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1826 Penny, Rev A, purchased from the Huddersfield coin fair.

Big piece of British bronze from the Birmingham Workhouse - quite possibly the largest numismatic object struck for actual circulation by Matthew Boulton's steam powered machinery - this weighs almost 2.5 ounces.

"Rear coins", my arse! Never a truer word spoken, ironically!💩 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335864676756?itmmeta=01JPFXGTJTN1RG45Y420E50A97&hash=item4e33184194:g:z6YAAeSw3gRn1tFb&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA4MHg7L1Zz0LA5DYYmRTS30mrq7ZxPzDEwuz8dTR9vNwPjzLW%2FuMX5XltgQFtpMHHmnRKnKSwHS2EHGaBuZZTzeAyo7vBCaNXWE7rC0eUs1a3UAPqSfoxMXUhGYBRxRctI1SzZkz%2F87wmmn7PLVuqilJL2Hnpyum2FXPyagkamcmyk19tRXQ1uYhivX%2F%2BQ5MpVwJR4wrVH884T3OqmdtYRy%2FMBYuL99oc2ot7nkkIQkglog9iV0i6hktsrzfkuOT9Vj8D4SESULXQdPk7VyUd5VA36awsPuW0yS638Fe%2BmT45|tkp%3ABFBMyKnD_bNl

I saw some concerns about low activity on the forum, so I thought I would post this link to my Hammered collection to give people something to talk about. I have gathered these over the last 25 years, with the original intention of one decent coin for each monarch from the Wessex Saxons to the introduction of milled coins. There are some duplicates and associated material in the folder. Any comments, discussions or corrections are welcome! Hammered Paddy

We are working in Crackington Haven in Cornwall for the next few days, and just in case work gets in the way, we're going down early so I can go on the beach late afternoon today with my new metal detector, to see what I can find. Up till now all I've found is bits of alloy from a German E boat that was scrapped on the beach in WW2...... I'll let you know when I find the sovereigns. Or not.

Oh I’ve had enough of this. This damn cold has morphed into the Cough from Hell. It peaks in the early hours and annoys the neighbours: Nessum Dorma without the singing. Oh it’s painful. I have gained some relief from a whole bottle of whisky in the past two days, and I’m totally dosed up with any chemical sprays and lozenges I could find in our kitchen drawer, which is currently sponsored by Beyer, as far as I can tell. I’m going into the greenhouse to breathe on some aphids. On the upside, I’ve now qualified to represent Great Britain at the World Coughing Championships in Rome later this month!!!! Not since my sister was runner-up at the Miss European Fire Exit finals in Helsinki in 1982 has our family been so honoured....

Some cracking coins there! Loving the Anglo-Saxon coinage. I have a few bits and bobs of that myself, but nothing as extensive. I can only muster two line types for Edward the Elder, Athelstan, Eadmund and Eadred, plus a Cnut short cross penny. I too was going down the one from each monarch from Alfred the Great to present.

Ironically, one if the prettiest hammered coins I managed to find was this Henry II short cross coin. I usually find most short cross coins a bit crude or poorly struck. This one caught my attention immediately. Sure it has a few flat areas on the high points, but it's a cracking looking coin in hand. The photos do it no justice.

Well yes, I have this one. Different designs. S1251 "Bonnet type" minted in London, moneyer sadly not visible. Large fragment.

the moon today:

will put pic on very soon

I don't have a 2 stars penny yet. I'm waiting for one to appear from a scarce/rare mint that is still on my list of wants. I wanted Stewartby's Stafford, but fell a couple bids short. Nice coin that one. If you want a William I, the cheapest option is a PAXS. Thanks to the discovery of 6500 or so at Beaworth in Hampshire in 1833, the previously rarest type was transformed into the commonest type overnight. 95 % of all PAXS pennies are from this hoard. See example below. A bit double struck on the obverse, but presentable.

I believe that is an Evasion halfpenny rather than a token, and a pretty scarce one at that! It is listed in the Wither's Token book, Volume One, in the list of Evasions as Number 7 of 450. No die varieties are indicated, but with these unofficial (bordering on illegal) evasion issues, quality control would not have been their first concern and so numerous minor die variations are likely. I hope that helps.

Recut characters have limited appeal. There are always going to be a small number of collectors of any denomination that collect almost to the individual die level, but for the majority of collectors, the variety interest tends to be limited to overdates (not just recut with the same digit), legend error correction, or substantive design differences. I don't think I'm sticking my neck out in saying that the majority of collectors of any denomination are simply looking to complete a date run. A good indicator of popularity is whether a reference volume has been written documenting the varieties, because until one appears, most people will ignore subtle differences. Once it is written down, everyone wants to find the variety or thinks they have it. Tail wagging the dog, or maybe the other way round.

I am also a social media refusenik, so forums like this are my natural habitat. Although I do collect GB bronze and copper, I also like all the GB silver and some older foreign pieces too. Like @Sylvester I found the bias towards bronze and copper pennies a little disappointing. There are some great experts in all areas on here, but we need to encourage them to continue showing up occasionally or the forum will die. I think also, some posters here are a bit aggressive with their criticism if they disagree with a poster's viewpoint, which simply drives them away. Of course we can disagree, but it needs to be kept non-personal.

Link to Tony Clayton's site (Die Varieties listed near the bottom) https://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/dec10.html The most up to date info: 1992 Type - Edge type: Obv L,I points…/Rev. 1 in 10 points… Type 1 - Wire edge: Between/At (Extremely Common) Type 2 - Flat edge: Between/At (Extremely Common) Type 3 - Flat edge: At/Between (Very Common & this is the type in the Proof & BU mint sets) Type 4 - Flat edge: Between/Between (Scarce) Type 5 - Flat edge: At/At (Scarcer) 1993-2008 These coins come with two reverse types; At or Between (as above). The type in the Proof/BU mint sets are always Between types. The circulation issues started out as always At types, but this changes from 2005 - more on that later. As the 'At' types were always a full release into circulation there are plenty of them comparative to the Between types, BUT they will all be circulated, usually very heavily. Uncirculated ‘At’ types are pretty scarce to outright rare. The general issue is: 1993 Type B (BU mint sets only) 1994 Type B (BU mint sets only) 1995 Type A (Circulation only) 1995 Type B (BU mint sets only) 1996 Type A (Circulation only) 1996 Type B (BU mint sets only) 1997 Type A (Circulation only) 1997 Type B (BU mint sets only) 1998 Type B (BU mint sets only) 1999 Type B (BU mint sets only) 2000 Type A (Circulation only) 2000 Type B (BU mint sets only) 2001 Type A (Circulation only) 2001 Type B (BU mint sets only) 2002 Type A (Circulation only) 2002 Type B (BU mint sets only) 2003 Type A (Circulation only) 2003 Type B (BU mint sets only) 2004 Type A (Circulation only) 2004 Type B (BU mint sets only) Then in 2005 there begins a change. The Between type becomes a circulation coin as well as the mint set/Proof type. Eventually, it replaces the At type completely. So for 2005 and 2006 we have: 2005 Type A (Circulation only) 2005 Type B (Circulation & BU mint sets) 2006 Type A (Circulation only) - Rare 2006 Type B (Circulation & BU mint sets) The 2005 types are pretty similar, either reverse can turn up in change, approx 50/50 chance. The 2006 issue though is very different. The Between type is the vast majority. The At type is near impossible to find. From 2007 it then settles into this pattern: 2007 Type B (Circulation & BU mint sets) 2008 Type B (Circulation & BU mint sets) I am not aware of any At types for these two dates, if they do exist, they haven't been discovered yet!

my local "Antiques Fair" has been far than that, the guy who has a box of this and that coins he keep to one side and normally has some hammered coins the lower end but affordable and hes a great guy to know....second time he didn't turn up and Ive been offered first dibs on some Russian silver coins 1800's since Jan...... another dealer who has coins but its all modern nickels and I dont get on with these... I did find a token but keep me busy ..... a brass Fruit & Bell one arm bandit games token... and I did find at the bottom of it all a King George III 1738-1820 Wellington Alexander Bulcher Peace 1814 Medal..... with out this a waste of Sunday !?!?!??!

You know, I think I've figured out your sense of humour!!

Ahh thanks for that it explains why its only slightly smaller than the halfgroat I bought the weight would have been another big giveaway. Overall very pleased with it though , thanks for the id info very useful.

Recut letters - a frequent occurrence on Victorian coppers and bronze.

I picked up a small group of hammered coins at a recent auction - partly as stock, partly to give me some new coins to work on. These 3 are halfpennies, and I think I have them identified, but please let me know if I am right. First I believe is Richard II S1700, London: