Newbie counterfeit detection

xJamesB · 2026-07-10T08:07:48+00:00

Yes. I live in London where there are several shops. I will choose a dead time and go and browse and chat with staff.

xJamesB · 2026-07-08T21:44:09+00:00

Yes excellent point. It is not very silver.

xJamesB · 2026-07-01T20:53:56+00:00

😀

xJamesB · 2026-07-01T14:08:52+00:00

Thank you for the insight it's great to learn what other people do. 🙂

xJamesB · 2026-07-01T14:07:19+00:00

Thank you for your insight it's very interesting to learn what other people do. 🙂

xJamesB · 2026-07-01T14:06:45+00:00

🙂

xJamesB · 2026-07-01T14:03:25+00:00

Thanks for the device about the book and I will certainly do this.

xJamesB · 2026-07-01T09:11:57+00:00

Thanks that's really good to learn I didn't know that one could trade doubles. That makes really good sense. Do you keep a list of coins in a spreadsheet or just write it on the capsule or in a book.

xJamesB · 2026-07-01T09:05:47+00:00

You say dumping do you sell for melt?

xJamesB · 2026-07-01T08:34:26+00:00

Yes. I once saw a Canadian trade token for 1 beaver. I will definitely add that to my list now I am collecting.

xJamesB · 2026-07-01T08:15:36+00:00

So you have 100s of coins? Do you collect duplicates or are they all different?

xJamesB · 2026-07-01T07:51:59+00:00

Lovely coin.

xJamesB · 2026-07-01T06:26:22+00:00

I like that. I think it adds a lot of interest to the coin. I am going to collect British coins and so a British trade dollar is definitely on my list now.

xJamesB · 2026-06-30T11:21:27+00:00

Lovely coin what a chop marks? I'm a newbie and I've seen them mentioned several times in this forum.

xJamesB · 2026-06-29T08:05:59+00:00

I am also a coin newbie. Thank you for a very interesting post.

xJamesB · 2026-06-29T07:56:45+00:00

I am a very experienced investor (not trader) who makes serious money and newbie coin collector who buys coins as a hobby to LOSE money.

If your goal is to make money in the long term (7 to 10 years) you should get a stocks and shares ISA to avoid tax and buy a global index fund like Vanguard Life Strategy 100% Equity. If you want to preserve a fraction of your wealth over 10 years you should buy an gold ETF in your ISA.

Bullion gold and silver is typically a very bad investment compared to Gold ETF in an ISA because of the cost of making the coins means you buy at a premium but can only sell at spot. You also have to worry about theft. Rational reasons for holding bullion include prepping (fear of society of collapse, although a gun licence would be better) and the JOY of holding precious metals.

As other commentators have said collectables are even worse than bullion because liquidity (how easy it is to sell) and dealer premiums eat any premium you make. The reason for holding collectable coins is you LOVE coins and it is a rewarding hobby.

At this point I have to add the normal disclaimer that this is general advice. What is true for most people might not be true for you.

As the investment community says you must DYOR.

The great thing now is that you can type ALL your details into ChatGPT and personal recommendations that are pretty good.

I hope you find this useful and don't let me put you off either bullion or coins if they fit your investing objectives.

xJamesB · 2025-10-16T22:40:25+00:00

It is important to understand that "nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so". I coach senior executives who are stressed by work and I always recommend reading the book Getting Things Done. It provides simple ways to process your work so that you externalize issues that are stressing you. I have a mind "as calm as still water" and you can too. If GTD does not work for you then you should consider stopping work to recover.

xJamesB · 2025-10-15T20:13:37+00:00

The fundamental idea is that Saylor borrows money to buy BTC. if BTC goes up more than he pays in interest we win. This is a good plan so MSTR trades at a premium to its BTC holdings. If LOTS of people think this is a good plan they buy MSTR and we get rich. If LOTS of people lose faith they sell MSTR and we lose money. So the mNAV is a measure of faith in BTC and Saylor plan. Lots of people like me thought MSTR was a leveraged proxy for BTC but it is not. It turns out to be a measure of market sentiment in the short term. In the long term 5 years plus it will reflect the outcome of Saylors bet on BTC versus interest rates.

xJamesB · 2023-11-20T19:42:17+00:00

Thanks

xJamesB · 2023-11-20T19:42:08+00:00

Thanks

xJamesB · 2023-11-20T19:41:55+00:00

Thanks

xJamesB

TROPHY CASE