Rob

If anyone requires an assessment of grade when they come straight from the mint, it suggests that the prospective purchaser assumes are despatched from Llantrisant as grapeshot. I fail to see why anyone wants to slab a currrent output coin that comes in a sealed packet from the mint. This really is the epitome of a marketing triumph and the TPGs must be laughing all the way to the bank. I would also question how much attention the graders pay to the coin in any grade assigned apart from MS70, because just about all should be pretty much perfect, as struck. i.e. a no-comeback MS69. Ker-ching, ker-ching, ker-ching etc

The colour of restrikes is so variable that anything describing them is a typical indication only. As for the pricing, the point I am making is that they are certainly one of the commonest, if not the commonest. A comparable one would be the P1260 which is equally common. In the last two or three years, G3 proofs have taken an upward turn in prices realised. In this case, Spink is reflecting the market and the prices paid. I don't think the typical buyer is aware of the relative rarities of the varieties, and even if they appreciate there are differences they are still likely to use Peck rarities instead of Mick Martin's survey. Personally, I would look to pay 60-70% of the 1806 proof halfpenny price listed in Spink for both this and the 1806, but the market doesn't seem able to take on board availability and so is often seen to be behaving in sheep mode. What is unquestionable is that if someone paid 950 for one of these, a visit to see a man in a white coat is probably in order. The cost of said visit is a couple hundred thousand. I am the proud owner of a white coat if anyone wants a consultation.

P1309 is a Taylor restrike and probably the most common restrike available. It is certainly on a par with the commonest of the Soho proofs, so a guide would be as for the 1806 halfpenny, which stands at £500-£600 in the new Spink catalogue.

All gone.

I have a couple of Norweb 1 & 2s (Spink sales 45 & 48) for sale. If anyone is looking for either or both, please PM me. Thanks.

What have the French done to upset you? Blockaded Calais once too often? The shops closed 5 minutes early in Grenoble today --------- BLOCKADE CALAIS!! A dog had a wee on a Parisian pavement -------- BLOCKADE CALAIS!! An Englishman spoke to me -------- zut alors, BLOCKADE CALAIS!! It's a bit like a case of Pavlov's frogs. Apologies if we have any French members who might take offence.

You also have to beware of those varieties that Peck didn't know about. Missing bronzed and copper varieties are not unknown, just as strikes are now known in metals other than those listed.

Part one has a few hammered pennies and one milled - Freeman 34. Part 2 has a load of pennies.

Taylor's bronzing was a bit haphazard. In addition to the P1053 shown above, the difficulties he experienced in quality control are amply demonstrated by the P1161 shown below. Even when it went better, the quality was still not as consistent as that of the Soho pieces with residual speckling. See nude Britannia (image 2). Occasionally it went completely to pot, such that a P1309 which I previously thought to be a copper variety, I now think is one where the mottling is due to faulty bronzing. That despite the total lack of bronzing colour.

I concur. The bronzed proof halfpenny P1234 is one that is a consistent colour (and relatively dark chocolate-like). See the last image for this, with apologies for the small image due to the 150Kb limit. Pre 1799 soho bronzing was consistently lighter in colour than the 1799 series, which in turn is consistently darker than the bronzed 1805 or 1806 Soho coins. The stain ring seen on the raised rim of the P1153 is a consistent feature of this variety and I assume that it is a by-product of the bronzing process.

It is a surface treatment. I don't know the full ins and outs of it, but the agent is applied as a powder(?). Taylor produced pieces with variable results. This very late striking of a P1053 (restrike bronzed pattern 1/2d) shows not very good bronzing, even by Taylor's standards, but a lot of blocking of the incuse detail with a red powder. Taylor's bronzing is quite a light colour,as has been mentioned before.

One pair gone, one pair left.

Agreed! I'd have been very disappointed if this had been my listing 200997037973 ! Even though the reverse is a little messy, it's still a lesser of the E1 denominations, and in a very collectable grade! I've bought it for someone who wants a wall 'mounted' denomination set...I think this'll do nicely! Edit: re post...very tricky, as some people will be sucked in by 'free' postage, and others won't care about £15, providing the coin's £15 less than they're prepared to pay! That's the point. By expecting either free postage or bidding to a P&P inclusive overall price, they are effectively losing sight of the fact that postage has a cost. Not only that, you also have to consider ebay fees, which when added together can come to some 20% of the total. If you want to rely on the convenience of eBay, it shouldn't be unreasonable to expect to pay 10-20% more than you need to unless you are prepared to do a bit of spadework. If I was listing a BIN, it would need to be priced at what I want for the coin plus total costs. If I wanted to be greedy, then I would list at the above plus a variable percentage. eBay covers several reasons for selling. If it is to act as an arm of an existing business, then it should be cost plus, if it is being used as a means of selling off unwanted items whereby you raise what you can, then there is a greater acceptance by the seller to absorb the overheads. Too many ebay buyers look on it as an outlet for sales to be 'disposing at any cost' only. They couldn't be further from the truth. Cross-subsidies invariably distort a market, whether physical, theoretical or imagined.

Postage is a difficult one. Given the cost of signed for postage is an effective minimum £1.79 plus the cost of a jiffy bag, it seems unreasonable to expect to pay less than £2.50 to £3 P&P. That is without adding a bit on to cover your eBay fees. Anything requiring Special Delivery has to be up at the £8 mark unless the seller absorbs the costs, but then you would have to question the wisdom of selling anything on eBay at the moment. If the seller is VAT registered, they have to add VAT onto the carriage charges whether it goes by Royal Mail or not. The post office charges are zero rated, but that doesn't apply to normal businesses. When you see postage charges of a pound or even less, you do wonder what shipment method and container will be used. We all like a bargain with minimal expenditure for maximum return, but I think many people on eBay lose a sense of perspective when it comes to pricing and costs.

£13.55 for a coin with a legal face value of £20! Now that's good business... for the buyer. Methinks 'motodude' drives a Reliant Robin and does shady deals on London estates. Nobody can lose so much that easily without being a real plonker.

I think it's a restrike R56. The top berry looks double cut to me and the ship type is correct for the restrike. The number of dots on the rock is more than one. The wear on the breast may be illusory. As many of the dies were rusted when Taylor obtained them, he engaged in varying degrees of polishing. Without looking at a few images of other R56s, I wouldn't like to say how much wear is seen.

I take it you're a Euroseptic then, Rob? Europe is septic. I personally, am a eurosceptic.

A collector…. it's out there. I concur. I could do with an image of the reverse, given it isn't illustrated in Peck.

Copper and bronze or copper and bronzed? There is a huge difference. Sorry, I meant 'bronzed'! Line up half a dozen of each and you will probably find 4 definite coppers, 4 definite bronzeds and 4 definite maybes. Rule of thumb is that bronzed pieces will have a very consistent tone which is much smoother than coppers. The colour can also be useful in determining which is which. In the case of restrikes, Taylor used a particular colour of bronzing which makes life a lot easier. Soho bronzing is darker.

Copper and bronze or copper and bronzed? There is a huge difference.

Could have said Euronation. Now that would be worrying.

Misprunt. Go to the bottom of the class.

Hmm. Not sure here. As the average life expectancy increases, this should also delay the demise of those who are below the mean. Unless all the increase is taken up by those who are already healthy but live longer due to advances in medicine, the same advances must also affect the bottom end of the distribution curve. The average life expectancy over the last generation has increased by at least half that number of years, so a 5 year increase in the retirement age shouldn't result in more people dying in employment. Given the acknowledged difference between the life expectancies of those at opposite ends of the social spectrum, it is more likely that those dying younger will be unemployed in the years leading up to the age of 70 - so probably irrelevant to insurance companies paying out for those dying whilst in companies' employment.

Part of the problem here is that too many things are identified as errors when they quite patently are not. Call it misattribution overload.

A photo might have been less expensive.