Zo Arms

Dr Larry referred to it a few times in his threads. Wyon had a furnace at home in his workshop to harden dies it seems. Does sound a fascinating read.

Browsing the internet the other evening. Came across a site called Fanbety Store. Revisited this evening and spotted a familiar 1861 half penny 7 + D, available to buy now, at a discounted price. The title and photos seem to have been lifted directly from the eBay listing through which I purchased it back in August last year. I've alerted Winter Coins, the original seller and felt that a warning would be useful here too.

Thanks for the confirmation. I would like to say that I spotted it myself but I was pointed in the right direction by a forum member, to whom I owe many thanks. I was going to suggest that it may be greedy for you to have 2 examples, when this one popped it's head up. Neither as good looking as yours but another to the known list?

And the previous coin on top of the 322A for comparison. The colon dots after the G are noticeably wider, which I think confirm the obverse 13.

The coin in my last post arrived last week. As did this one. This is, I believe, the one I was hoping for. 322A. 13 + J. R17. Opinions please.

Hi all. Thank you for the many opinions. Definitely not a 13#. I can identify that at a glance, but interesting to see everyone's identifiers. Another pointer, is that the second I of Victoria has been rotated slightly clockwise, so appears more upright. I didn't post the reverse because I didn't want it to influence the obverse identification. I was thinking F322A but opinions so far make me think I'm wrong. Agreed. The coin in hand, when received, will tell all.

A little help please. Thinking this is obverse 13. I'm using the last colon of F:D: as my identifier, in relation to the linear circle. Sellers photo. Alternatively, confirmation that it's not 11, would be equally helpful.

I think the operative word here is "economical". It appears that no time at all has been spent on the finishing of the timber. The top and sides look to be engineered softwood, which is essentially glued together strips, which ensures that no timber is wasted in production. The drawer fronts look like they would have benefitted from some sandpaper before varnishing. Out of interest, I googled Peter Nichols cabinets. These appear to be well made, well finished and constructed with proper joints, using seasoned mahogany. The first, you could keep your coins in. The second, you would be proud to display. Maybe more expensive but I know which option I'd go for. Just a personal opinion.

In the absence of a qualified half penny brother, I'll step in and say that I agree. 7 + J. The extra leaf to the third group and a narrower spaced 18. A wider spaced 18 would be Dracott J2. I'm happy to be corrected though. I'll now crawl back under my stone in the "Halfpenny ID thread" before anyone spots me.

Also find it strange that Mal Lewendon's 1875 obverse 13# has no mention. 2005.

A little harsh on yourself. All views are valid. I'm a relative newcomer and had to flick between the new Freeman, the new and old Dracott and the threads here, to make sure that I was correct. And to check that there was no C1. Are his penny listings useful?

It was the 8 +C# that was unique in his 2004 article. He doesn't list a 7 + C#. In a thread started by Gary "NEW UNLISTED VARIETY 1873 HALF-PENNY" Dec 8th 2008, his is the first known, with Martin listing a second, further down the thread. A new pairing since 2004. But yes. Inconsistent to give it a second, different suffix. Could it just be a typesetting error? The 1862 mistake in the penny section. Parings instead of pairings, at least 3 times.

Seems like a fair assumption to me. The C1/# is mentioned in conjunction with 1873, so highly likely. Paired with 7, 3 now known. Guessing Martin's and Gary's are included. A new obverse. 11*. And a couple of unique pairings, now have siblings. If J# has now become J1 but was formerly known as J, I can't see that becoming confusing. Ever. So, yes. An update on his previous article.

Will try and pick up a copy tomorrow. Is it an update to his 2004 work?

Very pleased with the comments on the 14 + N above. Thank you. Not eBay. A Canadian seller. 19 Dollars Inc postage. Converts to around £11. Expected end of Nov.

Mystery solved. The coin arrived yesterday. Both the reverse and obverse are unmarked, so I'm guessing that it's some form of reflection on the lens. I do understand and like your die fill theory though.

Thinking this is a 14 + N pairing not listed by Freeman but recognised by Dracott? Ob legend away from Lin circle, nearly touching head and high bridge/eye format. Wide date. Not fussed if 15 though.

Not received coin yet, so sellers photos.

Would anyone care to speculate what has happened to this coin? Appears to be some extra hatching to the base of the shield and some misaligned teeth on the rim. Same coin obverse. An additional A to the bridge of the nose and a spare colon dot after Victoria. Shattered die hits?

Agreed. An excellent website. Extremely informative with useful accompanying photos. Very easy to follow.

All I can say, is that I'll stick with Freeman, the Dracott articles and here, thank you. Just a personal opinion.

Well. The eagerly awaited tome arrived this morning. I've had a good look through it and put it under the stairs. At the back. The spare room needs painting. Urgently.

It will probably be a week or so before it arrives. They print to order and then the journey from the US. Will keep you posted but it does sound promising.

One thing that I have found frustrating in the search for varieties of half pennies, is the huge amount of information that is available. I have 2 editions of Freeman's work, 1970 and the Rotographic edition 2016. A copy of David Groom's Bronze Varieties. Salzman. The Dracott articles are stored on my phone. A free access to Google. And the wealth of knowledge within the forum. I am aware of Peck, Gouby and Mal Lewendon but don't have their work as yet. All invaluable but not together as one source. Stumbled across this a short while ago whilst searching the net. A Treatise on Varieties of British Fractional Bronze. Tom Shumann. Published by Lulu, to order. Helpfully they advertise at the bottom of this page. Or they do on my phone. Ordered a copy a few days ago. Is anyone else aware of it or has a copy?