Rob

I still have a bit of a problem with a clash of edges as I consider it implausible you could get that depth of impression from 28g of silver falling onto another edge, perfectly aligned so as to produce the incuse A as if it were part of the edge. It isn't the same situation as a brockage, where you have a coin in situ to make the incuse detail on one side, all made using one of Boulton's presses utilising much more force than that obtained by gravity. If there was another coin only partially ejected, then I expect the collar to malfunction as the first coin would have to be in the same plane as this coin, and that would surely jam the mechanism. It doesn't add up to my way of thinking. The collars used for this issue are 3 part (or at least my type example - 1819 no stops is so), with their ends joining in the middle of the gaps after DECUS, TUTAMEN and REGNI. That would be consistent with the clear joint line after TUTAMEN, but the other two are not obvious. Where the join should be after REGNI, is that a trace of a full height cross pattee, and in the gap after DECUS a smaller cross - or am I just seeing things? Crosses were used on some edges during William III and Anne on halfcrowns, but my crowns of these two reigns didn't use them (only used on halfcrowns?). I don't have a late Geo. II crown to say what was used on the issues prior to the new coinage. Help someone? The earlier silver used the Castaign edging process, which in the case of a couple of my coins left a very sharp vertical cutoff in one place (with a step in height on the edge), as seen after TUTAMEN above and coincidentally also after TVTAMEN on some of the earlier coins in my trays. Was this consistently the starting or terminal legend on the strip and I'm wondering if could this be a one part collar? I can't see any trace of a vertical line in the appropriate place, but this could be due to wear. Check? I don't think we have the answer yet, so more research required.

It might be of interest as we know that at least two incuse edge collars for crowns of this period were made. They weren't used on many patterns, but L&S lists 4 with an incuse edge that could apply (151, 186, 187 & 194), together with a 5th (184) that had an incuse edge but not of full height (clearly not applicable). The collars wouldn't have been thrown away, so maybe the wrong collar was used, replaced and the coin restruck. The coin is a bit dire for research, but are there any hints of understriking anywhere else?

Slightly at a tangent, but there's nothing new in conspiracy theorists/flat earthers/tree huggers/preppers. I found the attached in an auction catalogue recently. Enigmatically called Q and presumably dated 1970 given the 10p leaflet was published in that year. Is Qanon the latest incarnation of the league of nutters, or is it just that the letter Q has some magical quality for people of such mindsets that I haven't discovered yet? I blame it all on subversive behaviour by Russia and Trump.

No, I just added up the lower estimates from the featured items section on the website. These are all have over 10K for lower estimates and comprise only a few dozen items. Being simple numbers - no calculator required. What the estimates are for the other lots, I have no idea, but the number will be significant. I don't bother looking at the whole contents until the catalogue arrives.

Probably. Covid ensured they had a couple years to trial in house auctions without people attending, so they will have the figures to compare with the previous returns obtained when the sales were in the hotel. One can only assume the returns in the current buoyant climate persuaded them to continue with the in house sales. As it stands, there is no need to hire the hotel room for a few days, move all the lots from the office to the other venue together with about a dozen people involved in the sale who would also have to be put up in hotel accommodation for a couple nights. Whether it is sustainable in the future - who knows? Based on the lower estimates (£1.420m) for the featured lots listed as of 20 minutes ago, the commissions just on these few lots ought to give a good start for their sale income, assuming all find a buyer and the vendor isn't being too greedy. I would hazard a guess that the status quo will prevail until such time as income takes a hit, because any business is essentially a numbers game.

They just can't resist using performance enhancing substances.

???? Sorry, what's Vienna got to do with an F24?

That's an 1882H, no? The 6 has been reworked looking at the varied toning and the 3 looks to be a 2 with modifications.

I use Hiscox. Premiums for most insurers are about 0.5% of value insured and have been consistently so for quite a while. 10 years ago the premium was normally halved for being in a bank vault.

Not necessarily. I usually place my coins with the concave side down (if applicable). Otherwise I will store them obverse up, as people seem to be more forgiving of slight friction to the reverse than for the obverse, or if one side is already more obviously worn than the other, then I will put that side down. Date side up is probably coincidental with collecting a denomination, where the only obvious difference is the date (eg. bun head pennies) with the minute detail differences frequently requiring a glass. Been there, done that with halfpennies and shillings - which is partly why I decided to refocus in 2008.

Difficult not to if you believe in the freedom to believe in or display anything other than the characteristics of Erdogan and his ilk. I suppose you are allowed to be a Kurd as long as you don't profess to want your own homeland. Not too keen on his migration towards the religious elements either - religions are divergent in every respect expect for one and that is the unwavering belief that any other religion is profoundly wrong. So many peaceful existences sacrificed on the altar to the great God of Intolerance.

If a die was used until deemed unsuitable and if only the faulty die was exchanged, it stands to reason that more than one die will be known paired with a specific die. A good job really, as the pairings observed give useful information for the chronology, and in the case of a simple series can demonstrate the order of die use from start to finish.

Halfpenny 3 punch possibly if the small protrusion to the right of the upper section is related. My screen also shows a thin line continuing across the vertical level with the base of the top bar.

Yes, but the portcullis is double struck (at least). Use the translated strike and it is in the right place. The question is which bit refers to which impression - which is why I said 'I think'

That's all right. I think this is the same obverse die as the Cypher over Anchor I got from you. Different reverse though.

I have to say that I don't think we could have wished for more considering we took in someone with whom we have nothing in common for as long as it takes. She will have been here for 4 weeks this coming Friday. Language is a bit of an issue as it is proving difficult to find her work where there is minimal customer contact, but every day I hear a few more words used, so hopefully within a few months the communication problems will reduce. The first few weeks have been a bit labour intensive on my part carting her around to get the basics sorted such as signing on, registering with a doctor, taking her shopping, trying to teach basic English and write benefits logs and job applications etc, but that's part of the deal when there's no common language and will ultimately pay off when she is able to stand on her own feet comfortably. Frankly, the above post where someone claims they have spent a lot of money on the refugee is complete b******s. Additional costs for taking someone in - a gas safety certificate and some energy, set against which the host will get £350 a month paid in arrears for the first year. There's no obligation to feed them at your expense, though most would at least until cashflow is established. The host would be quids in if calculated on an honest basis, even if food was provided. How much does a set of house keys cost for God's sake?

And do they both use Davies groat obverse 1, or is one a later obverse (apparently from the threepences)?

I reckon so. It is the only way you can reconcile a third head (where the earliest known use is 1880) proof sixpence obverse paired with an 1839 reverse. The mint shut for refurbishment in 1882 when the old Soho presses were replaced, making this a possible terminal date for the sets, unless the die fixing mechanisms were compatible. I suspect they ran off a handful to order in this late period, the number of said sixpences extant giving a rough estimate of total sets produced. There was one in a Heritage or Goldberg(?) sale a few years back, but the sale date eludes me at present, so I would have to check the library. I vaguely recall it had the opposite die axis to the sets with the regular obverse sixpence, which leads me to think that the 1839/41 halfpenny in my possession may well be concurrent with this oddball sixpence as it also has an inverted die axis and is correspondingly rare, contrary to the regular 1839 or 1839/43 halfpennies. There is an 1839 proof groat with an inverted die axis, noted in ESC as being rarer than the regular en-medaille proof. Is this a third instance of a late strike? If so, the scored reverse would tie in well with the article I wrote in the BNJ about the inverted die axis 1841 halfpennies, where they had used the same worn reverse die. The condition didn't matter as the obverse was the die of interest. By extension, it is also possible there are trials extant of all the denominations if there had been a long period without any 1839 sets produced.

Perhaps it was nothing to do with an 1862 proof groat at all. Maybe they were trying out replacement obverse dies for the late run of 1839 sets.

I think I'll wait for a later version - which may well not be the 8th edition. Better still, just use my own database.

I had a not far off as struck gilt 1854PT which I sold to a forum member in 2006.

Bits missing from letters are usually filled dies, and much less often from a broken punch. In the case of the latter, the character would normally be repaired, e.g an 'F' with the bottom bar added separately to make an E.

The dies have had the fields polished to differing degrees. The greater the percentage of field visible, the more it has been polished, and the corresponding reduction in peripheral relief detail is clear.

Thanks for the suggestions folks. Google translate is where we ended up. It's far from perfect with quite a few hovercrafts, some self inflicted when the wife switches from English to German in mid-sentence, but also when you speak too fast, or maybe it can't cope with accents so well, as it produces garbage on occasion in both directions. But, it's workable, which is the main thing, and has comedy value to lighten the mood. Ah, the wonders of algorithms.

I reckon it would be outbursts of bad, probably manifested as war, which are overcome by good in whatever timescale, only to have recurring bad periods etc. until time runs out. Some leaders are naturally aggressive, greedy and incapable of resisting the temptation to take someone's land, resources, wealth, right to live etc as we see today. Good people can be 99% and the bad 1%, but it only takes one despot from the 1% to screw things up because of the destructive energy at their disposal. They always intend to be the last man standing in a fight.