British Penny

[puzzled 0]

Can anybody help with this enquiry? My husband has found a 1967 penny in our garden with the Brittania on both sides! The penny is in good condition and in all ways appears normal.

Thank you.

[ocker 0]

Can anybody help with this enquiry? My husband has found a 1967 penny in our garden with the Brittania on both sides! The penny is in good condition and in all ways appears normal.

Thank you.

in many cases the mint where the coins are produced mess up at times and a coin can get stamped twice its a rare occasion for this to happen but does if it is an original then you could be sat on a little diamond

[custard1966 1]

I have a double-headed 1960s penny. It's been examined by a couple of dealers who could find no obvious signs of tampering.

One offered me around £70 for it (this was about 4 years ago).

It'd be worth getting a dealer to look at it to see if there are obvious signs of it being an artificial creation.

If it's a genuine mint error then there are people who collect such things and it'd be worth a few quid

[Master Jmd 50]

I have a double-headed 1960s penny. It's been examined by a couple of dealers who could find no obvious signs of tampering.

Shouldn't things like these be listed?

[Chris Perkins 223]

I don't know any that are absolutely confirmed as real errors and not cleverly hollowed and stuck together coins.

[kuhli 0]

Not sure about what equipment the RM uses, but over here in the US, it is physically impossible to have a double heads or double tails coin, unless it was intentionally created by mint employees. The obverse and reverse dies are "keyed" differently, so that it is not possible to put 2 obverse or 2 reverse dies into the press.

[Chris Perkins 223]

I imagine it's the same with British coins.

[puzzled 0]

Thank you all very much for your replies! We have managed to get in touch with a coin dealer in Cambridge..and he has told us to take the penny to a branch in Ipswich. Will keep you informed!!!

[Chris Perkins 223]

That'll be Lockdales, and in my experience they are bad!

I sent some things to them to be put in there auction (not coins) and 2 items vanished off the planet. I'm not sure, but I bet they happened to be the 2 most valuable items! They have been most unhelpful and I'm about to write a letter to their manager.

Send the coin to the Royal Mint, they will take an age confirming it, but you will get it back and it will come back with written proof either way.

And of course they are not dealers so will be neutral. Dr Kevin Clancy is the man at the mint.

[Peter 615]

Yeh Lockdales....a sort of trying Westminster but still Argos ish....the last place I would go for advice....unless you want to start UK slabbing.

[krasnaya_vityaz 0]

I will not offer my commentary on Lockdales, other than to suggest I would recommend others before them.

[puzzled 0]

Wow!! Thanks for that info!!! I'll certainly do as you suggest and send to the royal mint. You don't happen to have an email address for this person do you?

Many many thanks! Obviously...I will keep you informed!

[Chris Perkins 223]

I don't think you can just email him, he's very busy and I wouldn't expect a reply even if you could find his email address. If you write a nice covering letter and send it special delivery it should be ok.

No doubt they get a lot of that kind of thing though, so as I say, expect a bit of a wait.

[Gary D 76]

Am I getting bad vibes coming over about Lockdales. I need to get my collection valued for insurence purposes and was considdering Lockdales as they are the only people I am aware of local to me. Does anyone have any other recommendations, preferably some one who over grades and over prices emmm back too Lockdales then.

[Chris Perkins 223]

Are you in the East Anglia/Cambs area then?

[puzzled 0]

Hi...sorry..me again..!

I got home today to find a message on the phone from my sister saying to take a photo of the coin and email to some company called Spink.com !! I am most certainly taking your advice and sending the coin to the Royal Mint...but was wondering if you had heard of this company????

Many thanks!

[Chris Perkins 223]

Who?

Yes, they are well reputed too (established 1666) but they won't be able to do much from a photo, they'll want to feel it!

There's also some bloke in Wales, I forget his name (funny bloke, had the hump with me over some silly copyright issue, I forget the details now). He knew his stuff though, used to be the Queens Assay Master. Have a google for 'Coin authentication' and when you find a website that looks like it was made by an 8 year old....you've found him

[Gary D 76]

Are you in the East Anglia/Cambs area then?

Yes I'm just SE of Cambridge.