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Just 7 Kempson's Birmingham Buildings to go! Prices are getting higher every week it seems ... latest addition

Yes, and those marks appear to be in relief and so die changes regardless of the specific cause (but clashing IMO).

My 1883 has both the ear and eye marks.

Yes, die clash. You get the same in early Jersey pennies. The lines are from the background of the shield. http://jerseycoins.com/pen13/Intel/misc/striations.htm

It's amazing the lack of thought immediately after the digging stopped. They could have had half the value between them, yet would have ended up with less than that, going down the 'clever' route. This is, of course, assuming that the Police don't get interested, and they couldn't have done anything with any money they got because the Taxman will find out. If they'd used their brains, right now they could be heroes, doing lectures at detecting clubs, have helped in the story of this island nation, and they could have done doughnuts outside the tax office in ferraris and the taxman wouldn't have been able to do anything. Instead, they are known as greedy twats, and have nothing to show for it, not even their liberty.... All this type of story does is increase one's resolve to keep doing things properly, and it brings a lump to my wallet.

Could it more likely be clashed dies?

Bagmarks caused by the reeding on the edge of another coin?

I don't have an 1884 but my 1881 has something similar by the eye, the ear is fine - thought it was probably just bag marks Ear Eye

I have known about this find since the police first took an interest several years ago, the finders were members of several South Wales detecting clubs including mine, and though I do not know them personally I know a lot about them through friends. Powell is said to be a nasty piece of work, he has been to prison before and has a bad reputation regarding drugs etc. Layton is easily led, but has previously worked well with the FLO in Cardiff and posted a number of coins from the hoard on various forums before suddenly claiming he had found they were all fakes, and ending the conversation. I suspect Powell got at him. I think left to his own devices, Layton would have seen sense. Wicks, the dealer from Sussex, is a long term dealer in fake coins and artefacts on EBay under various guises. Paul Wells I know well, a likeable man who was very stupid. I have heard his side of the story several times at Numismatic Society. I think the judge got it right with Powell and Wicks, and Layton and Paul Wells were foolish be led. The finders would probably have done very well had they abided by the law, they had the tenant farmers permission though not the landowners; that occasionally happens, and does not usually affect the Treasure Act payment to the finders if they were acting in good faith, though it might have left them open to private prosecution. Either way they all deserve their significant sentences for the damage they have done to the hobby of metal detecting and the reputation of coin dealers and purchasers. Jerry

It's difficult to be sympathetic as they both would have received at least a substantial 6 figure sum and possibly more. I don't understand what's wrong with rejecting a lot of money, particularly given the cost of fencing such a substantial quantity of illicit material would likely reduce the total proceeds to around half the value of the hoard - or about what they would have received anyway. Pure greed and stupidity, but I'm not sure in which order.

Blimey. You need to go to AA meetings...

Hi Shane That's probably due to die clash and its quite common on Victorian bun pennies , it happens when the two dies come together without a blank coin being in place ready to be stamped by the two dies on its top and bottom , this impact of one die against the other creates a ghostly imprint of the image to be transferred onto the opposite die. So that when the dies are subsequently used to make the next imprints on blanks, they carry the damage marks on the face of the dies which transfer onto the new coin. In the case of your pictured coin the marks are probable the folds on britannias gown .

Die clash. Happens all the time.

I found this strange curve on the outer ribbon of a obv 7 that I felt was interesting.

That's Peter Nichols - possibly the best known of the modern era cabinet makers?