jelida

That depends on whether it can clear the die during the instant the strike takes, which will depend on its viscosity and escape route. I’m sure it usually did clear within a small number of strikes, exiting on the coins struck and around the collar, but in the meantime as an incompressible fluid it could have left its mark. I have been using an excavator clearing ditches and putting in drainage and gate posts over the past week, and the forces that can be exerted by pumping a few litres of hydraulic oil around never cease to amaze me. It’s not surprising that a covering of grease could prevent full die contact with flan. Filled die remains a potential issue to this day, apparently, if dies have been grease coated for storage. There is a lot on the net. Heritage show some nice examples. https://blog.ha.com/2019/07/something-is-missing-filled-die-errors/ I have no problem with the appearance of these coins being due to die grease (or indeed other foreign material). Jerry

Personally I’d just cover them with a generic description page, clearly they are not a true die variety and could presumably occur with any date, especially if a grease-clogged die is the cause as suggested. Jerry

Take away the correct ‘I’, and I don’t think much persuasion would be needed that the horizontal was an erroneous ‘I’ partially closed in by locally working the die. As the die maker will have had an ‘I’ punch in hand, it just seems more probable an error to me. But as so often in our hobby, there is likely not a definitive answer. Decent high magnification photography might give clues. Jerry

Could it not simply be ‘I’ over horizontal ‘I’, with the horizontal ‘I’ on the punch partially closed in before the correct letter was struck? I appreciate it is difficult to tell from the photo, but that would be a practical explanation and beyond doubt were the horizontal letter an ‘N’ or an ‘A’. Jerry

That’s a really neat find, despite the condition. It’s nice to know there are more than one out there! Jerry

I think Bramah was writing in a time when the idea of ‘privy’ marks on milled coinage was widely accepted, as the 1897 ‘dot’ penny. I would consider the mark below the ‘T’ to have some other, non deliberate, origin unless it could be definitively proven otherwise , which is unlikely now. I don’t know of contemporary Victorian forgeries that would require differentiation from genuine by a privy mark, and die studies were openly undertaken by die numbering or lettering. Jerry

Sadly my attention has just been drawn to it 😆 . What a lot of cut and paste rubbish! Why do these people think yards of pointless text enhance the sale of their pointless tatt! EBay should charge by the word, might speed up my internet connection ☹️. Jerry

I really wouldn’t be worrying about that yet, Mike, give it another week or two. It’ll be sitting in a great pile with two men at the bottom deciding whether to apply duty. The wait here is often longer than the transfer from the USA origin address. But if it doesn’t appear by the end of the month, post pics. Is it worth making this post sticky? It may well resurface from time to time. Jerry

Many of his other items for sale also cause concern, especially the artefacts, and are typical Eastern European fakes. Looking at his sold items, if he can happily sell supposed ancient silver rings set with intaglios etc for £20 to £30 then he must be getting them for bu**er all and not be at all worried that they don’t realise what a genuine example should. Couldn’t run a genuine business like that. Jerry

Yes, a little sad not to be mentioned, but Michael has used a couple of my photos and pics of my coins so I am happy. A very useful update. Nice to see my F33 N over inverted N listed, I still can’t believe nobody else bid for it in a whole week on EBay! Jerry

Thanks for that Mike, my email had been deposited in my ‘Junk’ folder! Sorted now. Jerry

It’s absolutely a B over R, if this isn’t one then none are! It is the diagonal of the R that shows within the lower loop of the B and extends outside the loop to meet the R, exactly the features described in Gouby and now Freeman. Jerry

This is fascinating stuff....are these varieties collectively published somewhere? If not, can they be........? I know Richard has his excellent web pages, but this level of detail is superb, and really merits a book. Jerry

No problem...thanks.

Looks like it’s based on this type of portrait penny of John, but different moneyer and mint. https://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/collections/coinsandmedals/78186 But it looks a ‘wrong un‘ to me. I’ll be interested in what others think; if genuine it would have been grossly undervalued. Jerry

Please. I would dearly wish to be able to take my own...... Jerry

It looks as though I may have lost a rare penny now 2 weeks overdue posted in the UK, I will post its pics for your site Richard in due course. However I wonder whether we shouldn’t have a dedicated topic on this site in which to post pics of these coins and a short history of the loss. This would alert other collectors and might aid claims or litigation for return should the coin turn up in the future, as rare coins tend to resurface at auction or on dealers lists eventually. Recoveries could also be subsequently listed. If members consider this useful, I will start the topic with my coin. Jerry

I’m with Paddy here. I looked at it too, and thought it looked like a blob of corrosion, especially in the slanted picture. And Lukas has a long history with this sort of thing. Jerry

What on earth is this? Some sort of Chinese knock-off, I presume. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Great-Britain-1898-One-Penny-Bronze/224143734971?hash=item343001f8bb:g:ppYAAOSwENVfUsAK Jerry

Here it is. https://www.jncoins.co.uk/Shop/pennies/626-george-v-bronze-penny-1926.html Jerry

Don’t be tempted...I’ve seen this coin for sale recently at several grand, this guy has just stolen the pics. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1926-ME-Penny-George-V-Uncirculated-NGC-MS-63-RB-Extremely-Rare-F-195/333710807341?hash=item4db2b6d12d:g:F-4AAOSwUKRfU67~ Jerry

“R&B” is likely “Roberts and Belk“ silversmiths of Sheffield. Jerry

These are “pseudo hallmarks “ on silver plate, not official hallmarks. Some can have meaning, for example the “S” may refer to Sheffield, and the “R&B” will be the manufacturer but others are simply ornate. Most Sheffield plate has marks similar. This seems a good reference; http://www.silvercollection.it/dictionarysilverplatepseudohallmarks.html Jerry

This knackered 1862 B over R in BRITT that I was bidding on was pulled today, presumably for an off EBay sale. I am not too aggrieved, as I have one nice one and two other poor examples but it is so annoying when it happens! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/One-Penny-1873-and-1862-England-Queen-Victoria-S-SS-/283985223175?item=283985223175&ViewItem=&nma=true&si=7jacaEOIZzM%2F9i4INN2leXJtvjs%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 One for your site Richard, and I have one yet to photograph. Jerry

That started as an ordinary auction, starting price £25. It was then pulled, reposted as a b-i-n, and sold. Someone I suspect made a behind the scenes deal for the coin at £100 , to be listed at a pre-determined time. Bargain for some-one. Jerry