Rob

No I'm not. I just read books, match images and absorb the info - something within the reach of anyone if they are willing to take the time. A copy of North (2 vols), Withers' various hammered small coin references, or even a copy of Spink's annual tome will permit the identification of most things. For £20-30 you can cover pretty much all the coinage of this country and certainly those you are likely to encounter. Persuading people to read and learn is the biggest obstacle.

It's Elizabeth I, you can see the date above the shield 15 62 but the denomination would depend on the size and weight. The 6 isn't visible, but the pheon mark gives the date away

VAT is payable on all buyers premium unless you are outside the EU, or in the unlikely event of the auctioneer not being VAT registered.

Some reference to Thor or similar?

An allegorical expression of the Sword of Damocles?

Alex might have got hold of a batch of them. There has been a number of 20-50 lots of 100 year old coins touted around over the past few years. 50 mint state 1905 sixpences spring to mind

Just rummaging through my tickets and it appears that it was the one thousand and first coin they slabbed if the number 0001001 at the beginning means that. I've assumed so because the other info is definitely coin descriptive. FWIW, I have seen very few Ed.7 halfpennies with well struck up finger detail despite being unc. I suspect that the design was too fine to avoid blocking at this point.

When the auctioneer passes, it is because the reserve hasn't been reached. If that happens to be 20% under estimate, then so be it, but it could easily be at low estimate, or 40% below, even no reserve, but as happened in the December sale, they might still pass them if the lack of interest is too embarassing. Estimated at 1K and selling for 100 doesn't look good for the auctioneer

They aren't the easiest thing to get hold of. I got mine about 10 years ago in a CGS 80 slab, but I'm sure there are a few better pieces out there.

Normal for the Mail. Nothing in the real world is ever reported in it.

A considerable period of time must have elapsed between the early strikings and the later ones on account of the rusted reverses seen. This P724 (dies 2+A*) has large areas of rust, seen in front of Britannia. ex Hazlitt 1142, Sotheby 1909 & Foster 45, Glens 1953

Anne P724 pattern halfpenny obverse. This is the later obverse die, identifiable by the lack of serif to the base of the right limb of the N.

yes

This is just one of a number of patterns made in the period 1857-9 leading up to the bronze issues. Most of them had the word decimal in the legend, but not all. In fact some only had a number or fraction, or even nothing at all. You also had things like One Dime, One Centum, 10 Centimes etc, so they were clearly influenced by foreign currencies as well as retaining good old British units.

P2037, decimal pattern halfpenny struck in Cupro-Nickel. Ex Baron Ferrari de la Renotiere 399, (Sotheby 1922), V M Brand & M J Freeman 221. The wax is from the 1922 sale.

Looks like a 6+G to me. Having said that, the image quality doesn't help. I've got a 6+G 1 over higher one on the site for comparison if you need it. https://www.rpcoins.co.uk/collections/half/products/00002572

It's a rev B with the dots on the shield, so restricted to those years. You can't tell which though.

Oh, the other way round then. Sorry. eBay and its working don't figure too high on my list of useful info.

That's going to end in tears. I thought someone said you were only covered up to a limit which is lower for new sellers.

yep

And the obverse.

Last one for tonight, and one that I forgot to put on the revised list of halfpennies - will do for the next edition. A halfpenny struck on a piece of brass bar when the mint relocated from Tower Hill to Iver during WW2. Used to test the striking pressure as I understand.

And the reverse.

Shouldn't fool anybody, but you never know. Footnote in Peck applies here.

Don't see too many of these.