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People seem to get quite exercised about the value of and prices paid for low grade things. Frankly, I'm not sure it matters that much whether you pay £2, £3 or even £5 for something that is worth less as melt. The buyer has filled an integral part of their collection; ok, maybe at a premium to it's worth, but given 2 or 3 quid is less than the cost of a pint............ More importantly they are happy. It's no good telling people there is no right or wrong way to collect, but then to tell them they have collected in the wrong way seems a bit muddled thinking.

haha i thought this aswell as soon as i seen it, the detail is awful. Found a post on another forum its a bad counterfit.

Brilliant! You don't see too many in collectable grades! ?

Cheers, Mick! Yes, a massive milestone, really struggling to get my head around it! I'm reliably informed that 50, 60, and 70 are the new 30 and 40! I felt nothing about being 30 OR 40, but 50 is tough! Pressies? Joined the sailing club in Frampton, a few beers, and a bite to eat with the family...game of cards to finish (30p up), a perfect birthday! ?

I snaffled it Stu ... if you mean the Edward III coin that is! Not sure who got the Henry III penny though. It appears that somebody bought quite a few Henry III pennies all at once from 'Hammered British Coins', as a whole bunch of Henry III are showing up in his recently sold tab on the website. PS - hope you had a good evening and aren't suffering too much today!

If it were not a blundered repair late in the life of a die, but a mistake in the actual preparation of a working die from new, is it not likely that there would be many more examples? The new 2/1 reverse does show at least three early die cracks, so it had clearly been in use for some time, and by 1862 most of the issues with premature die failure had been ironed out and a production of perhaps several tens of thousands of coins would have been expected. For this reason I personally prefer the likelihood that it was an erroneous repair quite late in the lifetime of the die, though I cannot see any other repaired letters or digits, the presence of which might be supportive of this. Scarcely proof either way. Jerry

Paul Holland sent me the following comment on the origins of the 1862 over 1 penny: I don't think it occurred from ablundered repair attempt. If I had to guess, I would say that itarose near the end of 1861 or the beginning of 1862 when final datenumerals were being punched into working dies. A Mint worker mayhave placed a numeral 1 punch into position and started to 'set it'with his hammer, then realized that with the date changeover, anumeral 2 punch was called for instead, then completed dating thedie as 1862. To me this makes more sense that the other way round...although we may never know for sure. This would also help to explain the origins of the 1862 2 over 2 that have been spotted, with a mint worker trying to correct a slightly misplaced 2 when entering a 2 on a working die. But, as Paul says, we may never know.........

As Requested....

It depends on how much you want to spend and what sort of things you like. Do you appreciate quality, or are you just looking to tick boxes? This might be a little unfair at present, but the question will raise its head again. All collections are a trade-off between desire/ambition and funds. You collect what you feel comfortable with. Just the simple exercise of buying a book or two will give you knowledge. A book with prices means you can add up the numbers and see what the book says it will cost you to assemble your chosen collection. Prices at the top end can get a little scary if you are used to bottom fishing, but it is always worth remembering that even if you are normally paying £10/coin, a £100 coin doesn't suddenly become a £10 coin just because you bought it. More important is the need to understand the market you are playing in, which means a lot of reading and minimal collecting to begin with. Get a few books and visit coin fairs, speak to people. Wakefield is tomorrow at the Cedar Court Hotel (off Jcn 39 of the M1) starting at 9:30 if you are within range. The Midland fair is at the Motorcycle Museum (near Birmingham Airport on the M42) on the second Sunday of each month, again doors open at 9:30. People with a genuine desire or need for knowledge are welcome to talk to dealers - we don't want to frighten people away as they are our future customers.

Why thank-you, Sir! And please do call me Stuart, Stu, Stewpot, anything you like, really! ?

I bought some coins from eBay a while ago that had an oily appearance. It was not obvious from the photos but when they arrived it was definitely oily I put it down to the seller trying to hide scratches as they appeared once I had soaked the coins in acetone. it could have been olive oil or something similar. Fortunately one of the coins was an 1897 dot penny that I got at a very cheap price, so I did not complain. I just did not buy anything else from the seller. I also have some toned coins but the difference in colour and appearance is markedly different.

I've heard of that before. Interesting. I've got a few half pennys of Geo III & IV that are as black as coal but with a sheen almost as if somebody has painted them. Not sure if its a natural occurrence or man made alteration in antiquity.

Farthings between 1897-1918 were darkened at the mint ,so as not to be passed over for a half sovereign. Its known as hypo.

Not so well versed as you might imagine - I had to write down the dates to get the regnal years correct. Should be able to recite those just as you would the times tables or mental arithmetic. The edge is the regnal year, i.e. the twelve month period following accession to the crown and every subsequent anniversary. So in the case of William III, PRIMO will be 12 months from 13th Feb 1688/9 to the 1st anniversary in 1689/90; SECUNDO the following year to 13th Feb 1690/1, etc. Don't forget the years are old style, with New Year's Day falling on March 25th, hence the use of 1688/9 etc