jelida

Yes.

It’s clearly a nice thought, that the Queen might have held the coin - but would all 7200 coins have been used in the Maundy service? I have no idea. I do have a mate who also has an acorn mm, at less than a ton on EBay several years ago, so they are about. It is perhaps notable that both acorns and eglantine mm coins I have seen are nicely struck and of full flan, perhaps a little more care went in to their striking. Rare coins anyway. There is an eglantine in the upcoming St James’s auction. Jerry

You will find both in the St James’s auction of Comber III, lots 503 and 504. Both coins are now in my collection of Lizzie pennies, accompanied by a rather nice eglantine from EBay at £50 earlier this year. https://cdn.sanity.io/files/f3pcy24e/production/c199e15e78890aba1f6e583438b2b5fa6a740d20.pdf Jerry

Yes, I have read that also, mintmark acorn. BCW elaborates on page 10, ‘On the 2nd April 1574 the Queen issued an unusual order for just 10 pounds of pennies, to be kept by the Warden ‘ to our use’. ‘ and also states that ‘these rare coins , which were produced just before the acorn coins were pyxed, are the first specially minted Maundy coins. They continued to be produced during the following four years when the eglantine mark was in use, but only in sufficient numbers for the Maundy ceremony’. Jerry

This is very true; if for die longevity studies why use the same marker more than once? If such studies were ‘in house’, then just collect and count/weigh the output from the die in question before release into circulation. If for studies of coinage in circulation, how would you ever reliably track them with such a small output ? You would have to search through massive numbers of circulating pennies if the ratio of extant coins is a true reflection of mintage. Perhaps for dispersal studies, eg town x is given only ‘A’ halfpennies, and a month later is revisited to determine the proportion of marked 1862 halfpennies left? All very strange. But there must be a logical explanation. Jerry

Thanks Paul, I have applied to join a couple and will take a look. It might cure my EBay addiction😯 Jerry

I’m really not convinced that Facebook offers the useful archive of information going back years that the forum does, and its excellent search facility. However I don’t use Facebook for coins…..any particularly recommended groups? Jerry

Not in the best of condition, and not cheap at $500 BIN (just over £400) but I am still pleased with this F27. The obverse scratches do not show so intrusively in natural light. Jerry

As far as the recipient is concerned it’s just a normal bank transfer, no extra costs to them. I’ve paid individuals and auctioneers all over the world with no issues. Accepts all the usual bank codes etc and confirms the recipient is correct before money is transferred and the low cost always surprises me. I would be expect RM to accept a bank transfer. I have never had an issue with Wise (or TransferWise, as they were originally named. The Virgin group amongst the original investors, if I remember correctly). Jerry

“sent off the coin (all figures in USD) which cost $25 to send wire which was only for $25.” Do look into Wise.com for money transfers, a fraction of the price of bank wire transfers. https://wise.com And good luck! Jerry

Don’t you dare leave, Richard, you are one of the most important contributors here! I found this photo amusing as well, a gentle dig at the stereotypical inability of manhood to cope when the womenfolk are away. While I can only assume that there are other interpretations, I have certainly been disappointed at the nature of some responses and I think that we all carry a responsibility to be civil, I’m sure most would agree. Jerry

I have dealt with Shirley in years past, when ordering new trays. Nice lady. But I can’t guarantee that it was her you spoke to, though if the correct number it would seem likely. Maybe the business is still ticking over or under new ownership? Jerry

Some of these replicas just look wrong, but you have to look closely to work out why. So I do like the incuse lines on the shield. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325742601973?hash=item4bd7c5a6f5:g:CgoAAOSwefJkvZyi Jerry

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LOT-OF-FOUR-YOUNG-HEAD-VICTORIA-PENNIES-FROM-1861/314715191827 Jerry

Yes, I had put a starter bid on it…..always annoyed to receive a bid cancellation, but not too worried as I have two better. I did check carefully that it wasn’t obverse 3 though, that would have upset me! Jerry

Having read the above re 1859 penny ‘9’ font varieties, I purchased this example from KB coins at the MCF yesterday, £210 ….not too unreasonable. https://www.kbcoins.com/store/pennies-1859-victoria-small-date-very-scarce-ef/nef.html This coin, and Richard’s and Mike’s all seem to have the zig-zagging flaw from the lower left of Victoria’s bust to the rim, this might be a consistent feature of the variety. Jerry

I have three of these in varying condition. They are certainly an interesting anomaly, but I have always been rather against labelling them a ‘variety’ as they clearly represent foreign body die damage rather than any action of man. But they are worthy of note in some sort of sub- category , as the dot pennies are. Maybe an ‘interesting/ collectable die flaws’ category, or similar. Beauty, as ever, is in the eye of the beholder. Jerry

Interestingly when LCA first sold this coin, in 2009, they mention the sharp obverse strike and describe it as ‘possibly a specimen’. Therefore also possibly not….but the label seems to have stuck by the 2021 sale. At least the price was fairly reasonable - which also suggests that collectors were not convinced - and it is clearly a nice example of a 1923 halfpenny. Jerry

Quite honestly I would buy a selection of these unslabbed at a fraction of the price of a slabbed “best in pop” example, they are not rare or expensive even in BU. Get the best example slabbed if you must. The prices charged for a grade label are ridiculous! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404340427938?hash=item5e24914ca2:g:kDkAAOSwlOhij-oT&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwO6X529pYAswSB6563ZE%2F5W3Ntex2vGCFv23xHlbBrf19gheR%2F7eIv4CTvwgl0U%2FanvrMVawbYbii%2BDV3qPvbI1VQkLYJzg7zKjgzpMFvtAhxg7GisNH4xAu9W9Jo3HfYw12kugIt3a%2FWWfaw58dRdJR8lmIOAu0%2BPTWk5mQcJoXVW3CBL8yNebeqpIqonhAuhoKFliQc8uvHSKYj1ZAJC4sbuKquL4gDpuvxlcouO%2BggWHuNwEHwx7NiJeYxGK1sw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR5qD5fueYg For example the MS66 example above. Or make that vendor an extremely low offer. I wouldn’t get too hung up about the (L)CGS brand, I don’t think they are slabbing at present. Jerry

Sometimes these marks were struck by silversmiths, using their makers marks - after all it helped if you had a punch to hand. But it is probably impossible to prove, unless you can find a match. I can’t find an identical “TW” though some of these are close. https://www.silvercollection.it/englishsilvermarksXTDUE3.html Jerry

That will be the F33 ‘N over inverted N’, you have it in your Freeman re-print Richard and it is in the Gouby update too. Other than the photo of a worn second that Larry has previously shown, I haven’t seen another despite several years passing and it does seem to remain very rare indeed. Still in my collection of course. As regards the ‘rarest’ coin in my penny collection I have several that are still in the ‘single figures known’ category from the Rarest Pennies database, with the above F33 and an F15 BRTTT perhaps the rarest. In my hammered collection I do have two of the four known 1558 dated mm lis Elizabeth Ist pennies, one being the Comber example. Jerry

I have the options to view or download on my iPad, so I just viewed. J

Click on the link. J

I bought this penny for £80 at the Midland Coin Fair last Sunday, and think that it is an 1854/3 but the top of the 3 to the top left of the 4 is less obvious - though there is something there - and the hair is much crisper than that usually found. The curve to the the top right of the 4 is obvious, as is the possible lower tip of the 3 to the lower left of the 4. The colon after Britanniar tilts to the right as usual. So is this an earlier stage of the 'normal' 4/3 obverse die, or a second 4/3 die with crisp hair? The slanted colon on the reverse would be a remarkable co-incidence if the latter. Richard, you have one of these I think. Thoughts please! Jerry

Why do relatives always collect fakes? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295597362675?hash=item44d2f9cdf3:g:PyAAAOSwN-FkJtWi&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAwBNK5e7w3pyQIo9f8GYVwwf43Cusu0Gd11idUWsv3RKprkFrUe8o1p5Xfq%2BOQnH6ukF1LF89Wf1EDNbDD%2F9scHHzsyAIuNjWDe6JV%2BVgzDAgFiotuhpebdbuIeHva%2BKGi3N5wn3%2FWvXXzYQay91kROuT2BgaHOCTvSRcY2OtP2MWrne9lcpxqp3FWX8NudNXvB7eEQxRWkUEUJRQ1FfJesIqTefqxmbSj8OyUGJeEOPbpzFHHzZP6fAUT9R%2BSi%2FXbA%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_jjuoPnYQ Jerry