Welcome

As an independent, experienced and reputable numismatist I can offer the following services:

• Valuations and Probate valuations
• Commission bidding at auction
• Advice – independent appraisal of lots is advisable for collectors

I have been a member of the British Numismatic Trade Association since 2001.

Although based in King's Lynn I regularly attend coin fairs around the country and I am able to meet clients in London by arrangement.

Valuations and appraisals of collections can be done, with a prior appointment, at my shop, in London or (depending on your location) at your address.

I usually attend the main coin fairs held in the UK, below is a short list of the upcoming fairs.

Please contact me to confirm that I will be attending a particular coin fair if you wish to meet with me.

Collecting Coins

What a peculiar hobby coin collecting is some might say. Well for me it started when I was six years old when my father gave me a bent & worn Elizabeth I sixpence. The portrait was non-existent but the legend was there as was the rose however the reverse was decent & the date clear 1575. I was looking at it in 1948 so this little silver thing which I had in my hand was three hundred & seventy-three years old & when you are only six that seems an awful long time ago.

During the next couple of years I started learning history at school & from the library came a pictorial history book. There were no photographs just line block drawings & on one page there was a Henry VII Testoon & on the next the great seal of Henry VIII (which was round like a coin). Well that seemed to fire my imagination just who had handled my little sixpence, had Elizabeth I held it or had it been in the pocket of Francis Drake the possibilities were so exciting.

Coins are best stored in trays within a cabinet & carefully taken out & held in the hand by its edges feel the history, live the story. If the coins are not static, if you carry them with you to coin fairs or to show others then they should be placed in the appropriate plastic envelope to prevent rubbing while in motion. But generally coins are better kept static in a cabinet.

Coins are best viewed in front of a window without sunlight so a north facing window is preferred. After all daylight was the best light available when they were designed & minted.

The importance of coin literature - Coin literature particularly old sales catalogues from numismatic auctioneers are advisable for a collector as they are essential for dealers. It is important to be able ascertain the value of a coin, perhaps one which has not been on the market for many years & you can look back through these catalogues to see how it compared with coins that you do know the value of & thereby getting a feel of the value of your own coin.

Grading coins - Grading coins is subjective so may vary depending on who you talk to so the advise would be to use a reputable dealer preferably who is a member of the British Numismatic Trade Association (BNTA). Accurate grading comes with experience so if you attend coin fairs look at different dealers' cabinets & make up your own mind where you believe you are getting the best quality for your money.

Independent graders – I idea of independent grading is in principal a good one providing inexperienced collectors or often investors a guarantee of quality. This is great if the grading is consistent but in my opinion, it is not & it is not a silver bullet, this is why the same coins are sometimes sent in numerous times with a different result. This only goes to show that grading is a matter of one person's opinion so who would you prefer to grade your coins? A dealer known to you & of long standing or an anonymous person from a grading company. Grading companies encapsulate the coins in plastic which does of course offer the coin protection but what a way to collect coins in a box filled with lumps of plastic instead of keeping them free in a cabinet. This is a tactile hobby & the choice is picking up an oblong of plastic or taking the actual coin out of a tray & holding it in your hand, I will always prefer the latter.

Enjoy your collecting.