Descartes

OMG!

Please could somebody ID this coin for me. I'm hoping it's a Richard I as it has a really decent bust and I've been looking for a quality 'Richard' penny for ages! Thanks, Descartes

Here is the reverse: Willem on London

Thanks Stu!

Gosh! I wouldn't have noticed unless you'd pointed that out. Looks like old King John has lost a few fingers with that flan crack!

Most certainly for differentiation and for identifying the origin of a coin. One of the coins really high up on my 'wants' list is an Edward I penny class 1d with annulet on breast. Quite a rare coin and once believed to signify that the coins were minted for the Abbot of Reading. I have a decent Henry VI penny with annulets either side of the bust, which I quite like too. It's definitely an interesting little privy mark!

I would definitely be interested in hearing about any events being held in the South too! particularly in the SW

Hey Stu, I hope you win the King John penny! It's a beauty I'm holding fire with any large purchases until next month (March 27th) as I've just stumbled upon the 'The Williams Collection of Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Norman Coins - Part I' (due to be sold by Spink). I want to see if there are any nice 'Wilton mint' coins up for grabs ... I'd be gutted if I over spent now, and then saw some superb pennies pass me by!

Very shoddy indeed, Stu!

This would be really great! I've always though the 10p was a good size coin for commemorative designs, similar to the US quarter. I enjoyed collecting all the states and national parks (although I gave up on the national parks as there were too many)!

Incuse pellets on the reverse... is this normal? I've never seen a Plantagenet coin like this. That's what I love about this forum, there's always something new to learn more cool stuff to add to the collection wants list!

Although I can't shed any additional light on this topic, I too would be interested in hearing more about these pellets! There was certainly no relevant information in the Galata Guide to the Pennies of Edward I & II or in any of my other hammered books.

This happens to me all the time nothing good for the collection for ages ... then all at once two or three great coins in the same auction! It's such a pity when you have to choose just one to chase!

That's actually such a good suggestion. I would certainly only buy the hammered portion if I had a choice.

I also hope that eye appeal/top grade coins will retain their 'value' even if there is a bursting of the price bubble. I know that denominations and type collecting have their phases like everything else, but it would be really disappointing if the higher grade coins did indeed plummet considerably in the future. I certainly don't by coins for investment purposes, but I do often bid higher than I should if I really like something, or if it's to fill a gap in the collection!

Great find, Dave! I've been looking for a nice 3a for ages! it's appeared quite hard to find one with a good strike!

Thanks, but alas I am no longer highest bidder either. Like you said it might be somebody with a purpose now. They're not so hard to find in top grade so perhaps somebody is keen to finish a collection or has money to burn!

One of those bidders is me Stu. It's getting a bit crazy now so I doubt I'll go any higher. Like you said, not particularly rare - just a great coin.

Thanks Rob you really do know your stuff. The forum is lucky to have you around.

I've decided to include the copper/bronze too - but only to the extent of the three major busts of Victoria, and one for each of those succeeding her, with the exception of our present queen, where I've included all the obverse and reverse designs (inc. the 1953 OMN BRITT penny, of course). With regards to the Plantagenets - I'm doing exactly the same as you ... but at a much slower pace. I want all my coins in this series to be as good as the specimens in the Galata Guide, which is proving slightly harder than I anticipated. They come up from time to time at auction and Mr. Blencoe (the ebay guy) keeps an eye out for the good ones too. There was an absolutely perfect Edward class 2b for sale at bryantcoins a while back, a real gem. He had it at 350 quid which is quite expensive, and being indecisive as usual, somebody snapped it up before me... I was gutted (and I'm digressing now too, sorry). I've never seen a first-class specimen from Kingston-on-Hull or Exeter...not ever. I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps all their moneyers were local agency staff, or perhaps they were not so heavily monitored like they were in London and just sloppy. Hardly the most academically rigorous theories, I know, but I can't seem to account for the lower levels of craftmanship in any other way! Perhaps I will just have to lower my standards and buy some scabby ones from these regional mints. Also, the class 10 pennies are really tough to find in tip-top condition too. Have you noticed this?

Chaps, May I seek some advice about storing small pennies please? Other than a coin cabinet I cant find anything smaller than 18mm (self adhesive card holders) to hold my very small coins. My tiny Elizabeth I pennies and James I pennies move around in their 18mm holders and it aggravate me when then they're not fixed properly. Is there a company that does smaller sizes? I can't seem to find one on my google searches. Thanks, Descartes

That's very kind of you, but if the Tealby is on your radar too, then I will avoid bidding. I like the coin but I'm most keen on the William I two star type. I think there will be a few bids on that coin as it's so nice... I'm generally lucky on the Davisson auctions, but like you said, there's no point chasing each other up the tree. And as I can only really afford one of the coins, I'd better focus my energy on the Norman Conqueror. It would be great to see the Allen die pics by the way, just out of academic interest, but consider me withdrawn from the Tealby penny

Hi Stu, I'm collecting a penny from every monarch from Alfred the Great to our present queen (specialising in Wilton mint pennies where possible, while also working on building a complete Plantagenet collection in the process) ... Alas, I have to collect Maundy pennies between George II & Charles II as it's impossible to complete my monarchs series without them

Hi Rob, thanks for confirming the attributions. 'Disappointed'? Why, is this not a very good specimen?

Hi Unwilling Numismatist, I've already bought some now, but thanks for the offer! I decided to get a bunch as they might come in handy for Maundy pennies too.