The Bee

Many thanks Rob, So there is a Master Die, made out of particularly tough material that is used to create further dies, which need the last two digits added, to mint the halfpenny So, if I check my other 1850's Halfpennies, I should find the same "tooth" on other dates Here is my 8 over 6 / R over R in GRATIA (I think that there is a blob at end of the foot of the E in DEI) Very Best Regards

Many thanks Rob, Great to confirm its an 1858 over 6. But as you say , its even more interesting that the overcut R is different and the date vs the teeth positions are different especially the last eight. Many thanks for sharing the photos ! (I've been determined to get my money's worth since buying my Tomlov microscope - now I wouldn't be without it) I'll photograph the obverse and reverse and share later Query - is it usual for the teeth. including that odd one under the 5, would be identical on different dies ? (the bit jutting out from that tooth looks identical in both examples ?) Very Best Regards

1858 Halfpenny Hi, Couple of images from an 1858 Halfpenny. Wondered if the last 8 might be an overdate ? If not - still very pleased to find a R over R in Gratia Very Best Regards

Usually if I strike a deal with a seller, the seller changes the auction to a "buy it now" at which point I need to keep calm, waiting for it to pop up again, and then quickly buy it. Worked well so far Very Best Regards

Maybe they arranged to buy it privately

Amazing collection Paddy , thanks for sharing !

One possible repair on "F" in F.D. 1862 Penny . Top of the F seems to slope upwards. And an 1858 Farthing , with a slightly broken 5 in the date Best Regards

Minor Addition 1840 Farthing I tracked down an affordable upgrade my 1840 Farthing last week, and was about to evict the previous 1840 in the tray, but before doing so decided to have a closer look at the obverse under the microscope. Not sure if these were repairs or just an accident, V over V in Victoria and T I A over T I A in Gratia I'll just have to find space in the tray or start o new one Best Regards

1877 Halfpenny Date Widths and yet another problem with HALF, EYE, EYE, EYE As I was putting my 1877 halfpenny upgrade away in the tray I had a look at some of the others. Currently I seem to have three dates widths The first two are very similar, the last which is in poor condition, is quite a bit wider. Are there any others to look out for ? And in the same small collection of coins along with the 1877 was an 1862 Halfpenny , with what might be a repair to the Right Leg of H, maybe one to the downstroke of L and the back of F all from Half, I, I or I. I. I Very Best Regards

The seller mentions the "This 1863 One Penny Coin features the young Bun Head of Queen Victoria, it has a feature that looks like the 8 over 1, it could be just a dye strike error but either way YOU won't find another 1863 error coin, minted in Great Britain under the Victorian era" Surprised that they didn't comment on the obverse picture 1863 VICTORIAN BUN HEAD ONE PENNY COIN SEE PICS B 173 | eBay Best Regards

Hi Richard I don't think you have anything missing via the link - looks good Very Best Regards

I can see Victoria Bronze Obverse at the moment - Victoria Bronze Obverses – HALFPENNY VARIETIES

Hi I had an attempt at removing the old DNA and gunk. 1855 Halfpenny date with 8 over 8 ? 1st 5 over 5 ? and possible overdate on last 5 ? Very Best Regards

Phew, What a comprehensive system and such a lot of information on "historic" and current prices. I guess at some point you need something like that to avoid duplication (I should have done this for my newspapers) and if you decide to sell bits off, it would to keep the Tax authorities happy, not to mention your insurer

The Ebay description was rather erm "odd" as well. "This is a British Victoria Penny coin from 1862, minted during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). It is a copper coin with a brown colour. The denomination of the coin is one Penny. It was manufactured in the United Kingdom, specifically Great Britain."

1855 Halfpenny Could there be and overdate ? Hi I have a few 1855 Halfpennies. Looking again at one of them, it looks as it the second 5 in the date might be over another date ? I wondered, if it is an overdate, what it might be ? Best Regards !

Apologies - just realised I've asked the same question as Paddy !

Would anyone know where I can buy Verdi-care in the UK or would I need to order it from the USA ? Many thanks !

So I've been at it for about a year now 1) I have been building a list of coins I'm missing and those I'd like to upgrade in a spreadsheet : Crowns to Farthings And then (like Paddy) 2) I've been photographing all my current Bronze and Copper date runs and part date runs and am putting them in Powerpoint That way I quickly open the relevant slide deck, Copper Farthings 1672 to 1850, flick through the slides to find a high res image of the current "best" obverse and reverse I find this an easier method to spot if I've found a potential minor or major upgrade [Given my collection is at the other end of the scale of the Penny Collection There is usually more opportunity for a major rather than minor upgrade, it remains a bit of a Spaghetti Western as in " the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"] Best Regards

It feels like a huge challenge. The British Bronze Penny 1869-1901 by Mr Gouby, sets the bar on expectations . High definition colour illustrations coupled with well thought out text are a powerful combination. I would love to see the same for Halfpennies and Farthings. But once you extend to the end of the decimal period, to do it justice, its a shelf full of publications, Your website feels a better and more flexible approach as I have no doubt more varieties will emerge in the next few years which can be captured in a website in a few days, rather than a 2nd edition printed publication. The 1905 smaller 0 is a good example (and jowly QV). Thanks again for the website !

Amazing collection. Thank you for sharing !

Hi Richard Here is what I thought might be 1905 small "0." The "0" does look smaller. Great to get your thoughts Very Best Regards

Apologies Peckris 2, my typo, I should have said reverse ! There are lots of nicks and scratches. Then yes, I suspect at some point after it came out of circulation it went into a collection and had a polish and a lot of the original patina has been lost. My runner up is below

Very pleased with Crowns and another 1849 Florin that was included in the lot - But this is probably my favourite for the week. It is an upgrade to my 1861 QV Penny (worse than many others) , with a possible repair to the second N in Penny on the obverse

Hi Martin, Many thanks for the feedback, that's really good news, a new one for my Farthing trays It was the previous owner who had paid (I assume) $70 I have retained all my different QV penny die clashes along with different widths etc in my penny trays. Whilst they are nothing extra (seem to crop up all the time), they are interesting Best I think I've seen was I think one of Richard's on another post - quite stunning Very Best Regard