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"cleaning" is a dangerous word - does it mean the careful removal of lumps of dirt or grease or is it the artificial enhancement of lustre ? A more descriptive word would be more useful.

It's interesting isn't it, that the Royal Mint's view of the overdate being 8/2, predates this article by about 4 years. Given Bamford's scepticism about the 8 being over any figures other than a 3 or a 6, it either suggests complete dismissal of the RM conclusion on his part, or an unawareness of it. My money's on the latter, as surely he would have referred to it in the article, had he known. He does indicate that the 3 used in the 1853 dies was the wrong type of 3 for the redundant 1853 dies to have been used for overdating in 1858. So maybe he thought that the 1853 dies would have been already disposed of in 1858, and therefore not available for use anyway. As a footnote, since the 1858/6 is always over a small date, the RM must surely have used the 1856 small date die. They obviously kept that.

Managed to get hold of a March 1974 Coin Monthly, which was one I suddenly realised was missing. Lo and behold there is an article in there about the 1858/3 penny, by one L.J.Bamford, who I assume is actually the late Laurie Bamford. Excellent article which I've photographed so it can be read by those possibly interested in it. He also mentioned the 1854/3.