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Stuart. For your own sanity, stay calm. Jackson - Kent spent 10 years analysing the string numbers on W3 coin harps only to conclude at the end of it that there was no significance. Personally, it makes more sense for the stops to be personal privy marks as an engraver id, as there are a number of types used, but thick string or thin string in varying quantities is never going to fly given die degradation. Stops however, are rarely confused.

Not my coin. This one has quite a bit of doubling to the harp and shield but sill only the five strings, so possibly as coinery says maybe the strings were added after the shield, really difficult on a coin so small though.

I believe the slight double strike is definitely a possibility, I’m sure the penny should have seven strings, so six strings on the penny is an odd one. I suppose when cutting the die on something so small is quite easy to make the mistake, like you say coinery anything is possible. I have had a good search but can’t find any half’s with the six strings so hopefully another one will come along 👍 Thanks for the input guys.

If I get it in change, I would likely put it aside with the other "less common" two pounds and 50p coins. But I wouldn't give anything over face value.

When I had a market stall 5 years ago, this one seemed to be the least common of the Shakespeare series and commanded a slight premium in top condition (£4-5). I suspect a batch has recently come out of the Royal Mint's back log of £2 coins as a number have turned up in change.

Not rare, so how many would you like? Value, £2 face but little if any in a premium given the 2 black marks on the reverse and numerous obverse bagmarks. Somebody desperate for an example might pay £3, but not likely.

Having said that, the strings are likely added separately from the harp punch itself, so anything is possible I guess?

Hey, Gaz, I did take a look at my own example but, even under the loupe this morning, I couldn’t confirm the number of strings on mine, due to strike weakness. There is this post… …where Rob’s and Jelida’s examples show 5 strings. I did notice however that Coys’ Penny, shown in the same thread, displays a harp with six strings. I can’t imagine that the 1d harp punch hasn’t at some point been shared across the denominations?

As you say, this is a short-cross London penny of Henry II…minted by PIERES ON LVND

Despite numerous refreshes, both last night AND today, I just can’t get the reverse to load beyond what you’re seeing here!

Marked by the red lines are areas of the sheild and harp that appear to be doubled. Is this the cause of an apparent 6th string I'm not sure maybe?

I have a couple of copies in the "Archive". I remember having brief email contact with Roger Keenan (I think) but it was 20+ years ago and I no longer have any details.

Welcome @perry123986cook to the forum. 2008 was the year of the change over from the portcullis design to the broken shield issue. See https://www.royalmint.com/collect/collector-resources/uk-coin-mintage-figures/1p-mintage-figures/ for the figures - about 180 million of this design and another 507 million of the new one. So sadly not scarce or an error!

Has anyone come across the half penny having six strings to the harp. I believe it should only have five, the strings are also very thick possibly a double strike but looking at the rest of the harp I’m not so sure.

It’s almost unbelievable that the BNS allowed unchallenged publication of this blog which I feel is a mass of A.I. pseudoscience and unproven ‘evidence’ from which unjustifiable conclusions are presented as fact! Will they publish my learned study demonstrating that pixies have set up a mint at the bottom of my garden? A.I. has found lots of photographic evidence, and Donald Trump says it’s the ‘greatest numismatic discovery ever’ apart from when he found his face on a gold dollar! (Obviously Trump didn’t actually use the word ‘numismatic’, I think that was posted by Harp). Jerry

Can any one give amy info on this 1p 2008 portcullis coin. Is this a reel error coin. Thank you

I remember being shown that coin. I told the person who sent the email pics that it was a mangled sixpence: "It looks like damage to me. Who knows what caused it and how much circulation it went through after the damage. Some damage can be hard to fathom. Maybe someone was trying to cover the SIX PENCE in order to pass it off as something else. It's possible I suppose that it did suffer some kind of defect when made and then someone made it worse, but either way, it's a bit of a mess. I really can't imagine anyone would be willing to pay more than the silver value for it. " Also here: https://britnumsoc.blog/2025/11/11/an-1834-william-iv-sixpence-with-a-laboratory-confirmed-multi-strike-error-from-the-steam-press-era-a-ikraam/https://britnumsoc.blog/2025/11/11/an-1834-william-iv-sixpence-with-a-laboratory-confirmed-multi-strike-error-from-the-steam-press-era-a-ikraam/ Erm, ok.

Seems some folk go even further to get to the bottom of coin mysteries: https://phys.org/news/2026-09-materials-analysis-minting-mystery-british.html

Hi , I came across this £2 William Shakespeare coin. Looked like a rare one I seen online. The silver centre is not actually in the centre. seeing the prices they sell for. I certainly had a dell boy moment. Next year I will be a millionaire. looking for your advice and expertise on this coin please!

I have put pennies into acid baths on numerous occasions (for serious purposes at work and not fooling about.) The edge would invariably thin out first. Even for the sake of argument that someone were to use a wax to protect the edge, an acid would still "smooth out" the surface marks. I can't see how the design has nearly disappeared with so many surface marks left. Then there is the flattened date. Acid won't do that.

Having owned couple of acid bathed coins I agree with Rob. Acid doesn't shear off the main design leaving the original thickness - it attacks on all axies, leaving a much thinner coin with the elements of all the original design still clear enough to see, including the legend.

MS is MS, MS 60 is an un-circulated coin. Higher grades are more subjective with MS61 and higher attention is paid to strike, bag knocks, luster. toning etc. Wear and poor strike being very difficult to distinguish when it is slight. Also attention should be paid to the condition of the milling of the coin edge The whole point of TPG is consistency for valuation and comparing coins. The subject coin from the photo shows slight wear on the higher points and more correctly graded AU 55 - 58 or EF IMO. Personally I prefer the Sheldon as it gets rid of the abt. nearly + etc that are much more subjective. However it must be applied accurately to be of use. Having said that the book The Standard Guide to Grading British Coins is a good guide

Reverse 1st Diagnostic : Pronounced vertical die crack originating from top of Britannia's head, undulating/squiggling at 2mm distance from the inner rim border, terminating precisely at the baseline of the first N. Reverse 2nd Diagnostic : Associated branch crack extending leftward into the olive branch cluster, manifesting as a faux leafless sprig adjacent to the standard 10-leaf configuration. ( Severely lapped reverse die resulting in a missing leaf / ghost stem variety.) Reverse 3rd Diagnostic : Equally spaced masts (Type C / Large Letters reverse hub diagnostics).

Hi a friend has asked me to identify the following coin i believe it's a short cross penny but it's larger than normal approximately 21/22mm and the weight is 1.24g unfortunately no head as has been damaged in the ground and unable to confirm type and mint/moneyer please can you help