Rob

Err yes that as well... I think that the sexual trend in the younger generation ( so I am told !) is for there not to be much or any hair around the bits!! That requires a genetic mutation. Blame it on E numbers.

1935 proof halfpennies are equally evasive. I notice that Peck listed both penny and halfpenny at Baldwin's, though there wasn't an example when they cleaned out the basement 5 or 6 years ago. I bought my halfpenny in London Coins March 2006 sale, but there wasn't a penny to complement it. Interestingly graded in that sale as nFDC as in reality it's brilliant and virtually as struck. It's also noteworthy that Norweb had neither denomination of this date, because she had most other years.

I think the size of bedroom is irrelevant. The bedroom is where all the naughty people go.

It's a sixpence, but unless you can read the date or identify the mark that's it. On the assumption the last datal figure is a 6, the mark for 1566 would be either a lion or a portcullis, 1576 an eglantine (5 petal flower), 1586 is a scallop and 1596 a key. Disregard the last one as the obverse is clearly not a key, as rubbed as it is. I'd say it is probably a portcullis from what I can see.

The variations seen in flan weight would be too great to determine the composition. A few years back we had a thread on farthing weights and the variation was 2.69g to 2.93g if I remember rightly. Certainly 2.6 something and 2.9 something. Leaving aside the 10% variation in flan weights, the densities of brass and bronze would be roughly the same anyway because zinc and tin have roughly the same densities. You would need to carry out an XRF analysis. A visual assessment of the material based on colour would be more informative than a weight.

I've added my hand shilling reverse for comparison. Hand tends to be quite a large mark relative to others.

My initial response would be yes based on the small lumps seen on the left side of the tun, but this would require the underlying mark to be unusually small. My hand marked shilling has the mark fully half the width of the shield top bar in the second quadrant. Yours would be barely a third of the width, so unless it is a punch from a smaller denomination I would say no. I don't have a shilling of either mark from this reverse die.

A bit late. Happy birthday, or if it's closer, for the next one.

Difficult question. The guinea was originally issued at 20s, but fluctuated over the years up to 30s before eventually being fixed at 21s. As they were replaced with the sovereign in the recoinage of 1816, it isn't clear if they were demonetised or not. Presumably a full weight example was still worth 21s, but if actually demonetised, then it had no fixed value and so the answer is an irrational number because the two denominations were never circulating concurrently.

I'm not sure why there are upper and lower case Ys and I'm not convinced about . The dies appear to have been cut in London and shipped out to wherever they were needed, hence the unusual overcut mint ids such as Y over E or E over N for example. Nobody really thinks the dies travelled the length of the country when there were closer mints that could have supplied a die in an emergency. The overcut marks were probably to solve the problem of no useable dies at the various locations. Mr. P. You are a practical man. It's imperative that city come second as this is clearly using the right tool for the job. You cannot change decades old habits at the drop of a hat. They need to come second to reassure themselves that they are still up to the task.

:D :D :D :D :D :D On a more serious note, send me a list of what you have with grades and for how much and I'll see what I can do. An excel file would be ok.

Below the Irish society (the one which doesn't have a link)

I did say small collection Rob.........My only KN, and am sure its not up to what you're looking for.. Correct I do have a 1940 BU Single Extregue Line Bugger. If it had been a single exergue line I might have been interested.

Any Lavrillier - uniface or double sided would do; a Minton - any date or metal and a KN would finish my modern pennies off.

Thanks for the link Rob. However it seems that the nearest club from me is Birmingham which is still a good hour plus away. Nottingham?

Mmmm I’ve often asked myself that question – especially when you lot seem to want to talk about vintage cars, pies and topless teenage girls… I had been reading the forum for a while before posting and as I have said before was impressed by the knowledge and expertise of fellow members and moreover the friendliness and willingness to answer questions. It was aZda who said he hoped that I would post again sometime, so I thought why not. I have also mentioned before that it is easy for me to keep up with the forum as I am sat at my computer / tablet most of the time with my work. I also think its great that there are contributions from members all round the world. Coin collecting has got a bit of a nerdy reputation and I don’t know any others that collect coins male or female outside this forum. I must say that with now concentrating on collecting engraved coins and love tokens that I have probably opted for the most “romantic and girly†side of coin collecting, but I’m still enjoying myself and I have to say that more so for being part of this online community. You could try joining a numismatic society. There's one not too far away from you. BANS website

Mine did and I have to say that life was far from antisocial. Daily comparing of notes and sharing libraries made for a very sociable existence. Lots of head ups and two brains are always better than one.

The listing for S3351 I would have taken to mean as the coin exists with both die axis inverted and upright, though the slightly leaning arrows may indicate a slight misalignment. It would however be a first for Spink.

I don't think coin collectors are antisocial as such, just that the very act of collecting doesn't require a great deal of input from others. As has been said before, if you know of a no-brainer bargain you aren't going to shout it from the rooftops. Solipsists rule, OK - or at least in my world I do.

The only way to get the attribution right is to stock up on literature. Not the generic lists such as Spink or CMV etc, but rather get copies of North, Withers, Wren, past issues of the BNJ with relevant articles etc. You can look at coins and fragments all day long, but ultimately are relying on the research of the past to identify the nuances of each coinage. The only short cut to bypass this course is to ask someone who knows, but they have already done the spadework that you are trying to fast track.

I wonder. On the currency pieces (1967), the wide rim came later - in 1968 - so I'd expect something similar on the 1970s. On the other hand, it may be that left-over currency wide rim dies were polished up for use in the 1970 sets, which didn't get produced until a few years after 1970. The London Mint was responsible for both, so who knows? I concur up to a point. If the narrow rim was an emergency use of an old obverse die, then these would be the last issued. The only one I've never had is the 3+K. If the above is true, then K should be the earlier die for 1970.

That one doesn't work. Pierre is masculine, so the final t isn't pronounced. Pity really. Anyway, I wasn't aware that Peter Green was so inclined. B****y good musician though.

The VF market has to encompass the bulk of collector interest because there simply isn't enough EF or better material to go around once you go back to the 18th or 19th century or before. The down side of this collector base is that they also have less disposable income to spend and are the first to batten down the hatches when the economic tea leaves are unfavourable. That is why it is always the middle markets that suffer first and most. I can definitely see this happening with the VF's as this is where my concerning thoughts have been of late, and as you say the middle markets suffer first and most, but I have decided to stay positive in my thoughts and say this 'mid' market although maybe taking the bulk hit first should be the steady 'ship' in the long term. When the top end starts to sink then what ship are the 'new' collectors going to jump to!? I feel quite happy with this positive way of thinking! I won't be reading any more posts....just in case I can only speak for myself, but it will probably mean more coins bought as the overpriced items become more sensible. It might also mean the scarce choice VF pieces come back to earth. There have been more than a handful of VF-gVF hammered items that have gone for EF prices of late.

The VF market has to encompass the bulk of collector interest because there simply isn't enough EF or better material to go around once you go back to the 18th or 19th century or before. The down side of this collector base is that they also have less disposable income to spend and are the first to batten down the hatches when the economic tea leaves are unfavourable. That is why it is always the middle markets that suffer first and most.

Buy fewer coins, but don't drop your standards. They might cost more at the moment, but somewhere in the future prices will stabilise or drop back. It has always happened and always will in the future. Over the long term, some you will pay too much for and some will be a bargain in retrospect. If you are in it for a hobby, things will even out eventually. I have bought fewer coins because I feel some of them are going to silly levels. Interestingly, I found out that I spent less last year than in any other since 2003. Part of this must be that as time progresses you have fewer gaps to fill, but there have been many occasions where I've said I'm not paying that much however desperately I would like it. It doesn't stop me spending on something where I am unlikely to see another anytime soon though.