Coys55

It went for £640.

I agree, I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole, but a number of bidders obviously disagree. I wouldn't even know where to start getting one of those things authenticated, apart from checking the size and weight. If those are OK then I'd be stumped.

What's the little hole at 7 o’clock on reverse" side? It looks like a screw or something under magnification. If the oil hasn't worked maybe try WD-40, although it's difficult to know what is stuck if you don't know how it should open. Another thought. Does that slot open up to the inside? If it does a small endoscope fibre-optic camera could give you a look around the inside. A 5.5mm one on eBay is less than £10. I once borrowed one to see why a previous owner of my son's Victorian house had crudely blocked up an alcove next to a chimney breast. I half expected to find a cupboard full of junk, but there was nothing there apart from some cobwebs, some dust and some very crappy-looking exposed brickwork that was best left alone.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/278153866658?_trksid=p4375194.c102727.m162921 Opinions on this one? I've always been interested in these pieces and have often thought about buying one, but I'd never buy one without provenance, and certainly not from eBay. It seems odd to me that one should turn up out of the blue in the hands of a seller of general odds and ends. I'm pretty sure there are lots of 19th century fakes out there and probably modern ones too. The description includes "this coin features intricate craftsmanship typical of the period" (hmm) and "Although uncertified"...

Here's my set. The halfpenny is the weakest of the three, but I only paid £43 for it and it's good enough for me. Weight of the halfpenny is 0.24g.

Ah. 🤡

I can’t comment on the actual coin, but maybe this could be moved to a more appropriate place than the publications forum?

The hand on the left appears to have six fingers. And presumably a hidden thumb.

The o between S and R is an annulet, which I believe makes it an Edward III third or Florin coinage penny of 1344-51. Not really my area of expertise though so I can't be more specific.

It's not class 5; the portrait looks more like class 7 to me. I'm pretty sure that the reverse legend is IOAN ON CAN.T so it couldn't be class 5 anyway. Slevin's Short Cross Legends has a 7b2 with that exact reverse legend, but the A in CANT looks more like 7a (pointed) than 7b (vertical sides) than that example. Bizarrely placed reverse pellet stops are very common in classes 7a3 and 7b, so without a better ID of the portrait I can't be sure on the class, but the portrait looks more like a 7b to me, so it may be a 7b1/7a3 mule. Oh and Henry III, not John. Anyone else fancy a go?

It does look a bit odd now you mention it. The lines under the eyes and BM don't look quite right either. Here's the link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/267686864594?_trksid=p4375194.c102726.m162918 Does seem a strange one to copy though.

Isn't it a case of "that's neither superb nor a proof" rather than a repro?

Post-1752 Maundy coins were never intended for circulation so they are usually in good condition.

Can you crop the original photo to the area of interest and then compress the smaller area to 500kb if necessary? The freeware irfanview will do the job very well.

Ah, sorry. I don't think it's a 5 either TBH.

I'm not entirely sure what you are seeing, but it's not an H if that's what think it is. Or the face of Jesus either.

Isn't it a brockage?

Comparing it to my pair of 1844 crowns I'd say that's the top part of a cinqfoil. The star is larger and goes almost to trhe top of the N and I whereas the cinqfoil is smaller and goes about halfway up the letters.

Is the stop after TUTAMEN any clearer?

It was probably part of an early attempt at decimalisation, with the florin (1/10 of a pound) being introduced in 1849. The intention may have been to replace the crown with the DF, but it didn’t quite work out.

If that was my question I would have given that answer a haha, but I guess not everyone shares my sense of humour.

Congratulations on finding a good one! Even if it was accidental.

I’m afraid not, but I’m really not an expert on these penny varieties. I am interested though and will go through my own old collection of bun head pennies at some time just in case.

Thanks for posting the image. I agree that there’s nothing there, but see where you thought it a was.

If you wanted to be really fussy a full set would include the 1887 Arabic 1 and Roman 1 variants and the 1888 and 1889 Inverted 1 (or is it a die-filled normal I serif or broken punch?) for second I in Victoria variants. All three variants are listed in Spink so I think it's reasonable to include those in the set. I did anyway...