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I’m so, SO, sorry to derail a serious post, here, but I actually CAN see a man with a beard this time…if you zoom in on your bottom image, you can see old copper nose in coronation robes, with your 5 as his garter star! I spotted it straight away!🫣

Over many years of looking I have seen two 1890's with low 90 on ebay. One of these was low grade, which I couldn't bring my self to buy, so I informed a collecting colleague.......and he bought it. I found the one pictured below much more recently, and was pleased to acquire it for under £70. I think they are rare. By the way, I never did get any reply from Mike Hopkins relatives. The nearest relative was found by heir hunters to be living in Canada, and I asked the appointed Solicitor to pass on my contact details so that I could ask them if Mike's collection had formed part of the inheritance. This was because his house had been broken into after he passed away suddenly (in his house). Also, no one seemed to know if his collection was in safe custody, or in his house. I wonder whether we will ever get an answer to that; it was a fine collection!

No sorry its not a Recessed Ear type . With slightly worn coins, the recessed ear type shows no sign of ware to the top of the ear [ the Slight flattening you see on your example shows that the centre is protruding and readily becomes warn Also usually the tooth above left of the colon between T:O is damaged but not always with the 1915 , but always on the 1916.

I'll go with class 9b too; the unbarred Ns (I don't think they are pothook) are disinctive. Also not my main field of interest or expertise, although I did somehow end up with 35 or so of the things and a copy of the Galata Guide. Post as many short cross (including cuts) as you like and I'll have a go though.

Thanks, I almost have one of each of the progression and one now without a broken tooth. Then I can forget about the recessed ear 😅 Well until better grade examples appear..

You can also see the star on the breast, where the collar meets.

I third the suggestion, Class 9b2. The cross on the obverse is the ghosting of the metal being forced into the reverse die. It was an issue that troubled mints right up until the 1930s, at least. The modified effigy of King George was to deal with a very similar issue.

It's screaming class 9b at me. 9b2 maybe. Coinery will know more though i think. Short Cross are more my area of expertise. Stu.

Yes, looks to be a contemporary counterfeit. Weight should be more 9 to 11g. Having said that, it is one of the better made counterfeits. Most are much cruder and often produced ready worn. Note you are correct to say contemporary counterfeit rather than Evasion. The latter are deliberately varied from the original so as not to be classed as an illegal forgery. (Production of counterfeits was a capital offence!) Here is my regal issue 1772 for comparison. I have lots of 1775, all contemporary counterfeits!

Frankly, I couldn't give a damn. Value of a blocked die 5p to me? £1 or £2 if I had gone to the effort of putting it in a 2x2 and writing a label.

100% correct on all accounts 👍

If it's Gilbert on Canterbury then the full reverse legend would read either GIL/BER/TON/CAN or, if the moneyer's name was spelt Gillebert, GIL/LEB/ERT/ONC So directly to the left of the cross should be L, R (or B), N (or T) or C, although I can't honestly say I can make out anything. On the obverse, starting at the far left, I think I can see an E and the ligated NR and would agree it is a class 5 which would imply the presence of a sceptre off-coin.

Photoshopped

Hi all, Just for the record, I managed to get an independent ID of the attached from personnel working with the PAS database, where I've since recorded it. They identified it as a Henry III cut halfpenny, probably a class 5(c?), possibly minted by Gilbert in Canterbury. Date probably c1253-6 Obverse: Kings head facing, probably with sceptre in right hand. HENRICVS REX III around. Note that legend starts immediately above sceptre at about 10 o'clock. N & R in HENRICVS are also ligated (joined together). Personally, I still can't decipher anything much of the reverse legend but, if correctly identified, should be something like GILBERT ON CANT or similar. Hope of some help! Best regards, James

Come back Dr Larry, all is forgiven!

Hi paddy thanks the reply, the photo is in colour, that’s what it looks like. The coin is actually a Victoria young head crown, not a sixpence, thanks for the advise, I’ll give it a go!

Bull doesn't include 91 in the list of die numbers for 1873, but I am told this list has now been outdated. This list of die numbers: http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/dieno.html also does not include 91. I am sure there was discussion on here a few months (years?) back and someone had a link to a more up to date list, but I haven't found it yet.

What was the book/document that contains a list of the known die numbers for each date? I know I used to own a copy of something that did, but can’t recall what.

Today another delve into the box of Hammered Coins in need of identification it weighs 1.1 grm I'm still struggling with the Edwards... Rod Blunt has a very good page that show a list of pictures of the different crowns that has lead me to thinking that its a Edward I, 2b, 1279 I also need to ask how has the Cross indent occurred on the observe side... overly bashed when minting? ...........

In my opinion the darker coin IS a recessed ear, the lustrous coin is a typical worn die strike - very common during WW1

I found this coin to my surprise.

today I took another chance rummage in the box of hammered coins, I chose to show this one as I'm pretty sure this is correct. It weighs 0.9 Grms I believe with the two Pellets that makes it to be a Half Groat. m.m. is a Bell 1582-3 could it be I could be right ???

Your own coin Rob is not the same as Ians which is Bisect BP1898Ca and much rarer, yours is Ba. Although i agree not the easiest coin to sell Ians is probably worth about £80 if he can find someone that wants one, obviously he can asks what he wants its just finding someone that wants one and priced any higher may have it a while.

Those are estimates at best. Not sure what they're based on? Gouby estimates that the 1946 is rarer than the 26ME. And for example, although the combined mintage of 1918/19 Hs and KNs is known, the figures for H vs KN are only estimates.

Already in progress!

I'd love to know how those figures were obtained. I got my 1890 'low 90' courtesy of a tip off from Mike Hopkins, a rather nice humorous gentleman ( "1949 Threepence" ) who frequented this site until we lost him a couple of years ago. I wish we'd met.

Well done! Will we see pictures? By the way, you have resurrected a very old thread and the last poster, back in January 2019, @1949threepence, has since passed away and is a much missed member of the forum.

Today I found and purchased three 1915 recessed ear coins and one 1903 open 3. To find the three I looked at probably 50 odd coins. And one 1911 Gouby X

It may well have been Steve Lockett's. He collected sixpences and would likely have hoovered up the surplus from the frequent offerings of mint rolls that occur. I know Alex Anderson had a roll of 1905s. Beautiful coins, every single one and all came back with big numbers after slabbing.

woo hoo...😁 the bell mint mark was an awesome find for my day.👍

I think these photos were taken after the coin has been slabbed and not before. Otherwise, the resolution wouldn't be so poor. But some of the earlier slabbed CGS coins don't have CGS photos. Photos was optional in the early days and the fee was halved (if I remember correctly) not to have a photo taken.

Which pretty much makes the irrefutable case for a proper paper library. Worst case is the house burns down, but then, even so, most of the catalogues would be legible, if somewhat smelly. As it's the 25th anniversary of another paraphrase/quote by an earlier incoherent Republican US president than the present incumbent, 'Never misunderestimate the frequency with which the improbable happens'. Sorry Dubya. They also hold their value if stored in dry conditions, so the frequently heard complaint that £5 on a book is a waste of money is total bollocks. My bound volume of Montagu pts.1 to 3 cost £175 twenty years ago. That would go for closer to £1750 than 175 at auction. Think back to a St. James's sale a few years ago when 3 years of Seaby's WW2 bulletins bound in one sold for thousands. Can't remember the years specifically, but I bought the same date run from a well known deceased collector living in Wakefield and couldn't shift them for 12 months because I was unreasonably asking £15/year (Paid £10/yr). Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately in the right setting - Oscar was right. People know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

For proof coins, I believe unless it's PF70, unfortunately anything below that grade is normally trading at spot price with max +10% premium if good days. As Paddy said, auction house is the most easiest way to get rid all in 1 go, but have to take into account the commission they are going to charge. If selling it individually or dealing it personally, also have to pay attention to the insurance limit of postage, especially nowaday 1oz gold already at over 3k. For bullion coins, i think it's a good deal if dealer is offering 100% spot. If you are going to sell at forum or private market, i think you may get 1-2% above spot. But again you have to take care postage, insurance etc. Hope this helps.

I'm away for a week but poke me about this next weekend. I had a quick look before I left but couldn't see that UIN. I will check properly on my return.

As no one else has responded, I will do my best. Gold, particularly modern gold, is not my speciality. First of all, welcome to the forum. I hope you stick around once this particular query is resolved. I am not surprised the dealer company you spoke to offered only gold spot price. That is the default solution for most coin dealers and jewellery outlets as that way they are covered if the goods prove unsaleable at a premium. If you want to sell them as one lot, a dealer is the most likely option, unless you can locate a collector with deep pockets who wants all of them. You will get better value by breaking the collection up and selling pieces individually. There are two main ways of doing this: 1. The easy way is to use an auction house specialising in coin sales, who will list it as multiple lots. You will, of course, lose out to the commission, both buyers and sellers, that they will charge, but at least the market will dictate the hammer price. If you go down this route, give us some idea of where in the country you are so we can suggest a convenient auction house. 2. The most profitable way is to effectively become a dealer yourself for a while, selling through online platforms such as Facebook or Ebay, or even taking a market stall somewhere. You will get a much higher price for the items, but have the hassle and expense of the process. You will also have to handle the occasional dodgy buyer, particularly when selling online. If you go this way, you will need to do your research to know what price to ask, using published online auctions and/or Ebay as a guide. (Remember with Ebay that it is the actual sale price that counts, not the often ridiculous asking price!) I hope that helps.

"Where does it end" you tell me? 😂 Think it's my turn to be out on this one.

Well you could , but you would be deluding yourself.

I have sinced found a few other coins with a ghostly H including another 1875. If you look at the attached image there is an 8 a C and also some guys face in the circle with long hair and a pointy nose any ideas who it is?

Exactly. There are no H’s on those two pennies, or faces on Mars or images of Jesus in toast.

It's amazing how the letters are so neatly and completely removed! (Almost looks like it was intentionally done.) Since the missing letters are unfortunately "REX" and "FID D", it might eventually be given the nickname "abdication 5p" if more examples are known. Long live our King, and long may he reign!

You're a day early...

Nice coin, but not particularly rare. Lovely history concerning their minting at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eloy_Mestrelle In that condition probably £80 to £100. At least is appears to be genuine - there are fakes around. Here is mine - slightly better condition:

PCGS however.... They got back to me, well past the stated 2-3 days for response, and completely avoided my query regarding it being the wrong variety. Their response is a joke, right? Their only diligence is reflected in getting more coins in their slabs, regardless how well they identify them. Screenshot of email is too large, so I'll just copy and paste it (compression makes it illegible). Hello xxxx, Thank you for your interest in PCGS! We appreciate you letting us know that you would like to send coins to us. Please see below for our service fees and how to submit to PCGS: There are two ways to get a coin graded: you can submit it through a local PCGS authorized dealer, or you can submit it directly to PCGS. Option 1 - Submit via a PCGS Authorized Dealer Many customers submit via a dealer because the dealers can often provide insight on a coin to see if it is "worth" being graded. Dealers can appraise coins, submit them to us for you, and possibly buy them or auction them once they're graded! I always recommend talking to a few dealers before submitting your coins. Check out our PCGS Authorized Dealer List to find one in your area. Option 2 - Submit to PCGS Directly To submit to PCGS directly, you first need to purchase a membership, which you can find here. After purchasing a membership, you can submit as many coins to PCGS as you'd like for one full year! The pricing will be per coin based on each coin's Declared Value. Please view our pricing list here. We ask that you give PCGS a declared value for each item ahead of time, as we cannot start the process on your order without having these values. This value is primarily used for insurance purposes. For the declared values, we only ask that you give us a realistic value based on the condition of your coin - this is why I always recommend speaking to a few dealers first! There are many options for submitting to PCGS, and it can be a lot of information. Please review all the links I provided, and if you have any other questions, just let me know! Also, check out our PCGS FAQ here! Learn all about your coin on PCGS Coin Facts! Sincerely, Isidro G. Associate Customer Care Representative PCGS Customer Care pcgs.com Privileged and Confidential Communication. This electronic transmission, and any documents attached hereto, (a) are protected by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (18 USC §§ 2510-2521), (b) may contain confidential and/or legally privileged information, and (c) are for the sole use of the intended recipient named above. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify the sender and delete the electronic message. Any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the contents of the information received in error is strictly prohibited.