on the coin, really wanted it.  But with all the [blink]lies[/blink] from the seller, the delay etc. when I got the coin yesterday I really couldn't enjoy it anymore.  To add insult to injury I find another at least MS-63 example on eBay that I wish I had instead.  This seller lost a potential customer that would have bought quite a bit of material.

Then I have a seller on VCoins that I have been buying up quite a bit of scarce stuff from recently, this guy is so professional, mails quickly no hassles, packs the coins like they will get dropped from 90000 Metres insurance, registration are right on the mark etc.  Just makes me want to buy more.

On my last purchase last month the vendor played a typical euro game
I got a Franc Germinal way below price and sent 5 emails asking for the Full account which needs BIC ( Bank identifier code) and IBAN ( International bank account number ) in order to qualify for a costfree international banktransfer in euroland
otherwise the bank takes 15 to 20 euro and the receiver can complain he was not paid in full

The guy never answered and his ebay account had only the local bank numbers .
So I spend 20 minutes tracking down his BIC and IBAN with the logaritmic mathematical formula cause if I send the money to the wrong person the bank would send it back So I risked it and sent the money

So I paid and after several weeks the coin arrived . But to add insult to injury the proof coin is spotted . Not the red spots which are well documented as silver contamination from a previous silver blank run but blue spots . Now my scanner is not working for the moment but I was so dishartened by all the fuss for a problem coin I just shoved it into the bankvault .
I have never seen blue spots on a gold coin anayway

Happy New Year everybody

Happy New Year

I will start the year with the Hungarian Austrian Empire

My most beautifull coin is a MS64 obtained at melt 22 years ago from an exchange agent
It is an original not a restrike 1908  100 Korona
30.49 g
33.8753 gram at  0.900 purity is 30.49 gram slightly less then an ounce being 31.10 gram

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1693&g2_serialNumber=1)

You may have noticed that the cross on top of the crown is crooked
Somebody said the that the artist ran out of space and bent it ( very unlikely)
Somebody said that the crown was thrown at the emperor by somebody angry (unlikely)
The most likely version is that the crown was buried in a hurry during a war and the cross got bent

Anyway here is the Standing emperor of the Austrian Hungarian empire with globe and sceptor etc
Frans Joseph

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1695&g2_serialNumber=1)

The Hungarian crown is the Crown of St. Stephen, a 10th century Hungarian King that I believe was the king that Christianised Hungary.  Somehow in history the Crown must have gotten kicked around a bit, in reality it has, being the pawn of whomever captures it.  Curiously it ended up in the USA after WWII and became a contentious object for sometime before it was sent back to Hungary in 1978.  It is purported to be the oldest crown in existence(I believe Phillip of Greece's is, father of Alexander III the Great)

I wonder if after a hundred years the cross is still bent or somebody could not resist putting it upright again  

Problem is, that it has been bent so long, and the Hungarians are used to it being bent, that if someone straightened it out on the sly, that it would be noticed.

It is even bent on coins from Hungary from the 19th century, and many Hungarian banknotes on up to the current day.

well their independance is 1849

http://www.h-net.org/~habsweb/sourcetexts/hungind.html

It is said the cross was bent went the emperor had to flee the palace before the independance
So yes it looks like it was bent prior to 1849
I was thinking if the crown went to the US that somebody over there had not resisted straightening the cross
I have not seen the crown recently

During my visit to Budapest I was more into churches and bridges etc

Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the 16th century on up to 1918 when the Empire was dissolved into parts of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Jugoslavia, Hungary, part of Romania, part of what is now Ukraine, and Austria of course.  There was an independence movement that did indeed begin in 1848 under Kossuth Lajos, but that movement did not succeed until 1918.  During that time the crown was in the possession of the imperial government of Austria-Hungary. 

The crown was spirited out apparently by Admiral Horthy's associates at the conclusion of WWII, Horthy had been arrested and taken to Germany by the Nazi's for failing to be subservient to the Aryan masters, and there was a fear that the crown would end up in the hands of the Soviets when the war ended.  Afterwards, Hungary petitioned repeatedly for the return of the crown, but the Americans refused as they did not believe the government in Budapest was legitimate, even though they recognized the country diplomatically.  In 1978 US President Jimmy Carter initiated the return of the crown to Hungary.  Then it was only a symbol of Hungary's history, but now it is again prominently on the Hungarian coat of arms once more with the demise of the socialist fools.

You forgot Dracula's Pensylvania  :D

Think of all the coins and banknotes you could collect with the crooked cross crown(say that a few times fast) ;D

Well I would start with that 31 kilogram Wiener Philharmoniker gold "coin"  ;D
I would have the mantle of my chimney reinforced and pop it up there casual like  :D

I think Kilo coins are cute, I would like one if I didn't have to pay so bleeping much over melt for it.  I think the better option are the 10 oz bars that the Austrian mint just starting minting, which are fully exchangeable for 1 oz bars.  One of the big problems with anything over a 1 oz bar has been overall acceptability by many different people.  The Kilo coins are only minted usually in either China or Australia, and they are just way too much above AGW for my tastes.

In the present conditions with gold shooting up like a rocket I finished several want to get coins in a hurry
In Novembre I got the last three pieces to complete my Lunar gold series ( the only series that is complete) and that I wanted complete

In Decembre I got two coins yet to arrive one is the Liberty storming the Bastille from Delacroix

There are very few coins left to tempt me La Maya Desnuda from Goya is one of them
Quiero comprar esta mucher  ;D
Unfortunately I allways find La Maya Vestida  ???

I think from now on it is back to the exchange agent to buy lucky angels at melt  ???

Unfortunately for me it looks like stupid paper goldshares will be the best deal for the next 4 years  ???

Before my bed time I can jpeg the 100 Austrian Kronen
Butt ugly if you ask me but at MS63 with slide and at melt I bought it 20 years ago  ::) ::)



(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1699&g2_serialNumber=1)

The only French gold I have owned were the Mariannes, I want some more to add to the Vrenellis and Helvetias at some time in the future.  But as you note, I am going to have to think about letting some of the other stuff before I get these at these prices as gold is now at €583.62/oz.  I never really got into the current MDP stuff from France, but I do have some sets of 100FF in silver, with La Jacolande etc. on them.

I used to have all the LMU gold from all the LMU countries, except Poland and Romania.  It was an interesting concept and worked for quite some time until WWI intervened.

You may realise I have been avoiding France sofar on my European journey of goldcoins at melt or at reasonable prices
There are two reasons : first about four years ago I got some kind of type set on 20 francs and second I have been buying all Monnaie de Paris pieces I fancy which went close to gold for 4 years now and since Monnaie de Paris cranks out enormous amount of coins like 64 designs in 2007 no collector is keeping up and pickings are often possible to the patient at melt price

The Marianne Rooster type has been restruck so many times it is like the Vrenelli just a piece of gold
But Lucky angels still sell at melt with Belgian exchange agents and I got at least one which is MS66 for melt
by convention the coins have to be XF or better or be remelted  ;D

Now my nomination for the most ugly coin ever
Rarely sold at or above melt ( Sold continuously below melt )
Even exchange agents dislike the piece
Wafer thin and you have to hammer it in a 2x2 since it is 40 mm and the largest cutout is 39 mm
4 Dukaten Franz Joseph 1915       13.768 gram gold
13.9636gram times  0.986 purity
I suspect the molds are very badly repolished
I know the grading system does not substract point for die polishing lines but I do so I grade it at MS62


(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1702&g2_serialNumber=1)

I allways knew you had good taste  ;)

I bought the coin at melt three years ago because they put it in a velvet box worths 30$  ;D

You cannot believe how many new owners cannot take the trouble to find out if there is a box and where the box is stashed . I once got a half ounce canadian coin in a russian platinum coin box .  ::) and I was very angry when I got a Monnaie de Paris gold coin in a silvercoin box . Boths ebayers did not understand why I was unhappy and asked for a discount . Well I probably could sell the platinum box if postage was not killing me and if I could remember what rubbles box it was . I did not write it down after finding out stupid me .

I had that problem buying Chinese gold coins in China last year, mismatched boxes, clerks trying to stuff coins in boxes they were not made for etc.  It was irritating because the coins I bought were the Tang Dynasty Vault Protector coins from 1998 with the large square hole in them, so to keep to weight the diametre of the coin is larger, but try to stuff an oz coin in a oz coin of a smaller diametre.  Frankly most coins in gold and silver in China are bought at bullion, something I wisht I could have availed of for the 2008 Olympic coins, but couldn't because I had already blown my appointed funds.

Historically I have bought all past Olympic coins below melt
There seems very little intrest in collecting past olympic coins

Ok on with the Austrian Hungarian empire

The 1976 piece of 1000 schillings called the deployment of the Babengerger Knights
http://tvsales.orf.at/db/db_single.php?caller=3&ka=child

Coin is every week on ebay germany
Very unliked I do not know why it allways goes at around melt
Very nice reddish goldcoin
13.5g 0.900 purity
Valliant Knight  ;D

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1705&g2_serialNumber=1)

I would say MS63 melter  :)

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1707&g2_serialNumber=1)

The newest shall be a Scottish Twenty Two Shillings from 1553 issued during the reign of Queen Mary. 

I only have krause goldcoins of the world so all of the time I have to wait till you post a pic of the coin to
find out what you are courting

At school I learned in English class that a 21 Shillings coin does not exist but is called a guinea Is that true ?
( My english teacher only knew the Queens English like he said and nothing about coins ; He would go blood red
when a new tranferred boy would talk about a walk in the pork
Like in wot are ye saieying )

This morning I found out on ebay that the 50 franks souvenirs I hold from the 1958 world exhibition in belgium are 860 silver  ??? ???
So I know my gold and how to grade it and that is about it . I am hopelessly lost for the rest 

21/- Was a Guinea in England and was a common term used in auctions etc till the end of £SD.  22/- in Scotland was half a Lion, which was 44/-, but by the mid 16th century Scots £6 = Engl £1.

My father was a railroad man so I had free tickets allover Europe
I was dozens of time in England cause Belgium still had mailboats belonging to the railroads in those days
Those heavy pennies were putting holes in my pockets cause I was not used to the system of 12 pennies to a shilling and 20 shillings to a pound .Also buying something in ounces was foreign . A British pound avoirdupois is 450 grams but is now still used in Belgium to buy 500 grams or half a kilo and not 450 grams .

I regret I never got as far as Scotland  >:(

I said I only had Krause that was true till today

Somebody gave me a free 300 pages catalogue 2007 with all the Euro and commem coins in it
Not surprisingly about 20% of the catalogue is with pieces from Monnaie de Paris

Just leafing through the book I found two coins I might like
an Italian 10 euro commem and a Monaco 10 euro commem

The Scottish gold is the priciest coin I have bought in awhile.  And please don't ask how much either ;D

40 years ago I made a deal with my wife that if any coin became impossible to sell she could have it to wear as jewelry
Now I guess that would be painfull with your coin woul'd'n it  ;)

Well that paints a picture of a future advertisment in my mind!

"Wanted, beautiful woman with huge gold stash! Please send photo of gold!"

Mmm
All the women I know even the 18 year old ones don't know how to take a picture apart from sending it by portable telephone  ;D
I think you should rephrase into " Please send affidavit with analyses of purity and true gold weight" " Detailed break down of stash is a plus " and whilst youre at it make it Kind Loving Understanding Photogenic Young Woman  ;D

A few months ago I had our Royal Australian Mint catalogue at work - a work colleague asked me to get her 2 of the RAM gold Year of the Pig coins  for special gifts, plus one for herself. Just before Christmas she came into work proudly displaying her new aquisition - the gold coin hanging around her neck! Everyone else was madly admiring it ......she couldn't work out why I was totally stuck for words. Got to admit - it did look nice though.

Well I can understand the new coins and the melters being polished to dead and then buried in a 14 carat setting on a cheap goldplated chain or a real gold chain so that the jeweller can make 300 % gain
These people have to live too

But I was slightly miffed when somebody at another forum asked for a gold half ounce unicorn 50 yuan 1996 so he could mount it in a pendant for his daughter .

20 Francs or 8 Forint
Probably MS62 for 8% over melt
Characteristics of Latin Union Coins at 5.8 gr of 900 gold

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1717&g2_serialNumber=1)

Now my oldest gold coin, my earliest dated British coin, my only Scottish gold coin, or British for that matter, my most expensive that I am sharing publicly too.

Very beautifull coin

Thank you for sharing

Is that a Lion I see ? We have the same Lion on the Flemish Flag
Any reason why there is this Lion on this coin ? I mean heraldic or country wise or symbolic wise

The Lion was used by the Stuarts, but also was used by the Canmore family back in the 12th century. 

Here are the latest gold from Europe:

And

Cannot remember if I posted this previously or not:

Very nice coins
I never saw that Vittorio before
The Swisse girls I have but my earliest Vreneli is 1913

Here's my only gold European. Victoria, of course  ;D
(http://www.omnicoin.com/coins/910331.jpg)

I prefer young Vicky  ;D
It took me four years to get one at a reasonable price and I once explained on another forum this Vicky was glued in an album
and I seemed to be the only one knowing the powers of acetone solvent  :D

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1740&g2_serialNumber=1)

Not really a coin, but a Soviet gold medal sold in the 1970's to foreign tourists in Moscow through Mezhnumizmatika, this commemorates Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, great author of War & Peace:



With his name, Лев Николаевич Толстой 1828-1910 on the front.  The reverse image is of a battle from Russia's war with Napoleon and has the .900 fineness and 17 grammes on it.

When these pieces were sold in Moscow, they were marked up quite a bit over gold, and not a lot of people bought them as a result.

That is a very nice medal

I wonder why I can see your medal but get a red cross for my Vicky  ???
Oh I see you are using geocities  ;)

Oh if only you knew what I am going through with geocities right now >:(

Here is a better reverse image:

I do not have the slightest idea who or what geocities is except I saw it in the http several times
For the moment I am 100% occupied by trying to figure out when the top in goldshares will be and by buying as many coins on ebay germany below melt as possible
I just got a 1000 shillings austrian 3% below melt with box and cert  ;D

I like your pic but the battle is a bit too stylised for me
I like more detail
Remember I am used to see painters that had brushes with a single hair in them

Ok on with Austria

The Wiener Philharmoniker coin in ounce half quarter and tenth is supposed to be a bullion coin
But in general it is one of those bullion coins you pay 10 - 12 % over melt
The coin is quiet beautifull but you will notice my scanner does not like it because there is no prooflike devices or fields and the whole coin is kind of prooflike without contrast

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1955&g2_serialNumber=1)

Well Paint Your Wagon I like it so send it on over an I will keep an eye on it for you!!! ;D  Actually, the coin is a bit bland for an Austrian design. I have quite a few of their silver commemoratives and I am impressed by the detail they put into most of their designs. I don't know how many times I wished some of their mint personnel would move to the U.S. Mint. I whole heartedly agree with you concerning their gold design as the first time I saw it I didn't believe it was Austrian. I find the obverse too busy and clustered for my eyes. The reverse is more pleasing but not quite the detail one would expect from the Austrian Mint. While it has grown on me over the last few years it just does not have the effect or pull that many gold coins do when you see them.

I wonder why other countries that are high gold consumer countries, like France and Switzerland do not issue 1 oz gold coins?  Britain and Austria are the only ones, but I suspect Austria still cranks out Ducats from 1915 etc.

Answer seems simple
Switzerland is a non euro country and all surrounding custom people try to tax coins from there especially in France and Belgium if I read the internet complaints correctly . I even got taxed 7% on a Double Eagle coming from Switzerland . A young Vicky simply disappeared and the vendor or his insurance paid me back after three months . Needless to say I NEVER buy in Switzerland again
The tax was quiet illegaly I suppose , but the custom people at Brussels X  even refused to pick up the phone . One french speaking custom woman who picked up the phone immidiately disconnected when she detected I spoke French with a Flemish accent But then the telephone operator had warned me this would happen .

For France it is even more simple . They are the only country that taxes gold and I hear French come buy gold in Belgium only 90 minutes from Paris by TGV the high speed train . Monnaie de Paris does not tax out of EEC clients . So Americans are tax exempt .

I didn't buy gold in France because basically you are charged the VAT, well then anyway, and it was 18%.  Yes I could have gotten the money back when I left the country, but too much of a hassle so I didn't bother.  The only gold I remember ever buying in France was a gold Franc I bought in 2000, but sold back to a buyer in France a couple of years later for something like €200 or so, a good profit.  I remember looking in Amsterdam a few years ago, maybe in 2001 or so for the 10fl coins from 1897 with the YH Wilhelmina, but I never found any.

As an out of EEC you can buy now directly from the Monnaie de Paris without tax but it is much cheaper buying on the second hand market on ebay Germany

I got two 1897 Florin coins at melt from a french ebayer MS 64 MS 65  ;D
The real challenge is getting the 1898 coin at a reasonable price which I did not succeed yet

Oh by the way
The new one ounce Austrian Philharmoniker 1 ounce silver bullion coin started officially 1st of february and and it is selling below american eagles and canadian maples  :D

After four years of searching I finally got my Gibraltar 70 ECUS Knight at a reasonable price
They normally go 100% over melt since they are anounced as 0.999 pure but they are only 0.500 pure
Bummer is the honest ebayer got only 10% over melt from me
But since postage was paid for I got two silver coins below melt  ;D
Since I am still using my old fotoscanner I will have to figure a way to post pics
My Canon Camera is not broken in yet and the old scanner does not work on the new computer
I got a new Canoscan 8800 still sitting in the box since I fear the half dozen software programs coming with it  ???

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1968&g2_serialNumber=1)

My European gold coin is from the Netherlands:

(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x141/Snooba123/World%20-%20Coins/Netherlands-1a.jpg)

 :) :) :) :) :)

Very nice coin
But I like the princesses and queens   :D

PS Do you mean to say you got no British Sovereign ? They are part of Europe whether they like it or not  :D

Not even one little old British Sovereign!  I might just go away and cry now!

 :'( :( :'( :( :'(

When I grew up my mother and nearly everybody elses mother had one dangling from a bracelet
and all polished to death  :)
When she died age 96 a year ago she had managed to sell the darn thing for 100 euro a few months before ; leaving largely bills to be paid

I read somewhere there is 200 million of those Sovereigns around
Some years the British just gave a million of them away to be left alone since they had allready enough wars going I read

A whole set of MCMLXXXVI AGE's arrived today, the first year they were minted.  From 1986 to 1990 something they had Roman numeral dates, then they ditched them, just like with the St. Gauden's $20 in 1907.  I have never had a half oz coin from the USA before, only the ozs usually.  The only thing I don't care for with them as opposed to the Saints is that they had to make Ms. Liberty look waifish instead of more like a woman.

Mon monnaie de la or et la piece de la resistance


Gold 22 Shillings, crowned shield, I G either side, rev. crowned monogram MR, date in legend, 2.49gms. The I G on both sides of the shield are for James, Earl of Arran, Governor of Scotland. Curiously, he was next in line to the Scottish throne, being descended from James II. He was appointed regent in 1542, and would subsequently negotiate with the French for Mary's marriage to the Dauphin Francis. For his efforts he was created Duke of Chatellerault. In 1554 the regency was surrendered to Marie of Guise, Queen Mary's mother. The Latin legends on this coin, Maria Dei Gra R Scotorum translates to Mary Queen of the Scots, whilst on the reverse Diligit Iusticiam translates to observe justice. This particular coin is S-5396, and SMA22S-005.

Re gold coins, I have one Aussie Half sovereign, 1906S and a tiny weeny little coin from somewhere in Sth America.  No more!  I'm gunna go away now & join Snooba to have a cry. :'( :'( :'( 

Nah, not really, just joking.  ;D ;D ;D

Scottish
Your pièce de résistance est superbe j'aime bien

But I am afflicted with the american syndrome ; bigger is better  >:(
If that coin were on a LMU standard I would start pulling my moustache ( I do not bite nails ) and go ask my wife what she wanted
as a fair exchange for me hunting one  :-X

My scanner really hates the new Double Eagles and makes them look pasty

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1990&g2_serialNumber=1)

On the other hand I got a half ounce proof at melt and it liked that one

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1992&g2_serialNumber=1)

Bigger is better when it comes to gold, but not much else in life.  I thought it was funny when I was in Europe, I could recognise British and Americans without even hearing them speak, because many Americans and a few Brits take that "bigger is better" to the size of their posterior and mid sections. :o  It comes from driving Hummers and other humongous petrol guzzling automotive devices, and not exercising.

But with gold, the Brits and the Americans did it right with the bigger gold coins, ala the $20 and the £5 coins.  The 100FF coin seems to skimp a bit on gold. :-\

I am not sure I follow
The difference between a 20$ and 100 French Francs seems to be 0.03 ounce
I cannot feel the difference tossing them in the air  :(

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1996&g2_serialNumber=1)

Ok Back to Austria
I started shooting my new Canon D30 and after about 100 pictures I found that I am best at using photoshop and forget about a black background or other background and just point and shoot and photo shop ( after all it is a full digital camera that will diliver raw unprocessesed pictures to be jpeged or whatever
I used Sissi of the three films as object
Boxed and certificated and I like Romy Schneider better thank you

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2054&g2_serialNumber=1)

On the reverse I used a black background ( not a good idea
Here you see empress Sissi in Switzerland about to catch a steamer across the lake and minutes before she was killed by an extremist who missed his first target and took Sissi as second target to kill
She was knifed to death whilst acompanied by a lady in waiting hurrying to catch the steamer

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2052&g2_serialNumber=1)

Sissi in box and certificate also with the illadvised black background

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2058&g2_serialNumber=1)

Sissi by Romy Schneider

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sissi_%28film%29

http://www.divasthesite.com/Acting_Divas/Romy_Schneider.htm

I love the detail put into the Austrian coinage!

I have been meaning to ask if you fellows have seen the U.S. Indian/Buffalo gold? Currently it is only struck in the one ounce version but the 1/10, 1/25 and 1/2 ounce will be coming along in the months to come.

Have some 2006 (first year) first strike MS69 sealed. They are beautiful. As they are 99.99 gold they are very soft - so keep them sealed and safe.
The heritage is the old Indian/ Buffalo nickle - which are really striking (pun)- actually got one (1937) in change at food store last week and upon seeing it dropped some the change I was holding. Gave it to a client who appreciates the non precious metal more than I.

Should see the detail on the 1/10 oz gold eagle - spent half an hour with a magnifying glass today on one.

Netherlands 10 Gulden 1897, with young portrait of Queen Wilhelmina.  Though a very limited number of these coins were issued in 1895 and 1896, 1897 is the only year these were released in a collectible quantity.

For quite a long time when you wanted a large gold coin, this Hungarian 100 Korona from 1908 and it's Austrian counterpart were the largest available.  These coins were restruck by the Austrian mint for a number of years, being .98 oz, they were the largest available coins until the advent of the Kruggerand in 1967.  A very attractive design, and notably more difficult to find than the Austrian 100 Krone.

If you give away non precious metal coins you are going to be mighty popular on this forum  ;D

I got two MS65 and MS66 below melt on ebay France several years ago it is 1898 coronation year I cannot get at a decent price and I refuse to pay 100% over melt

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=465&g2_serialNumber=1)

Scottish this time I understand nothing
I got two of those Corona at melt from my exchange agent and posted one at the beginning of this thread
and to start I got my birthyear MS64 Mexican from 1947 which is 37.5 grams oro puro at melt from an exchange agent

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2086&g2_serialNumber=1)

Without searching the 100 Soles are pretty heavy
I had to pay over melt for this one 1963

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2088&g2_serialNumber=1)

And  I remember this one year 1966 was difficult to get
Toke me 5 years and found it in France MS64 and my coindealing friend said he never ever saw one without a scuffed earthglobe




(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2090&g2_serialNumber=1)

How did I forget that one?  I have been looking for a nice coinage era in choice BU for sometime, you know I like the coins with ladies on them:)

You are getting to be scary sounding like me
I am bidding right now on a coin with a lady on it

This is Nike goddess of victory right ?
Anyways a bit later they made the coin in 1 oz and it is even more gorgeous
I had to sell a dozen during my bad days but I kept one of the best .
Bad mistake selling those because now they are virtually non obtainable in Europe

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2092&g2_serialNumber=1)

But I retained this mexico 20 pesos an exchange agent sold at melt
No woman on it but georgeous

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2096&g2_serialNumber=1)

I had several dozen of those at one time, in the late 1980's until the introduction of the AGE those were pretty popular in the USA market.  Now they are very difficult to find even in N. America.  Mexico stopped making these and taxed the old ones out of existence.  With this design you got a lot of *bang* for your buck.  Too bad when they came out with the design for the AGE's they decided to make Ms. Liberty look like a waif.  Real women have curves.

I got Venus for close to melt since she is missing two arms

I got the most beautifull woman you can think of but only vendor pics and since she is capsulated untouched gold I will try my new scanner and or my new TTL digital camera somewhere in the future before showing her  ( TTL is thru the lense seeing and picturing but digital )


(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2099&g2_serialNumber=1)

Scottishmoney I am some what like you except I like women with coins on them!!! ;D  ;D  ;D
And that is plus your way too!!!

The coins on exotic bellydansers are copper fakes ;D

By having one gyrating 3 inches in front of my nose and paying more attention to the coins then to the bellybutton  :D
She even sat on my lap but the way my wife was grabbing for a sharp object made her reconsider  ;D
Some tourists wifes are unpredictable

Your wife should have understood that poor lady was exhausted for all that dancing and just needed a place to rest for a moment? ;D

Well my wife asked me why I thought the danser picked me ; so I was not going to say cause I was smoking a 50$ Cuban waving a gold Dupont lighter and us having a champaign bucket on the tablet

Lucky for me that close up every square inch of the danser was pancaked with cosmetica and that she was literally sweatting bullets of transpiration that pierced the pancake at regular short distances making her look like a shop plastic doll that had been out in the rain
Otherwise I would have had to explain some temporal intergalactic distortions in my spacesuite ;D

Thats what coin pendants and bezels are used for :D

On a German forum there are those that confessed they are lickers ; well I mean they determine by their tongue
the quality of the alloy  :D

At least the French know what a tongue is for, canna say that for the Germans.

just finished reading the whole mob of remarks and stories and etc here, I am impressed and heartwarmed as though I was in Green bay for the playoff games again this year.  I truly love reading you all and your opinions and looking at the lovely gold coins and I might say I will see if the German Ebay is what you say.  I will also try to post some pictures of some american gold, big and little.  Just remember, Bush is from Texas, and we all like it big over here. 

But keep in mind there can be BIGGER everything! And we do have a few fools, idiots, a__holes, jerks, thieves, robbers, crooks and ect....! Like they say a FOOL and his money is soon parted and it seems we have some big ones over here. Now excuse me, I must finish my paperwork to receive my inheritance from the former President of Nigeria. After I donate 70% of the money to charity (his family requests it) I get to keep the other 30% for my work effort. They needed me to get the money out of the country due to political problems and scandals. Thank God there are people like me left to help these caring people out with their finances and donations. I am sure they are transferring the cash to my bank account right now!!!  ;D  ;D  ;D

They are sending Zimbabwean dollars to your account, 25000000 : USD 1.

The oldest goldcoin I have is not very old ; it is pre revolution France
It was bitten  ??? The bite did not show on  the pic but there is one tooth identation quiet visible
The guy must have only one tooth left  ;D Lucky for the coin and me  ;D

The real Louis might have preferred the bite of on tooth to the guillotine I guess

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2105&g2_serialNumber=1)

I think you overrate the French
The only thing they tought me was how you taste wine first on the tip of your tongue and then on the back etc allthough soixanteneuf seems to be of french origin it is the french word for sixtynine

The german ebay has routinely 5000 offers in the gold coin category and they have weekly those 5 ounce Monnaie de Paris goldcoins with limit production of 99 only
Beware this can be addictive and harmfull to your wallet short term (hopefully not long term )

Watching a couple of Danish 20 Kr from 1873-1874 on an auction this week.  I like the maiden and dolphin design on the reverse, just wish I could find one of the Danish West Indies 10 Kroner coins from 1905, expensive but lovely.

Do you have a picture to show those coins?
For some or other reason Danish Coins are never cheap compared to other world coins
I am switching to silver cause at 1000$ an ounce gold is getting expensive and 95% of the coins being offered are let's say common or teeth or jewelry or nuggets of the nuggety kind etc

Those Danish coins are one of my favorites (got a 1876 20 Kr.) D., i had made a few deals with a coin store in Copenhagen who usually have a few DVI gold coins (20 Fr./4 Dal.), let me know if youre interested and i'll PM you their contacts.

Jose 8)

Yes please.  BTW have some more ladies coming from Portugal too. ;D

If they have internet shops I would very much like their address

I acquired accidently this silver coin five ecu
El Ingeniosa Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha 1994
I spend sunday afternoon and this afternoon to explore the bounderies of my scanner and photoshop
The only bounderies are my patience  ;D
This first pic is totally unretouched and took a few minutes which for a scanner focussing inside a plastic holder is remarkably good

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2125&g2_serialNumber=1)

With the Head I had a lot of trouble since the high relief in the plastic allways came out with yellow red blue rainbow scattering
I had to desaturate the pic to black and white and then resaturate the background to blue etc

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2123&g2_serialNumber=1)

Not a bad scan considering it was done through the plastic, also like the Gaudi lettering on the one side.

Thank you
I did not realise the quaint lettering was Gaudi style but now that you mention it something clicks and it makes perfect sense
I found the circle with stars a little queer and enchanting because in 1994 the European Union was really no done deal

Now I will have to take out my Canon camera again sometime soon and compare the ease of shooting gold with the ease of scanning gold in a capsule
I think this Canoscan 8800 is going to win for ease of use now that I now the photoshop layers stuff and setting up lighting for a coin in
a capsule probably is going to be dicey too . But I got three full spectrum lights with a known color temperature from Germany and that should
take care of the whitebalance . ( and if everything fails I still can take the gold from the capsule after all my bottle of acetone has been unused for like six months now and I need to keep my agility  ;D ) Oh and I have a pair of cotton gloves I never used .

I think I stopped my collection of Austrian coins because they all have that sameness
Too much detail even when trying to simplify and simply not the proof quality contrast between field and devices the French have

This is Marie Antoinette
Sent to France age 14 to be the empress of the last French emperor before the revolution
The reverse shows her in vain pleading for her life before the citizens jury that sent her to the guillotine
Whilst the French people were starving to death she was building a little palace in the gardens of the big palace
Obtained on ebay austria for 3% below melt

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2127&g2_serialNumber=1)

It is obvious my laser scanner has minor problems with light scattering on the capsule of coins
I still have not found a corrective layer one to suite them all
I had the flue all week so my project to start up the Canon 30 D camera has been posponed
I could cut out the coin and put it on a blue background without capsule but that takes a lot of work if the image is not 100% round ( which it should be but hélas theory and practice often disagree ; like most people do not know a copy machine allways changes the dimentions by a minuscule amount )

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2129&g2_serialNumber=1)

With gold that has a mirror finish I find it is better to scan using a light background colour.  If it is circulated then you are better off with a blue background.

As long as there is contrast the finish is no problem ( A Maple leaf is a problem because there is no contrast )
Considering that the scan even with capsule is better then 75% of the ebay pics I see ; I will leave the coins in the capsule
Washing away fingerprints with acetone on a proof coin is no fun since the acetone leaves marks if it is not warm enough
All my coins are in the bankvault but with the next coin I can try a white background , I never did that

What do you consider a light background ? Pure white on which you can set the whitebalance ?

These are the pics from the Austrian National shop
I think all things considered my coinpics are better then his

http://www.schoeller-muenzhandel.at/default.asp?Shop=3

mmm The link does not go to the page you have to click Austria and then ATS 2nd Republic

I had years of color study working in coloring plastics for Mercedes cars to match their leather color etc  and I studied Johannes Itten on colors and could read
spectophotometer graphs ( what they now call histograms in photoshop )
The eye is easily deceived . Put a slightly neutralised blue color on a real blue color background and your eyes will tell you it is dirty purplish like .

So I am completely flabbergasted
My canoscan8800F comes with three drivers a standard , a canondriver , and Silverfast a  professional photographers driver
The Canondriver will render the image independant of the background ( scan will look the same with or without background) whilst Silverfast will show you what the deceived eye sees ; that is the image as seen by the eye on that background but totally different from the image without background 

On the left is what the eye would see if poster and background where separated and on the right is what the eye really sees when you put one on top of the other ( now this is the same scanner with standard settings and two different drivers )
( What you really see will depent on your gamma setting etc of your LCD screen unless you have an old Video screen )

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2145&g2_serialNumber=1)

I am stopping my austrian series here since all those coins look alike so much and the quality even in handprocessed condition is less then Monnaie de Paris . I mean the coin surface texture is not state of the art like Monnaie de Paris does in my opinion and since it is my money my opinion is were my money goes .
So here goes Book illustration half ounce one percent below melt
1000 ATS 2001 with certificate
One side shows the library of Austria the other side illustrators at work

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2148&g2_serialNumber=1)

The reverse

This is the side I like better

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2146&g2_serialNumber=1)

Still a pretty coin :D

Yes I just saw on ebay germany of course several of the 1999 and 2000 Monnaie de Paris coins of the ART series
Butt ugly in my opinion ( that is the design is ugly and even the best coinmaster cannot make an eyepleasing coin out of an ugly design)
The vendor is offering free shipping but those coins had authorised limits of 2000 and some only got 166 buyers
There is Roman art and Greek art and Modern art etc none pleases me  ::)

I am fairly spoiled ; even at or below melt I want my coins to look lovely ( Lovely like in the song from the film My Fair Lady )

Working currently on a test deal to trade AGE's for 1873-1907 Liberties at 1:1, minuscule amt less gold in the Liberties, but lots more history and they were real money.  Will try with a roll over the next couple of weeks and see how it goes, thence perhaps more.

Anybody accepting that deal probably would be offering fakes with less gold content then the original
Why would they offer that deal if they can get at least 10% better then melt unless it is really VF quality

Usually yes, but this is a collector I have dealt with for quite a long time, I will get over the counter receipts, gold is coming out of the woodwork, if there is high grade Saints etc. I will give the difference in silver bar.

Maybe in the US gold is coming out of the woodworks
Here in Europe it is terrible
Goldfillings or goldteeths half cleaned
Gold nuggets or whatever must pass for a goldnugget and miracalously nature has produced all nuggets at 99% pure
Gold leafs 100 goldleafs still weigh nothing
Smallest coins of the world ( 0.25 to 0.50 grams of gold if you are lucky since several reports give analyses of zero gold in some cases)
and the real coins at 100% or higher over melt
So I am not buying the last three weeks

The economy here is descending to hell, so people are parting with things that were precious, but not so much as making a mortgage payment etc.  Seriously I am pondering coming to Europa with my € and banking it there, the way the dollar goes south south south.  Just look on forums and see people snapping up gold sets etc. from people needing the money.

Like a German advisary lettre remarked you are now going from recession into depression right now
However we probably are only six months behind you not knowing yet we entered recession allready here
Be aware that all European Union banks have reporting laws . Anywhere between 10 000 and 20 000 euro in a single
deposit will be reported to the law ( yay we imported your anti dirty money laws too ) on top of that state insurance is
different in all countries . In my country I am ensured 20 000 euro for me and 20 000 euro for my wife against bank bankruptcy
If I have more money then that I need to go to a second and a third bank etc
But the government fund does not even have enough money to cover the failure of one big bank .

Intrest rates are orfull : I get 3.6% net which certainly is below real inflation (not the reported keep them happy figures)

If European coin forums start to offer sets at melt I will be ready and waiting .
Remember I have an agreement with my wife : if gold gets worhtless she can have it and drape it around any and all bodyparts she wants  ::)
In the meantime I can buy whatever I want as long as she can go on renovating the house  :-*
Since our houses are built to last 200 years at least this should enhance the value . Our house prices are not coming down because
all Belgium is built full and there is no place left for new houses so no oversupply possible

The insured limits on accounts here are $100,000 but interest rates are 2.75% on short term accounts, lower for longer term accounts.  But if we have the bank failures that might result here from the fallout from the subprime crisis, I seriously wonder that the FDIC can cover all the depositors monies?

I do not understand all the American lending terms but I troll many investment forums
It seems the next bomb is Alt prime whatever that may be
After that it is of course the Trillions in Derivatives which are understand all too well .
Insurers and counter insurers leveraged at 30 to 1 meaning that if more then 3.3% of their clients go
under they and everybody else goes under too .

I cannot even pay off my mortgage, the mortgage company makes it practically prohibitive, the reason... they would lose the interest over the rest of the term of the loan. :-X

I paid of the balance of my mortgage in 1996 since firing an engineer with 23 years anciennity costs the company a 27 months penalty in Belgium
( Complex formula accepted by court)
My contract with the Banklenders stipulated a 3 months penalty for early payback of the mortgage . I told them ok but then afterwards I will leave
with all my insurance coverages and all the rest and go to another bank . They offered to split the penalty in 2 , the local branch paying half to keep me
and I paying the other half .

In the next few months I will be hashing this out with my bank.  They should be thankful they will get their principle with a little bit of interest, so many loans here they are getting nothing but a beat up house that if they can thence sell it will sell at a huge loss.

If you pay back that will drop the percentage of performing loans and will make their shareholders even more unhappy
You may have to use shocktactics like not paying for 2 months and telling them you got cashflow problems  ;D
Then tell them you get money coming but are going to put it in London buying options on some high promise company
unless of course they offer you 90 cent on the dollar to pay back your loan instead of buying London options  ;D

What one person did was just paid it with the payment coupon, but of course the bank will apply it all to interest, and not principal.  They are crooks.

The bank we got the loan from is no longer in our community, they sold the branches to another bank, but kept our loan of course.  Because we have high credit rating, and no payment issues.

Two years ago I went and traded in two cars which we had for several years on a new vehicle more suitable for my family of five.  Negotiating the whole deal was easy, until it came to the payment for the rest after our used cars were valued and applied to the sale.  When you tell a car dealer you are paying cash for the rest you might as well tell them that...

There is no Easter Bunny
Santa is imaginary
Moses did not part the Red Sea
Jesus did not walk on water etc.

They scurry around, implying "you can't do that"  Uh huh, I know they make their bucks on the financing, not on the sale of the car.  They get a significant kickback from the lender, plus the salesman has a quota on auto financing. 

So just about a sale killer.

I told them, fine.  I will walk.

Needless to say they grudgingly accepted our cheque for the vehicle.

The problem is, too many people depend on financing for BS like TV's, cell phones, DVD players etc. So much so that we have to be expected to finance everything.  And pretty soon money is worthless, which is not a problem.  Because of that narsty noble aurum that I canna get enough of.

Two years ago they rearended and destroyed my 13 year old BMW
I had to buy another car
The garage refused to accept money because it is illigal because it is assumed to be money on which no taxes and levies and solidarity has been paid and it is assumed the garage owner is going to try and evade income taxes as well
So I had to get a certified bankcheck signed by the director and subdirector to  pay for my car .
With a certified check the bank takes your money directly into their bankaccount  and issue a check drafted against the bank which in theory is better then money since there are names and signatures on it

Which is precisely why governments want to go cashless, because then all transactions are reported to the tax authorities.

You said you liked Marianne
I prefer the lucky Angel

There are at least three different Marianne types plus the essai coins and medals

http://multicollec.net/1-mo-h/1h15.php

I have an Essai set in gold silver and bronze made 9 years before the 200th anniversary
It never went into "production" as far as I know

It went sooo far below melt that I surprisingly ended up to be the owner of the only three metal set in a velvet box I have
A pity they put it in soft plastic ( hard to scan )
The test was commissioned by Jean Marc Laleta

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2221&g2_serialNumber=1)

I like the Marianne on this one a bit better than the regular Marianne, lovely design.  BTW I hope to be an owner of one of the finest known examples of Netherlands 10 FL 1897 soon.  I am also looking for a very nice Danish West Indies 10 Daler of 1904, so beautiful and expensive.

Since you found 18% over melt expensive on Hello Kitty I shudder to think what you are going to pay for that last one
The first one is very iffy since 90% are not slabbed and I got one that is better then any coin I have seen
but Europe is not into slabbing and I am not going to pay a slabber and return trip to the US either

Whilst browsing thru my bankvaulted pictures I found I got another
Marianne ; which being austere is the one I like best . Showing so much character I lack  :P
It is a "production " coin though ; not an essai

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2222&g2_serialNumber=1)

She has the wash and toss windblown hair look :D

Well she has not  needed a perm (airstyling) in 15 years
She is very undemanding too  :P

And that said, she is figment of our wild imaginations. :'(

No she is as real as gold can be  :P

and a heart of gold

But.. she is only gold, and not real woman. :'(

Lucky  for me because now when my wife says I like her too she means it when she says it.  8)

Bid on and won a significant 14th century English gold coin, soon to be my new oldest British gold coin.  And a beaut at that. ;D

Congratulations
I will never be a bidding contestant in that area  ;)

Georgian Gold (http://www.nbg.gov.ge/index.php?m=415)

Interesting, just wish these were a bit easier to get, wouldn't mind getting the oz and fractionals for my collection.  Georgia is just NOT one of those places I exactly trust sending money to. :o  I am going to try ti to find some Ukrainian gold in a couple of months if I go.

The writing looks like greek upside down to me ; but I see they got a 10 ounce coin  ;D

The writing looks like chicken scratch to me, at least I can read Greek since it is the root of Cyrillic.  But you would settle for the 10 Oz coin?  They have a 1 kilogramme coin that is more desirous IMHO.

I can read greek because all the lettres are used in higher matematics but that does not mean I understand a word of what I can read
I never had a coin bigger then 102 grams and at the going prices that probably will stay my biggest coin I ever had  ???

I have something bigger than 102 grammes, actually I think 4-5 coins, all but one of them are bronze though.

Oh you are right I was thinking gold only
6 years back I bought  some heavy silver but my old scanner refused to focus thru the capsule so they are gone without scan .
Anyways they may have had legal tender in Australia but a on kilo coin is not a coin in my mind . It is only a coin in the legal sense that I pay 8% sales tax versus 18% sales tax on a bar

Last night I bought two 20 FF coins, one an 1808-A with Napoleon, the other with Marianne and dated 1904, I couldn't resist at buying them both for about 2.5% over melt from a well known dealer.  The Napoleon has a scrape, but... it is a 200 year old gold coin ;D

I can imagine the Marianne since I can get them at 1.5% over melt
The Napoleon amazes me though since I paid mine  24.5% over melt
But going by memory that year had a Laurated Napoleon in the Republic (lol) and in the empire
Mine is a Republic
I could be wrong by one year cause my reference site is down

Emperor of the Republic lol

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2293&g2_serialNumber=1)


(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2295&g2_serialNumber=1)

We have had presidents, like Tricky Dick Nixon that thought they were Emperors.  Some may have even been queens. :-X

But I guess that president did not start as an army corporal in a foreign country  ;)

And anybody can be a drag queen

Even a former presidential candidate:

(http://www.bagofnothing.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/giuliani_drag.jpg)

Something Rudy Giuliani came to regret when he ran for president, this kept coming up :o

Makes me think of Rome burning
Rise and Fall of an Empire
But then again the US were never an empire
The UK was

Actually many would disagree with you.

Ah but only the French in 1808 could be a Republic and an Empire at the same time
One has to make choices in life ; even emperors have too

(http://www.geocities.com/scottishmoney/britannia/1787guinea.jpg)

A £125 purchase.  Piece maybe ex jewellery, but a lovely piece for the price.

It is a super bargain at that price

Since I hang out on ebay germany and france I never saw this coin before

Not an eBay purchase :D

(http://www.geocities.com/scottishmoney/europegold/denmark20kr1876.jpg)
(http://www.geocities.com/scottishmoney/europegold/denmark20kr1890.jpg)

Hmm, do I like these "Dania" coins or what?

(http://www.geocities.com/scottishmoney/europegold/netherlands10g1897.jpg)

I definitely like these coins, I buy nice ones whenever I can find them.

Those coins are awesome, Scottish! Thanks for sharing! ;D

Beautiful coins and great photos!

Those coins from Denmark are nice
I have none from Denmark since apart from French Napoleons I am inflicted with the desire to get coins in high MS and Denmark gold costs very much in high MS

It is a fact that most coins in XF look better then low MS . It is only from MS63 onwards that coins get nice again .  :)

Nice photoshopping job you did.

I don't have photoshop and have straight images only.

(http://www.geocities.com/scottishmoney/europegold/belgium20f1882.jpg)

Sorry, not photoshopped, as neither were the others.  Too cheap to buy photoshop, and the suggestion that I would try to make the coin prettier using it is ludicrous.

Scottish, I don't think anyone has insinuated that you Photoshop your coins. However, I do use Photoshop to crop, doodle in the background, etc.  without ever touching the visible surface of the coin.

Those are all nice photos, and I would expect gold coins to be a photographic challenge since reflections can easily overload a camera's dynamic range (ie blow out highlights).
The fact you did not use PS at all is impressive.  :)
I used it too--but never to alter the surfaces; every little nick on the coin is left where it is. That said, it's a great tool to correct the level and color balance problems introduced by most digital cameras.

What I meant is that it is not evident to have a darker rim with less light on the coin and no shadow whatsoever on the white background
This suggests that either you have a very expensive lighted background pad on which you place the coins with bad toplighting generating the dark rim on the coin or to me more probable you cut the coin by a lasso method and put it on a white background the same whay as you cut the girls on your banknotes and put them on a different background
Whether it is photoshop or roxio or whatever program
On the last coin that Leopold I can see the right side of the coin and still no shadow

On this scan the two halves were joined with iphoto plus . Nothing was touched .
Notice my preference for lighting faces from above by the shadow below

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2405&g2_serialNumber=1)

This is Leopold I with the same scanner ( which is no longer functional since it only works on win98 )
Notice the difference in gold color and reflectivity
I did not even adjust Brightness and Contrast what I often do . But here I wanted for myself
to show the difference in color and reflectivity between the two types of coins


(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2408&g2_serialNumber=1)

There's an elegance in simplicity, where I prefer the Leopold I coin.
I'm just curious...do those Leopold II 20 Fr have raised lettering on the edge?

Leopold I is incuse
Leopold II is raised DIEU*PROTEGE*LA*BELGIQUE ( God protects belgium )

Both exist in A and B position and Leopold II has 4 types

I am not into these varieties which go into Wiener with a point in the name and no point in the name and misspelled etc

A and B position are typically Belgian . If you hold the coin with the head upwards in front of your eyes you can either read DIEU*PROTEGE*LA*BELGIQUE or it is upside down ( and I allways forget which is A or B ) since apart from the Leopold I all are
bought at an exchange agent for meltvalue plus 2% and I go for the best grade since I know the coins have been cherrypicked
by a coindealer before the exchanger sells them

Admittedly after our own discussion about the photoshop wonders on eBay, I took it bad when you said that.  I misunderstood what you meant by it.  I don't care for people messing with surface images on coins, and thought perhaps that was what being inferred by what was said.

And another Dania coin joins the harem.

And going south of the border:

I like that 20 kroner . Very nice design

This week after arduous battle I acquired a 350 year old uncirculated coin

a Louis d'or from Louis XiV 1651
As often Krause is incomplete
There is the boy Sunking with short curl
There is the boy Sunking with large curl ending to the right ( the one I got )
There is the somewhat older boy with large curl ending to the left ( Krause has only one longcurl)
Then the juvenile etc

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2427&g2_serialNumber=1)

The 1200 dpi original scan reduced to 600 and jpegged exagerates the slide which is hardly visible under a 10x LED loupe

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2430&g2_serialNumber=1)

Isn't it kind of cool with Louis XIV that you can get coins and watch him grow up, get fat, get old and near croak stage all on his coins.

And you wonder, how was it that this particular coin got socked away and never circulated?

Those that were not melted down under the first revolution seem to have survived in XF or better
Apart from a few where somebody thought it necessary to polish or clean or bezelmount the coin

I can only guess these coins were excess wealth and silver coins covered daily ,weekly and monthly expenses till the revolution when they had to go underground

Very nice piece of history, and pretty fun to consider the journey it must have taken.  :)

Gold is really one of the best values for numismatic collecting, yesterday I got a BU 1908 $20 for melt + 5%, today I got two Canadian $20's from 1967 for 75% of melt. ;D

In the future price swings of 75$ a day are going to be seen more often

Back to the favourite thread herein:

(http://www.geocities.com/scottishmoney/canada/canada201967.jpg)

Liz X 2 joined the harem.  A good buy indeed for the parsimonious Scot he would offer, since he brought Liz X 2 into his personal harem for a mere 75% of melt.  Whence these coins were minted in 1967 they were approximately at par with melt value vs. face value.  Which explains why these coins have .5288 oz fine gold content.  They were particularly popular with collectors in the USA, kind of a forbidden fruit and the US Customs stepped up procedure during 1967-8 to thwart efforts for these coins trying to seek asylum with USA collectors whom were forbidden of course to own such pecuniary objects of the noble metal.

Hey Scottish you made me sweat for a minute cause I misunderstood and ran to Krause to see they are 0.900 pure
I misunderstood you saying they were 0.52 pure .
I had a rough day cause one of my banks is in trouble

Yeah, I understand about troubled banks, I spent a better part of a morning depleting my account in an institution that is on the brink into one not quite so. :'(  It was an exercise in near futility.  Believe me, banks don't like losing accounts these days.

Well this/my bank has a long history of telling people to eff off
Only a few years ago when I complained my Echo Bay disappeared for three months before reappearing as Kinross ( and they were electronic deposits) they basically said to me to get lost and thank you for complaining and glad to be of survice . Now they are whining my pension fund has disappeared to other banks as fast as it got in . They lost 20% in share value today trading at 5.2 Euro down from 38 . On monday I have still to transfer the contents of my banksafe and adios amigos it is .
The prime minister of Belgium said on Crapvision he is guaranteeing all depositors  ??? ??? ??? He is interim cause we cannot get a government cause the flemish are still paying 1000 euro plus a year for the walloons and we are fed up after 178 years of exploitation

I believe the FDIC can definitely insure all depositors without nary a penny being lost.  I also believe in little green men from Mars occupy Area 51, and that Elvis and Marilyn are alive and well in the mountains of Colorado.  I also believe there were WMD's in Iraq and that the trillions of dollars that will have been sunk down that infernal sinkhole were well worth it.

"Doubting me", I am afraid

In Gold I thrust  ;)

The rest have to be screened and earn my confidence which is getting more difficult by the day

In Ukrainian we say:

У Золоті Ми Довіряємо, Все Інші не Гідні !


Which is to say, In gold we give trust, all others not worth it.

Before the American stock market opens and crashes I just had the time to scan this lovely Isabella II in MS63
Would be a lot higher if the obverse was as good as the reverse

First time I saw this coin and I got it for 19% over melt 100 reales

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2459&g2_serialNumber=1)

100 Reales

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2456&g2_serialNumber=2)

Thank you
The vendor was of the type that sells everything . He was flemish and did not know what he was selling .
Coins in XF go for 50% over melt in Spain I saw . They normally are not to be found on any of the ebays I frequent being germany, france, belgium, and austria
For reasons of problems I avoid spain and italy and UK

That's a beautiful 100 Reales!  :o
19% over melt...well done!  ;D

We selfgraded it as MS63
The vendor should have asked one of our spanish imigrants to make a translation and should have offered it on the spanish ebay
He would have gotten double there  ;D

Like it or not "His loss was your gain" And, quite frankly doesn't it feel good to actually be a winner once in a while! Just yesterday I had to pay $7 for a back-up propeller for one of my planes and I felt (actually knew) I was getting ripped off but I bought it anyway as I like to keep an extra on hand. (Especially the way I fly). Last night while roaming Ebay I found a fellow with two brand news ones, still in the bag, so I bid .99 cents on them and won the auction. Even with shipping I came out way ahead on those two so I did have a little good luck yesterday as well! Yes, it feels good!

Ebay has been sending studies around that they are 20% cheaper then brick stores
I believe them because anything I buy is up to 60% cheaper
So yes it feels good because in this case both sides are winners

Krugerrands - Kilo Bars Being Made (http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/10/12/curnow.sa.gold.fever.cnn?iref=videosearch)

Since IE7 has flash disabled I went to firefox and there I get general error message

Twack?  I use Firefox only and I can see it just fine.

I tried loging into KOTCT and then going to the link
I did not know your avatar is eh active doing something
anyway my latest version of firefox says general error

*drool*

I think gold is beautiful, but there must be something wrong with my head.  I'd take good circulated silver coins over it any day.  There's just something warm and inviting to an old silver coin.

It is some French plot, like posting silver in a gold coin thread. :'(

Well ok I panicked last week and I bought all the coins I could get at melt
and they are not nice but certified  :D gold 0.999 and there are 5 mints and they started in 2002 and they are all german
I do not like in principle anything that oxydizes
I have black coins from belgium I saved as a kid not knowing to put them in mylar

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2462&g2_serialNumber=1)

WAW, this is a beauty.
The color of the coin looks fantastic with the background color and light.
A beautiful coin and a beautiful pic.   :o :)

Thank you Paint for bringing this back on topic.

Kitty, you're right on silver. All of my life I've liked silver, and like you mentioned, it's warm and inviting. Got married.....didn't like the looks of gold so I received a white gold wedding band....SILVER in color. Of course, the wife received a white gold wedding set. I metal detect, and when I find a Barber coin, or even a common silver Rosie dime, my day is made.

Scottisch
That coin is georgeous but for me too small and expensive
I like the reverse big and cheap  :D

Like the 500 Balboas from the Franklin Mint
All firstday covers since they probably ran the press day and night cranking out the total in less then 24 hours

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2465&g2_serialNumber=1)

Not an original struck for coinage, but a restrike.  But nonetheless a bit better strike that average for these, and not dinged up like they usually are, or with copper spots:

(http://www.geocities.com/scottishmoney/mexico/mexico50pesos1947.jpg)

Even the 1921's were strictly bullion, no gold coins were struck for actual circulation in Mexico after WWI.

These were sold by the dozen as melters by Belgian exchange agents in MS condition up to 1980
Afterwards life got difficult for goldbugs
I never saw one with copper spots
Anyway 1947 is my year of birth so I have retained an MS64 ; I even use an early year as fondle coin  ;D

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2543&g2_serialNumber=1)

Of course you know that 1943 was the only year with a double 37.5 oro puro and no 50 pesos
This MS63 was more difficult to find

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2546&g2_serialNumber=1)

I really really want one of these coins in MS-67, so her chest will be full and voluptuous on the coin.  I see them, but they are pretty scarce.  Actually the one I picked out above came with another 1947, a 1945 and a 1946, but those coins all had dings or light wear on them.  The Libertads are just one of those coins that you have to have a very very nice example of.  "Victoria" is just more curvaceous etc. than Lady Liberty on the Saint Gaudens, besides, she is 20% heavier in gold, always a good thing says I.

This is one of those coins I had to remind the seller kindly how much business I do with him.  Otherwise he wanted to hold onto it. 

I go where gold is prittiest and cheapest
So I left my money exchange agent in 2002 cause all those nuggets fed me up as well as the new eagles and krugers and leafs
I am still finding gold at spot but it gets less nice by the day
I also have to clarify that to me spot is what an exchange agent gives for a XF clunker when you walk in and that is for the moment 4.5% above the kilobar price and he sells at 9 % over the kilobar price
I have not seen those methods since 1978 up till 1980

Another "Dania" came in the post today, long long long wait.  It is another 1890, MS-65 with an almost prooflike background finish and frost on the devices.  Unfortunately no image since my "better computer" bought the farm yesterday.

Like I said some time ago ; I got this IOC 1995 set on Austrian ebay for melt
Large cassette with three certificates
The firs coin is a silver skier
Oh boy the designer of that coin had no problem with motion unlike some of the painters I posted
Sheer beauty in motion

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2609&g2_serialNumber=1)

The last coin is a Rytmic Dancer ( both are one ounce )
Very gracefull with good balance between devices and fields

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2611&g2_serialNumber=1)

Half ounce Zeus is the center piece

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2613&g2_serialNumber=1)

Even the reverse of Zeus is worth showing


(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2615&g2_serialNumber=1)

Thank you . I try to show restraint . ;)
I am litterally converting my retirement money into "valuables" or "tangibles"

It is amazing that with a bad foto and nobody knowing this set ; I could get it for 330 euro on ebay Austria with three certificates and a very large velours box . The price hardly covers the melt value of the gold and silver coins let alone the price of the presentation box . ( Silver Eagles go 18 euro apiece here)

Also if you compare these 13 year old designs with the "stylised junk" Austria is churning out today it is amazing that in such a short time they seemed to have lost
their appreciation of gracefull designs . Or they may have lost designers capable of making such gracefull coins . I know Monnaie de Paris also is moving towards "stylised junk" like I call it .

Poor general Lafayette
He went for 7% below melt and was 20% below melt by the time he arrived
Also he was covered in fingerprints ; half of france seemed to have fingered him  ??? ??? ???
Using Acetone when it is freezing and snowing is no fun ; I had to use bodyheat to reanimate him
So having a capsule and a box and a certificate is usefull for something  ::)


(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2619&g2_serialNumber=1)

Together with Lafayette travelled an amazone from Palau

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2621&g2_serialNumber=1)

I have mixed feelings about the aquarium though

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2623&g2_serialNumber=1)

Palau has some interesting silver coins celebrating ocean life, and merfolk.  I like the colours, but that definitely isn't my favourite Palau-ian coin. 

Insured postage costs between 10 and 25 euro depending whether the vendor insists to use the expensive DHL or not
So evey time the postage is paid by goldcoins I tack on some silver coins if they look half decent
I would not pay the postage on this coin for sure . But at least General Lafayette -greasy as he was- travelled in nice company  :D
Actually all my fingernails are still white from the acetone : maybe I should forget I am a chemical engineer and use surgical gloves  >:(

And I got another Palau this is 5 ounces with certificate and box
Riding in on the tails of an MS63 Libra

Hope you like this one Scottish  ;D
PS my scanner broke out again in rainbowcolors around the 20$ sign


(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2627&g2_serialNumber=1)

Painting by Nelson
I actually like the painting  :D
I got it at melt because the capsule is cracked

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2630&g2_serialNumber=1)

I tried to get this marianne in gold but had to settle for silver since nobody is selling
It is boxed and certed and BU which in French means Brilliant Universel which is struck as a proof but the dies are not polished to proof

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2635&g2_serialNumber=1)

PYW post the reverse :o

It is a standard Monnaie de Paris half ounce silver ( dull )
Because of the plastic stoppers I cannot photoshop away the holder

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2638&g2_serialNumber=1)

I love the design though, even if the holder snarfs.

(http://www.geocities.com/scottishmoney/usa/platinum12008.jpg)

Finally a 1 oz. in platinum.

If I remember correctly the design was a circulating coin which is being offered goldplated dayly
The original is however like a quarter weight of the MSD coin

Off hand I know five Marianne designs of which I think 3 were circulating money designs

This is the circulated and goldplated coin they sell every week
http://cgi.ebay.fr/1-FRANC-MARIANNE-1992-DOREE-OR-FIN-24-CARATS_W0QQitemZ370122574731QQcmdZViewItemQQptZFR_GW_Monnaies_Pi%C3%A8cesFrancs?hash=item370122574731&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

(http://i21.ebayimg.com/08/i/000/fe/b2/01e1_1_b.JPG)

The design of the Platinum coin looks a lot like the 1986 Monnaie de Paris design
But the french do not trust in god : they want god to protect France

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2639&g2_serialNumber=1)

I don't particularly care for the obverse of the platinum coin, I like the reverse.  It is a bit unusual, as is platinum itself.  Will probably be another low mintage coin, probably not as low as some of my 1/4 oz plats, but low enough.

I only have one plat coin since I rank them with palladium as car catalisators
As you know I am addicted to gold
Simon Bolivar I paid at melt when melt was too high

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2643&g2_serialNumber=1)

Not an overly pretty coin, but historically, well back prior to Krugerrands etc. this was the primary bullion coin available when you wanted to put your money in gold:

(http://www.geocities.com/scottishmoney/europegold/austria100corona1915.jpg)

Curiously as bullion even, these coins get passed over by buyers.  I have been able to pick up a few of these and the Hungarian 1908 restrikes for melt when everything else in large sized gold has a large premium on it.

This piece has a couple of die breaks on the reverse, from the tips of the lowest wings on the eagle into the rim.

I have a few from way back when and the Hungarian who are a lot more beautifull
Problem with these coins is first that they are odd weights ; fail to be an ounce and second that
most people do not know they are restrikes and whence bullion coins and therefore avoided as odd coins and expensive ( which they are not )
The new Austrian coins do not fair better

In Belgium the primary bullion coins allways have been the latin union coins eg French Napoleons Belgian 20 francs Suisse Vrenellis 20 francs
Then the Dutch 10 guilders and then of course the old and new sovereigns .
These are still the basic coins with the Kruger and Nugget followed by far by the Nugget and New Eagle .
But Belgium is one of the only countries where exchange agents still deal gold

I just got the Ostarrichi charter at melt
Had no time to read up on it but I guess it is their chattel of independance

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2652&g2_serialNumber=1)

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2654&g2_serialNumber=1)

Finally the Lance Armstrong series complete

One hundred years Tour de France at the top
Finish on the Champs Elysées  first coin left
In the mountains ( at 7 o'clock )
Sprint (at 5 o'clock)
Alone against the clock The time run

A symbolic bicycle chain reunites all five coins of the quintology

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2658&g2_serialNumber=1)

I bought the silver when they came out and left the gold for you!!! ;D

Mighty nice ; I appreciate that  ;)
I never bought a coin when issued . They all look so expensive at issue and mostly can be had at better terms a few years later .

I just received my first coin from Danmark MS63

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2661&g2_serialNumber=1)

I am winding up my program since nobody knows what next year will bring and I want to have what I want to have by 31 st dec
This is the socalled parity coin giving the exchange rate between the euro and the original participating countries
It was planned to have a maximum issue of 2000 but at the time there was a severe lack of intrest at the requested price from the mint
The coin was struck at 714 pcs
It is a one ounce and somewhat expensive to find since goldprice has trippled and nostalgia is starting to settle in

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2675&g2_serialNumber=1)

Excellent coins Paint Your Wagon !!!! You are happy man ;D

Thank you Eric
They are my pension fund

Yellow and white gold
Wiki and others keep saying the Génie is a neutral spectral figure but in 1988 the French showed a different Génie for one year
The next year they put a general or some such on the coins and I guess that was the end of the serie
So I got a complete serie in two coins I think


(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2678&g2_serialNumber=1)

I think you meant "neutered" for the usual coin, because that one is definitely not neutered ;D

No according to the Larousse encyclopedia a génie with stylus and tablet is writing the constitution on the first "angel" coin and a génie is a sexless supreme supernatural being ( wings etc ) As far as I know this is the only coin were the french do NOT show a sexless génie  :P

Attached are the contest pictures of those wanting to win the génie contest

http://www.v1.paris.fr/musees/Site_federateur/Expositions/Historique/dupre/oeuvres.htm

Of course Augustin Dupré won

This is the circulating coin

A lovely and fascinating medallic issue struck on 50 Pesos blanks in 1957 from Mexico:

(http://www.geocities.com/scottishmoney/mexico/mexico50pesos1957.jpg)

Bought at melt.  Fascinating because these were only struck in small numbers and only in 1957, and are a lot scarcer than the regular 50 Pesos coins. 

Wow beautifull
I am stalking a medal too for the moment . Most often medals go at melt but I am willing to pay more for the one I am stalking

I like this one better than the regular 50P coin, just a lovely uncluttered design on the front with the hot señorita on the front and the busy full design on the reverse.

I like this one better too
If only those medalists would learn to render a womans face  ???

At least you can put a bag on her face. :D

Ah shoot guys, after you turn off the lights, they all look the same!!! ;D

Ah but at least you can touch and lick the gold ones  :D

I bought several weeks ago a coin and got it yesterday . 1.60 ounces at 0.920 purity and 1500 pieces
It is the FIRST ECU ever made 1979 by monnaie de paris of course with certificate and all
I read up some on the ECU and found out I was not aware of the controversies
The ECU started in 1979 with the nine countries depicted on the coin . The ECU only existed in electronic payments between companies .
The french were the first to coin the thing and it seems afterwards every city in France got the right to coin its own ecus and to pay with it in shops .
This controversie whether the ECU was a coin or not lasted supposedly till Belgium coined the 1987 5 ECUS in silver and said expressly it was
a circulating coin . Now they could say that but first the coin costed 10 ecus to buy and virtually nobody would have recognized a silver 5 ecus if they saw one : that is if you were crazy enough to spend a 10 ecus coin as 5 ecus purchasing power .
After that it got more complicated because they switched the name to the Euro and several countries still made ECU coins up to three years after the Euro was instituted . Then came the silver and gold Euro coins . Coins nobody ever is going to spend .
This made me realise the last gold coin meant for spending was probably before 1914 and maybe a lot earlier since the French seemingly started to hoard gold coins from 1852 onwards .
The coin is a marvel since I got it several weeks ago at 90% of melt but that is another story .

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2735&g2_serialNumber=1)

Bought a couple of MS grade Saints, for the same price that people are paying for that 2009 garbage.  Age and experience before fallicy.

Like the nude on the front of the Ecu P-O-W

I have more MS 64 and higher ST Gaudens then I need or care for since 1999 allready . Also the Coronet type I have more then enough
Yes people are paying ridiculous amounts for coins that are less then 10 years old whereas I got a test piedfort only 99 coins minted Hercules 3 ounces for melt

I am now winding down my buying program since there are like 3 more coins in the mail I got early january and I got my eye on 3 more and then I have
pretty much all I covet apart from a Russian coin that has been eluding me for 5 years now . ( Cannot get it cheap )

If I can get out of some of my goldmines at more then 50% gain I may continue buying melters untill may 2009 . Melters I mean 100 year old 20 Francs Lucky Angels or Napoleon III or old Sovereigns or old Florins
Any exchange agent in Belgium sells those at melt plus 2 %

PS ; The top coin depicted on the reverse of the ECU is the Flemish Lion ( the walloon got a rooster like the french ) and I was amazed to find Danmark amongst the nine founding countries

PS2 ; It seems that in this first version of Europa she left her bull behind .

I had the flu for a week so I am slowly working my way through the coins
Do not bother to look up this set in Krause cause Krause does not know it exists neither did Krause now the previous set I posted existed
When it comes to collecting special coins Krause gold coins of the World does not seem to know the world outside the US may have much intrest
Their completeness is out of this world .

The certificate of the coin says Liberty is gazing towards the Horizon for possible dangers;  ready to defend  ;D
I am willing to believe that . No serene walking Liberty or 50 pesos angel like Liberty but a ferocious Liberty the way Liberty should be

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2738&g2_serialNumber=1)

Looks like the torpedos are ready to launch!

I honestly have no freaking idea how many of them I have, I lost count a long time ago, but you can never have enough, well at least I cannot have enough - so if you tire of them and want them to go to a loving home PLMK.

I have like three dozen offers to care for my coins in dry environments
But only Seven my pal as an ex coin dealer knows when to bath them in acetone and when to drop them in easiest and when to plunk them in acid
He is even known to have toned them with a gas bunsen burner . And all got slabbed  ;D :D ???
For the record : since I was 18 I have never ever used anything but solvents on coins . Before that I shined some with copper polish and found out other people did not like it  :(

This is the little sister of the set
Scan at 1200 dpi

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2741&g2_serialNumber=1)

I think I got the last missing Marianne coin
This is the Dupré design made 200 years later by Monnaie de Paris of course
I took the risk of buying it on ebay Italy

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2844&g2_serialNumber=1)

Nothing like a fine set of "pointers" on a gold coin.

It is nice knowing EVERYONE knows I offer free and safe storage for all gold and silver coins, regardless of counrty of origin, right here in Indiana!!! Thats the least I can do for all my friends around the world!!! ;D

It may come as a shock
But acetone will take anything off a gold coin . I mean surface fingerprints and plasticizer and drooling etc
Silver is doomed of course unless you get e*z*est
I have to get me a bottle . I got some cloudy silver and I hate cloudy silver . ( even if i got it for melt )
If I damage the coin beyond salvation I will send it to Indiana for burial
LIke in Stephen King's Pet Semetary  :D

Brocéliande ( forest of magic) with the castle of King Arthur Camelot and Merlin guarding Excalibur still stuck in the stone
This is what dreams are made of . And someone with deep pockets ordered this from money the paris and they used their power to make it money
500 were coined in half an ounce of gold and most went to the group commissioning the coin .

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2885&g2_serialNumber=1)

The other side has no old king or queen but the white and red dragon still in eternal battle for victory
The white dragon is symbol for England and the red Dragon is symbol for Wales
If somebody offers this for 20 euro go and take it and call the police

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2888&g2_serialNumber=1)

Man that chick has got a long neck!!!  ;D And arms like Popeye!  ;D

And, my gosh, look at the size of her feet!!! The only thing nice on her is her *** and those huge ****!  ;D

This  has been  a very long time since I bought a buy it now
I had to ask to change germany n swisse n austria to European Union
But the price is right and I now got three of the four coins in the series

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=180363168064

(http://i.ebayimg.com/17/!BTZ4tLgB2k~$(KGrHgoH-CIEjlLl0nU1BKIUSYB06Q~~_1.JPG)

There used to be a time I saw korean coins every week on ebay germany
Now I had to wait 6 weeks to finish my 25000 won series
Lucky for me my wishlist is getting very short

(http://www.capitalstool.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=114599)

I got my third set from San Marino that is NOT in the Krause gold coins of the world
It is for the Environmental year 1987 consisting of a 2 scudi and a 1 scudo



(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2952&g2_serialNumber=1)

the 1 scudo is 0.1 oz scanned at 1200 dpi

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2955&g2_serialNumber=1)

De sur de la frontera, porque yo quiero este por muchos tiempos:

(http://scottishmoney.net/gold/mexicoonza1981.jpg)

These things are hard to find, the Mexican government taxed the bejeebers out of them so not a lot of them leave Mexico.  Also nice to fine Mexican gold without the ubiquitous copper spotting that is prevalent on a lot of the older gold.

Yo tengo una tambien
25 years ago exchange agents sold them for melt
Since I liked the 37.5 g better I sold all but one of them in bad times but I still got all the 20 pesos

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=2997&g2_serialNumber=1)

This is an MS65 and the germans love those aztec calenders
I kept a few of these for 25 years

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=3000&g2_serialNumber=1)

Oh and if you talk about red spots on gold then a german university has proven it is oxydized silver contamination on  the blanks and the problem is more current the last 10 years then before because
the same patterns are made in silver and gold contaminating the gold on a bad product changeover

Germany exchanged several of their goldcoins which had red spots
The blanks came from Austria

Actually the spotting was more on the Mexican 50 Pesos coins, especially the 1947 dated restrikes.  I don't have any of the 20$00 coins, only the 10$00 and those are very early dates, like 1906 or something - I wanted non restrike coins.  With the onzas, they are a PITA to find in the USA - have to be like finding the Fortuna bars there in Europe. The onzas and Libertads are wonderful coins, nice, large, and have that feminine design element that is all so important.

Beautiful coins guys! Beautiful!!!  :)

Very nice....now if I only had a few dollars to spare (and the Mrs let me spend them)

 ;D   ;D 

Mexican coins are abundant over here but Fortuna one ounce bars I only saw two bars in 6-7 years and I bought one of the two . I do not understand this since they are made in Switzerland and only sold in the US

Now our Belgian custom people do not read the European Union Regulations but work with a shortlist of coins they will accept as taxfree and the US dollars are not on the list and neither are the Fortuna bars .
So I had a German get me an Ultra High Relief for me since their forum won the fight with DHL who wanted 15 euro for custom papers to prove the fact these were taxfree .

In summary ; in Belgium the customs sit in the postoffice of Brussels X and tax everything and the postmen collect the 18% tax and like 15 dollars for the service and everybody except the customer is happy
In Germany the carrier DHL has to declare and handle taxes and wants 15 euro for the service on top of any taxes

Once the product is in the European Union there are no longer custom problems

1947 is my year of birth ; so as an aside I grab 1947 coins
This is an MS63

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=3003&g2_serialNumber=1)

Ah but I paid the price in diamonds to get my freedom  :D
And I have 150 % gain in 7 years in euro which is not shabby as investment : so it is not a spend but an
investment
I have a pact with my wife ; if gold ever becomes worthless she can wear it as jewellry  :)

Like you would ever let that happen.  I love the 50 Pesos coins, those just ooze seksay coin.

I have one of these I acquired at melt 40 years ago and have been knucklerolling and fondling whenever I felt bad . And a AU 1924 Double eagle also for 40 years of fondling  ;)
Since my hands are too small ,I never managed a left hand to right hand and back smoothly
An half ounce might do it , but I am not about to ruin another coin >:(

At 1000$ an ounce I found that a german forum was selling coins at melt cause the poor guys thought it was the top . I had been posting there for three years untill some newby said my gold avatar made him puke
and nobody contradicted him .So I did what I did with 22 forums before that one ; I just shut up and stopped posting ; I never say goodbye .
They have a lot of rich but stupid posters so I bought myself a mob of Roes at melt 1000 $
Easy as taking candy from children

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=3010&g2_serialNumber=1)

10 pesos Centenario de la Constitucion 1957 Mexico ( KM 57000 pieces)

I got this for melt last week  :D

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=3013&g2_serialNumber=1)

City of Trier 2009
Melt plus 5% LAST week

(http://www.knightsofthecointable.com/kotctgallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=3016&g2_serialNumber=1)

The Perth Mint is learning the trade
0.5 gram coin at 7 times the price of gold
Way to go

http://www.perthmint.com.au/catalogue/2010-australian-kangaroo-gold-coin.aspx

The French are approaching it the same way as the spanish
"half ounce" coins that are only 0.42 oz or 12 grams with a high nominal value
of 500 euro and then resell for 799 before the coin is even issued

http://cgi.ebay.fr/Rare-500-EURO-BU-Or-24K-de-2010-a-25-000ex-EPUISEE-/250626939460?cmd=ViewItem&pt=FR_GW_monnaie_pi%C3%A8ceseuro&hash=item3a5a879a44

Another fake coins for sale on a german forum
It has been poured and not struck
http://www.goldseiten-forum.de/index.php?page=Attachment&attachmentID=50675&h=040d0d7deead50c38a3b0c6d2194177816e0ce55

(http://www.goldseiten-forum.de/index.php?page=Attachment&attachmentID=50675&h=040d0d7deead50c38a3b0c6d2194177816e0ce55)

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/World/2010/06/26/Worlds_largest_gold_coin_auctioned_off_477519.htm

Would have been a nice addition to the collection!

I would prefer 100 one kilo coins
Less stress on the back picking it up  :)

I'd prefer to have a smaller coin with a lovelier lady on it than that old hag queen thank you.

(http://scottishmoney.net/gold/equatorialguineagold.jpg)

One I never bothered to post before, but when you buy it at 60% of melt, you are giving on the lack of an attractive lass all the whiles me thinks:

(http://scottishmoney.net/gold/ethiopia.jpg)

Semi pro dealers think the gold high is close
On one of the German forums three persons have 350 pieces of  20 francs and 20 lire
for sale at melt plus 2%

here is a series of pics of 150 of them

http://picasaweb.google.com/107571430453852429547/Final?authkey=Gv1sRgCOPEku6gsKjc6AE&feat=directlink#

They should freeze the image after the second portrait if they insist on royal heads on the coin . But yes La maja desnuda is fabulous .