1949threepence

Interesting, but I have my doubts that it will be worth very much more than face value, except as a curiosity. It's not an error as such ~ simply an accident with the metal. For reference I have a 2006 2p with a bubble on it.

OK, thanks guys. I've actually made a complaint direct to Royal Mail via their website. None of the pull off tabs have been removed from the main orange sticker, and I have quoted the tracking number. As the sticker should be on the board against which the recipient signs, this will be absolute hard proof that the procedure was not correctly adhered to. Hopefully they will give me some sort of explanation. As sure as eggs are eggs, there is no way they can wriggle out of it.

The people I've just gone with would charge about £42 for £7000 cover That's pretty reasonable for peace of mind, and only represents 0.6% of the total value, per annum. I shall have to look into it. Do they need an inventory/photographs, Gary ?

My coins aren't insured separately at all, and their value on paper approaches about £7k. My normal household insurance covers "valuables" (as coin collections are classified), up to £2000 only. I'm going to have to think about separate insurance. I don't want to store them in a bank vault, as I look to look at them now and again. Although I can understand Dave's motivation in doing so. Either that or find some suitable hiding place, where thieves are unlikely to look.

Yet the other R's seem OK. What's the significance of the R in Edwardvs, that doesn't occur in the rest ? Why does this mark it as a fraud ?

Nice one, Gary. GVF, with some traces of lustre ? Very nice coin. How did you come by it, and what did it cost, if that's not an impertinent question ? (forgive me if you've already answered this in another thread)

Hi Richard, If he was talking about 2008 specifically, he may be referring to a limited run of 20 pence pieces, which although they featured the Queen's head, had no date on them. Maybe something was lost in the translation. Many of these 20p's, thought to number anywhere between about 120,000 and 250,000, have changed hands for ridiculously high amounts of money. I cannot think of any coins which actually lack an image of the Queen's head on them.

Welcome David ~ good to see you. As Peckris says there are a number of penny fans and collectors on here, including me and him. The magic of coins is that your interest can be rekindled after as long as even 40 years, and that collection you put aside all those years ago, will be exactly the same as you last saw them in 1969, or whenever.

No bids for it yet, I notice. Judging by the condition, which isn't too worn, I'd say it had to be either 1928 or 1929. I wonder if it is a genuine anomaly, or if the last digit has been gouged off somehow ? Trouble is you probably wouldn't be able to tell until the coin was in your hand, and it isn't worth the risk. It's suspicious that he added a picture of the obverse for a short time, then removed it again. If you right click and "save picture as", which should be available on IE7, for example, you can place it in your "my pictures" folder, and then upload as an attachment to here, as I have done with the one above, which should give you a mild chuckle if you also look at this link where it is described as "almost mint" lol I've not seen any where this is denied. Maybe it restricts the options on extra pics, for whatever reason.

No doubt in my mind that it would fetch in excess of any catalogued amount. 5,000 quid or more, perhaps? Quite possibly would, actually. At any rate, at least £3k. I'm not even sure one exists at that standard ? The Coin Year Book has it at significantly lower in value than a 1919KN in the top 2 grades. I feel that is nonsense - I've never even seen one and I believe Colin Cooke once said (about 10 years ago) that if someone found a roll of 100 BU 1926ME pennies, he would still pay £2000 a piece for all 100. It would be a very sound investment, as well. What a find that would be

No doubt in my mind that it would fetch in excess of any catalogued amount. 5,000 quid or more, perhaps? Quite possibly would, actually. At any rate, at least £3k. I'm not even sure one exists at that standard ?

I think that assessment may well be right. Obviously to a UK collector, such an error is sacrilege. The intrinsic value and uniqueness of a 1926ME is so ingrained on our consciousness. It's probably one of the first things we learned about when we started collecting as young kids (was me, anyway). But as you say, to them, mostly dealing in US coins, and for very high stakes, it probably doesn't mean a great deal. Hence the reason our e mails have been ignored. Still pretty bad, nonetheless. If they can make a mistake like this, they can make others. Doesn't inspire confidence. That's a blessing

I don't know. It beggars belief when you think about it. Highly unprofessional......no, it's just basic incompetence actually. For an apparently reputable auction house, that is unforgiveable. Especially as RLC35 has advised them, hopefully pointing out the technical differences.

FWIW, I pretty much agree with most of what has already been said. I'm very lukewarm to the idea of trying to grade coins to an exact numbering system, as I don't believe the grading of coins is that exact a science. One man's 80, might be another man's 82. Surely it is too subjective to lend itself to such precision. I do agree that the use of plus and minus in describing the grades such as EF are a useful addition for description purposes. But when buying, the greatest gift of all is to actually be able to see the coin, either on the screen, or even better, in the metal (as opposed to in the flesh )

Yeah well, I bid, but failed The winning bid was £40.00. Nice capture for the winner.

You're right ~ it's definitely not ME. I've checked against my (fair to fine -) 1926ME, and the details you mention check out (apart from the BM initials which I can't read on mine). But certainly the colon after the GRA does almost touch the A, which it doesn't in a non ME specimen. There's also that difference with the hair, which makes a ME hit you in the eye as soon as you see it. An unmistakeable look, which that coin hasn't got. Looks like some unsuspecting punter is going to get ripped off big time

Well it's not so far-fetched - when you consider that the total value of coins in circulation represent, year-on-year, an ever-shrinking portion of the money supply, then it really is a matter of decreasing priority. Today's £10 note probably equates to a 1930s halfcrown in real terms. As for commemoratives, I recently bought (via eBay) a 'fantasy' proof penny of 1798, which featured the Kuchler George III obverse, and a Britannia reverse closely based on the pattern pieces of the Boulton era, minted on a heavy dark bronze flan. I don't usually go for those fantasy pieces, but I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it. They can do some things right, it seems. Just checked on a historic inflation calculator. In 1930, 2/6d, equated to £5.83 today. So a halfcrown then was worth considerably more than twice a £2.00 coin is today. How long before the first £5.00 coin ? You certainly can't seem to get a new £5.00 note for love nor money these days (no pun intended)

Not as late as 1935, I've not either.

I believe its something to do with the salts in the sweat. I tried an experiment on a 2p piece from a specimen set, and planted a nice big thumbprint on it, it took about 6 months for it to remove the lustre, so the bad thing is if the dealer handles your nice BU coin incorrectly, it could be 6 months before you find out!! Thanks, Colin.

It is noticeable in the early to mid 1920's ones, but as others have said, does occur outside these dates. Presumably due to the mixture of alloys used, and the subsequent effect of the environment on individual coins. I think some call it "marbling", don't they. While we're on this suibject, does anybody know how an individual fingerprint gets embedded as a permanent feature on a coin ? I've seen it often, and wondered why.

I received a 2009 1p the other day, and it was already in a crap state with a stain on both sides.

I hope not, and I'm going to take a chance on it. If I win I'll let you know whether it lived up to its photo. Yes, as Peckris says, the seller of the better 1912H is mog461, not d-uk-e. Those coins are heavily overgraded. Barely VF, IMO.

That's a rather nice EF example - good luck with it. But I just had a look though morgan9red's listings, and I don't see either 1912H there. Weird. No, you're right. It was my error. The actual coin is here. The seller is d-uk-e. Don't know why I thought it was morgan9red. I did see his name, but it must have been another coin. I don't like that Unc example, not at that price. There's slight rubbing on both sides (A.Unc) and the lustre is patchy and uneven. For £299 I would be wanting a BU Gem. To be honest, in your position I would rather bid on other penny, which has a much more even and pleasing appearance (in my opinion.) It looks GEF to my eye. Those were my thoughts exactly, Peckris. Book price (Coin Yearbook 2009) suggests £150 for an uncirculated example. Even allowing for increased prices, £299 seems breathtakingly overpriced for an item that clearly isn't anywhere near BU, and whose obverse looks slightly stained and pitted, admittedly under magnification. The first example is just shy of UNC, and is pleasing to look at.

That's a rather nice EF example - good luck with it. But I just had a look though morgan9red's listings, and I don't see either 1912H there. Weird. No, you're right. It was my error. The actual coin is here. The seller is d-uk-e. Don't know why I thought it was morgan9red. I did see his name, but it must have been another coin.

Just been looking through all the pennies on ebay, and after scrolling through quite a bit of dross, as well as some decent condition coins, I noticed that "H" pennies outnumber "KN" pennies in any condition, by about 5:1. It has to be said that the vast majority are well worn, but I did come across this nice example which I might bid on myself. There's another almost UNC one further on, as a buy it now for £299. The seller: Morgan9red. Mentioned before on here, I believe.