Coinery

Would you call a Privy Mark/overmark a 'major' variety? To give an example...Elizabeth Halfgroats! There are six different busts, which I can happily call major types! However, there are also 19 Privy Marks, a beaded inner-circle, a wire-line inner circle, 4 Privy Overmarks, plus 3 PM bell coins with pellets behind the bust, no pellets behind the bust, and pellets over II behind the bust. A grand total, if you total them up as PM Cross-Crosslet with bust 1G, PM Cross-Crosslet with bust 3F, PM Martlet with 1G, and so on, of 32 known Halfgroat coins for the E1 series! Would you say ALL 32 are major varieties? How different does something have to be to be considered major? I haven't included legend variations or legend errors, as I'm automatically assigning these as minor varieties, but should I even be doing that? Of interest, when you look at the LIS, lions, shields, and general die-pairings, etc, there are 73 recorded types (so far). Should THESE be treated as major varieties, being so distinctly different?

It's true and, illegal or not, I'm as straight as anyone goes, but I'm not a fool or a mug! They'd have to slap the irons on me because, if I'm in the Fred and Jim situation, I'm not going to stupidly say, let the best man win, that flies in the face of intelligence to me! Where on earth in life would you do such a thing? Two men either side of a collapsing wall, pushing like crazy to keep it balanced! 'Hello over there? If you only push just a little bit, I won't have to push quite as hard! We might actually manage to keep this wall up together until someone else comes to help!'

Heads I buy the beers, tails you do!

I often wonder myself how often we have bidded against each other in various auctions. Whats your ebay name Peter? You can PM if you don't wish to divulgeMost of us snipe though, don't we? So knowing user names won't help?????

1) praise be to God! 2) you old fox, TG, what a manoeuvre, what a move!

For fffff...Bugger! Perhaps the 4 of us should email our top bids to a 3rd party, and the highest genuine bid goes forth, whilst the others bow gracefully out...no point in the winning bidder paying over the odds, eh? I'm interested in 2 of the lizzies - one to keep, one to sell! That, technically, is called a 'ring' and afaik it's illegal! 'My precious!' Talking of which, Gollum never did return to join us!

And my mother always told me I was a sixpence short, so stop calling me shilling!

I think he might know his stuff, he specialises in copper proof halfpennies, he's got others for sale! This seller really DOES need a flash! Convince me. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1757-George-II-Plain-Edge-Copper-Proof-Halfpenny-/181233298765?pt=UK_Coins_BritishMilled_RL&hash=item2a3258ad4d This is a non-existent date for a halfpenny, let alone a year where there are no proofs, only currency.He can't get it more wrong than that, then? Oh, boy!

Now Peter knows about it, we'll have to pay him off too!

Not a laugh, really! I was too busy talking! 360750943913

For fffff... Bugger! Perhaps the 4 of us should email our top bids to a 3rd party, and the highest genuine bid goes forth, whilst the others bow gracefully out...no point in the winning bidder paying over the odds, eh? I'm interested in 2 of the lizzies - one to keep, one to sell!

I think he might know his stuff, he specialises in copper proof halfpennies, he's got others for sale! This seller really DOES need a flash!

Hi Chris, Welcome aboard! You can compile a massive collection of Roman coins at less than a fiver each, with the rarer and more expensive coins available once you've got a bit of experience under your belt! Halfpennies are great IMO and a great place to start, at least financially (especially when you move into the Victorian material)! Pennies and farthings are good also, with only a few price shocks for the 1900's, and plenty of experts in those areas on here! Best advice I can offer is to read around the forum a lot, it's the best beginner's 'book' there is!

Good!

I know CGS need to exercise caution but, honestly, what else could it be? Marking in the lines of what can be viewed of the underlying letter, and then inverting the lines, we get the above! Absolutely no chance of an A being involved, as I took the lines for a 'walk' around the legend! The only difficulty I faced is with the resolution of the images as, for example, between the 'V' of the M in the CGS image, there can be seen a clear line/point, whereas in Rob's image it doesn't appear to be so obviously there...maybe Paulus can give us a pointer at which image is most representative in this area? Anyway, on Rob's image the lines-inverted looks just about spot on, whereas in the CGS image (if the lines are there) the spacing isn't right for the pointing (if you know what I mean), but this spread would be expected if the overpunched letter was to run between the diagonals, which of course it does! M over inverted M for me! Edit: of course, it could be asked 'where is the rest of the inverted M'?

I know J. Bispham has done some work with the base shillings! It could be worth searching his name for any further studies, he may have researched the fine silver too?

Thanks for the info cristatus, would in interested to hear your final thoughts, as I've got to be a little more organised now myself! My own simple folders with 1567, 1568, etc just ain't good enough any more!

Not realising until just that nearly everything's photographed in the online catalogue! Doh! My lot looks even nicer online!

Brilliant!

Hold on Rob! Before inviting everyone to the party, can't the secret few still get their shots off first! I think they are a little bit like Croydon, where attendance is crucial for items not photgraphed in the catalogue! I wouldn't fear fakes with them, though, they have been exemplary in their response to these things! I do like the location of the auction...you can view the lots at their offices, make your way into town and grab a pizza express lunch before firing next door to get your bids in! Nice experience all round! Edit: and as is clear from the responses, not everyone follows their stock list, which can only mean one thing...happy days!

you don't see those portcullis types very often!

Coolio, I'm really glad the journey's a forward one! Will email you tomorrow...nothing really important, only coin stuff!

Hey, really sorry to hear about that ankle, Paul...what's up?

When's the E7 6d up for sale? Only joking, Paulus...if that ever comes on the market, I'd buy it for you! honest!

Paulus you've got a full inbox!