Look at this!

[Half Penny Jon 0]

Hi everyone, look at this:

Wierd

I am puzzled.

[Master Jmd 80]

looks interesting, i may bid...

[Half Penny Jon 0]

I am contemplating a bid too. It looks really unusual, I will probably just wait to see how it does.

[Emperor Oli 0]

I will bid. I've never seen one with two different designs on, plus these coins are struck in different metals! It will probably go to crazy bidding though, £50+

[Master Jmd 80]

hmm, looking at that coin again, it may be possible if the seller could have put a five pence head-first onto a piece of wood, layed a penny on top of it and then struck it with a hammer; thus creating double designe, and the wierd blank on the obverse...could it?

[Emperor Oli 0]

Doubtful. I wouldn't have thought that a hammer and an arm would be strong enough to create that kind of design. Also, I don't think the metals the coins are made out of (whether he stamped it with a penny or five pence) are strong enough to withstand it.

[ikkle-monkey 0]

Most interesting just like those damn crop circles !!! it certainly catches your eye and may be worth a bid to truly find out just what it is probably all bid for it and the chap who is selling it wont belive his luck !!

[Sylvester 15]

The US collectors could probably tell you exactly what it is, afterall it is an error and errors are pretty well followed over there.

Hazarding a guess i'd say it started life of as a 5p, cos it's in cupronickel and all.

But this struck 5p somehow fell into the wrong place and wound up between a pair of penny dies. It does happen believe it or not.

I've seen many a Lincoln Cent struck on dime blanks by accident.

[kuhli 0]

hmm, looking at that coin again, it may be possible if the seller could have put a five pence head-first onto a piece of wood, layed a penny on top of it and then struck it with a hammer; thus creating double designe, and the wierd blank on the obverse...could it?

I have to agree with you on this one JMD. This is what my interpretation of the photo is, too.

Doubtful. I wouldn't have thought that a hammer and an arm would be strong enough to create that kind of design. Also, I don't think the metals the coins are made out of (whether he stamped it with a penny or five pence) are strong enough to withstand it.

One good blow from a grown man swinging a 12# hammer is more than sufficient to make the markings of the penny transfer to the 5 pence piece. I would suggest, tho, that the penny was placed on the flat surface, and the obverse of the 5p was struck with the hammer (or perhaps something was used like a "punch"), which would explain the total obliteration of the obverse of the 5p. This would also support the fact the the force of the strike "spread" the 5p, making it larger (but thinner) than a normal 5p.

These are just my opinions.

I personally wouldn't waste my time with this, as there is no proof to support it being anything other than a purposely damaged coin.

[GDJMSP 0]

I would say that this is exactly what Master Jmd said it is - a manufactured error. In other words a fake.

These things are rather common in the US and they are made just like Master Jmd said they are made. You place one coin on top of another and strike them with a hammer. Try it yourself - you'll see.

[Half Penny Jon 0]

Did the hammering make the observe portrait very unclear then?

[Master Jmd 80]

Did the hammering make the observe portrait very unclear then?

i would have thought so, the coin's obverse could have been 'wiped out' on the hammer strike...

[Half Penny Jon 0]

I hate frauds on Ebay! This may be the first person to go into the Ebay police files that Oli wants to set up. Then again, he could have been sold it.........

[Master Jmd 80]

I hate frauds on Ebay! This may be the first person to go into the Ebay police files that Oli wants to set up. Then again, he could have been sold it.........

well, the seller i making a profit...1 bid of $0.99 for 6p!...I would do it, but i would not like to con eBay

[Edward 0]

Sorry I have been away so long, I could have added something to this in a more timely fashion.

This appears to me a genuine striking error. I don't know all the ins and outs of the minting process, but what happens more or less is that a 1p piece got stuck on top of a 5p piece and the pattern struck in mirror onto the 5p piece. The remark about Americans being able to give an accurate picture of what happened is probably quite correct, I know a few collectors over here, including one of my sons, who make a specialty of errors. I can try to run this by a couple people in the coming weeks, but my time is very limited at the moment.

I would imagine that the price for this will climb substantially above the winning eBay bid (£43).