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The most difficult farthing since 1915 I'd say (notwithstanding the rather overrated 1935).

It's somewhere else on the forum, but to save looking...

Yes....Thats what i mean about all you can see the 4

And as is the cycle of my life, this and all my other Plantagenet coins are going to be on sale!

Could you believe the recent outcry over the mere suggestion that the bronze coins are now a waste of space? Just for the record, the 1p is worth less than the 1/2p when it was demonetised, and a LOT less than the farthing in 1960 when it went. I will mourn the name 'penny' but not the coins themselves.

Nice coins guys. These three came out of the ground with nice tones, I always wondered if it was caused by stubble burning years ago and the heat had discoloured them.

I know it's a little bit in the FUGLY section but it needed a new caretaker and there aren't that many to be choosey about. 1879 narrow date penny.

The higher the grades, the more likely it is to be dealers. The lower grade bulk goes on eBay. Lotting is a difficult one. You obviously can't combine lots from different vendors, so a single person's submission will really depend on the overall value of the consignment. You don't want lots with an estimate of a fiver, otherwise you would be all day making not a lot of money. That can easily lead to diverse lots. I still don't see how any one person can cherry pick at lower prices in a free and fair auction. If somebody wants a lot then they will continue bidding, and if a collector, they can pay more than a dealer because the latter needs to make a margin. Virtually every collector I have known has pushed the boat out on a bulk lot to get a particular coin of interest. Whether it is a bulk lot or a complete collection you are buying, in my experience the initial outlay is nearly always covered with interest when the unwanteds are sold, so on balance worth pursuing.

For every dealer there are literally hundreds of collectors, so surely the prices realised are a reflection of collectors' unwillingness to pay 'a fair price' at auction. Time and time again, you encounter people whose sole reference point for prices is eBay, and in consequence are always working on the expectation of picking up something for 99p. No auction excludes people because they aren't a dealer, so with a level playing field in terms of access to bidding, it boils down to the collector's willingness to pay. The auctioneer is never going to knock things down for less rather than more, as his commission is usually a percentage of hammer.

Yes, referred to as "blanching". Most green oxidation such as Sword showed seems to have a PVC component and in my experience there is a good chance of removal with the blot method of acetone with the high nap white cotton towel.