Old Copper Nose

I noticed those too Just followed the link to your coin pics.... some very nice pennies there! You're welcome to view the (unfinished) site for my penny collection Here Thank you sir and ditto, you have a very nice collection indeed! I am in the process of rebuilding my collection after having to sell a large number of coins a few years back ... It's a long (and more expensive) road, but immensely enjoyable nontheless! I am hoping to get all the descriptions and provenances for my coins written up over the next couple of weeks ... Good luck at the auction and I look forward to seeing more pics soon!

Unfortunately I'm away working but there looks to be some nice Pennies on offer, the 1843 and 1856 caught my eye but I'm all spent up this month ... Saving myself for the Heritage auction later in April ... Good luck anyhow hope you get some new acquisitions!

Hi, I am hoping to get some advice from fellow forum members who have tried to treat the dreaded verdigris on copper coins. I have a Victorian copper penny which is practically uncirculated with a great deal of mint lustre. The obverse has been struck from a rusty die and has some pitting and what seems to be the onset of some verdigris spots. The reverse of the coin is problem free and has great eye appeal. I have read about different ways of trying to remove the verdigris, but I'm so nervous about trying anything myself as I don't want to cause further damage to a coin that cost me a couple of hundred quid. I guess my question is to those of you who have immersed a coin in olive oil for an extended period of time. If I was to do this am I in danger of ruining the lustre which is on the coin? There are some issues with the obverse but the reverse of the coin is damn near perfect … I don't want the coin to deteriorate any further! Many thanks, J.

Just wanted to say hello to you all and introduce myself. My interest in coins began 23 years ago, collecting change and making date runs from different denominations. I was soon spending many a Saturday afternoon pouring over trays and trays of coins at the Manchester Coin & Medal Centre in the basement of the Royal Exchange. In my later teens / early twenties I was distracted by many things so my coin collection took a back seat and laid undisturbed for about 6 years. The year I finished Uni I jumped straight back into it and started collecting with a lot more focus, the emphasis being on pennies. I had built up quite a nice collection of copper and bronze pennies but in 2005 I was in the unfortunate position that I had to sell the vast majority of my collection due to financial circumstances. I have spent the last 5 years trying to get back to where I was, but current prices and fiercer competition at auction means it is a slow road to follow. My aim is to form a collection that charts the history of the penny from its inception right through to the modern decimal ... The hammered series will just be representative of each monarch, the main emphasis will be in the copper and bronze from 1797 - 1970; concentrating on high grades and provenance where possible. Anyway that's my story, I look forward to speaking with you soon, Kind regards, Jay P.S I have recently photographed some of my collection and would like to get it online. I have noticed some members of the forum use Omnicoin ... Is this the best site or are there other alternatives? Cheers

When that happens you get into unchartered territory in terms of price. Coins like that may seldom come onto the market so it is very difficult to put a value on them. I think Hussolo hit the nail on the head by saying that the market will ultimately decide the value. At auction all it takes is two determined people to push prices well into the stratosphere.

And my 1860, shame about the cracks on the reverse but I guess it shows the problems that were associated at this time with the changeover to striking bronze.

Personally I find the term BU a bit confusing when referring to older coins. For some reason I have always thought (rightly or wrongly!) that BU coins were specially struck coins that weren’t intended for circulation, such as the ones in the sets the Royal Mint issue every year?? I have purchased a couple of Victorian pennies which were described as BU Full Lustre.

So true Azda, Never thought I'd see the day, but within an hour of having the book I was busy counting border teeth and checking date widths It looks like the endless nightmares have just begun ...

Hi Gary, I'm sure you won't be disappointed with your purchase, I received my specialised edition of Gouby today and must say that I am very happy with it! It is well laid out, very easy to understand and contains a large number of clear, colour pictures which aid classification. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has a serious interest in Victorian bronze pennies. It is a great reference tool in addition to Freeman and Peck and well worth the 50 quid.

Cheers Colin, yes I've noticed there are a few other penny aficionados on here ... Maybe they're the ones who've been outbidding me at recent sales

It was a sad day when I sold the collection, but I don't know what makes me more upset: the fact I had to sell them or the prices that I would now have to pay to obtain coins I already had! The hammered series will be a case of one from each reign whereas I am looking to complete more of a date run with the milled series. I am interested in varieties but am not necessarily hunting them out for my collection. If a coin has good eye appeal, it interests me and I can afford it then I will buy it. With something like an 1860 1d I would much rather have a high grade beaded border, toothed border and proof to represent that year than have 15 different varieties of said date in varying states of condition. I admire people who can painstakingly hunt out miniscule varieites but to be honest I just don't have the patience! But that's what's great about collecting, you can make your own rules and bend or break them further down the line if you choose

A rather large task to complete though, I sometimes wonder if I will ever be able to finish what I have started out on ... A lifetimes work with what I want to obtain methinks

No worries, would love to share some pics with everyone, will have a look at the various options and just try to decide the best route!

Thank you for the warm welcome! I will take on board the info re: the photos and hopefully I will be able to share some pictures with any interested parties in the near future! Kind regards, Jay.

With my copper and bronze I prefer BU blazing full lustre ... Not always possible to purchase examples though, especially with some of the earlier dates! I don't mind settling for toning, as long as it is even and has eye appeal. One thing I really don't like is patchy / streaky lustre. On the other hand I prefer my silver coins to look their age, especially with deep, dark toning.