InforaPenny

The bronze recoinage of 1860 was intended to replace the large copper coins then in circulation with smaller and much more durable bronze, modeled on the success of French bronze coinage introduced in 1852, with the copper coinage being demonetized at the end of 1869. Until demonetization, the mint paid a two per cent premium on the copper to encourage its rapid withdrawal from circulation, as the two coinages were not compatible. My two cents worth... Best Regards, InforaPenny

This phenomena begins with a circular ring of rust at the surface of a steel die formed due to corrosion at the edge of a tiny circular water droplet on the die. As this progresses it results in a circular ‘dot’ of rust on the surface of the die, which is pulverized and lost as the die is used in the coining press leaving a round pit. This shows up on the coin as a circular raised dot. The process has been documented in an article by Paul M. Holland in the Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia, volume 27, 2016, pages 1-6.

I’d like to point out that an article on 1860 ‘early obverse’ beaded border bronze pennies published in the British Numismatic Journal is now available online (free PDF download) at: https://www.britnumsoc.org/images/PDFs/BNJ_2017/14_Holland_1843.pdf Wishing you a Happy New Year! Best Regards, InforaPenny

I have an original copy of Montagu's 1893 book, and I'm sorry to say that he makes not mention of date types for 1839 to 1860 copper pennies. Best Regards, InforaPenny

Also shows up in my1968 3rd edition (footnote at bottom of page 93). Since the reign of Edward VII began on January 22, 1901 it seems possible that this was produced during testing of the new obverse die sometime in 1901, then escaped the Royal Mint and eventually ended up in circulation... Best Regards, InforaPenny

Diaconis, You are correct in that it is not Freeman Obv 1. It is instead a rare 'early obverse' pattern type that was rejected by Queen Victoria on 4 July 1860, but had already been used in some trial coining runs at the Royal Mint. Fortunately for us bronze penny variety collectors, these were not destroyed but were later released for circulation. Best Regards, InforaPenny

It's 1** + C from a known pairing of working dies (British Numismatic Journal vol. 87, page 197)... Best Regards, InforaPenny

Rob, This is an impressive piece of numismatic detective work! Congratulations! Best Regards, InforaPenny

In my opinion, this variety is from multiple dies that were produced using a puncheon (or hub) with a chipped tooth. It doesn't seem plausible to me that this could be due to a filled die... Best Regards, InforaPenny

I acquired one of the very worn ex-Freeman examples of F-19 in a Croydon Coin auction lot with some other pennies many years ago for a few pounds. The late Laurie Bamford told me that he had obtained this F-19 (?) with other worn pennies from Freeman’s survey collection. He did not believe it was F-19, and I agree… while it is clearly Obverse 2 the reverse appears to be D not F in my opinion. This seems to be confirmed by the apparent position of the final date numeral (only partly visible) that matches that of one of the F-18 (2+D) pennies in my reference collection. I should still have this coin somewhere along with the coin flip with F-19 (?) written on it by Laurie, but I’m not sure where. Hope this helps… Best Regards, InforaPenny

This 1922 trident dot variety is both interesting and unusual. However, it should be pointed out that the likely origin of the raised dot on this coin is rust on the die. Such rust can lead to a circular pit in the hardened steel die, resulting in a round dot when the coin is struck. This has recently been studied in some detail, and below is a link to this article in the Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia. http://www.numismatics.org.au/pdfjournal/Vol27/vol-27-article-1.pdf Best Regards, InforaPenny

I knew Hiram through Laurie Bamford, another great old-timer in the world of pennies. Visited his shop in Edinburgh on West Crosscauseway (a hike up from the train station) in December 2004, and met up with him for coffee at Coinex in 2007. As Rob implied …lots of stories, he was quite a character… R.I.P. Hiram InforaPenny

I have been working on an article on the raised dots occasionally seen on predecimal bronze coinage and hoped to updated one of my references from an earlier version of the Spink catalogue, to the 2016 catalogue (published late last year). What I need is updated catalogue values for the 1897 bronze penny, both the ordinary 1897 type and the 1897 O’NE flawed (with dot) in VF, EF and UNC. I also need the catalogue page number where this is listed. Your help will be much appreciated… Best Regards, InforaPenny

Thanks secret santa! That is exactly what I needed. I won't use these values directly in my article, but want to mention the magnitude of the premium for the 'with dot' variety. Best Regards, InforaPenny

Long and careful study of his 1981 edition of World Coins is what led me to focus on collecting on British bronze pennies... and later on to some other British Commonwealth series. I remain grateful to him and his work.

Probably repeatedly passed through rollers between pieces of leather to gradually flatten it out. I seem to remember a similar Australian penny mentioned in Australian Coin Review from many years ago... Best Regards, InforaPenny

I think we’re on the same page mrbadexample. In fact the wear on my 1903 and 1904 halfcrowns is remarkably similar to yours. The wear to the lettering on my 1905 is similar to your 1904 on the right side, but only the HO shows on the left with wear at the bottom of the date to the rim, unlike the 1903 and 1904. Best Regards, InforaPenny

Hi ozjohn, Thanks for your suggestion. The Classic Coins site certainly shows a nice selection of high quality images of British silver. For now, I’ll probably stick to my plan of upgrading here and there as opportunity presents itself. My dilemma is that while my 1903-1905 halfcrowns are in reasonable condition, they are not high grade and I’m not sure it makes sense to try to upgrade them. Of these, the best is the 1903. In assessing the condition of 1902-1927 halfcrowns, I generally look first at the letters of the motto on the reverse. On my 1903 coin the P of PENCE is worn but fully visible, but the I of HONI has worn away. As a result, my initial goal is to upgrade the other halfcrowns in my set (except from 1904-1905) to roughly this condition or better. Since I live in the US, shipping can be expensive, so I’ve mostly been looking over here. In any case, I still view this as a side collection, driven mainly by the difficulty and expense of adding to or upgrading my British predecimal bronze, especially the pennies. Best Regards, InforaPenny

Very nice coin! While I am primarily a collector of British and Australian predecimal bronze by variety, I’ve also recently considered collecting 20th century predecimal British silver coins, especially halfcrowns. As a starting point, I was fortunate enough some year ago in acquiring at one go a virtually complete 20th century set (by year and type) of shillings through halfcrowns at a Noble Numismatics auction in Melbourne. Condition is mixed, varying from VG to Unc, so I been looking at upgrading these to examples in about VF or better condition where possible, and at adding some of the more significant varieties. Any advice/thoughts on this or a recounting of experiences of other collectors of these coins would be very welcome… Best Regards, InforaPenny

Mr T, Thanks for posting this... I also have an interest in BWA coins. Best Regards, InforaPenny

I have found the Coincraft catalogue, last published in 2000, to be a useful reference and guide for collecting UK coins. This includes Collecting Hints for virtually all types and series... Best Regards, InforaPenny

Although I'm not a farthing specialist, this looks like the scarce "large 8" 1862 farthing to me. Worth a premium even in low grade. Best Regards, InforaPenny

Alfnail, Nice analysis of the reverse working dies of one of my favorite coins! Best Regards, InforaPenny

Looks like a1922 proof penny from the South African set...

scott, The book you want is: A New History of the Royal Mint published by the Cambridge University Press in 1992 editied by C. E. Challis Best Regards, InforaPenny