Sword

What about them? They have obviously taken some serious abuse ...

The joke is on you if a kid takes off the door handle instead of a bag of sweets...

Rees-Mogg handed in a hand written resignation letter dated ‘St Crispin’s Day’ and requested that the new PM to "convey my resignation as secretary for business, energy and industrial strategy to the King". Isn't it rather poor that his handwriting is barely legible and that it wasn't sealed and written on a parchment. https://metro.co.uk/2022/10/25/jacob-rees-moggs-hand-written-resignation-letter-is-slathered-with-pretention-17633956/

From memory, I think the time allowed for editing depends on your "rank" which is in turn dependent on the number of posts you have made.

Does anyone else think it is a shame that Charles III is used in the inscription instead of Carolus III? Now the inscription is a mixture of English and Latin. Elizabeth doesn't translate to Latin and so there wasn't a choice with the late queen.

I do wonder if coin cabinet makers should consider using felts made from materials that are likely to result in good (and relatively speedy).

Very nice indeed. The flattening of the ear is undoubtedly due to weak striking.

The RM might have asked for his permission to send out a number for testing. However, he had other things on his mind then and probably would have just said yes without a second thought even if he was asked.

We are all in agreement that the bottom coin is better struck. For me, I often prefer a well struck George V with a trace of wear over a less well struck UNC example. However, I find the earlier portraits of George V notoriously difficult to grade from photos. For the coins in questions, I am not a fan of the strike or tone of the first coin and prefer the second.

Have you got this the wrong way round? I think the bottom coin is better struck esp. for the reverse.

Edward VIII didn't exactly follow tradition. His portrait on coins points the wrong way and his marriage was just a tad controversial by the standard of those days.

According to BBC news, the new coins will be in circulation before the end of the year. I think from a financial view point, there is more money to be made if the RM delays commemorative coins until after the coronation. Coins commemorating QEII will sell very well as they will be the last coins of the queen. People wanting to buy Charles III commemoratives now are even more likely to do so if they have to wait after the coronation next year. The RM didn't have any issues with continuing to mint coins with the portrait of a late monarch in the past as far as I am aware.

Traditionally, no money is issued in the name of a new monarch until after their coronation.

Image from BBC news and it took me a bit of time to warm up to it. I think the portrait appears friendly and approachable rather majestic (which was probably the intention).

Looks decent for MS61. Not as many contact marks as I might expect from the grade.