Rob

If you only get paid in full once the item is delivered, and as there is no compulsion for the recipient to say it has arrived, then you aren't going to get paid for many small value items that only need a second class stamp where it isn't worth getting tracking. Would ebay even consider feedback as proof the item was delivered? Adding a couple quid to cover tracking on something worth a fiver or less isn't likely to generate many (any?) sales. This looks like it's how ebay are going to substitute the lost income they gave up by abolishing FVFs. Alternatively, you can just add on 4% plus 75p to the price of every listing to cover lack of delivery confirmation for items of sufficient value to need tracking. I can feel a large 'I can't be arsed' reaction coming on. Just keep things simple and life works ok.

In the 1951 Abbott sale it was mostly ancients with some British gold and a handful of silver. The coins were noted on the catalogue as being consigned by a family member, but I don't know the relationship. He was Australian, so it's more likely that his English silver was the Abbott 'Australian' collection acquired by Spink in 1951 according to the appendix in Manville and Robertson. But that raises the issue of Lockett dying in 1950, which is obviously earlier than 51. Doing a bit of digging, it appears that he was born in 1867 and died in Sydney on 7/11/1942, so it appears that Lockett was offered coins from the collection after his death and prior to the sale to Spink in 1951. FWIW, the coin in question was the last coin in lot 163 (6) of Clonterbrook and one of 17 in Lockett II lot 2023, but no previous ownerships noted of any in the lot. That isn't very helpful I'm afraid.

What coins are you looking for? Abbott was probably George Abbott, Glens 10/10/1951 as a Mrs A M Abbott had just a single lot in Sotheby's sale 23/7/1945. All the other Abbotts are in the 19th century. Clonterbrook was the Lockett family trust, with the sale being 7/6/1974.

I presume the irony was lost. Pot calling the kettle black

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

It could be either, depending on whether they inserted the wrong letter initially, or reinforced just a small section of a blocked letter using a punch big enough to cover the defective area. You also have to consider the ability to sink a correction deep enough on the die if it had been hardened previously and the degree to which it had been softened in order to sink the new punch. The truth is, we don't know the circumstances and can only speculate. There is however, strong circumstantial evidence on occasion to suggest insufficient depth of strike for the correction or change of date. The above may well be a case of this, but equally could be a repair to the upright of the B, as in this instance the use of E, F, I or L would all broadly follow the shape of the B.

He certainly bought some lots in the sale, from 5 guineas down to Elizabeth fractional silver in part 3 for example, but don't know who for assuming they were commission bids. The diversity of lots won suggests they were for various people. Unfortunately my copy of Montagu 3 isn't fully named, so don't know the total lots bought. He bought loads in part 5.

Thanks Paul. Chingford communicated the same.

Any ideas what it is? It can't be rare as it's the second one I've had. About 16mm diameter. Ta.

Ah. Got it. Haven't done any provenance work on them as I wasn't looking for one.

Cancel that. Just realised it wasn't ex CA. Give us a clue

The 1837 was Colin Adams' coin. It was the only penny Geoff bought in that sale.

It wasn't bought in hope as it's part of a large collection I bought recently, just that the toning is the right shape and size for a filled and repurposed die. On the assumption that number 1 must have existed at some time, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that the die was filled and used for currency pieces. The only reason I posted is because there is a slight disturbance at that point. When dies are filled, the surface is never completely flat, hence an open mind is useful. Unfortunately I no longer have ready access to an electron microscope.

Amongst other thing, I bought this in the recent Baldwin's token sale - 1789 St. Paul's Thanksgiving Service commemorative halfpenny. D&H lists this in copper and brass, though this piece was clearly gilt before striking, as metal flow has partially exposed the underlying copper in the shadow of the lettering. Anyone have, or know of, a brass example to compare? I've still got the copper piece listed if another example was needed for comparison. Ta.

Tantalising. Was it or wasn't it? There's a disturbance in the field in the correct position.

Harvey Schulman envelope. A Manchester dealer in the latter half of the 20th century.

William Longman. Collected tokens and these sold at Glendining 12/3/1958. Tickets used were Baldwin's stock tickets with the source of the coin on the bottom line and the date of acquisition in pencil on the rear.

https://www.arsclassicacoins.com/prices-realized/ 144 is the Roman and 145 the British

Yep. Current scrap price for decimal bronze is about 3x face. Money to be made for someone.

The last digit was entered manually, whereas the first three are on the master. That's why you get varying date widths usually on the 3rd & 4th (not related to narrow and wide dates which are completely different. I know the coppers had a die with just 18, because one reading that went through Baldwin's, but I think by the time of the bronze coinage, it was normally the first three. So in summary, the 0 was just entered too high initially.

Thanks Stuart. So basically minimal additions. What does the red dot mean? Interestingly, the first three listed were previously under his obverse 1 as 1a, 1b and unrecorded, but the first two in the earlier edition have the pellet in annulet on the centre of the reverse (S2385), unlike those paired with obverse 2 (S2426). In the case of 4-11, they are his 2a-h. I wonder why they have been grouped together? Better send Paul an email.

I think they could possibly be different punches. The top one has a bit of a double chin, but the bottom not. The eyelids look a bit different, the mouth a bit deeper on the top one and nostril more hooked on the bottom one, but whether it's down to depth of strike, I'm not sure.

I can buy that. It would explain the apparent displacement of the N(E). It would also explain the very thin line heading down to O flaw. I had discounted the N because of the well formed curve which seemed too horizontal for an N, the right leg which is leaning too far to the right at the top relative to the left leg and a small spur at the start of the thin line, all of which would be commensurate with a Lombardic E. Assuming an N, the tops of the two legs are inclined at 30 degrees to one another, but I guess a broken punch could deform into any random shape. The lump on the right I had assumed was just more of the poor surface. Thanks. Always good to have the perspective of multiple eyeballs.

Has anyone got the latest Withers book for this? It wasn't listed in the softback books. LONDON with an inverted G for the D and what appears to be an inverted lombardic E for the N. Whatever, N is the one thing it isn't. Unfortunately, the first N isn't clear. The O is also distinctive with a flaw emanating from the circle on both letters at 5 o'clock. This was out of Hosker Haynes sale a few days ago, and although not a thing of great beauty, it was too interesting to ignore.

VAT 10% will narrow down the date range a bit. Phone numbers changed from 01 to 071 & 081 in 1990ish? He was a regular buyer at auction based on the names noted against lots in catalogues. The middle one might be his. The number 41 (and 40) might be a case of the previous collector tying the tickets to a coin in their collection database. I have a 2x2 box full of tickets that don't fit the tray recesses, all neatly numbered with their numerical collection reference so they can be reconnected come the time for disposal.