Coinery

Because the ‘rust’ is so localised I feel it may not be part of the coin’s alloy at all? My gut instinct is that it’s been historically impaled by something iron, and that the impaling object has long-since corroded away…a bit like you see in old wood, sometimes, where old nails have become nothing but a crumbled orange deposit in a char-like blackened hole - which is testament to the endurance of wood over iron, that’s for sure!

Many thanks for your thoughts, Coys, much appreciated! You may be absolutely right on all counts…it would be easy to see how just the slightest flattening of that bead/pellet could convince anyone that it is indeed a pellet! The jury is out for me at the moment. The little fishtail serifs on the reverse S do suggest to me that we’d be looking at a mule if the obverse S is top-tilted? There are a few different possibilities in the SCBI 39, and the coin should be in-hand shortly to verify. It was a throwaway coin in a small bulk lot, so the pictures are not great.

I may have jumped the gun, labelling this an imitation sterling! I’ve since discovered there’s actually a known class 9a coin with an ANL error and pellet on the breast, which is footnoted as extremely rare. I’d need to get a look at it in-hand…I’d be hoping that the S is top-tilted (it currently looks like it could be a mix of serifs)! We’ll see

Definitely some date-widths (or differing tooth numbers on the entire obverse itself) going on there…clear differences imho! One caveat, however, my knowledge is seriously lacking in this area! Narrow-date top, wide-date bottom? Or is that too hopeful, too exciting?

Or is it simply a class 9 legend error? It does look as though that rust has gone right through the flan?

In this example the letters, especially the W & A, and also the obverse legend is wrong for starters! Maybe a Class 5-style pellet on chest, not sure? I don’t have the coin in-hand, yet, but would probably be looking to sell it anyway. Can anyone share some insight into it? I know very little about the continental imitations themselves?

With initial findings of 10% I don’t think we can get too excited about scarcity, though! I reckon there’ll be more than enough to go round!

Interesting…as Peckris suggests, then! I found Richard’s halfpenny site, I can’t see that it specifically mentions square/diamond colons? I would’ve expected to find it there if it was a known thing! https://halfpennyvarieties.wordpress.com/home-page-recreated/

I don’t quite follow you? Doesn’t Richard also have a halfpenny site, have you taken a look on there?

You’ve finally got some scales 😃 Taking your weight, and using the criterion from the North article below, I’d say yours is an early issue (1280-1284?) Dublin farthing - Open Es & Cs and the clear wedge-tailed R of Rex. Whilst the reverse legend is weak, it does appear to me that there are both a D and an I starting in each quarter, making it Dublin (CIVI TAS DVBL INIE). I believe the only other mint for these farthings is Waterford (CIVI TAS VATE RFOR), so you can probably rule that out in this case…I’ll let you to decide what letters you see, it’ll be so much easier for you to confirm in-hand. https://www.britnumsoc.org/publications/Digital BNJ/pdfs/1997_BNJ_67_4.pdf

Ashley, this sounds phenomenal, I reckon there will be members on here that will be able to help you. The very best of luck in your search, please stay in touch with us all, we love things like this…very exciting! 🙏

I wish I had enough knowledge and experience to collect Roman coinage! To start would send me right back to scratch, where I’d spend the next 10 years buying duds and fakes at full market value, without a single bargain. I think they’re a fabulous thing to have, though!

Nice detective work @Coys55 🙌

Yes, I don’t think halfpenny harp strings are a thing I’m planning to get sidetracked by…very happy to read about Gaz’s upcoming discoveries though

Having said that, the strings are likely added separately from the harp punch itself, so anything is possible I guess?

Hey, Gaz, I did take a look at my own example but, even under the loupe this morning, I couldn’t confirm the number of strings on mine, due to strike weakness. There is this post… …where Rob’s and Jelida’s examples show 5 strings. I did notice however that Coys’ Penny, shown in the same thread, displays a harp with six strings. I can’t imagine that the 1d harp punch hasn’t at some point been shared across the denominations?

As you say, this is a short-cross London penny of Henry II…minted by PIERES ON LVND

Despite numerous refreshes, both last night AND today, I just can’t get the reverse to load beyond what you’re seeing here!

That’s a VERY valid point…

I really don’t see the date, for example, holding such a clear, crude form after submersion, myself…and especially for all the other devices to be so poorly positioned, if it were really the genuine article!

Definitely…wot Rob said!

My thoughts on the German forgery is that I reckon they had bigger fish to fry in 1945, than to bother themselves with bronze pennies

I’m hoping your packaging will deliver something slightly more round, Clive 🙏

I absolutely LOVE this one, and you only get to see the reverse, too…maybe they’re just being kind! Kind of Knight-like in shape, quite the piece of art https://ebay.io/m/Mck7Te