Colin G.

You mean send ALL of them in the post? Nah, I'd rather not spend the money shuttling the coins back and forth, especially if they're not worth a great deal. I'll get in touch the next time I'm near London and show you them in person, if I still have them. Thank you muchly for all your help Where abouts in the Midlands are you? I am based in the West Mids also and may be able to have a look for you. I have no doubt there are a few people on here who would vouch for me (I hope!!). Are you interested in selling them as a lot?

Ron, I agree it is not a proof. I saw this coin for sale on ebay described as a proof and had my doubts due to the quality of the strike, and I believe the seller is now selling an 1806 farthing also described as a proof. Seeing the edge confirms this fact.

Matty, Forgive me if I sounded a bit negative, that was not my intention. You have an 1860 TB farthing, if you can get hold of a beaded border example and place them side by side the difference will become apparent. The tooth shape, is not the overriding factor. There are other features which distinguish one type from the other. It is worth getting a beaded border example, and then I think you will see the difference quite clearly. Good luck hunting for the bargains, they are out there but I have yet to find a mule Note the rocks to the left of the lighthouse in the above image, and the difference that would be on section.

sorry everybody, just gettin the hang of it, thanks chris, looks much neater Matty, Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this coin is also a toothed border farthing. The rock to the left of the lighthouse would show as 3 separate rocks, like jagged teeth, not the one solid rock that is visible. I think what you have is similar to the one that was slabbed, in that some of teeth appear as beads due to the die, but it is not a true mule (a mismatch of two dies that were never intended to be together.

I have seen a couple of farthings that give a prooflike appearance. One of my 1893's has this effect. I think as someone else has commented it would tend to be an early strike. As for the Mule, the image only shows the reverse of the coin and it has a toothed border. All the mule varieties have a beaded reverse and a toothed obverse, so I would say it is very unlikely that it is in fact a mule.

All, I am after 25-30 one shilling coins for a friend so that they can be encased, they must be lustrous/Aunc condition. Any dates will do, does not matter if they are all the same date. Have a look in the back of those cupboards, If you can help me drop me a PM with a price including shipping.

Is it just me or is the border tooth design also different, it may just be the photo but!! Unfortunately I do not have any in my collection to check.

Geoff, My concern is that if I see Britannia, I instinctively think British. This is one of the features that identifies our coinage, as does the Monarch's portrait. We already have coins that carry commemorative/artistic designs, so why do we need more. If other modern coinage produced gave the same impression my views may be different, but I think we are one of a handful of countries that have coinage that immediately gives you an impression of the country and its identity. I look at much of the euro coinage, and the modern bi-metallic coinage, and it all looks the same, cheap, dull and repetitive. I am all for change if it is a step forward, and I know the new design may be stunning, but I would confidently bet a few farthings that it will be lacking....

I too admit to being a last minute sniper , because I have witnessed first hand those bidders that just keep doing it an increment at a time. Bid too early and it can cost you money!!! Bid early and you can also become victim to people searching for items by bidder name. For example if I collect a certain type of coin, and another e-bay user also collects the same item and knows my ebay ID, they can search for items I am bidding on, to save them searching, another reason why I bid late!! Its the rush of the bid in the last few seconds that does it for me Although I have messed it up on occasion

Just to confuse things, I always use the term British Colonial. Welcome aboard!!

Hammered coins are real coins! Whatever you decide to collect, enjoy it! I know sure do! Clive. Oh anyone can bash a hammered out Give me milled anyday!!!! As long as its none of the modern commemorative stuff - uuuughhhhhh!!! anyway regardless of what you collect, this forum is a great place to be, knowledge galore!! Welcome aboard

Hi, You might want to visit http://www.aboutfarthings.co.uk to see the difference between Obv 3 and Obv 5 or you could buy Michael Freeman's "The Bronze Coinage of Great Britain" I use the rose and berries to tell the difference...Young Head has 5 and full rose the Old Head has 4 berries in the wreath and only half of the rose shows. Muygrandeoso Thanks for recommending my site Muygrandeoso , I have a page on the site which tries to highlight the main differences, it is Different Obverses

Happy new year everyone!!!!

I know as a general rule I would always recommend against cleaning coins, but I recently purchased an 1874 G over sideways G on Ebay and am seriously considering cleaning options. The coin in question is item no 300179553874. It is heavily encrusted with hard verdigris although the areas of the coin that do not have the corrosion issues do show a good level of detail. I know the removal of the verdigris will undoubtedly result in a pitted area being left, and ultimately may make the coin worse appearance wise than it is at present. I am willing to gamble on this one due to the level of corrosion, and the fact that the coin will be remaining with me for the foreseeable future, but I would be interested to hear in what others think of the following: A. Should I leave it as is and accept it in its current state, or risk the clean? B.What method of cleaning should I try if I do decide to do the clean? 1 - Electrolysis - Previously I have used electrolysis on detecting finds that were "lost causes", but that always affects the entire surface of the coin and whilst it will remove a majority of the verdigris it will give the coin the "polished" look and would probably lower the level of detail across the coin 2 - Oil - The long term oil soak from my experience usually results in a minimal improvement, but should not affect the stable areas of the coin 3 - Spot cleaning - Using a plastic pick & magnifying glass to try and prise away the verdigris. Never really tried this method previously. 4 - Other such as chemical dip etc. Common sense would say 2 then 3 then re-assess but I am interested in the general opinions anyway. Don't all shout at me at once

After oil soak and careful verdigris removal Obv After oil soak and careful verdigris removal Rev So what do you think, improvement or not? Is it time to stop?

After simple wash Obv After simple wash Rev

An update on the G over G, after several days soaking in olive oil, it became easier to remove the larger clumps of verdigris. I have provided images below of the three stages of the process. Original State Obv Original State Rev

Peter, Meant to say congratulations on your achievement , out of interest what were the last 5 dates filled?

Yes I think so. I don't think there is much competition. I subscribe to it and I do enjoy reading it but there does seem to be to many adverts in comparison to actual coin related articles in it. I do like to read about the auction house results (although I don't sell or buy much through the auction houses). I also like the coin clinic section where people ask and try to find out what their unknown coins are, but you get a lot of that on these online forums which are fun to read. The lexicon section is also quite interesting. Chris, It looks like there might be a void for Rotographic to fill, have you/they thought about expanding into the magazine sector? I agree that Coin News is not my cup of tea, and I would also subscribe to something a bit more interesting!!

Red, Thanks for the offer, it really is genuinely appreciated. I have read other books on conservation, and through the detecting have "dabbled" a bit, but was interested to see what the general consensus would be from collectors on how they would approach this particular coin.

Peter, I find myself redefining what I class as a variety all the time. It is difficult to know where to darw the line. That is why I always appreciate feedback on the site, to ensure it does not become unuseable or unreliable/innaccurate. As you say it is so hard to part with a coin that is different, but it is a case of needs must sometimes I also upgrade when I can but I know I will never complete my collection to 100%. (Me Too ) I must admit I did not purchase the G over G as a coin to sit in my collection, but just as a temporary opportunity to view one first hand, and if the verdigris removal left a reasonable example then I had lost nothing. At that price I thought it was worth a gamble. I have to admit I also generally steer clear of coins with this level of corrosion but curiosity got the better of me!! Yes the 1842 was a great find, and an opportunity I fear I will live to regret not taking myself, but only time will tell. "A while back on US Ebay a seller had a 2 G's over calling it an EF 1874 H (at best NVF) it was going for about $10 I whammed $350 and went to bed dreaming of a $11 bargain" - Lucky you, I stayed up to watch it and got outbid, boy it was a long wait!! Even worse when you don't win!! My collection is quite limited regarding George II and earlier, but I find myself drawn towards them more and more (I must resist!!) I am always interested in swaps, the selling is mainly to move duplicates etc, but my aim is to collect not deal, so I would always consider swaps. Let me know what you are after, I have recently bagged a few purchases which are going to result in some duplicates needing to be re-homed. For those of you interested in the G over G, I gave it a rinse yesterday and have scanned it at each stage, to record the difference. It is currently sitting in olive oil, to try and soften some of the verdigris, but I don't hold out much hope. It is such a shame that the coin is corroded, the hair detail on the coin is really sharp for an 1874H which do tend to be notoriously weak. I will update you on progress.

There could be many reasons for the effect you are getting, some are: How did you handle the coin, if your skin came into contact with the surface of the coin, this can start a chemical reaction, which can result in fingerprints/smears becoming visible. Ideally proofs should only be handled with cotton gloves or very carefully at the edges (not ideal), or through a cotton cloth (although there is more of a risk of dropping the coin). What brand/make of holder have you used? Some of the cheaper holders are suitable for circulated coins, but again can start reactions on proof coins where the clear widnow becomes pressed against the surface of a coin. How was the coin sent to you? Was it housed in anything that could have started a reaction? Are the marks definitely on the coin and not from a smear on the holder itself? There may be other reasons, but answers to the above may give an indication why.

Thanks for looking, I tried the same approach but alas no joy

I have purchased an 1881H farthing which was quoted as being from CNG sale 45. The coin has arrived and it is indeed in a CNG flip complete with insert stating lot 2893. If anyone has a copy could they confirm whether the details match. Sale Details CNG 45, March 18, 1998, 3175 lots. Goodman Collection of Roman Republican, Part III Wobert W. Everett Collection.

This is a "variety" that had me fooled for a while and looks quite obvious by comparison of images. On George IV farthings, the lions paw looks quite weak, until the coin has light cast upon it from a different angle. Suddenly the paw becomes more pronounced and the horizon adjacent to the paw also becomes visible. I thought I had stumbled upon an obvious variety when I first noticed it, only to see that the variety disappeared when I rotated the coin on the scanner!!! I also have to agree with Teg that whilst some farthings, can be very well struck and even give a "proof like" appearance in the fields, it is a bold statement to claim with certainty that the coin in question has been struck from proof dies.