Peckris 2

I knew it went back to at least 1966 for non-UK coins. Anyone know when Machin's was first used?

I was going to suggest toothpick holder! So I take a bow to the pomander guys.

I didn't know the answer. That's why I said "never knew that". The clue's in the words...

I think the 1936 is a rare coin, but not grossly overpriced like the 1934. Also, it is the only rare item in the otherwise extremely common 1936 denomination series.

I have 3 wreaths if you include the 1927, but have never really been that interested in owning the 1934, unless for kudos reasons. Strangely, I'd be more excited to own the 1936.

What's the Elizabeth II florin doing there! "disastrous election result"? We don't all think that! It's true that had TM won a predicted landslide, she could have pursued a Chequers-style solution to Brexit from the start without worrying too much about the Europhobic rabble in her party (Rees-Mogg, Fox, Gove, Johnson, Cash, etc) and got us a reasonable deal. Now it's anyone's game, anyone's guess. As for 1945, Atlee's government helped shape what we know as modern Britain rather than the failing Empire mindset of the 1930s. Even Thatcher couldn't (or wouldn't) undo all of that. The British people shouldn't be insulted as 'stupid' for evicting Churchill, who was inspirational in the fight against Hitler, but who proved less than inspirational as a peacetime leader.

Agreed - though Cope & Rayner has one or two real bloopers; for example they say that a 1923 halfcrown in top grade is harder than the 1925!

Possibly, but I still think that Scarce in relation to a population of 251 - 500 is rather ridiculous. It means that there is no way to differentiate the 1912H from the 1919KN penny, both of which would exceed those figures, in one case by 000,000, in the other by far less. It also means that the 1913 "mules" could not be described as scarce, nor 1864 or 1865/3 pennies and any number of other examples. Your example of wreath crowns is perhaps the exception: 932 (1934) as a proportion of all wreath crowns minted excluding 1927, is not so small, and as you say this was an issue where nearly all original strikes still exist and come up regularly for sale.

The site says the winning price was $336? (Which presumably includes buyers premium which you would have known about before bidding). However, to go from there to $431 seems very harsh. Did they mention all those charges in the small print or could you challenge them on it?

201 - 500 = 'Scarce'? That's absurd. (For currency coins minted in the millions).

Mines closed steadily from the late 60s onwards as other sources of fuel became available. But only in 1984-1986 were they closed by violent confrontation between the miners and the forces deliberately unleashed by the government of the day.

Oops. That's a download. Now deleted to be on the safe side...

I think you would gain far more from being an acknowledged expert in your chosen field than a marginal gain in scarcer varieties would cost you (as you're possibly the first to this, you can infer that there aren't a huge number of variety collectors for 1787 silver). If it was me, I'd publish and be damned, though after taking Rob's advice above.

There was no criticism! Shall we leave this here?

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100€? That's not a great deal really. And if it is truly a rare variety, then worth the gamble, especially if you're a specialist like our friend.

I don't dispute that in the 70s there was a peculiar attitude to work, with dreaded words like 'demarcation' holding sway, and rigid lines that tended often to curb entrepreneurial enthusiasm. However, as you said, "nothing happens in isolation" and those less-than-savoury 70s attitudes to work arose because of the earlier exploitation of workers that was so widespread before WW2. Thatcher was the counter balance to that, but she went too far the other way : her government was deliberately antagonistic - even militant - towards the miners, who like the steelworkers and shipbuilders got virtually no help once their community's jobs had gone. She encouraged people to buy their own council houses (good) but then didn't build more social housing (bad). She was a virtual slave to free market economics courtesy of Keith Joseph, and any liberal tendencies in her government ("The Wets") were ruthlessly purged. She did help get our economy back on a sounder footing (though being a member of the EU also had a lot to do with that), but the price we as a nation paid in societal terms was high. Too high.

Yes - you've circled part of what I call the "main upright" (I'm not a musician, I don't know the technical terms!). That is a version of the Irish national emblem of a harp engraved with a Celtic design. I can see that fairly clearly from the enlarged picture you've shown. The other picture shows a plain harp. No offence, but I think you could perhaps have done a bit more research before 'throwing every penny at it'? If it's a known variant you would then be able to look up its rarity (it may indeed be rare, but I'm not so knowledgeable as you are on these particular coins).

The two harps are different - one has a Celtic design on the main upright, the other is nearly plain.

It was however, the result of Thatcherism, and she was the main architect of that.

The existence of a rare-by-then overdate in 1893 makes me wonder if the OH was intended to be for 1893 like the silver but they postponed it until 1895 and used some 1892 dies for pennies?

I think I recognise the style - I have some silver "jubilee" plaques of Liz dated 1978 with the legend VIVAT REGINA. Same designer perhaps, maybe same private mint?

Yes - the YH version has longer teeth.

Done.