Peckris

At the risk of a few Boooos from the gallery: I am actually in favour of slabbing. It has its faults, but I think is an improvement, or at least a move in the right direction, on the state of buying/ selling and collecting pre-slabbing, and which we still see in the unslabbed market on the likes of Ebay where, as numerous posts have observed, grades are routinely overstated. I'm also in favour of melting down a lot of the dross which we see again and again. Actually, slabs pre-date eBay. And the standard of buying & selling was a whole lot better pre-eBay (I agree 100% with your comments about the 'Bay). To take a case in point - the auction house Warwick & Warwick was a fine institution in the 90s when I bought from there, but from the comments made here, it seems to have gone downhill fast. You could argue that slabs give some protection from the worst excesses of eBay, but knowledge acquired by the coin-buying public would give just as much, and would preserve standards across the numismatic board.

What a shame - after all, it is a rare item.

Actually, I did see it. It was presented as the latest cutting-edge technology, but I remember a documentary on exactly this subject about 20 years ago! However, as Declan has noticed, it's a good case of "Eats Shoots and Leaves"

Remember also that NGC's EF, is the American EF which is equivalent to a bit more than the English "about good".

You couldn't get away with that in an English-speaking nation.. (I once was behind a van inscribed B&D CLEANERS - I decided I wouldn't be hiring them!!) I ordered a 69 and got beanshoots I don't know if is the same now because this was 10 years ago, but the Chinese near the Star & Garter at the top of the High St in Wigston, Leicester did it properly. Whilst discussing what we wanted, my friend said he fancied a 69. The menu informed us that was Shrimp & Mushrooms. You couldn't make it up if you tried. But you could if you fried!!

Happy (late) birthday John!

There website is there but I can't browse any catagories. Is that the problem you are seeing? "There was an error in your search criteria. Please click back button on your browser and resubmit." That's what I get each time I click a link.

I would certainly be interested in VF early milled halfpennies for my type collection : Charles II, James II, William and Mary, William III, George I, especially. The commoner types would do for me.

Here's one of those 'clever' overlays : The top picture is the overlay, then there's the original two pictures for comparison. The overlay doesn't prove much. Tony's penny shows a slight difference in size or shape of the loops, but that could be as much to do with wear as anything else. I'm not sure you can draw any firm conclusions from that.

Hmm, possibly an illusion due to the knock on the upper loop of his 3? we need one of those clever overlays please David Actually, flicking back and forth between Tony's page and Declan's picture here, there seems to be a noticeable difference between the two 'normal' 3s. Declan's shows the usual one where the two loops of the 3 are roughly the same size, and the dividing point is about halfway. Tony's shows the dividing point lower down, almost closing off the bottom loop entirely, while the upper loop is quite 'open'.

LOL But yes, an interesting hobby, and a twist on the usual collecting themes.

Bearing in mind that Tony's picture is of quite a worn normal 3, so maybe it shows some damage?

Think the problem of the portrait is solved. Its from one of the (official?) coronation medals - Portrait signed H (Thomas Halliday). It is surely possible though, that the oh so vain lard bucket had his Coronation medals re-engraved at or after 1825? After all, he'd been Regent so long, actually getting to play Kingy for real must have made him so chuffed that he may well have kept issuing Coronation stuff all reign long! Either that, or Chantrey did more than one über-flattering sculpture, on which Halliday based a Coronation medal? Though personally, I'd be more inclined to the "re-done later medal" theory.

You can also see a comparison on this link Nice comparison Tony Strangely though, that normal 3 looks a bit odd!

my neighbour buys them to feed the foxes in her garden......you would think foxes were a little more discerning Perhaps the foxes discard the meat and take the skins away as sleeping bags for their new-born cubs?

That's just modern crap, the guy's talking out of his bottom. The genuine originals came in a twist of blue wax paper. Another sad old git who remembers them. Those were the days, when salt overload wasn't a requirement for eating crisps. Lets face it, when was the last time you had a choice of salted or unsalted? These days I think that only applies to butter! Nuts!

The 1893/2 penny is so difficult to spot that it is no wonder that it went unnoticed for so long. I can be shown a close-up of one and STILL probably won't see it.

absolutely. An afternoon, a chainsaw and a few vanloads. Woodshed work tomorrow for me... Good on ya Declan! We still carry a NICE chainsaw in the boot of the car (chain hand-sharpened [properly]), ready for the return of the days! Soon to be upon us! Wood burner at both ends of a 70 ft steel tube! The Predecimal Chainsaw Massacre - in your local auctiorama SOON!

I just hadn't seen such a low grade slabbed, and yes it does seem a little harsh! VG 8 is equivalent to Fair I believe, i.e. 'very little detail visible' I don't rate it higher than Fair tbh. The obverse is a bit better, but the reverse is verging on Poor in places. I would say that Fair is "very little finer details visible", but the legend and main design should still be discernible. The portrait should be more than a silhouette too, though there would be precious little hair detail if any.

A tenner each if you're lucky. Stop or no stop aren't much different with that issue.

"Sorry dear, eggs is off"

That seller's got class I'd be almost tempted to buy it to have it delivered by Muhammad Ali

Aren't all hammered coins half cut?

Sorry to step on scott's heels (well, he knows his stuff and can spot a rarity in a junkyard at 50 metres!) - but I would say in answer to your question "It's always been advised that you should buy the highest quality you can afford - so paying £200 for an EF George III Crown will not only bring in a coin that's nicer to look at and give more pleasure to you, but also be more readily saleable in the longer term, than 10 George III Crowns in Fair condition."