Sylvester

No i know exactly what i'm thinking of; This one! http://www.tclayton.demon.co.uk/pics/e83d.html (When ever anyone say Edward VIII threepence i automatically think of that one, if i were given the chance to own any either that's the one i'd pick!). That is the one my grandfather claimed to have seen.

Sometimes i get myself muddled up a bit. Hopefully though my spelling and Grammar should be acceptable for the most part. I do afterall have a A-Level in English Language. Unfortunately i don't have an A-Level in typing and thus i often miss letters out or put extra letters where they should not be.

But i have style with that sadness so therefore i'll get away with it!

I've beaten Chris' post count? Wow!

Are you definately sure it's 1808? If so i wanna see a picture if you can post one, (sure it's not a worn 6?). 1808s do exist indeed but only of the pennies at 34mm in diameter. Actually using the s with 1808 was a bit of a liberty since only 1 is known.

How big is the coin in mm? Why was what done? The line round the edge or the reverse upside down? Well the reverse was always upside down from 1662-1787, from 1787 to 1837 it depended on the coin, some had them the 'right' way up some 'upside down'. From 1837-1887 it went to all back upside down again and changed back in 1887 to how it is now. If you find an American coin they still have the 'upside down' alignment. (Much of Europe did at one point too) Now as for the line around the edge, sorry i dunno why it has that but it does. Someone on here will know though.

That'll be 1806 (it's either a half penny or a penny), and it's perfectly normal they were struck like that (reverse upside down) they only change to obverse/reverse aligned the same way in 1887. There should be a line/groove running around the edge also. (If i remember rightly). [Copper's not really my area].

okay i show myself up then...

no they were having fun at my expense, they know i don't know much about bronze/copper so they show me up frequently.

I knew about the 1954 penny. The 1952 had escaped my notice.

Wow all mine in my faves taskbar are the explorer variant! Hmmm XP... good luck!

Why what's special about a 1952 penny?

Right finally got therer. Firstly that's supposed to be a Spanish 8 reale me thinks of Charles III, not George III. It looks fake anyhow. Some real 8 reales were counterstamped during the latter 18th century in England to fill in for the lack of Crowns. These usually have a very tiny portrait of George III (Kinda like hallmarking on Silver) stamped somewhere on the 'host' coin.

There were no crowns issued in George III's reign until about 1818. (the link ain't working for me).

Yeah coins sometimes look very different on photos than they do in person! I've seen copper ones look almost silver on photos and silver ones look almost gold!

Sorry i couldn't be any more help here.

Looks more silver to me... Anyhow that looks much more Spanish in origin than English. GD would know more about this than myself... My feeling is it's Spanish (the cross makes me think that), if it's real, or whatever. I'm afraid i've never one before.

Truer words were never spoken. I agree with that 100%.

It sounds more like the gold halfcrown to me. Is there any way you could get a picture up so that i could firstly see if it is genuine (in the condition you describe it sounds very likely that it is, why make a repro in that low quality?), and secondly to see if i can identify it to a type. Now from the description you give it does sound pretty worn if you can't make out the legends. If it does read HENRIC 8 D G (and there's nothing between the D and the G, like an I), then is probably of the third coinage or the Posthumous Coinage [struck during Edward VI's reign but in Henry VIII's name]. All of the larger Crowns have different lettering, all are HENRIC 8 RUTILANS ROSA SINE SPINA (With the DEI GRA on the other side). Half crowns are HENRIC 8 DI G, or HENRIC 8 D G. It should be between 18 and 20mm in diametre to be the halfcrown. If it is the halfcrown then you're looking at about £100 at the least really. (I'll have more info later if i can see a picture).

I shouldn't have quoted your post there Jon!

No that's not the one my grandfather claimed to have had, i meant to other version, the one with the date at either side and the inner circle (well circle ain't really the word i'm looking for).

I think you'll find 1801-1837 a very interesting period actually, it was the period that saw the Napoleonic Wars, Waterloo (no i don't mean the station), Trafalgar, the furthering of the Industrial Revolution (not the boring stuff from the 1750s and 1780s that we all got bored to tears with at school or still are getting bored with like farming and that rubbish), but he growing of industry, furthering the canal network. The biggest thing to come out of that period was the railways which for the first time enabled people to travel from one side of the country to the other in but a day or two rather than a week or two on the coaches. It also witnessed the first rail fatality too which was interesting it was non other than an MP by the name of Huskisson who copped it, a Tory nonetheless [it would be, the Tories have hated railways ever since] anyhow he had something to do with the 1816 currency reform, well he was an economist that wrote a phamphlet on the state of the currency in 1810 so i suppose he did have something to do with it. Anyhow on the fatal day in 1830 which was the opening day of the Manchester-Liverpool Railway line, Huskisson was there, William IV was absent on that day but the Prime Minister Arthur Wellsey was there instead [that's the Duke of Wellington to everyone else]. Anyhow Huskisson got run over by the 'Rocket', George Stephenson who was also present was not impressed that day either. I've also read stories of William IV riding around London in his open topped coach shaking hands with people as he went along and asking everyone if they were having a nice day, this being in between him spitting and using strong language, but being in the Navy most of his life is that a surprise? Lets put it this way it was a refreshing change from Geo IV in many people's eyes. An interesting story about Geo IV was that people viewed him as odd for many reasons, one of these was the fact that he took baths quite often, usually once a week or more, so he was considered a bit effeminate. His wife naturally didn't take baths and was considered normal that is also one reason why he couldn't wait to get rid of her.

Exactly JMD! Here here, unless it's 1693 or 4 then i want high grade ones! Are you going for the tin ones too then JMD?

It's not the same i want coins that have been carried in people's pockets, changed hands at taverns, possibly nded up in the money bags of a highwayman etc. I dunno why but everytime i see guineas i keep imagining Dick Turpin with those old guns pulling up coaches and robbing people blind. Which leads me on to wonder if he painted a white line across his face and did he really say Stand and Deliver?

Entirely my feelings on the subject. I've yet to find a decent picture of one of those on the internet though...