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In 1797, Peter Kempson issued 10 different penny-sized tokens (or more accurately, medalets) featuring London Buildings on the obverse and "Standing Justice" on the reverse. I simply couldn't resist this Ludgate token. My pictures don't do it any favors, but it appears almost as a proof in hand. The fields are glassy and almost completely mark free, with high relief devices. Both the obverse and reverse exhibit dark hues of blues and pinks, as is common on the entire series of these particular tokens. This set of medalets was struck specifically for collectors (not intended for actual commerce), and in relatively small mintages of less than 200 of each design. The reverse reminds me of the Regal cartwheel issues of the same year, with inset lettering surrounding the central design. I have not seen a nicer example than this one, and for a scant £115, I was delighted to add it to my collection.

1797 Middlesex/Kempson's penny token, Ludgate D&H-78 (scarce, mintage < 200)

1797_Middlesex_DH78_Penny_NGC_MS65BN_obv

1797_Middlesex_DH78_Penny_NGC_MS65BN_rev

That's an absolute beauty, and I'd be quite happy to shell out £115 for something like that. You're not going to tell me of course, but what was your source?

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That's an absolute beauty, and I'd be quite happy to shell out £115 for something like that. You're not going to tell me of course, but what was your source?

I'm happy to tell you. On eBay, with so-so pictures, but good enough to tell that it was a stunning token. There was not as much competition as I thought there would be, and my maximum bid was significantly higher than I had to pay. :)

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Yes nice one Peter.

In my very limited experience I think the Britannia side wears faster than the Bun side on those Farthings so I would have bid on that too !

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You were very lucky with that one, Peter...that's cheaply your's on account of my credit card expiry date expiring with auction sniper at a time I only had my phone with me, and not the opportunity to bid live! ;)

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Stewie

Bugger off

I put my hours in.

BTW can I come for a sailing I will bring my MG and Wifeie thing.The daughters are extra B)

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Stewie

Bugger off

I put my hours in.

BTW can I come for a sailing I will bring my MG and Wifeie thing.The daughters are extra B)

:D

We're in South Glouc. Yarp! :)

Edit: congrats on the coin, nice! I just grabbed a cypher E1 halfpenny, so I'm more than happy! :)

Edited by Coinery

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While this is not a British coin/token, some of you may appreciate seeing an example of a Civil War Patriotic Token. Around the time of the civil war in the USA, first silver and gold, and then eventually copper-nickel small cents were hoarded. As you can imagine, this made everyday small transactions difficult. This shortage of small change is similar to the effects seen in Great Britain from 1787-1804 and again from 1811-1817 -- and simiarly, private issuers took matters into their own hands. From 1861 until such tokens were made illegal in 1864, millions of tokens were issued by private entities; some were adverts or store-cards, many were intended for commerce, and still others were for collectors or struck as trial pieces. In total, there are more than 7,000 different tokens, most considered quite collectible (mostly due to their interesting historical connection). I have found one particular website to be most helpful in identification of these tokens (http://home.comcast.net/~bluitje104189mi/Civil_War_Patriotic_Token_Die_List_0.htm) picturing almost all of the patriotic die designs, and many of the store cards.

Below is a common token from the era, with an uncommon sharp strike and lovely original surfaces.

1863 Civil War Token, Fuld-176/271a (NGC MS64BN)

1863_CWT_176-271a_NGC_MS64BN_obv_zps6ad1

1863_CWT_176-271a_NGC_MS64BN_rev_zps6d9c

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Loving that reverse. Er, obverse? Oh shoot - the side without the date on!

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Loving that reverse. Er, obverse? Oh shoot - the side without the date on!

LOL, yes it's got great appeal brg, is there an edge legend with it?

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Yes beautiful token, and thanks for giving a bit of the story behind it too.

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Loving that reverse. Er, obverse? Oh shoot - the side without the date on!

LOL, yes it's got great appeal brg, is there an edge legend with it?

Nope, no edge lettering. These are "small-cent" size, so only 19mm diameter, and quite thin. Much smaller than the halfpence and pennies of the "Conder" era. :)

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Loving that reverse. Er, obverse? Oh shoot - the side without the date on!

LOL, yes it's got great appeal brg, is there an edge legend with it?

Nope, no edge lettering. These are "small-cent" size, so only 19mm diameter, and quite thin. Much smaller than the halfpence and pennies of the "Conder" era. :)

Excellent photos through the slab. I do find it difficult to avoid some reflection.

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Loving that reverse. Er, obverse? Oh shoot - the side without the date on!

LOL, yes it's got great appeal brg, is there an edge legend with it?

Nope, no edge lettering. These are "small-cent" size, so only 19mm diameter, and quite thin. Much smaller than the halfpence and pennies of the "Conder" era. :)

Excellent photos through the slab. I do find it difficult to avoid some reflection.

Thanks, I have had quite a bit of practice. In the past 2 years, I have taken more than 10,000 coin images. :)

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5 over a higher 5. Lustre is pinker than I've been able to capture in the photo.

12197732386_d72915a0a2_b.jpg

This is my first 'proper' attempt at a photo and not a very good one. Brightness and contrast altered in photoshop. Incidentally did a separate thread for photography get created in the end as I can't find it? Got my eye on a couple of lamps and would like your thoughts.

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Looks very BRG esq! Nicely presented, I do like the idea of using the surrounding black fields to display features/points of interest'!

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Yes good effort ! Nice coin too !

I want to start photographing soon too and interested in any info on gear/ techniques.

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5 over a higher 5. Lustre is pinker than I've been able to capture in the photo.

12197732386_d72915a0a2_b.jpg

This is my first 'proper' attempt at a photo and not a very good one. Brightness and contrast altered in photoshop. Incidentally did a separate thread for photography get created in the end as I can't find it? Got my eye on a couple of lamps and would like your thoughts.

I will have to contradict you and say that this is an excellent first effort (without seeing what the coin looks like in hand of course!) ... I still struggle, but this is my favourite web site on how to do it right (courtesy of brg):

http://www.coinimaging.com/

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Nice one! :)

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Thanks for the link Paulus !

Load of information there.

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I will have to contradict you and say that this is an excellent first effort (without seeing what the coin looks like in hand of course!) ... I still struggle, but this is my favourite web site on how to do it right (courtesy of brg):

http://www.coinimaging.com/

Hah thank you I guess it isn't too bad an effort (I'm my own worst critic) but definitely room for improvement having held the coin in hand. As I say the lustre is pinker / redder and I think the shadows are a bit misleading as to where the coin is very lightly toned. Something to experiment with - the link is excellent thanks.

Yes good effort ! Nice coin too !

I want to start photographing soon too and interested in any info on gear/ techniques.

Seems to be a wholly hobby in itself I'm going to play around with a few (inexpensive) approaches.

Looks very BRG esq! Nicely presented, I do like the idea of using the surrounding black fields to display features/points of interest'!

Thanks - yes I think some very quick post-processing can make the world of difference and fairly easy to do.

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It's something I want to get right eventually! I just need a little more time to play, though!

It's definitely an art, and worth perfecting!

I've been guilty on a couple of occasions of getting nearly as excited about having a great image of a Liz, as I have when acquiring an actual coin! This is why I would love to find the buyer of that Liz shilling! I might just email her again...little to lose! I might just pinch them anyway!

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Thanks Paulus for the link.

I've got the cameras and lenses.I just need to spend some time on it.

I've got some must do's on my MG and a growing list of work to do around my mothers and our tennents bungalows.(and our own house) :(

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5 over a higher 5. Lustre is pinker than I've been able to capture in the photo.

12197732386_d72915a0a2_b.jpg

This is my first 'proper' attempt at a photo and not a very good one. Brightness and contrast altered in photoshop. Incidentally did a separate thread for photography get created in the end as I can't find it? Got my eye on a couple of lamps and would like your thoughts.

Excellent picture, almost as good as the coin which is a beaut. If you were in Photoshop, it's an easy-peasy matter to also alter the colour so it looks as it does in hand. Photoshop offers at least 3 different methods to alter the colours.

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5 over a higher 5. Lustre is pinker than I've been able to capture in the photo.

12197732386_d72915a0a2_b.jpg

This is my first 'proper' attempt at a photo and not a very good one. Brightness and contrast altered in photoshop. Incidentally did a separate thread for photography get created in the end as I can't find it? Got my eye on a couple of lamps and would like your thoughts.

Excellent picture, almost as good as the coin which is a beaut. If you were in Photoshop, it's an easy-peasy matter to also alter the colour so it looks as it does in hand. Photoshop offers at least 3 different methods to alter the colours.

I concur. An excellent picture.

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