Chris Perkins

No doubt he's probably more right wing than even Oli, but just because he was in the Hitler Youth doesn't mean he was a Nazi. I'm sure that at the time of the Hitler youth, lots of kids just ended up there for something to do, or were made to go by their parents. A bit like Cub-Scouts now, although they don't yet have a badge for facism! If he's 78 he could have just about been able to fight in WWII too.

Maybe if enough people got together and told the BBC how they would like to hear that kind of thing in their local area, they'd consider making me national! It is live. I have with me a Krause 1801-1901, Krause 1901-2004, A Spink 2005, and my own 2 published books.

The last 4 progs I've been doing with my dad (it gets him out of the house). He knows a thing or 2 about medals, so we both sit there with the DJ and take calls on coins and medals. The last one, there were about 40% more calls on coins than medals, although I think dad got more the time before. There is plenty of rubbish, and I have to try not to get to annoyed at the callers, especially when it's the 2nd 1977 Crown call of the day! Lots of people call with gold coins, and they always have a value of course, so a lot of the time I quote bullion, and most people are pleased with that. There is the odd weird thing though, and I often get the opportunity to flex a little numismatic muscle and impress the DJ, caller and listeners with what I know Dads calls are supposed to be about campaign medals, but people just don't listen do they, and he even gets calls on school attendance medals and other very un related material! We always get more than enough callers, email and texts to last longer than the programme, and we frequently end up doing it until the DJ goes home.

Good thinking Batman, I'll move it.

The latin legend on the Britannia side is perfectly normal, the reason you have seen them with REG is because they also exist with REG(INA), due to the fact that not only Kings (ie REX) appeared on fractional farthings. The Latin legend says: Britain: King, Defender of the Faith. No idea about the weird lombardic looking side. It's not really a great picture. There are plenty of so called Coin Dealers in the UK, that really don't seem to have a grasp of coins at all. You'll find them mostly in shops that also sell antiques and other collectables. The chances are, these people will be of little use. You could send it to the Royal Mint in Wales, and you will get it back, but expect it to take up to a year! I have a very knowledgable friend in Kent, and when in the UK I'm generally in Kent too. British Musuem would be fine I suspect, but you'd need to make sure you saw the specialist. Post in here when there is a chance it will get to England, I'd like to see it, just so I can say 'I told you so' and then gloat around the place!

Well, I see no reason to not still believe my first 'diagnosis' i.e. that it's a third farthing which has been hollowed, retaining a rim and that somehow 2 coins have been joined together. I've seen lots of coins joined that way, and it done properly it can be very difficult to detect. Stranger things have happened and I suppose it is possible that a mint worker was mucking around with some other 'foreign' die and created what you have, but the former is far more likely. If you can access it, I suppose you wouldn't really want to send it in the post. So, I suspect there is little chance I will be able to see it. In the unlikely event that it is a real single coin with a third farthing reverse and a strange 2nd reverse then it will be of interest, and the value would depend on who was willing to pay the most....Which might not be as much as you think.

Well i'd like to see it to examine it. As far as I'm concerned there is no way a medieval looking jeton could end up on the front of a fractional farthing. They don't even look like the same metal. Where is the coin located?

So lets get this straight, the image above is a picture of the 2 different sides of the same coin? That is absolutely impossible.

Usually, when people have a few coins of low value, they are 99.9% all low value I'm afraid! Feel free to keep posting details on what you have (the pictures are hosted elsewhere, so that's great!)

What about Kevin or Colin the First? Or even Pope Christopher I?

Not of much value. The wear is quite extensive on the George III, and the green bits are a definite no no on the George IV.

Yes, you're right! How big is it in mm? Clearly can't be an original fractional farthing/french medieval mule though can it.

Here is the picture that Lynne emailed me. The Britanniar side is clearly that of a farthing, either George IV, or William IV (because of the REX title). The other side looks like a French 16th Century (or earlier) jeton to me, certainly it does not belong with the Britanniar side, so I would suspect this coin is the result of someone messing around during metal work! The farthing was probably hollowed out, and the jeton inserted into the hole.

Yes, that's a real one. A 1799 Halfpenny indeed. Grade is 'fair' (or even poor) and it will be worth less than £1 like that, unless you can find someone to pay over the top for it.

Please attach jpg picture format here. I've removed the 2nd topic on the same subject.

That's very honest of you, but it just goes to show what no doubt does happen to people on ebay when they buy from someone that didn't do proper research in the first place! Knowledge is very important with these things.

Yes, it's a fake shilling that has lost it's silver plate. It would have looked much like the one on this page: http://www.predecimal.com/forged/georgeiii.htm (see also the other coins, one of which is brassy) Had it been in better shape it would have been collectable, but I'm afraid it's quite sorry looking, and of very low value.

For US coins have a look at www.pcgs.com or www.coinpeople.com

And what's on the reverse? A large shield and garter I suspect. You'll find that's a brass fake shilling that was once silver plated. Fake 1816-1820 shillings are far more common than fake sovereigns because not many people would have been fooled by an underweight sovereign. And the legend is wrong for a sovereign too, I should have spotted that sooner.

That certainly looks like a fake to me, the colour is inconsistant and not at all right for gold. I have a little collection of fakes, so would offer £10 for the pair.

Certainly sounds Greek, or probably more likely Roman-Greek, i.e. when the Romans had control of Greece. I have a couple of copper coins with Roman emperors on one side and a phoenix on the other. Millimoo (a member here) has a few too, but I think we'd need a picture to check.

Probably be a million times more helpful if you could just mention the diameter in mm, and the metal type!

It's an alloy of Copper and Nickel and possibly tiny amounts of other metals. I'm not sure off the top of my head about the ratios. They certainly don't contain lead though, that would probably not meet health and safety standards!

Hello Louise, Yes, Unknown (I prefer to call him Juan) is correct. It's a bullion coin, certainly after being in a mount and used as jewellery (even if it's hardly been worn, the mount will leave tell tale marks on the coin meaning that collectors won't be too interested unfortunately). You are welcome to arrange either over PM or email to send me the coin and I'd be pleased to weight it and the mount and offer the current bullion value.

And verdigris on gold is unheard of too. Perhaps these are brass. We need pictures.