Month: August 2018

It’s time the BBC realised that the opposite of reasonable debate is not unreasoned extremism

An excellent piece by Richard Murphy of Tax Research UK. This piece was provoked by Rupert Read’s response to being invited by the BBC (to whom I refuse to give any of my money for reasons highlighted in this post and others) to debate with a climate change denier. As Read pointed out in his … Continue reading “It’s time the BBC realised that the opposite of reasonable debate is not unreasoned extremism”

An excellent piece by Richard Murphy of Tax Research UK. This piece was provoked by Rupert Read’s response to being invited by the BBC (to whom I refuse to give any of my money for reasons highlighted in this post and others) to debate with a climate change denier. As Read pointed out in his refusal there is no serious debate on this issue – the evidence is overwhelming, and by insisting on giving climate change deniers air-time the BBC are doing great harm. Referring to his own area of expertise Murphy also points out the regularity with which folk from the Tax Payers Alliance and the Institute of Economic Affairs are given air-time, with no scrutiny of them or their organizations (at a barest minimum such organizations should be required to state publicly where their funding comes from, and the BBC should display this information whenever one of their representatives is speaking). Please read the original in full and post comments there.

Source: It’s time the BBC realised that the opposite of reasonable debate is not unreasoned extremism

A Small Auction That Could Make Big Money

An overview of James and Sons’ upcoming Gold coin and proof set auction.

INTRODUCTION

James and Sons have just finished two militaria auctions, which both went fairly well, next Monday we have a general collector’s auction which contains some interesting lots, but the auction that will shape our August is coming up on the 22nd.

GOLD COINS AND PROOF SETS

We have been consigned a lifetime collection of gold coins and proof sets, and these are forming a very small (147 lots) but potentially immensely valuable auction. As well as some seriously big money items (five 1974 Krugerrands, a James II (or VII north of Hadrian’s wall) gold Guinea and a William III gold Guinea) we have a number of half-Sovereigns and Sovereigns (60 of these latter from the reigns of Victoria through to Elizabeth II, and simply because it is pure gold even a Sovereign that has no features to appeal to a collector will fetch somewhere in the vicinity of £180-200 depending on the exact price of gold on the day). A full catalogue listing can be accessed via the James and Sons website – it is the second auction to which there is a link – look for the image of the James II (VII) coin. 

FROM THE IMAGE GALLERY

This section features the official press release, some of the more significant lots and a couple of proof sets that I have at least half an eye on.

PRII
The press release.
1
Lot 1 (three images)

1-a1-b

5
Lot 5 (three images)

5-b5-a

6
Lot 6 (three images)

6-a6-b

7
Lot 7 (three images)

7-a7-b

96
Lot 96 (five images)

96-a96-b96-c96-d

91
Lot 91 (six images)

91-a91-b91-c91-d

91-e
Lot 92 (six images)

9292-a92-b92-c92-d92-e

135
Lot 135 (seven images)

135-a135-b135-c

135-d
The most important coin in this set – even circulated versions of this coin fetch decent amounts.
135-e
The Darwin £2 (there is also a Burns £2 and a £5 commemorating 500 years since the accession of Henry VIII)

135-f

130
Lot 130 (two images), one of the two that are in my sights…
130-a
…in its case because of the Trevithick £2)
139
Lot 139 – four images, the second lot that is in my sights)
139-a
These two coins celebrating the 150th anniversary of the opening London (and the world’s) first underground railway.

139-b139-c