mrbadexample

I'm not convinced. It's a pretty poor survival strategy, to bury random nut-sized objects for the lean times: Squirrel: "I'm starving, think I'll pop and get those things I buried last autumn." "Bollocks, another sestertius. Could have sworn it was a hazelnut." I think a squirrel would know the difference between a piece of metal and food.

If they were shiny they might have been taken by a magpie. If they have sunk then taking a scoop of soil from where they were should unearth them?

I think it's remarkable that coins struck so closely to each other have been preserved in such similar condition.

I'm going for different coins. It took a while of fairly hardcore spot-the-difference but I think there's a wee dent on yours I don't see on the Heritage coin, maybe two, but the top one was what swayed me. Remarkably similar though.

The 48th shilling isn't too hard to obtain in decent grade - I think he's looking for about twice what it's worth. I paid £17 for this one:

I've not heard of these fantasies. Can you point me in the direction of any information on them please?

That triskelion is from the Onchan POW tokens:

I've been waiting for someone to reply with a good idea but it seems that we're all a bit unsure Ian. I take the view that intervention becomes necessary when it would worsen if left untouched. I really dislike verdigris and if this was a £10 coin then I'd have no qualms about getting the reverse in some diluted lemon juice - I'd put a cocktail stick under the good side and just try to dunk the polluted half. It would strip the patina but once done I'd cart it about in my pocket for 6 months or so until it improved in appearance. It'd never look great but it wouldn't matter much. But it's not a £10 coin so I'd be really concerned my clumsy efforts would make a poor situation worse. I don't think Verdicare would touch it. In my experience olive oil takes forever to do nothing. Perhaps it would be worth contacting one of the TPGs that offers "conservation" services and see what they think they could do with it? I'd be interested to see how you get on. I would struggle to leave it.

I would like to think that someone on here picked that up.

Ronnie Barker?

£975

Scroll up Richard.

I don't see any verdigris. That looks like it would wash off to me. There was a F164a with it which would have been a pleasing find on its own.

The first 5 of these were cancelled at the same time. Curious.

7+G?

The pictures certainly helped, thanks Ian. I see that although superficially similar the second 8 is quite different too. Are these both considered 25c then? I'm scratching my head now.

I thought I had one of these - it has the die crack from the truncation but also a repair to the 1 and none to the first A of BRITANNIA.

That's cool. What is it and how old is it?

Congratulations, you must be well pleased to have finally tracked it down.

Can you send me a copy when they've done it please?

I had 38 tomato plants this year. I grow about a dozen different varieties so I have everything from "garden sweets" to big ones for cooking. I'm hopefully taking delivery of a Spetchley Red grape vine sometime today. Never tried growing a watermelon, or any other melon for that matter.

Cleaned the greenhouse out? Surely it's too early for your tomatoes to have finished? Still got toms plus cucumbers, aubergines and chillies in mine.