I recently acquired a new addiction: English hammered coins. But as I peruse the sites my danger antenna spring up: how to spot fakes in a genre so easy to fake? And how to know who the reputable dealers are? Those in business for 20+ years, or who explicitly guarantee the authenticity of their booty for purchase, seem safe. But Ebay seems like a potential minefield for ancient and medieval loot. This problem exponentially multiplies with the prices of the nicer hammered coins out there... $200+ for a nice but common groat with minimal clipping and luminous detail. So far I've only purchased a few lesser grade commons for under $100, but as my addiction festers, I'll eventually want a nice groat or a nice Cnut penny, or a Henry VIII sixpence, or an Edward the Confessor, etc., and I'll worry about getting had intentionally or unintentionally. How do others deal with counterfeit anxiety? And what venues or sites do you frequent? So far I've used these sites as guides: http://www.hammeredcoin.co.uk/ http://www.englishhammered.com/links.html Thank you!
The first one is good, second I dunno about. Another one I use is www.yorkcoins.com & http://www.cngcoins.com/ is also recommended.
Welcome to English hammered. Have you decided upon a period, locality or monarch to collect? I would suggest picking up a few books before you get too far along. The first general reference I would suggest is "The Standard Catalogue of British Coinage" followed by JJ North's "English Hammered Coinage" Vol I and II. Once you settle in, there is plenty of literature of specificity...which can be invaluable.
Thanks for the replies everyone! I'm really really new to this... a downright neophyte, to be exact. I only have an Elizabeth I 1565 three pence and an Edward I penny at the moment... but I feel the addiction building... these are amazing little works of art... so for the moment I haven't settled on a period or monarch. I'm just picking up pieces that look satisfying to me, namely, the 2 mentioned. But I do have to mention that the Edward VI schillings look pretty cool... As for books, I started VERY basic and ordered "England's Striking History" from Amazon UK. I've read the majority of it in small random sections. It runs from Edgar to Charles II and delineates the history and coinage, mintmarks and denominations of each era. Very simple, very readable and a great place to start. The books mentioned above sound like the next best place to explore. As for being easy to fake, I'm only going by what I've heard from various places. Are these coins more difficult to fake than it seems? I think it was the Yahoo Hammered Coin group that talked about the multiple fakes recently seen on E-bay. Some were apparently even identical coins, as if mass-produced. In any case, I'm hoping to educate myself on forgery techniques to at least a degree that will lessen anxiety.
I have hundreds of them, literally. I have bought whole hoards of HI-EdI coins that even included some Irish, Scottish and even Danish. They are just so fascinating to go through and identify. My all time favourite era for British hammered is the JV-JVI era in Scotland and QEI in England, the number of coins issued is phenomenal as are the designs, privy marks and even early dates. BTW another great place to look for coins is http://www.vcoins.com and http://www.ma-shops.com. Yes, and I have done lots and lots of buswax with CNG and Yorkcoins.
Ah hammered coins, if that gets in your blood you're a gonner, an hammered addict. Milled coins never quite feel the same again afterwards, they seem blander. I've long toyed with the idea of putting together an Edward I penny set, all classes/mints... but of course I've never got around to it, as usual. There are many ways of going with hammered, pick a monarch, pick a denomination, pick a dynasty (Tudor/Stuart), even the classic approach of one coin from each monarch, which can take you right back to the 800s if desired, through to 1662. I must say although I do like Tudor coins, particularly later 'fine' silver issues of Edward through to Elizabeth I, my strongest pull is towards the medieval material. But as a former medieval history student, I have my bias! Oh and hammered gold just floors me. Here's my most recent acquisition, an Henry VIII posthumous issue half sovereign, my first ever Tudor gold.
My most favourite coin, if I came into money it'd be the first coin I'd buy. I only have one English Hammered Coin, an Elizabeth I sixpence in a half decent condition.
I've always wanted an gold angel! I did see a few Henry VII ones for sale a year or two ago, sadly at the time funds I did not have!
It is the whole noble, fairly heavy as they go also - cannot remember the weight in grammes, but it was close to 8 grammes. It is a full flan, unclipped example - so hard to find. From a well known collection twa.
i completely agree with you. got my first one over a year ago, and now i'm a goner! i'm working on the edward set you never got around to. wish me luck!!
A peckish for English hammers eh !!!! I have a peckish, or more of a gluttony , for world hammered gold ... here's my one from England Noble Pre-treaty King Edward III
Gorgeous nobles guys, I used to have a Henry VI one but sold it about 6 years ago. I'm on the look out for another one day though, they really are impressive coins, and very attractive too. I particularly like the crowned lions and fleurs on the reverse.
Alas... English hammered gold is well beyond my means at this point... I must rest content with cheaper bits... Where do people buy their hammered coins? I know there were links posted earlier, but any hammered coin dealers people use who were not on that list? There are a bunch of English dealers...
