Sword

I think coins in the first year of a design tend to be better struck than later years. The reverse of all four 1911 halfcrowns above do not show weakness at the top of the shield.

Yes, I was wondering if it was a photoshop job or a genuine plaque.

I am probably in the small minority of people never to have brought from eBay or or whatever. I probably wasn't being clear earlier. I was just laughing at the common occurrences of blatant misrepresentation by some sellers on that platform.

Ebay

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Maslin#:~:text=Internet memes,Bucklesby – a misanthropic failed author.

"Bright" is a suspicious word in auction descriptions. I think it often implies an unspecified "cleaning" issue. The problem-free word is probably "lustrous".

It was pasted from Wikipedia. Source of free information.

Those hairlines (particularly behind the veil) would suggest cleaning or at least wiped by something inappropriate. But not too bad. I don't like the rim by the horse's tail either.

The story behind the plaque: The Roger Bucklesby Bench Plaque – In the middle of August 2013, Jamie Maslin, (a British author, adventurer and bushcraft survival instructor) reportedly installed this plaque in a London park to his fictional character Roger Bucklesby – a misanthropic failed author. The bench plaque reads, "In memory of Roger Bucklesby who hated this park, and everyone in it." The image was originally posted on a Twitter account under the description "I was walking through London and came across this bench" and within hours its image went viral, receiving over 2 million views on image sharing website Imgur, thousands of retweets and over half a million likes on Facebook with ten thousand corresponding comments. "We had no plans for this to turn into an internet hit" said Maslin, "we just hoped the occasional passerby would see it and have a giggle. It seems we've done plenty of that."

That's a relief at least. A proof, even in this grade will worth several times that.

To be fair, most dealers don't consider dipping as cleaning either. You are one of very few that mention dipping in the description.

I can't see how that's a proof. The rims are not remotely sharp. There is no frosting to the portrait. The strike is not great. Those hairlines on the obverse would suggest cleaning. I hope you didn't pay very much for it. However, more experienced members will soon give their opinions.

The coin already looks very appealing in the photo and and it has a particularly well struck obverse. The numerical grade does not often taken sufficient account of the strike or toning. I think it is a more desirable piece than what the grade would suggest, as everyone is after well struck examples.

It's just as well he didn't see the infamous Bull Head portrait then.

Just out of interest, what grade was given by CGS. I always like to have a guess at these things. 78? The tone and lack of contact marks make the coin very appealing.

She hasn't been very unfortunate. "In fact, her skin had been scarred by smallpox in 1562, leaving her half bald and dependent on wigs and cosmetics. Her love of sweets and fear of dentists contributed to severe tooth decay and loss to such an extent that foreign ambassadors had a hard time understanding her speech." "The more Elizabeth's beauty faded, the more her courtiers praised it. Elizabeth was happy to play the part, but it is possible that in the last decade of her life she began to believe her own performance."

Thanks for the answers Rob. I think very few of us have such wide ranging knowledge and this would explain the lack of entries. I am sure a number of people including myself were interested to find out the answers.

Due to a lack of knowledge, I eventually decided to look up the answers to most of the questions. It was fun and I did learn a few things.There are a few I can't do even with the help of Google and books. Rob, can I have the answers to the questions I have got wrong or can't find please. Quiz Questions 1. How much was an angel current for in 1613? Eleven shillings 2. Which was the last of the provincial mints to close following the recoinage of William III and when did it close? 3. Everybody loves them, so who designed the reverse of the Churchill crown? Oscar Nemon 4. Who succeeded J P Droz at the Soho Mint? 5. Which coin struck as currency in the reign of George VI was not struck in the name of Edward VIII? Half sovereign 6. The first dated coins in this country were patterns struck in the reign of Edward VI. There were two different patterns. How was the date written on each piece? 1547 7. If you see a coin reference Hks. xxx, what does this refer to? Author & Title required. Hawkins, The Silver Coins of England 8. How many Spanish American mints are found on the countermarked 8R coinage of George III? 7? 9. The Anne pattern halfpennies and farthings were the work of which engraver? 10. What element was used to enhance the ‘mint fresh’ appearance of hammered silver? 11. If you see the mint signature GRA on Saxon coinage, where does this refer to? GRANTEBRJC, Cambridge Mint 12. For any student of the Anglo-Saxon coinage, the roundabout at Podimore in Somerset is a dream come true. On the various signs leading onto and off the roundabout are the names of approx. 10% of the attested Anglo-Saxon mints. For the geographically challenged, Podimore is 4 ½ miles north of Yeovil at the junction of the A37 – the Fosse Way and the A303 which is the link road connecting the A30 near Chard with the M3 at Basingstoke. Name them. 13. What does the latin inscription “DECVS ET TVTAMEN” translate to in English? An ornament and a safeguard 14. What material is the current 2p manufactured from? Copper plated steel 15. What did W J Taylor set up in Melbourne in 1854? Kangaroo Office Mint. It has been argued that W.J. Taylor came to Melbourne and established the Kangaroo Office, because his signature is to be found on the tokens minted there (eg. McDonald 1992). However there is no evidence that he came to Australia. Taylor's name is on tokens and medals attributed to the Kangaroo Office because either they were struck in his mint in London, or Scaife was using dies that Taylor had made for him. 16. An aureus depicting a triumphal arch with the inscription DE BRITANN was struck in whose name? Claudius 17. Who are the so called three emperors shown on the antoninianus struck in this country towards the end of the 3rd century AD? Maximian, Diocletian and Carausius 18. Prior to the act of Union, what was the last year coins were struck in Scotland as an independent country? 19. In what year was the first George V crown struck and who was the engraver? 1927, Kruger Gray 20. How many British monarchs have their bust facing both left and right on currency coins? Name them. Right 13, Left; 12 Right: Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Philip (Jure uxoris), James I, Charles II, William & Mary, George I, George III, William VI, Edward VII, Elizabeth II Left: Mary, Elizabeth I, Charles I, Charles II, James II, Anne, George II, George IV, Victoria, George V, Edward VIII, George VI

If that's not a sarcastic response, then good for you!

I am not certain if there is anything "live" to show if there is no phone or online bidding.

Did you manage to arrange any phone bidding? Let me guess: no it didn't happen.

I am not commenting on any specific sellers. But what is ebay's official policy on reporting shill bidding? Please don't bother! "How do I report shill bidding? If you think that another member is shill bidding, you don't need to report it to us. eBay has a number of systems in place to detect and monitor bidding patterns and practices. If we identify any malicious behaviour, we'll take steps to prevent it." https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/selling-policies/selling-practices-policy/shill-bidding-policy?id=4353

They are not exactly telling many people about this. I suspect the phone lines will be rather quiet.

The foam stretches a bit and so I think it is best to round down to the nearest mm. 38.61mm diameter £5 would go in 38mm. Then it would be a nice tight fit with no possible movement. However, it can be a tricky to get the coin in until you have some practice with using quadrums. My method is to put the crown on a flat surface such as a book. Position the foam so that the the bottom of the coin is in the hole.Then hold down two corners of the foam and stretch the top to get the whole coin in. You should be able to do this without touching the coin. You can then carefully flip the foam over with the coin still in. (Take care so that the coin does not drop out!) Then push the coin in position using a clean micro fibre cloth. Have a blower ready to blow away dust on the inside surfaces of the quad before closing it. (The inside of quads often needs a quick wipe with a mirco fibre cloth follow by dust removal with a blower). It's easier to get a crown into a 39mm quad of course but it won't be such a tight fitting.

Might be it is quickest just to ask him since his e-mail address is on his website. http://www.wolfsheadgallery.com/