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That’s stunning, @Ukstu I’ll try and look the thread out @Sword it was in a conversation about Maundy money, as you guessed.

That's amazing! Superb engraving too. It would have taken some thought to work out what wordings would fit neatly around the edge.

Not the best of pictures but here's the edge. It reads * SERJEANT WILLIAM GRANT , 1ST BAT 92ND HIGHLANDERS. I bought it online from a dealer in Glasgow who had omitted the edge details in the description of sale. I was a bit miffed at first until i did some research. He is Roll number 51 on the Waterloo medal database. He also composed a poem about the battle that was on a manuscript that was sold by Noonans in September 2006 (lot 1100)

Really? Can you post a link to the thread? Mind you, monarchs do give Maundy money in red purses each year.

That's fascinating. Well done for finding it out and keeping the story alive. This is the sort of item I would buy; but for the story and history rather than as a coin.

some that I have picked up ages ago......

I'll also take plugged/edge loss etc hammered coins, especially if it makes them affordable (eg my Richard III in the name of Edward IV/V groat), I try to avoid actual holes and coins that have been broken and repaired unless extremely difficult to get otherwise (eg my Matilda 1d). I woudn't take a milled coin with any of these defects, although I've got a couple that have been cleaned/polished.

Now that’s what it’s all about, capturing historical moments in time. Similar to when we talked on here recently about whether a particular coin could be proven to have passed through the hand of Queen Elizabeth I herself, things like that, what an exciting thought. Or a bullet hole through a signpost in Somerset where a dog fight between a spitfire and a German light bomber occurred. Love history!

I don't tend to buy them now but when i first started collecting i bought holed / plugged coins. I have a milled sixpence of Elizabeth I that would of been way out my budget at the time if it wasn't for the plug in it. Don't mind counterstamped stuff so much as it's an interesting field that you can research sometimes. I picked up a cartwheel penny last year that had an edge engraving in the same style as the waterloo medal. When i researched the name on it i found out the guy had actually been at Waterloo. I only paid £10 for it as well so wasn't expensive.

As Chris said, photos can make things look an unusual way and, as I said, I’d really want to see the physical coin if I were buying, ‘and I’m not claiming yours is counterfeit,’ but an interesting piece for sure. I think that’s sorted any libels out! 😉 Seriously, if you bought this from a reputable dealer in a fair, it wouldn’t matter even if it were genuine…if you had second thought about a coin, for any reason - as long as the coin was EXACTLY as it was when you took it away - they wouldn’t blink an eye to receive it back, knowing you’d be coming back to them, time and time again. Let us know how you get on.

Interesting - must admit that I hadn’t even considered whether it could be fake as there was nothing (in my limited experience) to suggest that it was. Given that I bought it from a dealer at a coin fair (rather than online) and it was presented as genuine, one would reasonably expect (?) the dealer to either know a fake and if so certainly not pass one off as genuine!? The matter of it being plugged becomes irrelevant if the coin itself could be fake so I suppose I now need to establish whether it is in fact genuine. Thanks all for your feedback!

That was actually my first thought when I saw it, too! But mainly due to the edge almost looking in places as if it were 2 pieces bonded together, à la an electrotype. But I'm not a hammered expert by any means and I'm sure there are other factors that can cause a pic to come across that way, so I kept my mouth shut.

My first thought, regardless of whether I can ‘do’ a plugged coin or not, was whether it was genuine? A lot of fake coins are scuffed up to look old, and the scratches in this piece look so intentional and even, on a coin I would’ve expected to be buckled (or wavy at best) from such a harsh life, yet it has such a perfect and even wear to the raised surfaces? Here’s an example of some of the copies out there for these groats? I’m not claiming yours is counterfeit, just saying this one pricks my suspicion enough that I wouldn’t personally want to buy such an example blind! There’s a really good Elizabeth I fake shilling out there, that was even cast with a plug in place. Either they hadn’t noticed the original coin was plugged, or they thought it might avoid the scrutiny of serious collectors, on account of the market they are typically absorbed by? Who knows?

No sorry but they are just scrap. The best thing to do with any Bronze coins post 1901 is to buy the David Groom book " British 20th Century Bronze Coin Varieties ". Its only about £10-£15 posted on Amazon and will help you get familiar with any varieties for Bronze Pennies, Halfpennies and Farthings. There is a seperate one for silver coins also, should you be interested in those.

I think all these alterations add to the history. A plug means someone thought it interesting enough to use as a medallion or touch piece, then someone later felt it was interesting enough to repair. Engravings are often love tokens or claims to ownership. A split or fragment means it has been in the ground for some time. I think that is why I find perfect proof coins a bit dull.

Arrrrggghhhhh! more strays showing up. ( Albeit Half Penny's)😧 ah, So ......of any interest? worth keeping??

similar as Paddy I have coins that have holes in them and counter stamped. I have others that have been engraved as love tokens, nice enough in there own right. 👍

I guess most "serious" collectors would avoid plugged coins, or any other damage. But if that is the only way you can fill a gap within budget, then go for it! I have a number of damaged coins in my collection - some with engravings in the field, some ex-mount, some hammered even missing fragments, but they will fill the gaps until and unless I can afford to replace them with something better. Here, for example, is my William I penny. I would love to have one without the missing chunk, but until one comes along at a price I am happy with, it will stay with me. Your Henry VII, by the way, is a lovely example apart from the plug.

Hi all! I’ve been collecting on and off for a few years but only recently decided to try and take it up seriously. Came across this Henry VII plugged groat at a fair which after some deliberation I decided to buy as apart from the plug I thought was a really nice example but just wondering what people’s views are on plugged coins generally - do other collectors avoid them altogether and do they hold any value? I thought the price was reasonable given the plug but wonder what others views are. Would others buy a plugged coin to fill a gap or go for a lower grade, non-damaged, coin instead? Thanks!

Really interesting - I've added it to my rare penny site with a question mark.

I agreed Martin, and here it is. Digital microscope (x140) picture of 'H' to follow. Any views please, I've struggled to classify it as a fake myself......but then what do I know about metallurgy!?

I see London Coins sold this piece below a decade or so ago, concluding it was a doctored piece (is it???) with the H presumably added post-mint. Maybe this is the one Freeman saw and then had second thoughts? Did any forum member buy it, perhaps? Seemed a fair price for such a curio!

Regarding pennies, an addition not incorporated into the 1985 edition: Page 31, number 80A (1875 8+H with H below date) - can we assume that this coin does not exist ? I have never seen it referenced anywhere, including Gouby.