1949threepence

F98 is the narrow date 1879, Jon. Freeman 98 (not mine I hasten to add !!!)

Three friend share a meal in a restaurant and split the bill. The waiter charges them £30, so they pay £10 each. However, the waiter comes back afterwards and says he has overcharged them and the bill should have been £25. Of the £5 they are owed, they agree to take £1 each and tip the waiter the remaining £2 to thank him for his honesty. They have now each paid £9 for the meal. But: three nines are £27, plus the £2 which the waiter got is £29. Where did the extra pound go? Remember, the absolute sum is unalterable at £30.00. That is hard fact.

It's a logical impossibility, Pete. The true cost of the meal, as you say, is £27.00 (£25.00 + the £2.00 they give to the waiter as a tip) therefore 27/3 = £9.00. That leaves £3.00 from the original £30.00, of which they all got £1.00 each. Total still £30.00 That's how it works out in reality.

By the way, there was no "solution" with this. I suppose it's just left to resolve via logical application.

You'd think on the law of averages that a few more would have come to light since then. But maybe they were all - or nearly all - melted down at the time of withdrawal.

Very neat find.

Yeah, totally different sellers, I note.

It wasn't. The winning bid was £122 - link Absolute blatant fake.

Maybe the photography detracts slightly on that one @Madness - perhaps a bit too much light on the obverse? Based on screen appearance I'd say VF on both sides.

Very true, Pete. But the point I was making, perhaps not in a totally clear way, is that some coins are relatively common at grades below VF, but exceedingly scarce at EF and above. Typical examples would be F48/49, as well as the ones above that you mention. As far as the F90, there don't seem to be any high grade specimens - all fine or below.

Looks very useful.

How often do you see those two specific examples in high grade though? That's where the true extreme rarity applies. Rare even in fine.

Excellent points, Pete. I certainly had no idea that three new narrow date 1877's had been found this year. I know one is for sale at the September LCA - no idea whether it's on Richard's rare penny website or not. Will have to take a look. edit: Yes it is. Just recently loaded by the looks. That brings the total known number to 10 on his website. Are there any more, or has Richard netted the lot?

Yes, them too ! I'm also getting used to the reactions, Jerry. Easy to pick the wrong one.

The beauty of this variety is that it is so easily recognisable to the naked eye. I wonder how many are extant, and why it was never spotted before. I'd hazard a guess at <25. Like you, I check every 1862 for one of four things, F38, F39A, F41 and VIGTORIA. You just never know when one will crop up, as indeed it has for our guest.

Good find - although it is actually an embedded object in the link I posted, under Index of BNJ contents 1903-2010 or as a PDF.

I remember it well, Peck. Can't locate the thread, but have found the link to the BNJ archive resource - it's the same link. I distinctly remember the page layout. Can be seen here Hope you find it useful @Madness

Indeed, that's a really nice coin, Bob. The 1932 posted by Paddy is nowhere near EF+ as described by the seller. more like GF/NVF.

Good luck with that one !!! ...and if you do, it's a fair bet their comprehension skills will be next to zero...

It's a pity you can't negotiate a different courier with them, but I guess Fedex have a contract with them for all deliveries.

Yes indeed - thanks Pete. A nice 1877 narrow date penny, but beyond my price range at the moment. Nothing else much of interest.

It's a great book, and very useful - although as stated above, many new discoveries have been made since the last update, so you have to factor that in. But with that said, it's just about the most comprehensive work on offer, I'd say. A very big heavy book, as might be imagined. Of course the photographic plates are not of the standard we would expect today, but the written text is superb. My advice for what it's worth - buy it !!! Don't know what the cost is on e bay Australia, but generally they're not cheap. I got mine for £50 at an auction in 2016 (1964 print)

David - to the best of my knowledge, literally all 1876 pennies were minted by Heatons. So Gouby is probably right when he says die fill for those which appear to be no H.

No, I don't think you are missing anything. Nice coin with, as you say, negligible wear to the very highest surfaces only. The coin has that unmistakeable crispness which pertains to EF level. A straight EF from me too.

When you then click on "see details" at the side of that, it reads as follows:- So in the one breath they say "shipping to United States, Canada, United Kingdom", and in the next "This item does not ship to United Kingdom". I know customer services in major concerns are bizarre to say the least these days, but that direct contradiction takes it to a new level. Obviously Gary would accept payment from the UK, and just post the item regardless, off his own bat, as he holds the coin.