Peckris

Not at all. You mean to tell me you've not heard of that brief denomination, the Corwn? Face value 4s 10d three farthings...

I'm not sure what the ultimate fate of the Taylor dies was?

I found the link by Googling the subject (yes, cute! I especially like the Pathé News style music soundtrack), but wonder if your link above is ok? I got this address on a blank page when I clicked: http://www.predecimal.com/forum/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=16975 applications/core seems somehow suspicious to me?

The most famous example is the Taylor restrikes of George III currency and pattern pieces following his purchase of a bulk lot of dies from Boulton's Soho Mint in the later 19th Century. Many of them were rusted so he spent some time sanding away blemishes before producing a limited series of restrikes "for collectors" (none of the items he produced were still legal tender of course). Many of these restrikes can be identified because of previous unknown obverse / reverse combinations and not having the proper edge collar in some cases. Taylor's work is recorded in CW Peck's book.

That would have been just the ticket but for those dark smears at the top on both obverse and reverse.

I see Pete Townshend playing guitar on one side, and Mr Blobby on the other.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-GEORGE-V-1926ME-MILLED-MODIFIED-COPPER-EFFIGY-PENNY-COIN-023385/350499696909?_trkparms=aid%3D999002%26algo%3DURGENT.LUI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140502134130%26meid%3D0610f73ced624fd0b9444ddeceaa8a12%26pid%3D100043%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26so%3Dlastwatched%26sd%3D362161625621&_trksid=p5713.c100043.m2062 Jeez, £175??? It's exactly the same grade (NF) as the one I was given in change on the school bus in 1968.

Thanks, I'll have a try.

I tend to go AT LEAST 5 years between Spinks - an annual Kindle edition of CCGB is good enough for me as I'm not interesting in hammered; ancients don't change prices very often; decent early milled is out of my budget mostly.

PM sent - 'expressed an interest' means 'please reserve'

Amazing to think that was only done in order to get a good photo of the coin for records.

Hi, I too need to know which ones have gone, as I'm in constant fatigue and cannot spend hours looking through every item if some have already gone. Many thanks.

The telltale on these particular forgeries (Northumberland shillings fall into the same category, and other 'infamous' coins too) is that they have been expertly minted from a die created from an genuine original. They fool experts but put two of them side by side and the truth becomes clear - you see, every single facet of the original has been reproduced which means not only the main elements of the design, but scratches and flaws too. These are like fingerprints - they identify an individual coin from its peers and if there's suddenly several examples all identical, you can guarantee that someone has been up to no good.

Will do. Thanks.

Are football programmes valuable? I have a few of my grandad's - the oldest date back to WW2 and mention things like 'Forces personnel free admission', and what to do if the air raid siren goes. Trouble is, they're mostly Brentford so deeply unfashionable.

No die crack - that would result in a raised line or flaw, not corrosion or decay in the coin surface.

You can't see a preview as this particular forum host doesn't have a "full editor" type of software where such options are available.

I can do all that and more on a Mac, but cannot see a way to do it on iPad.

It's very frustrating. I downloaded an image (Google) on iPad, then used the free Resize app to reduce it to 800x800. However, when I try to upload it (on iPad) I get the message that I'm only allowed to upload 500kb - but I can't see how big the file is!! Only that it's 800x800. I do hope you find a solution to this. I'm disabled too, but I use a Mac for most activities, and don't have any problems uploading to this site.

Indeed. We all no doubt remember the time honoured BUGem, which is clearly short for "Bugger 'em".

It's not proof, but if you look at the enlargements, the edges to those dents are much sharper than the rest of the coins, which are quite worn. If done at the Mint, the edges would have worn the same amount.

Ian, thanks for that - an educational if somewhat technical read! The one problem is that the article says that firestain is random, i.e. not only on which (coins) it might appear, but also whereabouts. However, the pattern of 'brown/pink' you see on that halfcrown above, is absolutely typical; in other words if it is seen, it's pretty much always in the same places - the edges of the shield and the parts of the garter where most wear takes place. Similarly, it's usually the same points on the obverse, i.e. the highest parts of the portrait, spreading as it wears more. It's almost as if the copper lies deeper, and is gradually uncovered by wear. But I'm no scientist.

Ok, fair enough. But the issue with - e.g. - 1925 halfcrowns is that the pinky-brown patches appear only on fairly well-worn examples, never on BU examples. Here are two from the Bay (the higher grade halfcrown has a problem with 'green' - a common problem! - but not with brown, unlike the more worn one):

Quite possibly my favourite song of theirs. A mellow song from the late..

Yes, I wrote that article, and had read about the coating of pure silver - but if this was achieved by 'pickling' in acid I'm quite happy to accept that. The brown patches seen so often on silver coins of the mid-20s would almost certainly be due to copper 'leaching' to the surface when it wore.