IanB

I was thinking 9 as well, the straight back and small lump on the inside bottom left which could be the tail of a nine. If it is a nine, would it be normal to overstep it with an 8? Is this something that is usually found on a Large Rose variety?

I have just acquired a 1858 Large Rose penny. Would you please take a look and let me know what your thoughts are on what is under the 8. I do not think it's an overstamped 8 over 8 as there some odd bits sticking out. Maybe a 3 or a 9?

I think this needs to be looked at as purely a practical solution for the person who sunk the die. If the trident was on the right hand side it would probably be the deepest part of the coin sunk into the die and as such its length would have caused problems. If the tridents head touched the beads at the rim the shaft would naturally have to come away at an angle across the right knee and the end of the shaft would have been suspended in mid air, or it would have had a weird bend in the shaft to allow the head and the end of the shaft to lay flat. Its on the left hand side because its easier to cut into the metal and keep it flat. The supposed awkwardness of the arm is again just a practical solution to the placing of the trident and the position of Brittania. Anatomically the arm has to be proportional to the rest of the body or we would be debating why she has either a short or long arm. Hence the wrist is in the position it is. I do not believe there is any problems with LC Wyons drawing abilities and he probably did multiple drawing of a lovely model holding the shield and trident in all sort of positions but I do think what we have on the coin is just a practical solution to a 3D problem being transferred onto what is in effect a flat piece of metal.

It may be as simple as trying to convert a 3D subject, a model dressed as Britannia into and an almost flat 2D subject, a coin. Combined with problems of perspective and that it was being engraved onto a small lump of hard metal. Put these all together and something has to give. Any chance of a picture of yourself in a yoga position, with or without broom handle

http://www.coinfairs.co.uk/london-coin-fair.aspx

Then they were probably stored and looked after correctly. If they were not then there is a possibility that verdigris could occur.

Verdigris can appear on silver due to the copper content used in its manufacture. The lower the silver content the higher the copper content.

Hi Jamie, Welcome to the forum, well you have made a good start by finding this forum. Tell us a little bit about what has sparked your interest in coins. It might help people give you advice on what you are looking for. There are a lot of different things to choose so it's good to ask questions and to do some reading. The Rotographic books advertised on this site are a good start. Be careful of spending too much time on eBay it's just one place to look. If you delve around the site you will notice that there are some good dealers on here who will see you okay. But if you are a complete novice don't rush things even though the temptation is to buy loads at once, easier said than done I know. Start reading some of the threads on here and ask some questions. Ian

Yes Pete, the bottom one is a RE complete with broken tooth. The top one does not have a broken tooth but under an eye glass it look the same. I was comparing the hollow section behind the ear and under the ear lobe which is there on both, the top one being more worn. I also compared these two to a 3rd 1915 I have which is definitely not RE and there is a noticeable difference. Wishful thinking on my part no doubt

Would you say one or both of these is recessed ear, I am having a hard time telling, I know one is but not sure on the other. One has a broken tooth but to me under an eye glass both ears look similar.

You won't see that on a Paris catwalk

There is no reason for any grading system to be considered better than another, its all down to individual preference. As a beginner grading is difficult to get your head around and having a limited number of options is a benefit. If we only had the Sheldon scale most would just give up and call it a day. If however you are buying and selling for profit then I can see the logic in having a system that allows for a wider spread of grades which give a person more opportunities to differentiate between grades especially at the higher end. For me its just horses for courses, I am just an average collector and have no interest in buying and selling to make money, so using the standards of F, VF, and EF etc works for me and sticks to the KISS principle that I like to work with. If on the other hand you are a more serious collector then maybe the Sheldon scale is for you. There's room for everyone

If it were die bounce would we see evidence of this elsewhere on the coin and not just on the date?

All four do it for me

Lovely colouring, that obverse is nice and sharp, especially his moustache