Peckris

It certainly looks quite possible that it is a '2' punched over a '9'. The problem, as ever, is in establishing it as a variety. If it is currently unknown, your best bet is in tracking down a few people who also have examples. Or sending the coin to a reputable authority, such as the compilers of The English Silver Coinage, and get an ESC number for it. Ironically, unique specimens often have a problem arousing interest, as I've found with my 1887 wreath reverse sixpence, 8 over 8.

The George II halfpenny is VERY nice It looks authentic to me, if it was a contemporary forgery it would be fairly evident. That series wasn't widely forged anyway - there was a steady issue of coppers from George I through George II. It's only when you get to Geo III that the copper coin shortages become widespread and forgeries appear on a large scale. If the weight and size check out, then I'd say you've got a good example there. I would say that there is a little too much wear to say EF, but it's not far off (GVF+? NEF?)

Could you bring your hoover round to my place?

Welcome to the forums David. If the coins are not particularly high value (i.e. QEII), then an album system, or 2x2 envelopes, is perfectly good, as long the storage is modern type, i.e. non-PVC. That will keep your silver / cupro-nickel in good order. Bronze, long-term, prefers a non-plastic solution, which means felt-lined trays could be the answer. Proofs should be kept in the cases of issue. Ultimately, cabinets are the best thing, but they are quite expensive so you might feel are unsuitable for QEII. It all comes down to what you want to spend, how much the collection is worth, where they are going to be stored, etc. But even plastic is fine as long as the environment is low-humidity and not by the sea. In fact, environment is no less important than storage medium.

If you can't see a picture, and you think the price is too low - get suspicious. It may well be the grade in question, but there could be ugly toning, or maybe even cleaning. If you can, always try to inspect the coin and NEVER bid blind. As for dealers, make sure they have a 'no quibble' money-back guarantee.

So you must have a rear wheel drive BMW or Merc. All that weight in the boot improves grip no end, especially in the snow.

You're a weird one and no mistake

if money was no object I'd be driving round the country picking up all these sacks of predecimal everyone seems to have in their lofts! I can guarantee that by the third sack you would be shouting "NO! NO! No more..."

PECK THIS Once ye wake up sleepy head & remember the topic of debate you might realise ye in the wrong place & take an aspirin. Fur Coughz & Colds Take aspirin I know where I am - I'm in a coins forum. Sounds like this is where you'd rather be : some soldiery site or other

And above all, learn to appreciate the subtle distinctions that make a high grade coin individually unique and beautiful. For example : • patina, a gorgeous even colouration on bronze coins, which to my mind is far superior to patchy uneven lustre • toning, which can be utterly superb on silver coins, rich blues, olive, rainbow, reds BU is rated in catalogues as the highest of the high when it comes to condition. In terms of being closest to original mint state, that may be literally true, but then look at auction results or dealers' lists, and you will often see a toned coin coming in at a higher price than a BU. As long as the toning is attractive of course ... there are some dogs out there.

Its a polished GF Personally i would have said VF+ so thats 3 grades already for just this coin, it's not easy this grading mularky is it You're talking about the eBay halfcrown or the OP's reposted gold pictures? To my eye that 1874 halfcrown is Fine, possibly slightly better, but nowhere near VF. Now I've seen the OP's repost, I can say that the bigger pictures are helpful, but not comforting. The coin is no more than Fine. £360 was a little high for that grade. Learn from experience, and become familiar with grading as a priority : it is a MUST when new to the hobby and buying coins.

Short answer? No.

Yeah, but come on - 1.35 million Lire doesn't actually add up to very much

Makes you wonder how long the good old Queen Elizabeth "John McEnroe" £10 notes will last - they've been with us a long time!

Yawn.

Yeh,the seller also included the Spink valuations for the grades VF and EF as at 2006.Stating 475 and 1000 quid respectively.Hence at the VF+ grade I thought I was buying I expected it to be worth somewhere between those two values amd so thought 360 quid was a bargain. Unfortunately, clicking on your thumbnails expands to an even smaller picture, so it's not easy to tell. But from what I can see, the coin looks a MINIMUM of Fine (Good to Fine is half a grade LESS than Fine). It could even be higher, but probably not VF. You'd need to post a better picture to be sure. I think it has been overgraded, but possibly not by as much as you're thinking.

"Choice" is simply an advertising term, along with "gem", "superior", etc. It means nothing, except perhaps "I really want to sell this coin at a good price so I'm going to hype it up a bit". Disregard all such hype words, and keep your guard up.

Well, I already posted (see previous) about record collecting. Did you actually see it? We can't really start a thread about it, (except in the Absolutely Nothing To Do With Coins space) but I'd be interested to know what your record collecting interests are.

I dont know why so many fewer were minted then, you'd have to consult the Mint Report for that time. But it was a similar story at other times - e.g. the mid-1920s. From 1924 to 1926, especially 1925, mintages were way down on their WW1 peaks. This was due to a collapse of prices and wages after the mad inflation of the War, so there was much less demand for large silver (bear in mind that even that recently, the coinage represented quite a high proportion of circulating money, especially when the average wage was around 10 shillings a week). Long story short :- low mintage = short supply = high prices.

WATCH OUT! RUN! That's a conceptual shark called "The Ludovician" and it's after YOU!

Interesting! My money would still be on it being a deformity on a single die, but you never know.

The colour looks much more like it! I will await the weight report with interest. But even then, I would arrange to have it validated by a reputable dealer, just to be sure, to be sure.

It's an interesting quirk Voynov, but to my eyes it looks like a metal deformity that is in just the right place to give the impression of a hooked nose? It looks just a little TOO hooked to be part of the design. See what others think...

Yes - there is a section for people who want to sell coins through the forum. It's at the bottom of the second section in the contents? (I think). There are some guidelines to read through first. It's a useful thought, though.

Sorry to cast nasturtiums on your benighted grave but ... 1. My reply was NOT from July 09. That was the date I joined the forum. The date and timestamp of each post is at the top. 2. i stand by my reply. I've known about the legend FIDEI DEFENSOR on British coins since Henry VIII, since I was a schoolboy many many years ago. I would be VERY surprised if all but the youngest and newest collectors on the forum didn't know that already. I had (mistakenly) assumed you were genuinely testing our knowledge. Pardon me for not falling for your (rather) simplistic question. Hindsight? You get that looking up a cow's ass, to the vicinity of which I suggest you repair right speedily.