British Hammered James I - Which would you keep?

I have been debating this for a few days and can't make up my mind so I thought I would get advice from any of you who care to contribute.
In my collection I have space for just one James I coin. (I have a target of just one hammered coin for each British monarch as far back as I can get.)
The one on the left is the newcomer - James I Shilling from approx 1607-9, 2nd Issue, fourth Bust, S2655 in the Spinks book.
The one on the right has been the incumbent for a number of years - James I Shilling fom approx 1624, 3rd Issue sixth bust, S2668 in the Spinks book.



Both could be better I know - I have a limited budget and really clear James I portraits are difficult to come by.
To my mind the newcomer has some better detail and more of the portrait showing but has the split and more damage. The incumbent is flatter and has clearer legends but a chunk of the bust is completely flat.
They are of roughly equal scarcity and value.

Which would you keep?

 

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Left is my choice.

 

Honestly I like the one on the left more. True there is a edge split but since I collect ancients and even Medieval coinage, I have grown used to splits.

I know the portrait is most important, and would be for me too, but the reverse is a bit better on the left.

But it is a hard choice. Both have their good/bad.

 

keep the right obverse and the left reverse.

i'm no help sorry. seriously, i don't know...that's a tough call.

 

Put me down for left too.

 

Uhm, now that I gave you my opinion, where do I send the bill? I don't do free advise

 

Yep, I would choose the left one as well.

 

Send it to the EU in Brussels - they will take 5 years to decide they owe you $100,000 then pocket it themselves anyway. When you complain they will take 5 years to decide you are being racist and anti-EU by asking for your money and threaten you with imprisonment!

 

That almost sounds like the one time the State of Florida sent me a rude letter because they had determined I had underpaid some sales taxes I owed them by 25 cents. They spent 44 cents in postage, plus the cost of the envelope and paper and ink for the letter to demand 25 cents.

A couple of phone calls later, in which i had to listen to threats from rude state employees about what could happen if I didn't pay them their 25 cents, which I was contesting as absurd, and a few additional threatening letters later, I finally caved in like a spineless blob of Jello and sent them a check for $0.25 cents.

They probably spent $100 in wages for their employees, postage, ink and paper, in order to collect my 25 cents. I figured if they wanted it that bad, 25 cents wasn't worth the hassle of costing the tax payers $4,000 to prosecute me and the thousands more that it would cost the state to send me to prison over 25 cents, not to mention that I wasn't ready to spend a week's vacation in prison over 25 cents.

 

There was a similar case in the UK back about the time we still had the Halfpenny. The debt was just half a penny, and after the same process of expensive letters and phone calls back and forth, the unfortunate private citizen eventually sent a cheque for half a penny - only for the bank to bounce it on the basis that by then the halfpenny had ceased to be legal tender!

 

I would choose the left one. Its got a bigger lion.

Funny how the government thinks and works huh?

 

For me, the one on the right. The toning is much more attractive

 

I prefer the coin on the right.

 

Right.
But maybe the question should be which can you sell for more? If you like both equally, sell the one that brings the best price. You then have more for your next treasure.

 

Right also. Yes I would like the profile to be there but I like smooth coins.

That said, I'd keep them both having no use whatsoever for the idea of 'space' for one coin. I have space for them both. Perhaps you should sell both and buy one that you like. I do not have one but will show a Charles I halfcrown which I really wish retained some legend. Clipping coins for profit was popular back then.

 

Should have gotten 25 of the dirtiest, nastiest pennies you could find and sent those to them loose in an envelope

 

I tried that logic but I suspect they would both make very similar prices!

Sadly it is not the physical space. Two factors apply:

1. Financially I know I should not stack too many coins away just because I like them - I do not have limitless funds.
2. I promised myself I would not deviate from my declared aim in coin collecting, which is (for hammered) to get one decent one for each monarch as far back as I can go. As for selling them both - if and when I get a better one I will sell the incumbent - that is the way I work. If I sold them both now I would have a gap until I replaced them, and that would be heart-breaking! (Sad I know.)

 

I like both equally
But, forced to make a choice I would keep the left hand coin.

 

I like the portrait on the right, but all the other details on the left. If the goal is each monarch then I imagine portrait may be more important, but that's your call...

 

I would keep the right one. The portrait has survived a bit better than the left example.