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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.

I don’t like using proprietary products because I don’t know what’s in them, and I believe VerdiCare is difficult to obtain in the UK anyway. After some research on what the British Museum used to use to treat bronze disease and verdigris on large objects, like cannon, I tried the technique for myself on this battered 1799 half-penny. For anyone interested, the treatment was 100 minutes at 90°C in a 2% w/w solution of sodium sesquicarbonate in chlorine-free water. Followed by a rinse in chlorine-free water to remove the chemical and then a rinse in acetone to remove the water. The heat is needed as the reaction is impossibly slow at room temperature.

The verdigris may not show very well in the photo. Below is another "before" photo under different light. Work is in progress on coins with more obvious/stubborn verdigris. I will report back!

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.

Something is wrong here I think. There shouldn't be any 1838 pennies? Are you perhaps looking at a halfpenny instead? Both farthings and halfpennies for 1838 exist. (The changeover from Copper to Bronze means the copper halfpenny is larger than the corresponding bronze halfpenny, so an easy mistake to make.) Check the dimensions and weight of your coin.

Definitely two different coins, a slightly higher 9, but not from what I see the wide date with the high 9

Believe me, it was the same in the 90s after Spink took over, but some collectors still referred to it as 'Seaby'!

Hi, yes - it's the JH replacement (second) type.

Definitely different coins. A complaint is certainly in order, and negative feedback. I would point out to the vendor that the coin is still legally yours, and that it has unique features that make it identifiable in the future. However sadly legal action , even should the opportunity arise, would likely be prohibitively expensive. No harm in publicising the vendor if you don’t get redress. Jerry

James I Half Groat ..... ive been keeping away from the hammered pennies as Its tiring and needs a break for awhile.. I have others already identified of and fairly confidant that its ... weight 1 grm James I, Half Groat , Second Coinage 1621 - 1623 m.m. Thistle any comments welcome....🫡

Trying to correctly ID this coin to its subclass. So far I've got Randvlf at ilchester mint class 3. I can't decide if its IM 3 or IM 4. The Initial mark is cut through. The limbs look less pointy than IM 3 and more rounded i think but not 100 % sure. I know there is two types of IM 4 one is Horizontal the other Vertical according to Rod Blunts website. I think i can rule 3bc out as ENR is not ligated. Any ideas ? Thanks. Stu

Sifting through my bits and bobs and came across this one. Not listed in any books that i can find so one to mark down. Maybe a complete example will turn up one day who knows. Its a 1a4 obverse with the Seriffed X and a 1a3 reverse with a nice square E. Hvnfrei at York mint.

Thank you very much for that! I think then that this coin is a Class 1a5 or 1b1 as the N has four serifs, as per https://www.rodblunt.com/short-cross-pennies-11.

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

Yes that's the guy .

The other thing you have to consider is that what's left of the H has been artificially rubbed away on a worn penny in modern times, then the whole coin distressed in order to hide what was done.

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...

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?

My Grandfather,

A new unlisted unofficial farthing variety which landed today. I believe it relates to the famous gun makers Holland & Holland but I'm yet to research properly. Thoughts and comments welcome