1831 Farthing 1 in Britanniar?

[azda 979]

Is it just my eyes or is the 2nd "I" in BRITANNIAR a 1? Sorry for such a small picture, it was taken off a dealers gallery picture.

[azda 979]

Did a little photoshop, dunno if the picture is any better

[Colin G. 147]

I think it is just the way the photo is lit, it is surprising how many freaky things can appear when a coin is lit from different angles.

Even if it does resemble a 1 it is more likely to be a missing serif off the I rather than a 1 in the legend and proving otherwise would be extremely difficult.

[Peckris 579]

I think it is just the way the photo is lit, it is surprising how many freaky things can appear when a coin is lit from different angles.

Even if it does resemble a 1 it is more likely to be a missing serif off the I rather than a 1 in the legend and proving otherwise would be extremely difficult.

I'd tend to agree. If you look at the 1s in the date, they have an exaggerated upper serif, which the left upper of the I doesn't have. Bear in mind also that the 19th Century is absolutely riddled with die imperfections/damage/wear especially to low denomination coins where the incentive to fix the problem wasn't there.

Unless it's a clear example of one letter/numeral punched over another (e.g. Gs on their side, 1874), it's really not noteworthy.