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1860 Gouby T missing colons . my best find for a while

It's just a regular Tower 3a sixpence (S2813). The shape of the crown mark is not important as there were many punches of varying size covering the six silver denominations, not to mention the gold as well. Sold as a Dovey Furnace 6d? Yet another demonstration of the unfailing ability of people to identify only the rarest possible option. Despite the Tower 6ds occupying a full page in Spink's tome, there being no plume above the shield on the coin in question and virtually all priced in the low pounds (for this type £50 fine, £200 VF), the vendor remarkably manages to pick out the one priced at £1350 fine and £4500 VF, which although not illustrated, is described as similar to the shilling as is the 4d which is illustrated. With no example in John Hulett's collection nor Lord Stewartby's, and the number known can be counted on one hand, why anyone would think they have one is beyond me. Brooker had one, but if the vendor had taken the time to look, they might have noticed the bust is the wrong size, the crown mintmark is the wrong shape, there is no plume in front of the bust, there is a plume above the shield, which in any case is a different shape, size and has different garnishing. On the plus side, there IS a VI in the field behind the bust and the legend does start CAROLVS D G, but it all goes tits up at MAG. Never mind, hope springs eternal. FYI, yours is the sixpence equivalent of the shilling shown below, which similarly exists with mms. bell, crown and tun, i.e. it has the same basic constituents for layout and design features.

1909 F169 The one that went unsold in the last LCA.

My one and only really "old" book is Folkes' Tables of English Coins from 1763. Superb leather bound and gilded with wonderful wood cuts of many interesting hammered coins.

And another 18th century book worth acquiring given the chance. The Pembroke plates (1746) acted as the illustrations for the Sotheby auction catalogue when the collection was sold in 1848. 100 copies were originally printed, but some of these will have been cut up or lost down the years. Chips and fragments are faithfully reproduced meaning it is possible to identify the less than perfect coins.

5 parts to go for in total, printed between 1762 and 1769. Silver coins 1762, Gold coins 1763, Copper coins 1766, Anglo-Gallic, Sterlings, EIC, West Indies, IOM, Gold & Silver Patterns 1769 and Jettons or Counters 1769. All in wonderful Olde Englifh.

Agreed - and to complement that I've got Snelling's 1763 original "A view of the gold coin and coinage of England". Like your's, a great read and a real slice of history. They did the lower case "s" like an "f" back then.

Personally speaking, I do like to behold an old book. Spending time examining the woodcuts under a strong glass can be fascinating, some are very thought-provoking. Snelling has some interesting ones in, 'A View of the Silver Coin and Coinage of England.... ". Added to that, the annotated margins, thick parchment paper, and the musty aroma of decomposing VOC's that linger with the turn of each leaf, just wonderful.

"Regular member" LOL

😉 All this talk of varieties reminds me of a recent conversation with the wife of my work-colleague, who lives round the corner. One night she came round to my house and invited me out for a drink in the local pub. Her husband was out of town and I assumed she just wanted a bit of a chat. During our first drink, she was telling me about a small raised ‘dot’ that she thought I might like to investigate, and kept mentioning the letter G. Given the conversation, I naturally assumed that she must be talking about a Farthing, and it must be some sort of ‘G spot’ variety. I hadn’t realised that she was a fellow numismatist, but she reminded me that she also had a couple of delightfully toned thruppeny bits. She assured me that that her G spot variety was very pleasing for the grade and told me that she was currently keeping it in a tight pocket near the top of her thighs. She also said that the variety was best viewed after a light rub. Now I know the forum’s views on cleaning coins, but she said that it had seen plenty of circulation and further rubbing would, if anything, enhance the eye appeal. We agreed to adjourn to my place for a close visual inspection of the variety, and she suggested low light and closed conditions. I carefully opened the tight pocket and, following clear instructions, proceeded to administer the light rubbing. I found this was best done in a gentle circular motion, followed by more vigorous strokes (clear guidance from her did help). I tried to take some photographs of the variety to post on the forum, but despite a great deal of digital manipulation, they all seem to have come out a bit blurry and damp. Not worth sharing… And so, while she is adamant (indeed very vocal) that the variety exists, I am unable to confirm it, as it was impossible to remove the G spot from its snug pocket. Perhaps it’s a bit like Schrodinger’s cat (or perhaps more aptly, Schrodinger’s pussy). In any event, she says that she has another couple of specimens that she will hold in the same pocket, and will let me know when her husband is next out of town, as that seems to be the best time for her to squeeze me in. I told her that I was nothing if not a keen and thorough researcher, and would therefore be delighted to probe further. Just doing my predecimal duty… 😉😋

You're more American than you think with all those nationalities in you, hopefully you don't think you're related to Robert the Bruce or William Wallace