Prices arn't what they used to be

[Heliodromus]

I just found this coin in the archives of a Polish auction house. It sold for EUR 103 in 2018.



What's more interesting than the coin itself is the old collector's ticket it came with.



It previously sold for £3 in 1966, then prior to that for the princely sum of 7 shillings and sixpence in 1950 !

An online calculator says the inflation adjusted value of £1 in 1950 would be £35 today, so that 7/6d would be equivalent to £13.18 = $17.80 today.

I remember when I was a kid in the 1960's you could buy a small chocolate bar from the railway station vending machine for 2d (two shiny pennies).

[Victor]

I think that there are more collectors today, mainly because of the internet; so prices have gone up. Collecting ancient coins has become ridiculously easy...before the internet you had to put a bit of effort in and most people were not even aware that you could collect ancient coins.

[Heliodromus]

Yes - different world altogether, buying sight-unseen from mail lists, then no online forums to share them on. Show and tell at coin clubs, perhaps?

I did used to collect circulating British coinage as a kid though. Pre-decimal you could find coins up to about 100 yr old in change (e.g. 1870 young portrait queen victoria penny). Was always hoping to find the elusive 1933 penny (7 known), but sadly didn't so now I have to work.