A Big Christmas Thank You!
Coin Grading – The In’s and Out’s
In Britain, the original grading scale classed every coin as either ‘Fine’ or ‘Extremely Fine’ – these were the only options. As times changed, extra steps were added into that scheme: ‘Good’ and ‘Very Good’, both below Fine, and ‘Very Fine’, below Extremely Fine. That created five grading steps, which was even further expanded over time by dealers by adding ‘Almost’ or ‘Good’ to any of those grades, with ‘Almost Fine’ being less than Fine and ‘Good Fine’ being better than Fine, but less than ‘Almost Very Fine’.
For over one hundred years this was the grading scheme in Europe, and it didn’t include the grade ‘Uncirculated’, for the simple reason that it was considered that any coin that came from circulation couldn’t be ‘uncirculated’.
A Beginners Guide to Coin Collecting
Ask the Expert – Peter Hutchison – Q&A
Here at Hattons of London, we pride ourselves on being coin experts. That’s why we decided to introduce our ‘Ask the Expert’ series , with our own Heritage Coin expert, Peter Hutchison. Peter has years of experience in the coin industry, residing in Australia but having a strong interest in British coinage in particular. Every week he’s answering a different question on on of the greatest sovereigns in the world. Today however, we’re talking to Peter about how his interest in heritage coins began, and what his favourite coins are.
Coin Collecting Glossary – What You Need to Know
If you’re interested in starting your own coin collection, but want to do a bit of research beforehand, we think the perfect place to start is learning some of the key terms.
Coin collecting can be both rewarding and intimidating at the same time, with it often seeming like coin collectors are speaking their own unique language. With that in mind, we have put together a glossary of terms to help you along the way and to allow you the best possible chance of starting and progressing your coin collection.
The History of the Coin Flip – Heads or Tails?
Which team goes first in a race? Who picks tonight’s film? Who washes the dishes? I know what we’ll do….we’ll flip for it!
You can settle almost anything with a coin flip, no matter how big, or how small. But what is the true meaning of such action and what is its significance throughout history? We’re taking a look through the years…
