Gold coins

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 )

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[TwoShadows]

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!

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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
I forgot so I added it to the Holland section

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

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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  and I only paid melt plus 1.5% for 1.85 ounces

[TwoShadows]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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


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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[scottishmoney]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

¿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

[Paint Your Wagon]

Without further ado the charming ERMESINDE

I would agree, quite charming, but I still prefer the 1988 proof double Ducat, hands down!

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

My father's grandmother had a oil painting of this old rascal. She seem to think he was just about the best thing to happen to Germany at that time. The painting is hanging in my hall and looks a great deal like the likeness of the old boy as on the coin.

Great coins Sir August! You should be very proud of them, I know I would be.

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

[scottishmoney]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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  )
On the girls ; the French girls are nice too 

[scottishmoney]

On the girls ; the French girls are nice too 

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

On the girls ; the French girls are nice too 

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

Well they do not eat all that garlic all day 

[ElleKitty]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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




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 

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

[Paint Your Wagon]

The old Helvetica 20 Sfrancs 1886
AU

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

[scottishmoney]

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

[JoseMartins]

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.

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

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

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 

[scottishmoney]

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 

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[scottishmoney]

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)

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

You forgot Dracula's Pensylvania 

[scottishmoney]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

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

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 
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 

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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$ 

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 .

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

[Paint Your Wagon]

I would say MS63 melter 

[scottishmoney]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[scottishmoney]

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

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 

[TwoShadows]

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

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 
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 

[Tobyle]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 .

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[scottishmoney]

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:

[scottishmoney]

And

[scottishmoney]

Cannot remember if I posted this previously or not:

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[AuldFartte]

Here's my only gold European. Victoria, of course 

[Paint Your Wagon]

I prefer young Vicky 
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 

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

[scottishmoney]

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

Here is a better reverse image:

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

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

[Paint Your Wagon]

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

[TwoShadows]

Well Paint Your Wagon I like it so send it on over an I will keep an eye on it for you!!!   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.

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 .

[scottishmoney]

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.

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 
The real challenge is getting the 1898 coin at a reasonable price which I did not succeed yet

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 

[Paint Your Wagon]

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 
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 

[Snooba]

My European gold coin is from the Netherlands:



 

[Paint Your Wagon]

Very nice coin
But I like the princesses and queens  

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

[Snooba]

PS Do you mean to say you got no British Sovereign ?

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