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I only update the values in my database every few years - in fact, the last time was using Spink 2012. I just picked up Spink 2018 for a reasonable price; having an interest in the history of values, I input all values listed in Spink for each coin, not just for the grade I currently own. This is useful when I upgrade coins, for example. But I was in for a shock this time. Very occasionally, even an UNC value has gone down in 6 years, but generally these have increased, sometimes substantially. EF gains are much more modest, if at all. VF is often static, but often too, the values have gone down. But in F, virtually nothing except the highest rarities have shown any increase, but mostly prices have fallen. To give examples, F bun pennies which were £4 or £5 in 2012 had fallen to £2 by 2018. Yet a not unusual bun penny goes from £2 in F to £700 in BU! That's 350 times. However, it's probably true to say that buns before 1883 are at least 350 times as hard to find in BU as in F. The lesson is clear: if all you can afford is a date run in F ... DON'T! At least, not unless you are in it purely for the fun and you don't give a fig about values. The perennial dictum about "buy the highest grade you can afford" has never been more true than now. Fewer coins but in higher grades will do better (and be nicer to look at IMO) than a whole load in F. The market now wants the rarest coins and / or the top grades. Everything else is starting to fall by the wayside.

I don't think the F74 is a proof, nor was ever intended to be. Rather it is an intentional specimen, as opposed to an early strike from new polished dies. The following description accompanied the Copthorne example:- Anyway, here it is. It is an exceptionally good strike, especially to the obverse. But lacks any indication whatever of it being a proof.

Might have been right first time - a Freudian slip by your Autocorrect as Coincraft have a reputation for charging top prices...

Meant to be “some!” Autocorrect does me in sometimes!

Hi, I’m Bryan and a brand new member on the forum. I have recently taken an interest in numismatics and having started collecting some modern British coins, I have also decided to start a pre-decimal coin collection. Actually, the word collection is not quite correct as it implies plural. I have ONE 1951 Festival of Britain Crown thus far... I did say I was brand new! I am interested in all types of coin, especially British. I have little knowledge and I hope to gain as much learning as I can from the forum and am looking forward to chatting to you at some point along the way!

I have always been a little sceptical about some of the so-called "proofs" and/or "specimens" of the 1874 series. LCA have sold several F74 proof pennies (I have bought one) and although they are sharply struck with good surfaces, I have never been totally convinced that they were struck as proofs. Interestingly, they offered in September 2012 a "unique" 1874 (no H) 6+G penny for sale, ex-Freeman who described it as proof. The accompanying description was interesting as it exemplified the debates around proof/nonproof pennies of that era. The coin was unsold and I don't recall why I didn't buy it - I guess I wasn't convinced.

I'm afraid this is a typical example of a scan obliterating all that's good about a coin's tone. However, it's the best I could do back then, but it doesn't show the penny's glossy dark blue/green patina.

My F67 has fairly wide rims too - or smaller teeth. It is clearly a circulated coin. Jerry

Here's my F67, out of interest. Ordinary rim and definitely not a specimen, but as you say there are other non specimens with a thick rim. High grade, but definitely a currency strike, and a clear difference to yours, which does have all the hallmarks of a specimen strike.

Richard I use Adobe Photoshop which has quite a lot to it. GIMP is a free alternative if you search that. The key tools within the software are the circular marquee (for cutting out circular milled coins) or the pen tool (jagged romans or hammered). YouTube videos run through the basics of layers and using those tools to 'cut out' something. I'll give you a bit more info after you've had a look and if you have any questions. There are a few other things like drop shadows and messing about with different fonts that I might do for some coins or if I'm going to move them on, will attach a couple of examples below. It's all a bit vain ! But useful to have in some form as a 'consistent' point of reference.

Well I've now managed to obtain a really nice F176, again from John Jerrams (Topcarp2). Thanks for the heads up Jerry. Really pleased with this acquisition as the 176 is clearly very scare, even in low grade. So to get one like this is excellent. I'd say it's aUNC/GEF, with decent hair detail, although as so often with this era, the breast plate is somewhat deficient. Britannia's head well struck up, however. Tiny circular metal flaw on the King's head. Managed to knock him down from £320 to £280 best offer, which, given the condition, is a very reasonable price, with free postage and exclusive of any auction buyer fee. I must say, he does a good sell, and his write up's are always a pleasure to read.