jelida

I have many sets of speakers, but have never made my own. I have a dozen Quad electrostatics, the ESL57, and it’s a pair of these on stands I always end up going back to; I have a pair of ESL63’s I must re-panel soon, I have the materials, they have been sitting in my study, partly disassembled, for months but something else always crops up. My next favourites are a pair of Castle Harlech, the polyester coned ones from the late ‘90’s. In the workshop, awaiting their turn but working, are a nice pair of Lowther Accousta PM7a’s, B&W DM3’s and the massive B&W P2’s with the ionofane tweeters (serviced, you can still get the electrode and quartz chamber from the USA). Also Kef Concerto’s, Spendor SA1’s (really nice BBC LS 3/5a competitors, and others I can’t remember at the mo. I have had several Tannoy red and gold speaker pairs, but they have ended up in the USA and the Far East. Much of my HiFi has been sold on to generate cash for pennies. Jerry

No, that is certainly different. There have been a number on the ‘bay sold as ‘dot’ pennies with raised mark consistent with the ‘blob’ on mine, which is something to watch out for, clearly not the true Freeman dot. Jerry

Thanks both, most interesting, my other three ‘eight bisects’ 1898 are all the previous BP1898B variety, nice to add the BP1898Ba, unknowingly! Any idea of the relative rarities? Jerry

Here is my wide date 1898 Pete, I think it is 11 teeth too, so BP1898Ab too. Jerry

Thanks Pete. Lovely coin! I think I have a ‘wide date’ 1898 somewhere, will see if I have photos. Jerry

I am pretty sure this is a very late stage of the ‘dot’ die, it’s now really just a ‘blob’ where three cracks converge. I have seen earlier stages of this die flaw, the round dot I think being the start of the flaw. Any other thoughts? I know these dot pennies have been discussed before. Jerry

more photos of the 'N'.

I also wonder whether this is a F10 with the second N in PENNY over an inverted N, certainly it appears to have the extra serif lower right but this area is badly affected by a die flaw and it is impossible to be sure it is not artefact.

More, and an interesting 'third colon dot' on a Gouby G penny, I think it's a BP1860V and perhaps represents an incompletely filled original colon dot at the time the colon was re-entered.

There were a lot of nice 1860 penny die repairs in the bulk lot of Hiram Brown pennies I bought, here are a few close-ups.

close-up.

A nice 1898 BP1898B penny with the second '8' font. Good subdued lustre, about £20 on Ebay, a risk on a suggestive but blurry photo.

1897 'Dot' penny, close-up of developed flaw.

An 1897 'Dot' penny from an end-stage die, £10 on Ebay. This die as you can see is worn and cracked, though a hint of lustre remains. Have you seen a later example?

The brass streak on the reverse seems to be impaired alloy mixing as it carries through to the obverse. Close-up of trident shaft - clearer under optical microscope than digital unfortunately.

A cheap 1875H penny, spent a week on Ebay and sold for £81. Not perfect, but good lustre and interesting, a die match with LCA 144 lot 1860 2.3.14 with a raised line in the exergue below the 1 of the date, a poor repair of linear circle. There are other die repairs too, worthy of note is re-engraving around the crossing of the trident and forearm to make the trident shaft stand out. This coin looks much nicer in hand than photos!

close-up.

And a lovely 1862 'three extra plumes', also from Ebay at about £1250 with costs.

Here are a few of my recent acquisitions, though over the last couple of months rather than week as I have only just got round to taking photographs. Some are rare, some cheap and others just quirky. First a nice 1862 F39 that was a Buy it now of about £10 from a European Ebay site.

Quite a lot of INA fantasy coins coming up in a Stacks Bowers auction in Hong Kong on 7th May. Jerry

For your delectation, the latest addition to my small collection of Hereford mint coins, an Aethelred II penny, moneyer Leofgar, from a German auction (total £500 appx). Jerry

MS is an auto-immune disease, where elements of the body’s immune system malfunction and attack healthy body tissue, in the case of MS a type of tissue that supports nerve fibres and their function. Other aspects of the immune system such as the ability to fight infections are not normally affected, hence the disease per se does not increase vulnerability to infection, and thus does not qualify. However if an individual’s treatment involves immunosuppressant therapy , ie the treatment makes them more vulnerable, they might qualify. That sadly does not take into account the severe physical debility that can result from MS, it is a nasty and unpredictable disease, and Chris, if I have not misunderstood the implication that you have the condition, you have my best wishes and hopes for prolonged remission. Jerry

The water level will fall. The volume of water displaced by the boat carrying the weight is greater than the volume of the weight itself and the rise of the empty boat will cause the water level to drop. Jerry

Lots of factors here. Apparently ice expands about 9% when it freezes, but ice also floats with about 10% above the surface in sea-water, so I am going to assume that in fresh water these cancel out as the ice melts so the final level is unchanged. Jerry