Rob

I don't like either due to the obverse digs on both coins. The 1824 in particular seems to have taken a battering, whereas the 1817 is considerably more common and so you have a greater choice of nicer pieces.

As it wasn't intended as an issue there is little chance it would be singled out for mintage figures. Given the error output relative to the total output for the year would be negligible, the sample taken for the trial is unlikely to have included an example. There might be a mention that the error was allowed to be returned in exchange for a regulation currency piece, but only as a footnote IMO.

Rob won't be there. I've been told I'm having a short break. Didn't see that coming.

Of course it is possible. Every TPG has got some wrong. Cleaned, repaired, mis-attributed and anything else I've forgotten.

I think restrictive legislation is inevitable given the equally inevitable lack of responsibility exhibited by mankind. If people could relate landing it by smacking it into their own face compared to flying it into someone or something else (such as a plane) there would be no need to pass laws. Sadly, this is just wishful thinking. Without people having to pass a 'driving test', or better still for some, having a lobotomy, it will only take one or possibly two accidents at the most to spoil the fun.

Somewhat contradictory and confusing here. You don't want to pay dealer prices (implying you want them at melt or so), yet are looking at slabbed coins, which, with the right label for the right person will sell for a premium to the rest of the market which will itself be above melt? As you don't want to pay dealer's mark up, who is going to supply them? Our man in Beirut? A nice Nigerian fellow?

Maybe, though my assumption would be no as the Sydney Mint opened in 1855 with the purpose of producing sovereigns and half sovereigns. Presumably any 1854 half sovereigns would have been made late in the year and with a three month trip to Australia at worst they would have arrived a few months before the Sydney Mint started production. Still, New Zealand or South Africa might have had use for them, and I think British gold circulated in India too, so there are a lot possibilities. India was a bit unstable in the 1850s which along with the Crimean War could have resulted in a need for good international specie (i.e. gold) to pay for goods locally.

Happy birthday

I don't know what the mint records say for the years 1853 and 1854, but as a rule 1853 is a common date for just about every denomination whereas 1854 was less so, particularly for silver. A common feature with coinage is when you have a year with very large production figures, coins dated the following year tend to be quite scarce. This begs the question as to whether the mint was producing coins and storing them. Given the mint's remit to supply sufficient coin to keep the economy liquid, are the mintage figures the number struck or the amount of coin put into circulation? I don't know the answer to this. What is certain is that a very large output requires a large number of dies, so the likelihood of there being sufficient stocks of the previous year's dies is a distinct possibility. You are also coming off the back of a period at the end of the 1840s (1846-9) where die longevity was a serious problem. Did the mint solve its recent problems and make hay while the sun was shining? Was there a similar situation to the 1838 sovereigns where a large number were shipped off to another part of the world and subsequently melted? Although the sovereign was the standard as opposed to the half, this cannot be discounted. Crimean War? Lots of questions to which we do not have a definitive answer. Were any shipped to Australia?

Yes, but it wouldn't tell you what dates were on the dies. Mintage will just be a production figure. Same goes for 1947 brass threepences. In the latter case, there are none, so must have used 1946 (or earlier) dies.

Not sure about that Rob As he has 1853 with a mintage of 2.708,796 and N rated Maybe it's a misprunt then. An extra 1 by mistake? The thing is, the rarity reflects the numbers of each date noted, not the mintage. By the time you get to N rarity it encompasses a fairly wide range of possibilities. This is a perennial problem with currency pieces. Patterns are straightforward as the survivors are likely to closely reflect the original mintage, but currency could be struck using old dies.

The mint almost certainly doesn't have one as there is only an 1853 listed in Hocking. Searching the BM site is a bit more problematic, so maybe someone else can help here as I can't seem to search for items reproducibly.

Must mean they were dated 1853 even though struck a year later

Sorry, forgot. New phone number 0917878162100 email contact remains chintantank111@gmail.com

The last three days have seen the email heading change to Fwd: i give last offer to give best deal We live in hope.

I have a wife more than 50 years old who is a cultural gem that I nicked from Germany. She is worth more than 2500 euros. Where she was before we knew each other, I have no idea.

This is not good.

Half a dozen unassigned from a 2kg bags isn't bad. If anyone can help complete it would be appreciated. Thanks.

I of GEORGIVS to bead is 'shallow neck' (Davies 1730), I of GEORGIVS to space is 'full neck' (Davies 1731). So full neck unless the image is creating an illusion.

I don't have facebook. I also don't get my car repaired at Burger King.

no.2 - 4.77g, 22 dia no.4 - 0.55g, 15 dia no.5 - 2.66g, 21 dia The first is a bit like bronze, the other two brass. All three give the impression of being tokens or similar.

Thanks. I missed that amongst all the other commomoratives.

Is the German parliament obliged to respond to a 120,000 name petition that is signed by a large number of non-Germans, or does it require 120K natives?

Thanks. Top left is a stage prop from Carry on up the Khyber? Wishful thinking maybe. I'd guessed the bottom right wasn't genuine given it is the same on both sides.

I don't get why people would turn to facebook first if they wanted an answer to a specialised topic. Surely the best place is where people meet who are interested in the subject and by extension have a better idea than your mates from the pub. If they are only interested in the views of their friends they probably don't care if they get the real answer anyway, so I doubt if numismatics has lost any future collectors as a result.