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ORDERING , PAYMENT TERMS AND MAIL CHARGES
Please order either by the e-mail link against every individual description or by telephone or fax to 01992 719723.
PAYMENT SHOULD BE SENT TO:
DAVID SEAMAN, PO BOX 449, WALTHAM CROSS, HERTS, EN9 3WZ.
PLEASE NOTE that using the order email link against a coin's description orders only THAT individual item. If chosing to order more than one coin using the e-mail link against it's decription the ordering process will have to be repeated for each item.
If you prefer to order two or more coins as a group please email the order via david.seaman4@ntlworld.com , or by telephone or fax on 01992 719723 ENSURING THAT YOU CLEARLY STATE ANY REFERENCE NUMBER, THE DENOMINATION AND PRICE.
However you order a telephone contact number will be useful.
PAYMENT. As at May 2006 by cheque, Postal Order, cash , electronic transfer or PayPal [SEE BELOW FOR PAYPAL TERMS]. Please liaise for my bank details if electronic transfer is your chosen method.
Other payment methods will probably be added in due course. Only British pounds sterling currently accepted unless by prior arrangements.
CHEQUES MUST be drawn on a British based bank.
I accept no responsibility for CASH which may go missing in the mail and SPECIAL DELIVERY must be used by prior arrangement with me.
PayPal, accepted only on the understanding that 4% is added to the total amount payable, to recover PayPal's charges to me, through david.seaman4@ntlworld.com
APPROVAL. All coins are sent on seven days approval against payment when buyer is not known to me. Cheques may very well be cleared before orders are sent. Items may be returned in the ORIGINAL CONDITION for full refund OF THE COST OF THE COIN[S], but STRICTLY within the seven day rule.
MAILING COSTS.
UK POSTAL CHARGES.
UNDER £10 Sent first class mail at BUYER'S RISK free of charge [I shall obtain a certificate of posting]
BETWEEN £10 AND £30 Sent by first class if buyer wants to take the risk, at £1.20 in a bubble envelope. I would prefer that at least RECORDED MAIL is used, at a cost to the buyer of £1.90. IN MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ROYAL MAIL HAVE COMPENSATED FOR RECORDED DELIVERY LOSS OR DAMAGE BUT PLEASE NOTE THAT THEY WILL NOT GUARANTEE TO PAY COMPENSATION. They exclude 'money, jewellery and other items of value'.
£30 to £2,500. I would prefer that SPECIAL DELIVERY is used. This service is still wrongly referred to by some as REGISTERED, which ceased to exist some time ago.
The minimum and first tier insured value is £500, at a cost to my buyer of an additional £4.95. [Postal rates increased 2009]
Second tier insured minimum insured vale is £1,000, at a cost to my buyer of £5.65.
Third tier and maximum insured vale is £2,500 at a cost to my buyer of £7.00.
INTERNATIONAL POSTAL CHARGES. Of course the customer is always right, but I would prefer that insured mail is always used in the form of INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR or SWIFTAIR. These provide a basic delivery service with fees rising in proportion to the insured value, with maximum levels of compensation and rates varying subject to country and in some instances destination within that country. Generally a fee of £6 should be added for delivery in Europe. Delivery to the USA often costs me £7.50. There will be occasions when we should consult regarding use of international couriers, who can be very good value for money.
GRADING , DESCIPTIONS AND ABRREVIATIONS
All items are sincerely and honestly graded and described and guaranteed genuine unless stated.
GRADING TERMS I use on this site, and their very general definitions, AS I SEE THEM below. It is difficult to be absolutely clear when using general terms because the depth and complexity of detail on the piece in the first place does not govern the grade. For example, there will be far less original detail in a fine Edward VII or George V crown than there would be on a fine Victoria Gothic. One just has to learn by experience and hope that not too many lessons are learnt by expensive mistakes, because mistakes there will be.
MEDIOCRE. Very poor, with extreme wear and many very flat areas.
POOR. An improvement on mediocre, but still very worn.
FAIR. All of the main details of the coin clear, the portrait, the date and the legend, probably some weaker areas and/or small flat areas.
FINE. Generally main details bold with no uneven wear or flat areas.
Many people discovering coins collected from change left by deceased relation s saying 'They are really in good condition' are usualsly describing fine or fair coins.
VERY FINE. Significant detail, but noticeable wear to all high points.
EXTREMELY FINE. Little wear to high points, perhaps noticeable mainly under magnification. May often appear as having no wear [Uncirculated].
UNCIRCULATED. Having no wear at all.
BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED. No wear at all with FULL mint bloom or lustre - as if it has just come off the press.
Many use to term 'BU' to describe a piece which is Uncirculated and has lustre. I have never subscribed to the view that 'BU' can describe a coin that has lost some of it's lustre. Hence I used the phrase UNC and then state the percentage of lustre or bloom the coin still retains , ie 'UNC, 50% lustre'.
Many dealers, including myself, might use a phrase similar to 'Cabinet friction to the highest points, otherwise Uncirculated' to convey that being very critical the merest wear might be detectable under strong magnification.
Often sub grades will be used, for example GVF/NEF - Good Very Fine [better than VF] Near Extremely Fine [not as good as Extremely Fine]. Some criticise the use of half grades stating that if a piece is not EF then it is VF. Certainly as far as I am concerned it is simply trying to be as accurate as possible.
ABBREVIATIONS USED.
I may use the following abbreviations;
OBV - Obverse [the 'heads' side of a coin]
REV - Reverse [the 'tails' side]
Adj mks - Adjustment marks [or stirations]. Flans were sometimes scraped to remove excess metal to make the proper weight. Often portions of the scrape marks are left on the coin after striking. These may often detract from the eye appeal of the piece, but they are part of the piece and not damage subsequent to strking. However, beware scratches that might be misinterpreted as adj mks.
AFL - Almost full lustre
Eb or Eb's - edge bump[s] or briuise[s] [a depression]
En - edge nick [s]. A bump or bruise [a 'cut']
Esf - edge striking flaw [ a curve on a portion of the flan, where it was cut on the site of a previously cut flan].
Metal theft - the value figure, for example, 'stealing' metal from the obverse of a coin leaving a verticle line down the portrait. Often found on small silver pieces. This is part of the strike, it is not damage subsequent to striking.
Mfl - metal flaw, or Emf - edge metal flaw.
Hmking - haymarking. These terms refer to flan surface faults resulting from metal mix. They are essentially dark scars caused during and not damage subsequent to minting. There will be several coins on the site where examples can be seen.
O'c - refers to the face of a clock to indicate the position of a fault - such as an emfl, for example, on the flan.
Scr - scratch
Soc or foc = slightly or fractionally off centre.
Unmag - under magnification.
+ or - = better or worse than ie, F+.
There are many other terms that are in common usage which may be confusing to the newcomer. I chose not to list them all here, but shall happily answer any questions.
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