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shane carew

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Posts posted by shane carew

  2. Posted

    17 hours ago, RLC35 said:

    Here is a 1870 I sold a few years back...it is definitely a round dot!

    IMG_2470.JPG

    Very neat dot and very rare too. There is a similar dot 1875 small penny too where the dot is on the obverse next to the I of Victoria. On that note let's not to forget the legendary 1875 large date cannon ball. 

  6. Posted

    Yes indeed a die clash and I have seen the die-clash related spikes around the queen's neck, which resemble arrows from a pygmy's blowpipe. I raised this as interesting because the central fishtail of the 1860 penny could similarly be a consequence of another die clash, especially when the mainstream thought around this phenomenon is an incorrectly re-engraved die. It is for this reason that I deliberately picked-up a die-clash on the outer ribbon. 

  9. Posted

    I feel this listing can be included here. For a seller who is so good at identifying micro-varieties, both known and made-up, I find it hard to believe he would make such a glaring mis-attribution. This is by no means a F69 and quite possibly one of the easiest of the 1874 variants to acquire. Things like this kill the hobby for the budding numismatist, however, on the other end of the spectrum you also have this happening to entice new enthusiasts to scour ebay.

  10. Posted

    @JLS there are no die breaks on this coin. Considering the Obv 6 and Rev G dies were in use since 1860 with 1874 being their last, I would have expected some die cracks to have made an appearance on the coin struck for currency purposes or for the coin to contain some strike imperfections such as missing detail around the shield or the breastplate. Both these imperfections are almost always present on the 1872 currency penny. 

    @Peckris: very interesting, pictures of the coin please? 

    @Jelida: "But can we reliably distinguish these from early currency strikes from ‘proof’ dies, or even ‘new’ normal working dies? Unless the existence of specimens is contemporaneously recorded, how can there be any certainty?" Exactly, you capture my predicament accurately. I've come across specimens housed in a special presentation case, as is the case with the 1935 crown, which are quite different to proofs that come housed in a very different type of presentation case. With copper and bronze coins I've seen them housed in presentation cases only when the coins are proof. Would that mean there were no specimen strikes at all with copper and bronze coins? Very unlikely I feel but that alone can't for the basis of a case for base metal specimen strikes. Hence here's me asking on an open forum hoping that someone knows.

  12. Posted

    @Santa: Yes I have and the coin had a very sharp rim, but the coin is now slabbed. Also, the picture does not perfectly capture the bluish toning seen the coin.
    @1949: The Copthorne coin that you refer to was a lovely 'specimen'. Indeed, the rim is a good indicator but there are no official specimens of this date bar the Heatons as you rightly point out. Further, the F67 is one variety that I've hardly seen about 6 in high grades and at least 2 out of those had a thick rim. 

     

  13. Posted · Edited by shane carew

    Recently I came across a penny a Freeman 67, which is a rare type (6+H) that looked like it had been struck to a specimen standard. I could not find any reference of this type struck to either proof or specimen standard. Has anyone else come across one they would have thought was too good for a circulation strike? 

    obv.jpg

    rev.jpg

    • Like 3

  18. Posted

    Time flies they say and staring at he clock, it feels really hard to come to terms with the fact that the last CCA at Croydon took place this morning. I have been a regular at CCA from the mid 90s and though their standards dropped quite significantly after Laurie Bamford they still managed the odd rarity, which made the trip to CCA from one end of the of the country to the other a worthwhile exercise. In my experience CCA could have been one of UK's top 5 coin auction-houses, but somewhere down the line they lost their way. In any case they leave behind a vacuum that would be hard to fill and I hope they will be remembered for the innumerable penny rarities that passed through their doors. I would have loved to have been there this morning if my dog hadn't broken its leg so I am having to send my wishes over the ether. My best wishes to Graham and Linda with whatever they plan to do next.

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