Paddy

Welcome to the forum @Marcin. I can see the defect you mention. I am not much into note collecting, so I don't know if this is a known issue. My first concern would be to check if they are genuine as there are a lot of fake notes around at the moment. Find a local friendly shop and get them to check one on their detector.

The 1834 is definitely Maundy as by that time the small silvers (1 and 2 pence) were not in general circulation. The 1710 twopence was both included in Maundy sets but also in general circulation. I found the smaller silvers easy to pick up quite cheaply throughout the 17th and 18th centuries (with only a few really scarce dates).

Welcome to the forum @Sam5. I would say the H on that one is as clear as you would expect with that level of wear.

Very difficult to tell what the black stuff is. In some ways it looks like excessive patina, but the stuff by Britannia's bicep looks thicker. I would go through the same sequence, starting with warm soapy water, and if that doesn't shift it, on to Acetone. This may reveal underlying Verdigris, in which case you are onto the Sodium Sesquicarbonate or Verdicare options. I suspect nothing will shift it without taking off all the rest of the patina, turning the coin pink. If you do get to that stage, there is a way of restoring some of the patina: if you apply a thin coat of vegetable oil and then leave the coin on a sunny windowledge the dark patina will slowly return. Don't hold me responsible if none of this works!

Looks good! There are ways of shrinking images to the 500Kb limit - depends on you operating system. I think there are tips in the technical section. (I know what to do in Windows but I am hopeless with anything else!)

I am glad it worked so easily. It looks like a nice coin - any chance of pics of the whole?

I have no doubt it is genuine, but I am not sure anyone is chasing down new die numbers that seriously anymore. As @Rob intimated, newly identified ones turn up quite regularly - another reason not to go down that rabbit hole! 😄

Bull doesn't include 91 in the list of die numbers for 1873, but I am told this list has now been outdated. This list of die numbers: http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/dieno.html also does not include 91. I am sure there was discussion on here a few months (years?) back and someone had a link to a more up to date list, but I haven't found it yet.

Welcome to the forum @ggx51! It is difficult to see exactly what you have there - the picture appears black and white - is there any colour? That might indicate verdigris or some attached organic material. I take the coin is a Victoria Sixpence? The usual approach is to try things in increasing strength. Start with warm water and soap. If the material is organic a soak in Acetone would probably shift it. All these arevery unlikely to damage the underlying coin. Obviously don't scrub with anything abrasive! Thereafter you are into chemicals, which is more risky. The recent trials of Sodium Sesquicarbonate solutions have been successful on Bronze and Copper coins, but I have no idea whether it would work on silver. It is very gentle and slow, so should do little other damage. (Buy it as Borax substitute on Amazon.) Mild Ammonia solution is the next level up, but that will remove all the patina. So if you are unwilling to do that, best left as it is. Verdicare is a commercial product that might help, but it is difficult to get in the UK. I hope that helps.

This is my 1915 recessed ear. Not perfect but a reasonable example. I have no idea where and when I acquired it!

I believe it was still a capital offence in the UK, where most of the contemporary counterfeits were produced, although the punishment was usually commuted to transportation. The USA was responsible for more of the Evasions, and after independence the laws all changed.

Yes, looks to be a contemporary counterfeit. Weight should be more 9 to 11g. Having said that, it is one of the better made counterfeits. Most are much cruder and often produced ready worn. Note you are correct to say contemporary counterfeit rather than Evasion. The latter are deliberately varied from the original so as not to be classed as an illegal forgery. (Production of counterfeits was a capital offence!) Here is my regal issue 1772 for comparison. I have lots of 1775, all contemporary counterfeits!

Already in progress!

Interesting you mention A R Alexander. I don't believe he published any books and we worked out a while ago that he was "Father Andrew Alexander" - a priest at the school I was at! I knew when I was there that he collected coins and his interest and advice on my measly collection helped me get started. I had no idea he was such an authority on pennies at the time. He passed away only a few years ago at the school. I have no idea what happened to his collection - it may have passed to relatives or still be in possession of the school.

Well done! Will we see pictures? By the way, you have resurrected a very old thread and the last poster, back in January 2019, @1949threepence, has since passed away and is a much missed member of the forum.

Welcome to the forum! Difficult to say what that is from the picture you have posted. I think I see an owl, which might take us to ancient Greece, but I may be seeing things. Can you get better close up pictures of both sides? An accurate weight would also be useful

As no one else has responded, I will do my best. Gold, particularly modern gold, is not my speciality. First of all, welcome to the forum. I hope you stick around once this particular query is resolved. I am not surprised the dealer company you spoke to offered only gold spot price. That is the default solution for most coin dealers and jewellery outlets as that way they are covered if the goods prove unsaleable at a premium. If you want to sell them as one lot, a dealer is the most likely option, unless you can locate a collector with deep pockets who wants all of them. You will get better value by breaking the collection up and selling pieces individually. There are two main ways of doing this: 1. The easy way is to use an auction house specialising in coin sales, who will list it as multiple lots. You will, of course, lose out to the commission, both buyers and sellers, that they will charge, but at least the market will dictate the hammer price. If you go down this route, give us some idea of where in the country you are so we can suggest a convenient auction house. 2. The most profitable way is to effectively become a dealer yourself for a while, selling through online platforms such as Facebook or Ebay, or even taking a market stall somewhere. You will get a much higher price for the items, but have the hassle and expense of the process. You will also have to handle the occasional dodgy buyer, particularly when selling online. If you go this way, you will need to do your research to know what price to ask, using published online auctions and/or Ebay as a guide. (Remember with Ebay that it is the actual sale price that counts, not the often ridiculous asking price!) I hope that helps.

Come back Dr Larry, all is forgiven!

Yes, much better now.

We seem to be on dead slow again?

Nice coin. I think your initial assessment of an attempted holing is more likely correct. I think the bulge in the wreath beneath the 8 on the reverse is the other end of that. I don't think a die fault would allow so much proud metal. I like the threehalfpence coins - a short run intended for the colonies but legal in the UK and listed in all the GB books. It took me some years to complete the date run, the 1837 William IV proving the most elusive - a lot scarcer than the books indicate.

Hi @Citizen H, for non-British coins you might want to try the World coin section of Cointalk.com.

I am no expert on these but by comparing with @secret santa's site I would agree, this is not High tide. I see there is a link on the PCGS page to report errors - is that worth a try?

Incidentally, when you did your initial experiment - 100 minutes at 90C - how did you achieve this temperature control?

The 1887 shilling is the commonest of the Jubilee head shillings as it was the first year of issue and many were put aside as souvenirs. The lower one is in much better condition than the other. There are variations to watch out for, which I am not up on, so I would leave it to others to identify if you have any there. Value is better than silver value (0.925), but I have not watched these dates at auction for some years, so hopefully someone else can chip in.