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An examination of the collection at the British Museum revealed one very clear example of "onc": the 1857. This is catalogued as "possibly a proof ? according to D. Fealy" and it undoubtedly has proof-like fields and is in FDC condition. I regard this as further evidence in favour of an error in die preparation (and against the theory of simple die-fill - proofs are not made from worn dies...). As always, any thoughts welcome - and does anyone know anything about "D. Fealy"? Postscript: it is perhaps natural that the opportunity to handle and examine such splendid coins in museum collections initially evokes feelings of envy in the collector. But it soon gives way to the more rational analysis that such specimens are really best off in a public collection that is accessible to all - and not, thank goodness, encapsulated in plastic.

Afternoon, Just picked this 1697B sixpence up from the Morton & Eden auction as it was listed as an R over sideways R with the overstrike quite clear. It also has a die rotation on the reverse of about 90 degrees. It seems to be an unlisted variety as I can't find anything relating to this after scouring the internet, and after calling into Baldwins afterwards, they didn't recall seeing one like this before. Photos are as best I can do with the rudimentary camera, so any thoughts most welcome.

I picked this 1933 penny up a while back now , but forgot at the time to share it with you . It would be nice if it were the real Mc Coy, but a pretty good modified example I think .

Ah. just realised...this is is referring to the Parthians, who used the Palintonos, or 'bent backwards' composite bow, that can be used when retreating, hence 'Parthian shot", corrupted down to "Parting shot"...

were you doing the washing up when you posted this? I've never before seen an example of an 1860 PINNY...

Very pleased with this 1874 penny - F65 in top UNC grade with probably 90% lustre, ever so lightly toning. Just £250 as a BIN. These are obviously not desperately rare, but they don't turn up every 5 minutes, and definitely not in this grade. Looking back at other sales of similar grade, the price compares very favourably.

Pretty pleased with this for £40.

I just dipped my toe into Conder tokens for the first time and managed to get this Warwickshire DH36, which is rated as RRR for rarity by DH, off ebay of all places!

Well, you say that, and I do agree that many 1919H pennies look, not just worn at top grade, but also distinctly blurred. But I did manage to get this nicely struck specimen in February 2019 for just £50. The seller started it at that amount, and I was the only bidder. Had he started it at £0.99, I reckon it would have been bid up more than £50.

Very pleased with this 1918H penny. It's clearly not UNC, but takes pride of place in my collection, for the simple reason that it's an unusually sharp strike for a 1918H, which even "UNC" with full lustre, are often very poor strikes, with all the attributes of a worn coin. This one has a good breastplate and also reasonable hair detail.