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nice to find hammered this time of year, not had hammered off this particular field before so a Tealby cut half was a welcome start, ground is hard as,

Nice shape for the issue, not got round to id ing it properly yet, if anyone fancies a go that would be welcome

you'll be amazed how some coins come out the soil, you will know if you detect, roman silver can come out covered in a thick layer making them look like a cruddy bronze, this Julia Domna denny took me hours of cleaning, shame it has a chunk missing, shame i didnt get a before pic either doh

You could try with attenuating the light source a bit, I use tracing paper on a custom box The effect is quite notable: (on the left is direct light attenuated at source, on the right is with the tracing paper screen between the light and the glass) Unfortunately I don't own any coins like yours to compare; all my proofs are modern bullion which combine frosty and mirror devices. However you look at it, they are a nightmare to photograph. This morning I've been trying with an australian dollar, which is polished like stupid, and is just impossible to make it look attractive! Although it's an ugly coin, let's face it. Like 99% of bullion pieces

I think the coin looks slightly more worn in the CGS photos too, but I agree with IanB that it's a nice, straightforward honest coin that I would be happy with if it were mine. NEF for me on those second photos perhaps. I've probably got stricter since I've been reading this forum... Which brings me to the good point that Mick raises for relative beginners like himself and myself. When people like us buy from a reputable dealer such as the one who sold Mick this farthing and the coin is given a grade by them, we probably assume that their opinion of grade carries a certain amount of weight and isn't going to be miles away from what a TPG might say. We then probably look at some of the price guides for the coin in the grade and this will influence a purchase decision. I've bought a few coins from this same dealer, and am happy with the majority of them as objects to enjoy owning, but ... maybe they aren't really as described? And in no way is that dealer the most over-optimistic. I won't name names of some others!

I am a bit unwilling to enter into this thread as there seems to be a lot of unnecessary testostorone behind some of the posts. My feeling is that any opinions on coins are valid but should be espressed in polite and respectful tones. Not all of us can afford perfect coins all the time and the joy for many of us is in the acquisition, not the possession. Being derogatory about other people's coins here certainly risks putting them off using this forum and may risk putting them off coin collecting all together, which is in nobody's interest. IMO the coin posted is around VF+ bearing in mind that farthings of this date were darkened by the mint so the tone is appropriate. Value is more difficult - in the end it is what someone is prepared to pay for it, so if the OP was happy with the price they paid, then that is it's value to them. As to grading, personally I don't go for that at all - I prefer to keep my coins in the raw so I can examine them when I wish to. Equally I have few coins that are good enough to warrant grading and having some of my coins in plastic coffins would throw off the balance of the others. But I completely understand other's desire to have their coins graded, so don't let me put anyone off!