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Ice wear bye spell cheque.

The guy who invented predictive text died this week. His funfair will be hello on sundry.

The same seller has recently been listing a normal 1877 penny as a "narrow date" variety and responded similarly to my polite comment whilst persisting in describing it as such. Just symptomatic of society where criminal behaviour isn't policed or punished.

Just ordered the above book, I think it will give me a lot of insight. Thanks Peckris 2

Haha! I did try disable it once, but the results were disastrous. I humbly enabled it once more...!

Strange but true - this week, in Milton Keynes, a fireman stuck up a tree was rescued by cats.

Very interesting Chris, and thanks for the info. Obviously, as you sort of indicate above, for the very rarest coins, it's almost impossible to obtain an example above fine anyway. In some cases, such as the F90 or F169, and with the exception of one, the F164A also, they simply don't exist in the known population. Truly BU pennies before 1883, are very few and far between, even for the "common" years. Mostly we have to settle for GEF with some residual lustre.

Hello Rob, Interesting post. Here are some thoughts. "Rawlins was in Bristol making tokens in 1652 whereas Ramage was employed at the mint. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Rawlins Note the lozenge stops so characteristic of Rawlins' work. However, both Rawlins and Ramage studied under Briot, so the pair will undoubtedly have learned and practised similar skills and methods. Ramage also used lozenges, but I can't make a case for Rawlins ever using mullets." Let's take Rawlins' Armstrong farthings (1660-1) as an example of his work at the lowly farthing scale. Almost sketch-like engraving with flourishes, fluidity, flamboyance, depth, and perspective. Harp with Angel and the temerity to put your initial on the St. Edwards Crown. (I feel that the hard-working subservient Ramage would not even have considered such a thing, his 'R' usually being located below the main design.) Ramage, on the other hand, was more deliberate, less artistic in design and largely 2 dimensional. Ramage preferred Irish Harp with Bird. It looks like a Dodo. Certainly far easier to carve than a delicate Angel. His initial below the main design and as you point out the use of mullets. The above pattern (P387 1656) also bears a striking resemblance to the City of Bristol (COB) farthings. Michael-Roo's 1657 example also exhibits many elements in common. I like to think that Ramage was behind the COB farthings and shipped ready-made dies to his past employer to get him up and running and earning money upon his return from exile in 1652. Perhaps also hedging his bets, should the monarchy return. It can't have been easy for Rawlins, having to keep his head down upon his return to England, set up shop in Bristol, obtain the tooling, make the dies, and then produce what by his standards, seems such substandard work. What better than ready-made dies, dated 1652? At the moment, I tend to sit on the Ramage side of the fence on this one, I can't see Rawlins hand in the COB farthings. "With Rawkins in France from 1648 to 1652 following the Civil War, there is no debate about the engraver of the 1651 patterns, nor the significance of the mullets. As the resident engraver at the mint for the duration of the Commonwealth, the R is unambiguous in the case of the early three pillars dies and those of the Cromwell farthings for the simple reason that Rawlins was known to be elsewhere," also stylistically, the poorer engraving, the use of Bird on Irish harp on centre pillar, exactly like the 1651 patterns. I can't recall Rawlins ever adopting the Bird on harp? "The reinstallation of Thomas Rawlins as chief engraver would lead one to think that the R referred to him in every instance post-1660, but with David Ramage also employed as engraver at the mint and having similarly signed the dies with an R, the jury is out. The three pillars was a symbol of the Commonwealth and as such, unlikely to find favour in the court of Charles II." I fully agree, he was also occupied with more important work to do at that time, the 1661 Coronation medal for example. Yes, too busy, and too careful, not to be seen associated with any Commonwealth propaganda. More likely that the disaffected Ramage's continued to produce the three pillar designs and perhaps, as has been said before, his son continued using his father's dies (e.g P473 - P477 / 480...) I agree that the mullets do seem to be a good indicator of Ramage's work to be viewed along with other stylistic considerations and historical context.

A scarcity of small change in the 1790s wasn't anything new. Here's my nicest token from the mid previous century.

One of the reasons for those fakes & evasions was the drastic shortage of small change - it wasn't all about making a fast buck. (Though I'm sure some of it was).