po_bob

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

The underdate 5 is visible almost in its entirety to the left of the overdate 5, and the underdate 5 appears to me to be from a smaller set of numerals - perhaps the half penny? Has anyone seen this before? Any musings or information welcome. Thanks!

Thanks to all for their replies. After a recent recent Windows update my scanner no longer functioned, but with some fiddling around I got it to go but at no better than half the resolution of which it was formerly capable. The following image was at 1200dpi, with the contrast turned up all the way.

But if this set of numeral punches was still lurking in the cabinet..... 1852 half penny:

Thank you for your reply. If it is a rotated 6, I believe it would have to be a farthing-sized six, as the underdate numeral does not seem to extend to the top or the bottom of the overdate six. Your point about the lower half of the downstroke of a 2 being straight is a good one, at least insofar as the 2s being used in 1861.

Thank you!

If you download and enlarge this image a bit, what seems to be the lower left corner of a 2 appears to be extending outside the six at around 7:30, at the place you would expect by extending the arc visible within the loop of the 6, with the trace of the horizontal extending left to right, and the upturned tail of the two very close to the lower outside right of the 6. Similarly the outside of the upper curve of a 2 appears outside the upper arm of the 6 at around 11:00. To me, at any rate. If the underdate IS a 6 or an inverted 6 or a 9, it must have been from a different set of numerals as it appears to be much more narrow than the overdate 6. I can find no mention of an 1861/21 half penny, though. I hoped someone with access to better books than I might find information on this die.

Thank you for your replies. On this coin - and I apologize for the lack of sharpness in the images, which are the best I can manage - the exact roundness of the dot, its placement equidistant between the 6 and the 1, and on the baseline of the bottom of the numerals, seem to me to militate against a random anomaly. Though I suppose anything is possible.

Seems to be a dot or a stop between the 6 and the 1. Any thoughts or information welcome.

The final 1 seems much farther spaced than any I have seen. Thoughts or information most welcome.

The underdate appears to me to be a 2. Too slender to be a 9 or an inverted 9 or a 6, and does not look like the other 8 on the coin. I do not see what else it could be, other than a 2. Any thoughts or information?