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yes, I have not purchased any other coins, rather I'm just looking to see if I can find another coin with the same die characteristics with the shorter I and the rotated first T in Britt. I already have this year and pairing. I'm only going after a new unconfirmed variety with the purchase and research. It's probably nothing, we will soon see. After many coins not being what I hoped for I have tried to not even go down the rabbit hole and avoid these types of purchases that are not clear cut, once I see it I just can't walk away. Given I can return the coin for a small fee I dont really have much to loose.

You can take it as far as you wish, lots of tiny differences, repairs, flaws, die cracks as the coins were struck in there thousands with numerous dies. Its just upto you were you wish to draw a line as if you dont you will end up with dozens all for the same year.

Thank you and yes it makes sense. I have been lookng at as many examples of the die pairing I can find and I have noticed some minor differences on this coin comapared to the other coins I have looked at. I have only managed to find maybe 35-40 examples with the same pairing, heres what I have noticed; 1) On the coin in question the I of BRITT appears shorter than the others looked at. All other examples the I of BRITT is noticeably taller and straight sided. 2) The I of BRITT appears to be thicker and slightly more tapered than all the others. 3) The first T in BRITT appears rotated clockwise not shown on any other example I have looked at. 4) I found one coin with the left serif on the crossbar of the first T in BRITT missing. 5) I found a second coin with something going on a possible flaw? above and to the left of the I in BRITT.

Ok thanks for this information. I hear you. All opinions can't be taken as truths for sure. I value your objective approach to my questions and thank you for taking the time to awnser and explain.

Flaws, Die cracks all show mainly from the die if not a flaw to the flan, so will appear to be underlying on the coin. As Jerry says it could definately be a die flaw.

I concur. The BIN price is essentially $s converted into £s. Note the stock numbers suggest they have been there for a while, being 1 or 2000 short of the later listings.

It could certainly be a die flaw. If a developing crack in a working die has only a surface ‘gape’ then the ridge on the struck coin will be shallow and appear to run under the letters. If the crack is more advanced with a deeper gape, deeper than the incuse letters on the die, then the flaw when struck will appear to run over the letters. Statements on Facebook and other forums are just opinions, not necessarily truths. Perhaps that includes mine? Jerry

A coin that is well strike with original surfaces should be the primary factor in determining value. But one should also consider how that coin measures up to others of the same date and series. Not all coins at the same grade level are created equal. While TPG influences asking prices, the primary focus should be the coin more so than the holder. Grade Opinions of a coin can change over time. I think this is especially true given the total quantity of certain coins that have been seen and graded at the higher end of the grading spectrum. I am less concerned about which TPG co graded the coin in contrast to the attributes of the coin itself. The real question is what are my chances of finding a better or more pleasing example of the current coin under consideration? Is this coin as good as it will get for me?

My initial observation is simply this… they have not sold yet and it would appear they are entertaining offers.

Bronze & Copper Collector is right in that my question is is about the Whitman blue bookshelf album with the clear vinyl/plastic inserts which supports the coin and provides the ability to see the obverse and reverse. I looked at the copyright date on the Gb Silver Type Set which is 1961. I suspect back in the day these would have retailed in the £2-3 range. Thus far, the responses have been somewhat helpful. Everyone remembers the folders there were inexpensive and easily available back in the day and not the book shelf albums because they likely had a smaller or more limited distribution.

https://ebay.io/m/xisefw

Somebody has pointed out the following " there's definitely something there and it can't be a die flaw as it's underlying.. " What options remain if its not a die flaw please? And is that a fair observation the fact the anomaly is underlying? Do you agree? An underlying anomaly could only be introduced by human alteration of the die? Is that not the definition of a variety? If thats the case what would be the most likely reason or cause of alteration or changes to the die? Does this not lean towards a repunched/re-engraved letter or trace of? If the above is correct, what could be the possble options for the underlying feature, could what we see be anything other than a T?

pretty sure they stopped selling them in the early eighties it coincided with a 20% -30% drop in the collectable coin market at a guess 1981 or 1982. They have never been for sale except in the second hand market since.

Even with a single punch the apparent width etc can vary slightly as the edge of the punch is bevelled to prevent it sticking so the heavier the blow the wider the digit will appear. This variability is due to the hand punching of the master dies. Jerry

Im pleased to own one of the few that was made in London for 1882! Taken from the RM website: In 1810, we left the Tower of London and moved to a new purpose-built facility at nearby Tower Hill which could better accommodate steam-powered machinery. Eight massive presses stood in the Coining Press Room, each capable of striking about 60 coins a minute. In the 1880s, the factory buildings were reconstructed and smaller, faster and quieter machines replaced the presses. At the turn of the twentieth century, steam power gave way to electrification and master tools were increasingly produced using reducing machines. Instead of engraving by hand, at size in steel, an artist could prepare a larger plaster model. A mould was then taken and electroplated with nickel and copper, yielding a reproduction known as an electrotype that could be mounted on an engraving machine and scanned. These movements were communicated to a rotating cutter, which copied them at coin size into a block of steel.

Very popular. I remember as a schoolkid in the late 60s that Whitman folders and Sandhill cases were THE main holders for coin sets - the Whitmans for date runs, the Sandhill for type or year sets.

"During the Victorian era, coining presses were entirely mechanical. " Really? I thought that around 1882 they changed over to electrical, which is why virtually the entire 1882 penny mintage was done by Heatons while they were converting?

Update the seller said I can return the coin if not happy so Im going to go for it.

Thank you, I made one last observation; (Now il move on😅) The T in Victoria has a much thinner crossbar when layered over the image possibly fits better. Would there be a punch for each style of a single letter? So a punch for the T in Victoria and a seperate punch for T's in BRITT? The attached image shows the original image, the layered image and the two seperate styles of T found on the same coin, it also points out a potential faint line of the right serif and the layered image shows the location of where the two serifs would intersect. Thanks.

Thanks alot ! I have asked if they will sell upon approval, also asked for extra images. Not sure if you remember the coin in the attached imaged but when it arrived the apparent crossbar of the T was nowhere to be seen?? Reminds me of that...

I wouldn’t put much faith in the AI ‘facts’ and suppositions without reliable references that can be confirmed or are contemporary. We have an issue here in that once published on an academically respected forum such as this search engines and future AI searches will in turn propagate this thread leading to the AI pronouncements gaining traction. While elements of the AI interpretation may be logical, we should make it clear to future readers that it is an opinion (machine generated) and a starting point for careful research rather than being worthy of quote as a matter of fact. Jerry

You’ve put in some good work there, but sadly the original sellers image is not sharp enough to be confident either way. Can you get it on approval? Most professional sellers would do that. Otherwise it’s a balance of lower likelihood of very significant gain against a higher likelihood of moderate loss. Might be worth trying to get a clearer photo from the vendor. Good luck! Jerry

One last detail, at the very tip of the red arrow there is a possible faint outline that could represent the right serif of the T. The tip of the yellow arrow marks where the I serif should stop and there also appears to be a faint line.