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It's exactly the same - they haven't changed a thing.

It is rough but i think there is enough information to identify it. I can read VND + PIE i think. Which would make it Pieres at London Mint. Spink guide shows Pieres & Pieres M minting at London during class 1 under Henry II. Stu.

Hello all. I am having some difficulties with this halved short cross penny. Specifically I am finding it hard to distinguish between early Class 1 of Henry II and early Class 5 of John. Both have the stop after the S of hENRICVS and a similar portrait structure. The poor condition of the piece doesn't help as it makes the hair not possible to see. I was wondering if anyone here could help to push me in the right direction. Thank you.

Thanks to Chris my old page is now available at https://www.predecimal.com/GIII/

Again, I can only recommend Galata's excellent tome on the pennies of the Edwards. Real research has been done there. All Paul and Bente's writing is of the highest quality by a pair who know their stuff, and as references will struggle to be equalled. Go for it. Splash the cash. You won't regret it. Incidentally, I also have a set of North, vols. 1 & 2, both new. £40 per volume or £70 the pair pus postage. PM me if interested. Thanks.

I have a few colonial coins that are in need of sorting out, today this was fished out of the pot of others, I'm pleased I did as after a warm soapy soak (and it was well minging!!!) all of the circulation hand grease and crud washed off left the coin's details come out. its pretty good for a Victorian Colonial...👍 unsure of the grade but better than just good... 27 berries, W.W. raised.

My Grandfather,

I can't think of any one book that covers the whole lot. I am sure there are plenty. Dorling Kingsley are usually a good publisher for this sort of thing as they do comprehensive but fairly light coverage of their topics, well supported by illustrations and diagrams in colour. From my own shelves I have picked out two from other publishers that I found useful - both found very cheaply at charity shops: "The Anglo Saxons" by James Campbell published by Phaidon in 1982. "Chronicles of the Age of Chivalry" edited by Elizabeth Hallam and published By Salamander in 2000. This latter I think is part of a series - I have seen one on the Anglo Saxon Chronicles and another on the Crusades in the same format. Both are "Coffee table" style - lots of facts and illustrations without going into huge depth. Easy reading!

Last year was the first issue under new ownership I think. There was a fair amount of chat about it on here at the time. I know I made sure I had a 2024 copy before the change in case they knackered it!

It's possible they were hoarded for silver value, but if that was the only reason you'd expect the majority to be George V 1911-1919. I don't know when your grandad was getting these, but certainly in the 1920s (when silver hoarders were rife) actual coin collectors didn't rate George V (or even Edward VII) as collectable, as they were 'too modern'. There seems to be a strong element of that here. ( <--- irony : "Coin Hoarder" )

The King's Speech about George VI is excellent as well.

the Half Crowns

If it is as you say, the obvious candidate would be Gilpatrick at Pembroke, the mint being written, PAN or PAIN. Have you tried searching the EMC database at the Fitzwilliam? If it was found by a detectorist it should be recorded with the PAS and the details will be uploaded to the corpus. An auction would not necessarily be recorded there unless found under the treasure rules. Where did you get it?

Yes that's the guy .

Dr Larry of 'lions and lambs' fame?

Generally referred to as "Toy Money". Produced in the late 19th century for play and education purposes.

Of course the fish tail could simply be damage? The lettering of the coin is pretty distinctive, however, so finding the monarch should be quite doable!

The darker coin looks to have the Edward II crown of class 11 as imaged (and all credit to the amazing book Rob credited above for this). The other one is too time consuming for me to look into (I don’t have a lot of free time at the moment), though the serpentine/fish-tail S is probably a good launch pad for you to start from. Good luck 👍

So LSD is pre jimmi hendrix?

I can see the shape you have outlined, but the body of the rider seems to be incuse, which seems unusual? I don't know of many Ancient coins with the thick border rim, not with a blank reverse. No further forward I fear.

I found this interesting and some lovely hammered coins pictured: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2yerrqel7o

Hi. It's this one, identified by @1887jubilee as one of many (minor) patterns of 1887 silver: It's the 6d on the left - note the far 7, and the first 8 with a higher 8 beneath it referred to as a "horned 8" on one example in an auction lot.

I probably paid too much for my 2025 definitive set, but the simple fact is that they are SO much nicer looking coins than anything the US has made since 1947 when they stopped making the Walking Liberty Half Dollar. Even that was a straight lift from Oscar Roty's La Semeuse but at least they had the good taste to steal from something good . Still, the Salmon, the bees & the four plants are such exquisite designs to my taste...

I was fortunate enough to pick up mine before the prices went completely crazy:

My first thought, regardless of whether I can ‘do’ a plugged coin or not, was whether it was genuine? A lot of fake coins are scuffed up to look old, and the scratches in this piece look so intentional and even, on a coin I would’ve expected to be buckled (or wavy at best) from such a harsh life, yet it has such a perfect and even wear to the raised surfaces? Here’s an example of some of the copies out there for these groats? I’m not claiming yours is counterfeit, just saying this one pricks my suspicion enough that I wouldn’t personally want to buy such an example blind! There’s a really good Elizabeth I fake shilling out there, that was even cast with a plug in place. Either they hadn’t noticed the original coin was plugged, or they thought it might avoid the scrutiny of serious collectors, on account of the market they are typically absorbed by? Who knows?

Nerd indeed! You are paying for the beer Rob. I must admit talking about the die varieties of the 1887 sixpence has often put grandchildren to sleep. There are many unique pieces in the collection including varieties of the 14 pearl sovereign, some patterns by Lauer, and J R Thomas. Plenty of proof varieties that just are not listed anywhere and so many crowns with different rim sizes. OK I will accept slightly off the spectrum but that is what research is all about. This one is unlisted

I have an EMR account for cable and alloys, and I get 'Heavy Copper' without asking each time I weigh in currency bronze....