Peckris

I'm not sure whether there is any such thing - officially - as a 'specimen strike' for bun bronzes; is there anything written up on this?

It's very close to VF in Derek's grading book.

That's a good plan, though a lack of Maundy wouldn't register in many collectors' minds as a 'gap'. I personally would say crown to farthing without Maundy, would make a great type set - bear in mind that Maundy was never issued for circulation.

I have a couple of bun halfpennies sold to me by Peter Viola, that could both qualify as 'specimen' (one's an 1876H too) - the fields are iridescent and prooflike, but are not actual proofs. I'd put up pictures but scans destroy any gorgeousness of tone.

I'm an owner that comes from the Peckris collection - though I do find sleeping curled up in a cabinet a bit cramped

My first impression is that it looks only like a good currency example. However, the reverse - when you look closer - has the appearance that if you held it at a certain angle, would have a prooflike sheen to it. However, that could still mean it was an early strike using (perhaps) a proof die? You'd probably have to see it in hand.

The cap on the final value fee (the 10% cut you give eBay of the final sale price, including p&p) will rise from £75 to £250. So anyone selling an item worth more than £750 will pay a lot mo Yes, but only in increments. Someone selling a coin for £760 will pay eBay £76 not £75, for £1000 will pay £100 not £75, and for £2500 will pay £250 not £75. So it's the coins between £1000 and £2500 that will cause a comparative "ouch". Below that, the increase is probably not enough to deter sellers. I would guess there aren't too many sellers of coins those prices.

A type set is where you collect by a theme - e.g. one coin per monarch, or one coin per denomination per monarch, or one coin of each design change (and that in turn could be all monarchs or just selected monarchs). Type collecting is the opposite of date collecting where you collect a run of every single date (with or without all or some varieties) issued of particular denominations / monarchs. Or you can mix - I have a date run (incomplete) of bronze pennies from 1860 - 1967, halfcrowns from 1911 - 1967, and brass threepences, but other denominations like shillings and florins and halfpennies are geared more towards design types. Early milled (before 1816 for silver and before 1797 for copper) is all by type as funds won't allow anything else! So are halfcrowns before 1911 and pennies before 1860. A 'type set' might also simply be a set of all coins for a particular date, e.g. 1936. Do you have a particular reason for asking?

Are they silver, or copper / bronze? Silver can be gently washed (I'd use pure soap flakes myself) and rinsed then dabbed dry with a towel. Copper and bronze, you could try acetone (NOT nail polish remover!!), or I've used surgical spirit - which is alcohol - with a microfibre cloth rather than a cotton bud.

20 cents for 50% silver florins and halfcrowns can't be bad! Well done that man.

It's a difficult one that. Good quality 2x2 coin flips are a bit of a squeeze for crowns, and not ideal. Mahogany cabinets are expensive, but things like Lindner trays with large recesses might work for you (but in both cases, the coin has to be handled to see both sides.) Perhaps a simple coin album with large pockets would be the answer? But you would need one where the pocket is 'closeable', as normally album pockets are designed to hold 2x2 envelopes. Chris Perkins (this forum) sells a range of accessories - maybe this might help? http://www.predecimal.com/coin-wallet-with-spaces-from-safe-p-570.html

I think we're probably forgetting that eBay is a market for generally low-value (or low-cost) items under many headings, so many traders won't really be affected very much. What we need is a coins-only alternative to eBay where the hobby is understood and the minority of high-value sellers are treated as fairly as everyone else.

Yes, but the argument was "what if halfpenny punches had been used in error?" The fact that other punches also existed is irrelevant - they wouldn't be all mixed up in the same box I would have thought.

Other members certainly have. I tend to use the vinegar option, but I'd hesitate bigtime if the verd was on a special or valuable coin.

Yeah, looks good now! I'd say the verdigris hasn't taken a big hold yet (though there are a couple of places in the rear legend that need looking at) so the sooner you start, the better. I'd say a few months in olive oil, turning regularly and changing the oil now and then, might do the trick. Or you could try one of the proprietary remedies suggested above, though I haven't used any of them myself.

Possibly a damaged blank, or deliberate marking on it? From the condition of the penny and the overlying numerals, it does appear to be a minting phenomenon rather than afterwards.

I won't point out the spelling mistake in that gent's name - you might say "How the devil do you know?"

Mine was free but I'm NOT going into that story.

I'd speculate they might have used a halfpenny letter punch, but there's no O in HALFPENNY.

Size : excellent! Focus : getting there...

aka "British".

There is no way to remove the gold gilding. By gilding the coin surface is irreversibly modified. The only readily available substance that can dissolve gold through a practicable process is Aqua Regia, which is a 3:1 mixture of concentrated hydrochloric and nitric acids. Problem is the nitric acid will rapidly dissolve away the copper as well, so not a practicable solution at all. Not only that you will also risk being poisoned by the Dinitrogen Tetroxide given off as a heavy brown gas in the process. Learn to love your gilding is the best advice there is. The ideal solution would be to get gilded coppers 'bronzed', but I don't know a) if it's possible or c) if it would look either good or natural. One more extra coating wouldn't do the finer detail any favours that's for sure.

Brilliant. So eBay are positioning themselves even more as the "home for dross", as anything of quality will be too expensive to sell after fees.

Getting there ... slowly! You've used only 45k out of your total 500k limit, and you've included a lot of background around the coin. Here's the kind of thing that can be done (and this was an image from the days when we only had 150k to work with) :

Actually, VF is too optimistic, mainly because both obverse and reverse designs wear extremely well and hold a lot of detail. Years ago it would only have rated a tad above F but nowadays probably GF, or perhaps some might even say NVF. Points to look at : Obverse - hair above ear worn flat, lacy folds of veil indistinct, crosses on crown well worn. Reverse - sword beginning to merge with horse's flank, St George's arm & breastplate well worn, brow and face wearing away. It's certainly in a collectable condition, but these are readily available in high grade.