Coinery

15th May 1602 - 20th May 1603 But with the 3rd harp, again assuming you've got the only known die-pairing, you're looking at a 1602 shilling!

The legend DEVM only appears on Elizabeth's hammered English crowns and halfcrowns, and also on the Irish coins. It also appears on the milled coinage. I believe this is a third coinage Irish shilling of Elizabeth, which had a shield on the obverse. The mintmarks for this coinage were the trefoil, star, and martlet. So, if there's a martlet on it the obverse is BCW Irish Shilling MR-1, which is happily only paired with one known reverse MR-a (which would've had a crowned harp [3] on it). Altogether a BCW Irish Shilling MR-1:a This is of course presuming you're happy with the dimensions of it as a shilling. There were marlet sixpences too. I should probably add, it does look shilling dimensions, and the martlet is at the top of the 'shield' side, just after RE: Also, the crowned harp on the the reverse would be orientated with the flat edge at the top!

My strategy has always been in viewing the 'time ending soonest' category, maybe it's time to join you boys on the newly listed BINs! Oh, and shhhhhhhhhhhhh!

There are a lot of BIN coins on eBay, but there are also a lot of 'BIN' coins on the internet generally. I guess with eBay, at least, you can filter out all the BIN coins with a single click, which is a pretty good facility I'd say. I can't remember ever buying a BIN coin on eBay, but I've bought a few 'BIN' coins from internet dealers. I guess I'm also caught by that 'trying to get a bargain' strategy on the 'bay, but wouldn't insult a dealer's list with the same tactics if I liked the coin.

Someone has already reported this coin as a fake, and the seller has updated the listing accordingly http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COPY-OF-CHARLES-I-HAMMERED-SHILLING-m-m-tun-ref-SPINK-2794-/251167319588?pt=UK_Coins_BritishHammered_RL&hash=item3a7abd2624 In his favour, he has changed the Charles XII description to 'copy!' However NOT in his favour is he didn't spot an obviously suspicious coin! I'm half interested in his PM 1 Liz shilling, thinking it something worth photographing for my die-study, but have noticed a suspicious uniformity of 'tone' across all his coins for sale (even Victoria). Any thoughts from anyone? Are his coins tinkered with, fake, badly photographed, or genuine? Just had a sickening thought...I hope I haven't put my foot in it! It's so easy to forget there's a strong link between eBay and MOST people on the forum!

Not a clue unless it's a deformed bell. That was my first guess, but very odd to say the least! I thought is could be a modern copy, but it's not known by Everson?

Any ideas what's going on with the Privy Mark? 180999770343

Many thanks to Roger Shuttlewood, Colin Cooke, and Rob Pearce, the previous caring custodians of a rather pretty hammered copper (IMHO). A pint of scrumpy, a lump of cheese, some gibbles (spring onions), a copy of Everson, and the above coin in a lighthouse flip ( ), a perfect day! It's a terrible shame you have to be so secretive about such pleasures when out!

Same kind of shock factor as the Elizabeth slabbed material! I was going to say shocking but I think...amazing! It means we can sell all our fine-VF stock, and go for a MAJOR upgrade! Thank-you very much, I say!

Thanks, Dave, that's neat! How do you know which catalogue to download, it's all abbreviated in the library view?

The above was meant to read: 'However, the LATEST known pairing...' The edit facility was unavailable this morning!

Go on then, PM me too! This may not be the popular vote, but I'm going to stick my neck out and say get yourself a Spink's catalogue. At your son's level it doesn't have to be the 2012, you can get a two or three year old copy for a couple of quid on ebay. I think it would be your best bet for now! And possibly 'check your change' available on this website's homepage? Good luck with it all, and welcome aboard.

Well, it wouldn't be decent other than to stir-up a bit of a debate, particularly as this blows quite a few of the numismatic 'knowns' out of the water! I can only quote from BCW, knowing of no better reference so, as a basis for discussion, we have: Obverse TN-1 (Tun over Hand) which is obviously a known pairing with a 1592 reverse. Also we have: Obverse HA-1, and this gives us our earliest known hand over crescent die. However, the earliest known pairing for HA-1 is with a 1590 reverse. So, numismatically, absolutely nothing works for a triple-mark, but it's an interesting IM window for such possibilities, given the lack of pyx details spanning the 3 privy marks. I wonder if you have some interesting Challis info. to add fire? Whilst I cannot personally pick out the 3 marks in the image, I'd be really interested to hear your ideas behind its occurrence. The crescent sixpence (whilst not the commonest) has sufficient enough numbers surviving that it may be possible to find a die-match. This is what the entire Elizabeth die project is about for me...having a series of library dies available to all for clarification, where details or multiple marks aren't as clear as we would like. It really interests me! I'll have a little dig around the die-thing on this one, because I truly believe that die-databases are the way forward in all areas...not to dig out new varieties, but quite simply to assist in situations such as these.

If I can do something for you Rob, it would be my pleasure! I'll email you later!

It's taking hold, then, this coin collecting thing? A great move to get a book on the subject, so much to learn!

Starbucks would probably find a way round it!

Not sure Surrey******* could've sat calmly by for the best part of a year (as Danz has) without responding to the 'occasional' time the **** name has been taken in vain!

Geoffrey, I could lose myself for hours on your site! It's a wonderful thing, akin to finding a secret door in an old castle and being the first to look around it in 500 years, superb!

I once had one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321000179711?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 What's interesting, in light of this 2nd copy showing up, is that the cast coin was originally a plugged coin! I assumed initially that someone had contemporarily drilled my copy (thinking it to be a genuine coin to carry around the neck), and then a modern plug was added by someone, who also thought it to be genuine and worth plugging! Seems neither was the case! How odd to make a cast from a plugged coin, when there must have been better out there! I have emailed the seller. If there is no response, I shall pop the link into seuk's new list for 'the treatment'!

Who in their right mind will pay a premium for some Mickey Mouse TPG to tell them what they have.? "it's got a hole in it, been cleaned with a Brillo pad, and is possibly made of silver"! Oh, and "we think it's a 4p! Ah, no, hang on, sorry, we think it's a sixpence"! Ahh, and not forgetting "there's a serif on the E that's got VF detail"! Actually, we should say "VF details," as it may have been, but for the Dick Emery clean! Emery as in cloth/paper! Dick, as in...well we know that bit! Oh, and that's £25 thank-you, Sir! It's been our pleasure 'Monsieur' please call again!

You know it intimately, Rob, you'll be getting yourself a reputation (I'm very impressed, though)! If I ever get the sense I've seen you somewhere before (when I finally bump into you), I'm going to know where from!

I'll bet Peter started it! A fellow veggie, Richard, good on you! Even more so that it's for all the right reasons. To actually like the flavour of meat, yet still make the call, great stuff!

I'm glad to say there are many emergency pit stops in the region! Fresh bread, a lump of cheddar, and some onion (spring or otherwise), is a perfect accompaniment!

I have to confess that I did...quite some time ago! It has been slabbed since then ( not by me) and I paid a lot less. I was so attracted to the colour! I couldn't get over how a piece of copper could look as good as a B&Q compression joint olive! I was surfin' to see how the 4's typically looked on the type, as I spotted a coin on eBay with a 4 that looked so much like a 5/4 I was going to buy it just to see...I just couldn't justify it on this occasion! It was then that I stumbled upon this surprising link! I will be selling it on, now I've realised my interest in copper goes back another two generations! I have to say, though, it's an amazing area for someone to research, I've barely seen a die the same! O's all over the place, there must even be an O as an earring somewhere?

It's still around a fiver if you go to the local farms, where the yeasts are still the natural, unpredictable, 'uncultured' kind, and the outcome unfettered! Did you know that commercial cider had to reign in its natural 'limit' in order to stay within the alcohol tax band? Proper farmhouse cider more often than not breached the fortified wine category! The commercial variant has changed somewhat nowadays!