Peckris

Oh come on - NO-ONE is too old for dinosaurs! (I speak as one who knows... )

The fascinating thing about the 1925 edition is that it's a true sale catalogue. The introduction reads : Quite recently we purchased the collection of milled coins of the late Mr A Wallis, who had studied the series with very great care. It would have been a misfortune to waste the information to be obtained from his mss. and large collection. Consequently, whilst offering the pieces for sale, we are trying to supply the long felt need of an up to date list of the series, especially as far as busts are concerned, differentiating between them and numbering them. We have found it quite impossible to notice all the slight variations and dies noted by Mr Wallis, giving only most interesting. We have put only the most important varieties in the left hand column. This is fascinating on several levels - 1. that they were able to offer the entire milled series for sale, 2. that before this publication there wasn't a complete list of busts and varieties for the milled series, and 3. that Spink determined what were "important varieties", didn't publish the remainder, leaving it open for collectors to discover ("rediscover") them ever since. The book is obviously the template for ESC who must have used Spink's choice of varieties as the foundation of their own publication

Lodge and beat booked for week of 1st October. 7 days and nights without screaming kids (sadly probably without screaming reels as well but worth it for the peace!). Glenlivet is already stockpiled and order for Cuban cigars about to be placed Glenlivet? Ahh, for that smoky aroma of Talisker, my all time favourite autumnal drink! Ouzo for Greece! Ouzo? Now you're talking!

BIRDS? One of them looks like a dinosaur!! Mind you, birds did evolve from dinosaurs...

It's a pity you can't bookmark individual threads here - you can with other forums using different software. Unless you can, and I haven't found out how you do it?

For anyone else interested, this book is available here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330436945692?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648#ht_500wt_1413 Definitely of interest, I would say. I have their earlier book, The Milled Silver Coinage of England published in 1925 and clearly a forerunner of ESC. At that time Spink were in Piccadilly, though I see they had moved to King Street postwar. My book gives the view that Edward VII coins were already regarded as scarce by 1925, but also that there were no scarcities as yet for George V ! The strange thing is that this seller has multiple copies. A photocopied reproduction perhaps? Not sure otherwise how he could have so many, unless he managed to get access to a Spink basement clearout.

Respectfully, I disagree. Circulated coins circulated, and have already passed through many hands including perhaps those of your ancestors. A little additional handling (with so care) won’t hurt them, and will provide you with a real “feel†for them. Certainly once you’ve settled on which coins you want to collect seriously, you’ll want to be careful with any high-grade specimens you acquire later. However, I think it’s a good idea to retain examples of circulated coins showing various stages of wear, since knowledge of how different coinage designs wore while circulating is also important in understanding them in depth. Best Regards, InforaPenny Your point is valid in relation to well-circulated, low-value coins. My point was that it is never too early to get into good habits. Get a fingerprint on a BU 1919KN penny and you wipe three figures off its value.

It's a crossover mule - two obverses, two reverses, so 4 possible combinations. Pointings are the quickest and easiest indicators: Obv 3, Rev C, F.471, C10, I of DEI nearly at a bead, L of HALF between beads Obv 3, Rev D, F.473, R5, I of DEI nearly at a bead, L of HALF at a bead Obv 4, Rev C, F.474, R12, I of DEI between beads, L of HALF between beads Obv 4, Rev D, F.475, R3, I of DEI between beads, L of HALF at a bead Or the "quick and dirty" way to tell - the common issue has the normal narrow obverse rim, and short reverse teeth. The scarce/rare varieties have any combination of wide obverse rim (like the "1968" hqlfpenny) and/or long reverse teeth.

Quick David - before he changes his mind, find out what he will pay for it!!

A picture would be a great help

I do like the coin, that's why I bought it. It's just the perennial problem of having two coins of slightly differing grades, but preferring the look of the lower graded coin. I flipped a couple of 1902 pennies back and forth for about a fortnight, having exactly the same dilemma! Also, if the leaf didn't reach the bottom of the die, I guess it would be convex...all speculation of course! "Heads I'll buy you GEF, tails I'll buy you AUNC" [a fortnight later..] "Heads I'll buy you GF, tails I'll buy you AVF" and not so far from the truth! I owned them both and couldn't for the life of me decide which one to keep and which one to sell. Fortunately it's not an issue that often! If in doubt, keep both. Eventually you will decide that you can't live with one or the other, or both. If in doubt, keep both. Eventually you will decide that you can't live withOUT one or the other, or both.

To forestall bad habits, either wear cotton gloves or hold by the rim only!!

Will the forum member who sold me a 1956 rare variety halfpenny for £20, please examine your conscience and return my money to me? Yes, I know I said I wanted one, but did you have to take advantage of me? Couldn't you see I am an imbecile? Grrrrrr. New World Numismatics, hmm. I wonder which 'new world' he represents.. could it be the one that is supported by 4 giant elephants standing on the back of a giant turtle swimming through space...? Anyone want to buy a first edition copy of Freeman, clearly a self-published piece of rubbish not worth the paper it's printed on.

Just one more post, old Nick...

I do like the coin, that's why I bought it. It's just the perennial problem of having two coins of slightly differing grades, but preferring the look of the lower graded coin. I flipped a couple of 1902 pennies back and forth for about a fortnight, having exactly the same dilemma! Also, if the leaf didn't reach the bottom of the die, I guess it would be convex...all speculation of course! "Heads I'll buy you GEF, tails I'll buy you AUNC" [a fortnight later..] "Heads I'll buy you GF, tails I'll buy you AVF"

As long as you keep the paper away from the candle flame They don't let us have fire up here Peck, tis too dangerous this close to the wall Pray you don't get a power cut then!

Bear in mind (some people on this forum seem to forget this) that a picture hugely magnified as that is, will show every tiny flaw in horrendous detail. Allowing for that, I would say that the oak leaf wouldn't be a huge problem on a coin the size of a sixpence, and nor would the ribbon which is often not strong. It would barely affect the grade at all, and I'm betting that in hand those defects are very hard to see. If you like the coin, go for it! As for GEF over AUNC, there's hardly a piece of Bronco between those two grades, so it all comes down to eye appeal.

As long as you keep the paper away from the candle flame

The best thing I have done recently is subscribe to an automated off-site back up facility. All of the data on my pc (actually I choose which) is constantly backed up in the background, and I can log in at any time and download the backed-up data. I can even access it from my iPhone or an iPad. The initial backup took about a month to complete (80Gb in my case) but subsequent backups happen almost in real time. The system I use is Carbonite, but I know there are others. Well worth a few pounds a month! I use Dropbox, which is free. I only get 3GB but that's enough for everything except music, pictures and movies (for which I have an external HD). But like your solution, it backs up everything invisibly in the background, so worry-free. I have all word processing docs, spreadsheets, databases, emails, and a few selected pictures. Plus all my browser bookmarks and my address book. A job for tomorrow I think! Haha. DO IT NOW!!!

At the same time, don't confuse the natural 'red' of copper and bronze (see cleaned George VI coin above), with what the Americans call "red" which is the lustre a new coin has which gradually wears away in circulation, or even fades away in the case of some UNC coins that haven't been stored carefully enough.

Ah, one of my favourite patterns in Peck I assume this one is from your collection, Rob? Yes, it's ex-Boulton. You can't get better provenance than that! About 5 years ago in the Circular, there were a couple pages of mint state Soho patterns. All were ex-Boulton. The only halfpenny that was sold was one where I had the ex-Selig piece. So I took all the halfpennies bar one with spots and then wandered around grinning like a Cheshire Cat for a few days. Funnily enough, I only found out because I had phoned to find out where my copy of the Circular was because I hadn't received one. Sometimes you get lucky and to have passed up the opportunity would have been reprehensible. Quite chuffed. Sometimes you get lucky but you make your own luck. I know the feeling of a good day. When I subscribed to Coin Monthly the day of receipt I would be on the phone for anything I fancied in the adverts. Ebay BIN has also been quite good on newly listed. Me too! An absurdly cheap set of first issue Geo V halfpennies in high grade turned out to be ... high grade halfpennies that had suffered fire damage, a fact conveniently not mentioned in the advert. An early lesson for a schoolboy in "there's no such thing as a free lunch" aka "if it looks too good to be true, then it is".

It is a die crack and the first I've seen on this issue, but won't add any value. I agree, but strangely, if there are a few that turn up and they become a recognised variety, then it might later on attract a value. But those are big "ifs". Unique misstrikes or die cracks are very unsought after in this country (apart perhaps from brockages).

The lustre question is somewhat subjective. One orthodox school of thought says that the more lustre a copper or bornze coin has, the more desirable it is. Others (I'm one of them) disagree, preferring to judge a coin on visual appeal rather than a stated % of lustre. To give an example, I would much rather have a copper coin with no lustre but an overall attractive patina, than a coin with 50% lustre, especially if the lustre was patchy. Then there's the quality of strike (crispness of detail), and an early strike - e.g. crisp but without lustre - would probably attract a premium over an UNC coin where the die had had some wear but some lustre is present. As you said yourself, what appeals to the eye is important, and it will be easy to sell later.

A tad??? Only seen such overpriced crap on eBay until now!!! I can remember in the good old Ebay days they were worried about being raped.We must all remember that a coin correctly pictured will reach it's zenith or what the market will pay on a particular day.I start everything at 99p.When you see prats listing £5 coins with the comment of no reserve (£50) I just ignore. I spend too much time on searching Ebay but I still find some gems....and you must admit it is handy. I bought a smashing gunmetal shilling for £25 the seller was not happy but said he had sold a bloody puffin coin for twice that...swings and roundabouts.That is why my trips to the Midland put everything into perspective.To all newbies use your dealers.You could wipe out farthings 1956 to 1920 in UNC for a fraction of Ebay costs.I now mainly search for varieties being tempted on a few others...sometimes. 'Ere, what you got against the 1919 then? I always thought that was one of the commonest Geo V farthings! Peck I was rounding.Before 1920 you get into the realms of 1918 (bright/dark) 1914,15 varieties etc (someone rattled your cage today?) Nah. It's just that - dark 1918 excepted of course - all the farthings from 1917 are pretty common. Or were! Perhaps things have changed.

A tad??? Only seen such overpriced crap on eBay until now!!! I can remember in the good old Ebay days they were worried about being raped.We must all remember that a coin correctly pictured will reach it's zenith or what the market will pay on a particular day.I start everything at 99p.When you see prats listing £5 coins with the comment of no reserve (£50) I just ignore. I spend too much time on searching Ebay but I still find some gems....and you must admit it is handy. I bought a smashing gunmetal shilling for £25 the seller was not happy but said he had sold a bloody puffin coin for twice that...swings and roundabouts.That is why my trips to the Midland put everything into perspective.To all newbies use your dealers.You could wipe out farthings 1956 to 1920 in UNC for a fraction of Ebay costs.I now mainly search for varieties being tempted on a few others...sometimes. 'Ere, what you got against the 1919 then? I always thought that was one of the commonest Geo V farthings!