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After 8 plus years, i think I've gone as far as I can, for the time being, on the 1860 to 1901 series of pennies. I still have some very obvious gaps, but the rarer pieces are very difficult to come by, so my acquisitions from this series have slowed to a trickle. As a result I've branched out to the pennies of George V. Most of these are relatively easy to obtain in UNC at much lower prices than the bun series, but there are some rare ones, or at any rate, rare in high grade. The KN's are among the few in that era which have an exceptionally steep price/grade differential. I'm therefore very pleased to have obtained this 1918KN, which, unusually for any pennies of that WW1 era, has an exceptionally good strike, with very good hair detail on the King's head. There is a tiny metal flaw between Britannia's arm and the trident, and the tiniest blemish to the right of the trident, neither of which detract. But that apart it's issue free and has noticeable residual lustre and nice even toning.

Ditto !!!! Must be a tax avoidance scheme........

Yikes, I am scared of xylene and had just a bit too much chemistry to use that one. A possible "treatment" algorithm that I use is: Warm soapy water (with dish detergent) and use of fingers to work it into the crevices and then liberal wash with same tap water (if there are not too many minerals in it) and then tamp dry with a high nap white cotton towel. Acetone works well, but this is what I do: First buy it from Home Depot (or equivalent) - this works out in the States to be about 6-8 quid I soak one of those same high nap white cotton towels and then tamp the surface - NO RUB - and then use a soaked cotton bud (the kind with looser cotton head on it) and use the same tamp method. I then wash liberally with water and detergent and then just water. Tamp dry with towel. If these don't work, or there is oxidation on/in the surface metal, I pull out the household ammonia (the kind without dye) and use the soak method, then follow with the same old cotton bud tamp treatment; then the soap and water, followed by the water. Tamp dry with towel. The next choices are a bit tougher as I don't know what sorts of coin cleaning products are available in the UK now. I use the same tamp application method and always follow with the soap and water, then water and tamp dry procedures.... I have used MS70, Coin Care and Blue Ribbon....

It is a Continental Jetton, probably sixteenth to seventeenth century and probably from the Low Countries. There are many varieties, have a google. Jerry

Not boring, I assure you. But obviously may be confidential, so will leave that with you, Pete.

Interesting. It's exactly the same "Best Wishes" handwriting as on the letter he wrote to me in 2000, in which he signs himself "John".

They are indeed. I note Lee Brownson has got one on offer for well over £1k at Colin Cooke. a/UNC, but to be honest, not that marvellous. Nonetheless exceptionally rare in that condition.

His name is Stephen..........hence the reason i called him Mr Jerrams 😊

Exceptional obverse, Mike, with a bit of crow's foot thrown in and very nice reverse. And a really pleasing colour. Provenance ?