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@secret santa On my coin I'm consistently counting over the 138 tooth count listed on the website for Freeman Reverse E.  I read the following; THE 1860 BRONZE RECOINAGE OF PENNIES PAUL M. HOLLAND "The reverse D´ type has only been found paired with obverse 3, and is without the ‘rock line’, but having the sea strongly re-cut both near the shield and at Britannia’s foot. Roughly half of obverse 3 pennies have this reverse and the others reverse D*, except for a few with the rare ‘LCW below foot’ reverse E type. The 1860 LCW below foot type reverse E (Peck reverse D, Freeman E, Gouby e) has 143 border teeth and exhibits a strongly patterned sea very similar to that of reverse D´. It is only found paired with obverse 3 and appears to have been a failed experiment, with most examples exhibiting multiple reverse die cracks. Circulated reverse E coins also show that the lap of Britannia is quickly worn away, suggesting significant problems with die relief. A survey of more than twenty examples of ‘LCW below foot’ pennies shows that nearly all of them exhibit die cracks on the reverse, with at least four different reverse working dies known. The similarity of the strongly patterned sea between reverses D´ and E, coupled with the observation that reverse D´ has so far only been found paired with obverse 3, suggests a scenario where reverse D´ probably preceded the failed reverse E experiment, and then both reverses were abandoned" It must be a typo because the coin imaged as reverse E on the website site also has 143 tooth count. Ahd the Freeman book I have doesn't list the tooth count for Reverse E.      

I remember switching from bags of pennies and halfpennies from banks to looking through brass 3ds. There was a 1949 in the first bag I looked through!

Fair enough. If you're putting in 11 hours a day 24/7 then you absolutely deserve the good luck you've had. I couldn't / wouldn't do it myself but hats off to you.

Thanks Mike, it is good to have a name and know a little more about you - we do get some odd types on the forum occasionally, people join for various reasons but it’s good to know you are a genuine collector. Your latest find of the F14 is also a good one, you see them occasionally on EBay and in the auctions but not often  and the circumstances of the find show that your run of luck continues!  The next coin fair that I will attend - I almost always do - is the Midland Coin Fair on the second Sunday of each month, details online. It would be good to meet you and talk rarities - I have had many penny rarities unrecognised at the MCF over the years, and of course on eBay and also from foreign dealers and auctions - a look at Richards site will show that - and yes indeed they are still out there and you clearly put the hours in. If you do want to build up a representative penny collection don’t forget the commoner coins too, and the coin fair is an excellent place to find those, often at very fair prices. Jerry

Welcome @Avocet! I too like nothing better than sorting through a big box full of old coins, both British and foreign, finding the few gems and identifying them in the appropriate books. Sadly these days the bulk lots in the auctions go for quite a lot of money, so more difficult to get them at an affordable price. Good luck with your future hunting.