Rob

Things are not normal as far as the PO is concerned as for some reason they continue to be in panic mode. A lot of things are not documented on track and trace at present, which is not altogether too surprising given they aren't asking for a signature on delivery. Although this is an internal shipment, there is no clear pattern as to how they are providing their service. I have had several items take an eternity where track and trace just said received at the post office, but then the next day something arrives quicker than the last half dozen shipments. When people ask me when it can be expected to arrive, I usually say any time in the next few weeks. For all the delayed items, nothing has gone missing with Royal Mail in recent times because even when you think something is lost it has turned up eventually. At the end of the day, it is insured, so nobody loses out.

They don't always enter the transfers in a timely manner, though have to say that Special Delivery has been the only part of the postal service that has functioned reasonably normally. I've had everything from a second class to somewhere south of John O' Groats taking one day, to a tracked to Liverpool taking 3 weeks. It is a genuine lottery. If it has unintentionally gone astray then it could go anywhere, including worldwide which might take a week or two to appear (from wherever) on the tracking. If it entered the international chain it is safe to say it will take a minimum of a couple weeks to reappear as most of my tracked international shipments have taken 2 weeks to be registered as leaving the country. Even though it went Special Delivery, I wouldn't panic yet.

Yeh. Get a grip on it and put it back in its place.

The date of Mr T's post is a bit of a giveaway too.

The point I'm making is that you can't dismiss things based on a single coin at what appears to be a highly inflated price. You have to look at all of them. By ignoring everything that is above whatever you consider a good price will inevitably mean you miss things that are not mis-priced. Which at some point must include things you might otherwise buy. If it is on eBay, then every BIN has to be 15% over what it would otherwise cost just to cover fees, so by the above argument, no BIN should be considered. At the end of the day, all that appears cheap may or may not be a bargain, and all that appears expensive may or may not be overpriced.

Dismissing the others could be false economy. They might be trying to rip people off, or I suspect in many instances particularly on ebay, they haven't got a clue. A bit like those in the £600 for a Churchill crown thread. You've got to check for mistakes. What would you do if a listing as a bog standard coin was 10x market value, but the coin in question was an unattributed variety of that basic item usually selling for 10x that of the normal one? Would you cut off your nose to spite your face? I paid £100 for this (unattributed) one in 2007 having sold an aEF of the same variety for £400. I would have happily paid £500 for it given the one now slabbed MS65, but raw at the time, sold for £600+ hammer in 2003.

Proof of what? Make your own mind up on that one.

I don't get it. Why would anyone list anything at many multiples of market value? I know hope springs eternal in some eyes that someone will be stupid enough to pay way over the odds, but to me, the only message it conveys is a that of a vendor who has a grossly inflated view of its value, who wouldn't accept a sensible offer even if you made one. i.e. Don't waste your time and move on. It's bizarre.

Both will do. I don't know the answer, so 'a couple, generations back' will presumably apply at some point even if they were cold blooded and had feathers. A couple of generations back is less certain, but possible.

Ask him. John was an only child and never married, so it would have to be a couple generations back.

It is an option, but my table here is covered in things that were put aside so they didn't go in the scrap. Many have been there a long time.......

Possibly, but given there are roughly 60 common years starting with the veiled heads, that's between 30 & 40 per year assuming even distribution. In that context, 8 is a very big number. I would say disproportionately large. Even splitting the difference says not that rare.

They were only fair, but still unambiguous as the variety. The point is you can only do so much. If the variety description doesn't do anything for people, then there's not a lot you can do. Many people start their collecting buying from eBay, so it is reasonable to assume they will look there for specifics. I'm not sure 175s and 176s are that rare given there were 8 in a 30kg pile which had a high number of G6s. They came from a farmer's family (not a collector) where the old man had put aside a disproportionate number of 1945 and 1946s for some reason, so effectively 8 in 15-20kg . 8 in say 2000 seems quite a lot for a rarity when you consider the number of much commoner dates present as well. I've had a few in previous accumulations as well which must come to at least a couple of dozen combined since 2006, but they've raised maybe £20 in that time. I've picked up more change from the pavement going round the corner to the newsagents in the same period. The website is on borrowed time due to insufficient eyeballs, a lack of coins to buy and list and my inability to configure it in order to achieve specific results.

Once you get over a handful of known examples I think the demand is more important than numbers available. Open 3s, 1926MEs or F164As might sell as you point out, but there is virtually zero interest in things like F175 & F176 unless they are in better grade. i.e. the number of serious variety collectors might be more limited than you think. I've tried listing a few low grade items of the latter two over the past couple of years with limited interest. They have always had to relist a few times before selling for opening bid. I sold one a few months ago, but given that had been relisted a few times threw the rest in the scrap pile and they went to the great pot in the sky once lockdown was lifted. The numbers were 4 175s and 2 176s melted. I might have a couple more that were recently acquired in a bag of pennies, but won't be busting a gut to seek them out. When you get a couple quid at most after costs, it ain't worth it. Just as when Pete got his 1890 penny the other day from me. That had gone round a few times as well - advertised as the variety, but b****r all interest. I recognise that the number of daily visitors to my website is insufficient to provide too many sales, so wouldn't list them there in any case unless higher grade, but when ebay with it's worldwide reach and seemingly limitless numbers of un-discerning collectors also fails to inspire, then it's worth questioning the breadth of interest in much other than a decent example of all dates. Just an observation.

Thanks.

There's a helicopter somewhere in Shogun

What does Gouby miss off the list of things to look for on obv. M because based on retouched incuse lines, I'm on a hiding to nothing when detail is the one thing that's missing?

Inverted 2? Picture? Never heard of it. How is that one explained? At that level of divergence from the norm, wavy or not is irrelevant.

Is that not just a chipped die?

Appositely titled which ever way you look at it. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-53574164

Not everyone is on facebook. What was in it?

? 'it's a real bargain greater than not'? Shurely shome mishtake.

Best is to compare with another florin of known composition.

Hmm. 10% going to Myeloma - something close to his heart. (90% going to his wallet - infinitely closer ). Could do with someone in Henley on Thames to pop round and have a word.

Collection sold at Spink 15/10/1990 (79) and 14/10/1991 (88). Sorry, can't expand on the info required as I don't have either catalogue here any more.