Were i live, the council still have the old coin machines, they do not allow any 2012 coins, i had enough change on me for 2 hours, but £1 of the change was in 2012 coins in .20pences. I asked the parking warden near me if they could assist me but refused she told me to pay for the 2 hours or move, i told her i was not able to as all the car parks in the area are owned by the council and are same, and i had my disabled child with me who had an appointment, i had stated this to the warden but she wouldn't have it, but it was a very important appointment. I paid for the hours parking and overstayed by 20 mins and i knew i had a ticket as she came back 2 mins before the end of my ticket and stood at my car till 3 mins over the time and then issued the ticket, (i know this as i have a camera on the car which is clearly stated on the car stating camera in car 24/7 recording) I'm paying the fine on friday as they except credit cards over the phone, I'm fuming with this i understand i over stayed and I'm at fault but i feel the council should now update their machines as i would have to go the bank to get old coins as most places now only uses the new coins.

I know its petty! But can I do it? I am currently applealing what I consider incorrect bailiff charges. It is going to the ombudsman this week. If I ultimatley have to pay....can I pay them £277.50 in 1 pence coins? Like I said, its petty! It might make me smile a bit though. Thanks K

I always keep an eye out for fake pounds (I'm a bit of a numismatist) and had noticed that finally someone had started to remove them from circulation. At one time, several years ago, if I had 4 or 5 pound coins in my pocket, one would be fake. The poorer copies are not difficult to spot if you know what you are looking for. the obverse (the face side) is often a bit "soapy" looking, ie the detail isn't quite right. The difference is really quite easy to see when compared with a real coin. They mix up obverse and reverse types, mating the reverse design with the wrong date. However, as these coins have started to disappear, I noticed one in my change that was really rather good. I'm not sure what technology they are now using, but the quality of the dies (the metal "stamps" that make the coin) was very good indeed, resulting in a coin that on the face of it was virtually indistinguishable from the original. However, they still made some of the old mistakes. 1) only coins that are very very worn start to lose the edge milling- the words (decus et tutamen or whatever) are usually very deep. If a coin looks fairly new and has poor edge milling (very faint or uneven), then its likely to be a fake. If words are very faint, again be suspicious. Very often the fakers will go for a "bridge" design coin as the edge design is a couple of wavy lines which is easier to copy- however even these tend to have a poor edge design. 2) real pound coins always have perfect die alignment, meaning that the obverse and reverse line up perfectly. Fake coins don't. hold the coin looking at the queen, with the point of the bust at 6 o'clock. this is the bottom of the coin. rotate the coin in your fingers through 180 degrees with your fingers exactly at the top and bottom. A fake coin will not have a reverse that lines up with the other side, and so the reverse will be on an angle. 3) the size. If you have good eyesight, you will notice that if you compare a real one for a fake, the fake is often, (but not always) ever so slightly bigger. check your pound coins, see if you have a dodgy one in your purse or pocket. don't accept them from shops- and they often get passed out at night in pubs and clubs. where do the profits from making and passing on these coins go? Difficult to say but you can bet your bottom pound coin that its not to a children's ward or hospice bed.