My story, what about yours?
www.petitioncrown.com

My story started nearly 50 years ago and as recent as last month I drove to the house to show someone where I lived in those early days. As fortune was the present owner for over 20 years was cleaning the ice outside and he invited me in.

Nothing had changed as I walked in the house, ships wooden floor that looked unpolished from the days we lived in the house.

It brought back memories of my early coins collecting days and when the post would arrive I would take the coins from the envelope and put them on the shelf above the fireplace or the window sill. My dear friends I remember the days when we were a real minority in collecting. I remember buying a mint state 1820's British half sovereign it was 18 gbp from a man called Smith at Smith Antiques.

Many memories came back to me. I had no safe in the house just the old coin Swan wooden cabinet this was missing a couple of trays. I was lucky to acquire coins during this period; it is no secret that many years later I sold many coins to gain money for the children’s education. Well coins are round and are made to go round.

There were my trips were I was selling for my business, when I saw an old antique shop I would dash in quick "any coins" dreaming of a man showing me a Henry VIII Testoon, alas never.

The life is not so comfortable that money comes only one way, it also ebbed away and there were many years that I could not afford to purchase either because of poor business, education of the children.

Many people write to me and about my coins and how lucky I am, it was luck, not a planned investment. The bringing to light now in the web site www.petitioncrown.com is for the coins to be enjoyed by the new collectors to understand the opportunities that are in front of them to aspire to.

What a wonderful medium the internet is, it has no boundaries. The new dimension of communication is just beginning.

I remember clearly only collecting British milled coinage in the beginning. Then one day I acquired a hammered coin from a dealer, these were simply made he said, a hammered coin struck one by one, he was a collector come dealer. It took me days to understand what was written on the coin. It was only after a day I realized the language was Latin. Some years later if my memory is good I bought more coins from him which were the copper 1d. Soho re-strikes.

I would travel to York to see friends and look in his box; I remember being offered 12+ Gothic proof florins for 50 gbp which I did not buy and then seeing another friend in his tiny shop in the Shambles the walking street. These were days gone by.

I did exchange an old ford car for a book and the book for the Cromwell artifacts now on exhibition in the ANA Museum with many coins at Colorado. See we did strange things in those days. Not sure what I thought I would do with Cromwell’s "penny bible", a "pair of leather gauntlets" or even his "bras charger" for eating from as just a few of the items. His death mask has its own weird stories.

There were my businesses trips to London, and there I met many dealers and people after work. The gentleman of dealers was Reg Lubbock who always had time for me.

Consider the hobby, you have control on what you buy, you have dealers with great reputations whose main interest was you would stay a customer and usually to look forward in the future to sell for you your collection.

During the last few years for interest’s sake I calculated over a period from 1936 an increase of +/- 11.0% compound on the price of the increase depending on demand for specific periods & coins. Just two days ago I read another article and they said 12%, it is not important as I bought coins as a passion only. Like all interesting collectables the lucky owner might buy like me for a passion or for investment, even the investor many times takes an interest in the collectables. Many years later he/she justifies the investment for retirement. The enjoyment as he reaches maturity does not allow him to sell.

I was talking with a friend and we said as we get older we will be broke buying coins and will sit on the park bench with no money but still have our old round and sometimes strange shaped coins

Enjoy the hobby, I do not sell coins bit I am always willing to give non biased advice. Write info@petitioncrown.com

Good hunting and now is a wonderful time to start a new hobby.

www.petitioncrown.com

I try to get the bug from the system, but once you are smitten with coins you have it for a lifetime. One of the differences other than putting coins in a capsule for posterity is in the UK we are not buying for investment; we are just in love with our history and coinage.

Today there is a new young vibrant collector community; the internet opens the secret world to everyone. The realization that numismatics is interesting, challenging and for sure under priced brings more people who start first by looking for an alternate investment then join the ranks of our hobby.

www.petitioncrown.com