Rob

It is mostly a Seaby ticket, probably written by Frank Purvey. The description side will have a price underneath the tipex, so the overtype and Seaby 22/12/83 and dimensions will be a different person's hand who I haven't looked for yet. It was bought by Seaby in 1983, 7585 would usually be the stock number, but I am having difficulty reconciling that with either a Bulletin reference or a hammer price of 200. The letter to the right is usually the place or person acquired from, so H could be G(lendining) to hide the source with EOT the cost code as the denominator. On occasion these details were adjusted by one to hide the detail of round numbers - so my Ed.IV ryal has M(anson)C(hristie) / 919 (£9/19/- written backwards) as the cost code to disguise the fact it cost £10 for example. That would make EOT the cost code equal to 002 (£200) suggesting E is a multiplier, T is 2 and O is 0. On the other side, P24485 is also possibly the stock number. It is a bit confusing, so suggest you look at plate 33 to help explain. There was an illustrated class 1d ex FEJ in June 1983's Bulletin (E344) but that was the other 1d in the lot with both Ns reverse barred. This coin is probably E435 from the following month's bulletin, listed as nEF (£70), but not attributed to FEJ, as there are no further 1d pennies in 1983 Bulletins. I don't have the buyer listed for FEJ lot 1258, but assume Seaby's.

Now you've lost me and three of the four are out the country at present. One is back at the weekend, so I'll pursue it on his return.

As I said before, the idea has long seemed logical to me, but lack of computing skills means I have no solution applicable to a forum. It is easy if you compile your own database because all you have to do is choose a systematic file naming format and the files will self-arrange. Simple. Unfortunately I cannot envisage that being an option on a thread which must default to chronological order if it is to be intelligible in any way. I'm not sure Matteo's suggestion of posting a series of tickets and then putting them in order on a word document would work because only admin has the ability change the forum. Surely, by extension, any contribution will require an additional document to be uploaded, at which point it would be better if the position in the list could be determined at upload? It doesn't actually need to have the regular features of a forum as it would be more a repository for data than a discussion board. As a database, there would be no requirement to have a thread of comments as this would merely complicate an otherwise useful tool. All that needs to be uploaded is a picture of the ticket with a ruler alongside to show the size and a name together with any useful info such as sale dates. The ability to append info to the document would be an asset because you often find different sizes of tickets used by the same person. Writing styles also vary over time.

I was thinking the same, but the problem is that there needs to be some method of putting them into alphabetical order. You have Eaglen's article in the 2001 BNJ which can go as a stand-alone link, but when it comes to uploading examples of named tickets in the thread they will go in chronological order - which isn't very helpful.

My personal preference is for an early date. I think it likely that a good number of portraits were produced before they settled on a particular design, which again would favour some time close to the accession. I don't think it would be extracurricular because the mint has examples which you would think means the punches were in house at some point. The number struck is considerable, so it is unlikely production for himself would be an option. He was sacked for making dies for others, but to actually get coins struck as well is a completely different level.

No I don't, but the shortlist of names is not very long. James Roettier is the obvious choice, but George Bowers was also on the scene until he died on 1st March 1689/90. The reason for their production probably falls into one of two camps - either to promote the accession of William & Mary as the protestant succession, or to commemorate the death of Mary. The latter would exclude Bowers. I can't add anything to the musings of Montagu and Peck. There are examples in the RM museum which would suggest an official product and point to Roettier, but no dies remain to confirm them as official from what I can deduce from Hocking. The key would be to find a medal using the same punches and definitely attributed to a specific engraver.

Trial dies are an integral part of numismatic history and as such collectable in the same way as regular circulating coins, proofs or patterns. There is ample evidence of pre-adopted coins in various stages of design going back at least a couple hundred years. I like 'em.

It was a mixture of commission bids, stock and for me. Not all for me, sadly.

I bought 4 groats 2 proofs and 2 currency and I also picked up a crown and a sixpence.

A ridge around the rim is often seen and is due to a small gap between the flan and collar which allows a small amount of metal flow into the gap. That doesn't mean anything regarding whether it is a forgery or not.

Zinc's density is only about 75% that of copper and nickel, so the weight would be even lighter unless the physical dimensions increased proportionally.

If it is nickel it will be magnetic.

Possibly not if his were made in nickel. You would be looking at something which was about 1.1g light assuming the dimensions were correct. Densities for Cu and Ni are nearly the same, so only the 50% silver component would be reduced by a factor of 8.91/10.49

Elmore Jones' tickets are fairly distinctive and he liked writing them judging by the number seen

I've seen a few copies of both G5 & G6 halfcrowns, but they have all been the right size. The reasons I thought the larger was the copy was the shorter serifs on the linked Gs and the C. The shape of the protrusion on the harp by the left Gs looks to be straight as well instead of being slightly curved.

For a start they are halfcrowns, not florins, but no. I assume the larger of the two is a copy, but god knows where it came from. China?

Part 1. I've got a spare catalogue here if you need one, but suspect the boat won't have room.

I've sent you a message.

If anyone is still looking for these I have an example of both reverses with dot to L

It's a wonderful demonstration of the flexibility of the English language. Nice coin? There has to be a lot better than that out there, and at a reasonable price. I bet there is a couple slabbed MS something.

It isn't illustrated in any case. It is part of lot 1258 (5).

Congratulations

They are in trouble. This is why they are shifting all the remaining stuff out of the basement. Just as in the 80s they jumped in and paid too much for stock. Couple that with the 'investment' side of things and it is quite easy for things to go wrong. What happens when investors want their money back? The odd one can be absorbed, too many and the prices crash. A good example of why coins should be for collecting and not investing in. Yes they might appreciate over time and give good returns, but given the spread between buying and selling, it is never going to be a short term investment. Every coin bought at auction should be marked down by 30% in value in the immediate aftermath because that is the combined difference between what you have just paid including the juice and an immediate resale net price after commissions. All their stamps will be priced according to their references. Does the market agree with the valuations - not at all. We all know that stamps can be picked up in most auctions for a fraction of what SG claim their value to be. Too many short term motives. My immediate thought when they announcecd they were buying Baldwins was that the top of the market was nigh. OK, I didn't guess the timing that well, but when anyone tries to corner a market and determine prices, the greater market will always win - whichever angle you come from. The steep increase in prices of the last decade has in large part come from marketing to people with access to significant amounts of money arising from quantitative easing that has no place to go, and is not related too closely to scarcity or past valuations. Kew Gardens 50ps anyone? You could probably cover one floor of Canary Wharf with the number struck.

Is the top one not a cast of the bottom coin or are they both iffy?

Hoards can come out of the ground in any colour or condition. The often individual patination of a particular location is actually a very helpful means of identifying the original find spot for a coin with an unknown provenance.