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I just won 18 Postumus (A.D. 260- 269) coins from the Oliver's Orchard Hoard of 1983. The hoard was found while plowing a field and consisted of 1,559 coins, almost entirely of Postumus antoniniani except for 14 denarii of Septimius Severus.

awesome...how many forums are you going to join to advertise your coin for sale?

1862 2+G F38 Another rare slot in the collection filled

Hadrian Ӕ Tetradrachm of Alexandria Dated Year 20. AD 135-136 Obv: AYT KAIC TRAIA ADRIANOC CEB clockwise from top right, laureate head left. Rev: Date LK (year 20) to left of Nilus sitting left, holding reed and cornucopiae, crocodile beneath him. Emmett 1016

During the first week of May I spotted a 'Silver Hammered Penny King Edward I' for sale as a Buy-it-now' on Ebay, £38 total including Ebay insurance and 48hr Royal Mail Tracked delivery. As the coin was in fact an Edward III florin coinage penny of Canterbury, and quite scarce, I bought it and tracking showed that the vendor posted it on 10th May. Over the next 48hrs or so it tracked to the Birmingham MC sorting office - where it stayed. After a fortnight I spoke to the vendor who contacted RM and received an unhelpful reply and no coin. After 3 weeks Ebay gave me my money back within 24hrs of my claim as suggested by the vendor and I wrote the coin off mentally with much regret. It is noteworthy that with the refund Ebay actually state that if the purchase is subsequently found it can be kept and they do not have to be informed. Well, it was delivered out of the blue by postie on Thursday! Only 8 weeks in transit! The vendor and I have exchanged several cheerful emails and I get to keep the coin for nothing! As far as I can tell the coin is S1547, N1122 (VR) and DIG Obv 1 rev Ai. Jerry

Then a decent 1863 'open 3' , £30 at Midland Coin Fair.

I wonder what Linda would make of this one. Perhaps missing waves......and lighthouse!!

Fully functional teapots hollow spouts and removable lids.

Here's one of mine displaying the same die deterioration. A not uncommon feature on farthings of 1675.

In A.D. 286, the Roman emperor Diocletian put Carausius in charge of clearing out the Frank and Saxon pirates pillaging the English Channel. Carausius defeated the pirates, but then declared himself ruler of Britain, in effect, becoming a pirate himself. Carausius struck coins in his name along with Diocletian and Maximianus in hopes that he would be formally named as a co-ruler; which did not happen. In A.D. 293, Carausius was murdered by his chief minister Allectus. In A.D. 293, Diocletian appointed Constantius I his Caesar and he defeated Allectus in A.D. 296 and control of Britannia was restored to Rome. Carausius struck coins in the names of the Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximianus. This presumptuous and ill-fated desire to be recognized is why the reverse legend of these coins end with AVGGG- - one G for each Augustus. These coins also have XXI in the exergue, which is likely a mark of value, meaning 20 parts alloy to 1 part silver. They also have ML at the beginning of the mintmark; which translates as "money from London." Carausius A.D. 291 Ӕ Antoninianus 24mm 4.3g IMP C CARAVSIVS P F AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right PAX AVGGG; Pax stg. l., holding olive branch and transverse sceptre; S-P across fields. In ex. MLXXI RIC V London 143; RIC V.5 London 2197 Diocletian A.D. 291 Ӕ Antoninianus 21x24mm 4.4gm IMP C DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right PAX AVGGG; Pax stg. l., holding olive branch and transverse sceptre; S-P across fields. In ex. MLXXI RIC V London 9; RIC V.5 London 3546 Maximianus A.D. 291 Ӕ Antoninianus 24mm 3.8g IMP C MAXIMIANVS P F AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right PAX AVGGG; Pax stg. l., holding olive branch and sceptre; S-P across fields. In ex. MLXXI RIC V London 34; RIC V.5 London 3607 Allectus A.D. 293-296 Ӕ Quinarius 19mm 1.9g IMP C ALLECTVS P F AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right. VIRTVS AVG; galley with five oars. In ex. QL RIC V London 55; RIC V.5 London 276 This topic is merely a gloss on a subject that has several good books written about it. Two suggested books-- Roman Britain's Pirate King: Carausius, Constantius Chlorus and the Fourth Roman Invasion of Britain by Simon Elliot Rebel Emperors of Britannia: Carausius and Allectus by Graham Barker and Sam Moorehead

Another possibility, given the stylised hands, which are very eastern/indian looking, is that it represents ‘fate,’ ‘meant to be,’ etc.? A word taken from Arabic/Turkish/Indian roots meaning ‘lot’ or unshakeable destiny. Here’s a clip I found on Google: ‘Historically (particularly in the Victorian era), people would smooth down one side of a circulating coin and hand-engrave it with names, initials, or symbolic words like Kismet. These were gifted to romantic partners as a physical representation of unshakeable destiny.’’ edit: and from Dictionary.com Kismet means fate or destiny. In Islam, kismet refers to the will of Allah. But it is popularly used to refer to something that one believes was “meant to be”— ...

I'm afraid I will have to agree with the vendor here. It is problem free - because the coin is too flat to see them.

Quite an impressive first post, to say the least.

... and it turns out the lines were some kind of glue/varnish residue. Same coin after an acetone bath:

Just to add a bit more: the first few years of the changeover to bronze saw a helluva lot of repunching of date digits and legend letters. Bronze is a harder metal than copper, and the coins were thinner in size, so dies got worn relatively quickly. As well as that, the Mint is reported to have experienced a lot of problems caused by the change of metal, which the huge number of varieties (major, minor, and micro) in the first few years can attest to.

Just an oddball. Letters and digits on worn/filled dies were often repaired by re-punching, and not surprisingly these were often slightly misplaced. Of little extra interest unless the wrong punch has been used or the misplacement is extreme. As for the ‘4’ it may just be a die flaw. Jerry

Here is a pair of 1/12 queen Anne flintlock pistols I made. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JRH-9o-P6sg

Here is all the dies I made with the different collars.

An 1889 F127 narrow date,13.5 teeth £200 on Ebay.

An 1874H F69, £17.10 on Ebay.

Finally, after a month of challenge getting BT/Open Reach to repair my landline I at last have acceptable broadband and can post some recent acquisitions. First an example F10 new obverse 2*, £20 at Ebay auction.

Yes, most certainly a worn die. And a truly shocking price which would be way too high even for a good strike UNC example. Here's a much better example at a reasonable price: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/157378763239?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338946167&toolid=20006&loc=&customid=4581527531114051_710033490_o.9beeaa501cf11ef92efac014f4958c05&msclkid=9beeaa501cf11ef92efac014f4958c05

For me it would depend on whether the brightness indicated by the one on the left is a result of polishing to within an inch of it life. I can live with faults if the coin is sufficiently rare, but it isn't. Personally, I would bin (sell) both and put the proceeds towards something better, which would be easy given the number extant. The detail visible has been covered by the previous posts.

I try to avoid "slabbed" coins as made by the third party grading services like NGC however this time it's worth it for the verification that it is a genuine coin, even if harshly cleaned. In this case, there is a bit of historical significance to the coin. On the reverse is a small trident to the side of the mint mark of A. "A" signifies the Paris Mint and the trident was the privy mark of Zéphyrin Camélinat, who was the treasurer of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune">Paris Commune of 18 March to 28 May of 1871</a>. Despite the foot dragging of the bankers and the approaching troops of the conservative republican government, he managed to produce, it is believed, about 75,000 5 Franc silver coins, 30,600 of which were in two wagon loads that were taken to the front lines directly from the Paris mint so that the doomed soldiers fighting for the Commune could receive their back pay on May 20 as the final battles began. <a href="The Coins of the Commune">The Coins of the Commune</a> (the term sou survived from pre-revolutionary France as a slang word for 1⁄20 of a franc - thus 100 sou = 5 francs) One in nearly perfect condition recently sold for $9,000 and fakes are all too common. This one, with the damage from the heavy cleaning - the scratches are quite visible even through the slab - was "only" $295 and moves into 5th place in my "you spent how much on a single coin???" list. It is still a classic example of being reminded to grab the best you can afford because that's better than none. Nevertheless this will be the gem of my French coin collection.

Definitely the one on the left. As well as @Coinery's comments, the detail on the reverse is far nicer.

You've answered your own questions/observations perfectly.

I can see this as a possibility, and I did test the water with the family....little interest on any front other than "What's it worth?" or..... I could consider a Viking Burial ? 🤔 in regards to the future of my coins... nothings been set in stone ,,,,or been put in a slab 😉👍

I could see doing that but I'd rather give my son a shit ton of good silvers that can be sold here and there as needed rather than everything all at once. I'll never sell any of my collection. But my son is free to do anything he wants/needs to do.

"It is still a classic example of being reminded to grab the best you can afford because that's better than none. " couldn't agree more with this statement...its kinda the way I've been through life, I was "Collecting / Hoarding ?!?!" in a day of uncertainty with recession ..... times moved on and over everything....once I was asked Why??? rubbed worn out scrap??? its what's around and what's I can afford, yeah! some good...some bad....but good to have a something to show for my efforts...the slab thing I don't get either is it just hype or what ultra purest collectors really want?? how many of mine can be considered to be slabbed?? However, I must admit I'm considering at one point in history I will auction all the silver coins off, and buy a single gold coin with the proceeds, this will be a heirloom and to remain within the family........

Lobel or Noble? Trying to work out if it is a misprunt. Jim Noble in Oz used to send out lists too, hence the request for clarification. Good luck finding someone who keeps Coincraft's price lists. most aren't even read before the bin calls. I usually peruse them before binning, but only keep them if there is something worthy of recording. And amusing as it may seem, 1967 pennies at a fiver a pop, or whatever, is not a good reason.

Going to see"he music box" at the bridgewater hall tomorrow well its not really genesis but its very close its 48 years almost to the first time i saw them in 1978 at knebworth for a fiver tickets for tomorrow are £60 but hey you cannot take it with you and life is for living ......... just put some old cds on and enjoying myself

Just for the hell of it I messaged the seller yesterday evening to point out it was a replica (being polite!) and I see this morning that it has been taken down.

Here's my set. The halfpenny is the weakest of the three, but I only paid £43 for it and it's good enough for me. Weight of the halfpenny is 0.24g.

Yup, madness. I bought the Marshall coin in 2004 and I am perfectly happy with it - £87 delivered. I did have a go at the Lockett piece that was sold recently, but that made silly money,, and I like mine for the quirky shape and outrageously large distinctive tickets that came with the Marshall coins (44m dia).

Tower Mint Charles I, 4th bust, Group D 3a1 penny, mm. pellet/2 pellets (assuming no extra pellets off flan), inner circle obverse only, garnished oval shield with no CR, standard legends both sides CAROLVS D G M B F ET H REX / IVSTITIA THRONVM FIRMAT with single pellet stops both sides. S2846. The bust is not directly comparable with the larger denominations, but broadly follows a style which can be dated 1632-1635, with a preference for the last couple years. It is a single arch crown, but the Gp. E bust typically has a double arched crown and is in any case a very cosmopolitan mix of styles given the introduction of the 'Aberystwyth' bust from 1638. Pennies were struck with pellet(s) as initial marks for most of the reign from 1630 onwards, meaning there is much dating conjecture. Stylistic comparisons seem to give the best results. I will do a bit of digging through Dave Greenhalgh's reference collection when I have time and see if I can find a die match. Chas. 1 pennies are a bit of a b**ger to find in high grade, with yours being a typical example. Lots of mucky detail, but not much really clear. Your best bet for a good penny of the reign is the last bust which crops up more frequently in thoroughly acceptable condition. Typical examples shown of a few busts.

Hello Ancientart, welcome to the forum. I'm not suggesting your account or website aren't absolutely genuine, but to anyone reading this and visiting the website linked to above, I think caution should be exercised - the very generic looking website was created less than 6 months ago, the address is a PO Box (and has opening hours!) and the links to facebook, x, pintrest etc contain no content (yet). I'm sure Ancientart will build up a reputation in due course. 👀

It's not entirely bad, but there is certainly wear on the king's hair/beard/brow/cheek/tash/ear and on the lion's body/tail/feet and also on parts of the crown.

The other pick up today was this 1874 Penny. I think it is 8+G making it F77, but feel free to correct me if I am wrong. The lines in the fields, particularly on the reverse, are confusing. My original thought was die-clash, but I can' make out which parts of the design they could represent. The coin is currently taking an Acetone bath to make sure it is not some glue residue!

Thanks guys, very informative 🙂

Possibly eastern European or a little further east. It should be straightforward though with the rider's hat, which is probably the best indicator of the area being distinctive in style. Say Persia or Turkey. Sorry, it's too hot and can't be ar**d at the moment, but guarantee someone will be into hat detail, given it must be a nerdy topic.

I used to keep a few, purely for amusement.

I have told my son what has value and what is "I thought it was cool looking" and what is "why the fuc* did I buy that?"

Nice! 👌

These lettering "defects", I'm afraid, are simply the product of how the edge lettering and graining is manufactured: firstly, the blank planchets are incuse lettered by rolling/rotating them under pressure through drums or wheels which contain raised, "mirror" image lettering to impress the correct words into the edge. Then the lettered blanks are struck between regular dies with a plain, grained collar which imparts the "milling". And herein lies the problem - metal flow under the significant pressure of the dies where the milling coincides with the incuse letters can produce these anomalies as metal can fill some of the interstices to some or full degree. On your specimen above, the diagonal downstroke of the R is actually still visible, albeit faint, and even full "Pemember" examples are just where the metal flow has obscured that part of the R. Likewise with the M's - they are not a smaller font, just where metal has encroached on the incuse letter somewhat. A curiosity, yes, but common, yes, and error or variety, no, sorry. And as for value - two pounds, I'm afraid.

Finding good graded coins has been good of late, another box of coins processed and this 1915 Shilling George V although heavily tarnished its quite a good grade, the lions nose seems a bit rubbed, but the rest seems un touched, vast improvement on the one I already had.... 👍🙏

It's not class 5; the portrait looks more like class 7 to me. I'm pretty sure that the reverse legend is IOAN ON CAN.T so it couldn't be class 5 anyway. Slevin's Short Cross Legends has a 7b2 with that exact reverse legend, but the A in CANT looks more like 7a (pointed) than 7b (vertical sides) than that example. Bizarrely placed reverse pellet stops are very common in classes 7a3 and 7b, so without a better ID of the portrait I can't be sure on the class, but the portrait looks more like a 7b to me, so it may be a 7b1/7a3 mule. Oh and Henry III, not John. Anyone else fancy a go?

I'm sorry to say Paddy I think Its a 7+G . The outer Ribbon is too narrow and has a large gap between the two ribbons Ribbons on the 8