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I took this pic- got a T adapter so my telescope became my cheap camera's lens. No tracking, quick snap, no stacking software to build up the image. Even though it's not up to the standards you see a lot, I'm chuffed I caught the fact that Jupiter is striped! No moons visible- had to stop it right down...

Poinciania time. Trees just coming into bloom and an eastern water dragon a common harmless lizard in SE Queensland. Grows to about 2 ft in length.

A nice penny from Ebay, 34 Euro including postage. Considerable residual lustre that doesnt seem to show in the pics - nicer in the hand! Jerry

F176

I thought I'd share a couple of rather nice rare finds . Both the rare 1913 mules. F175 below

Have been looking for a decent one of these on ebay for years. Have only seen a couple of lower grade ones, and I'm thinking the variety is 'rare', rather than 'scarce' as per Gouby.

Hello! Ooo, that looks bad doesn't it. Same happens for me from the main predecimal.com root (without /forum/ etc). Sorry for being slow with this. I was away in GB for some of the time. The forum software is quite old now and could do with an update. The problem is, it requires a newer version of something in the background (php), which isn't normally an issue, but I know that other stuff won't work with the newer version. I think the way forward is to turn predecimal.com into just a forum. I don't really buy/sell coins at all anymore as it became less practical since brexit and also I wanted to concentrate on on the books and app, as they are so much simpler to manage, which is what I've been doing for some time. It should be possible to separate the forum, have it work from the root predecimal.com/ and upgrade everything in the background so that it all functions properly again. There may be some issues along the way that will need to be ironed out, but I don't really see an alternative.

And back to the original topic. Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Svitlana landing at Manchester after fleeing Kherson. Time has passed very quickly and I will say it's been a pleasure, with not a single argument arising from her staying with us. Good mannered, clean, we all muck in and I don't think it could have gone better. A few things have happened which were unwelcome, such as her father dying last year, but was unable to get back for the funeral. And this year her mother has finally had enough of the drones and bombing of her village (Bilozirka) not too far from Kherson and gone to live with Svitlana's sister. 3 years on and nothing has changed. The Russians are still lobbing 3 or 4 dozen shells a day into Kherson and drone dropping on anything that moves. They don't want peace. It's Russia. Please Europe, wake up now that Trump has shown his true colours and support Ukraine to the necessary level. We can afford it and Ukraine would make a more reliable friend than the US in the current political climate. Ignoring Trump would not have much of a cost, given his lack of support for the cause, and we can all hope that once he has gone, some sanity will return to US politics, with support for democratic policies and countries. As an astute businessman, he should be embracing Ukraine's offer to purchase a couple of Patriot systems, but his loyalty to Putin and all he stands for has scuppered that one.

1826 Penny, Rev A, purchased from the Huddersfield coin fair.

Hello. This 1954 unique circulation penny was recently sold by Bernie Workman through Sovereign Auctions. In November 2024. I saw some speculation on this forum as to who the buyer might be who purchased this penny and a number of the other pennies at the same auction - and whether it may have been bought by an American investor. (I think it was someone called Secret Santa asking). Well i can put your mind at rest that i am neither American nor an investor - i am a private British collector who has specialised in primarily bronze circulation pennies for over 50 years (though i do now have quite a nice collection of copper pennies too). If you had designs on buying it you may actually have preferred an investor to have bought it, for as a collector i virtually never sell anything, and this penny will hopefully not be sold again or seen again, apart from being able to be viewed over the internet. I do believe that i have probably the finest collection of bronze pennies in the world (including the museums), though one or two of you may challenge that assertion, but my collection also includes one of the only 2 available 1933 circulation pennies and a host of other R19 and R20 pennies. Although i don't ever sell any of my coins as a rule, i am more than happy to share the collection with you through a link on here if anyone is interested in viewing it. Just let me know.

One thats arrived today off eBay and much better than most. 1909 DOT.

I had the luck to pick this one up on ebay , unattributed 😊 An F148 high tide

This is what my garden looks like in the cold and damp!! Cycad, Musa, Echium, Canna, Hedychium all wrapped up. Soil heaters in the pots if it gets very cold. I fit a translucent tarp across the veranda, and we get a small room full of plants to play cards in in the winter! Lemon/lime cross full of fruit this year- gonna do some lime pickle....!!

I recently finished cataloguing someone's excellent Victorian Copper Penny collection and, as a result, felt that I was now in a position to have a go at listing the 1843 varieties which I know of. It may not be a complete list, but I think it will be pretty close. I now know of seven different types of 1843 penny, and I have summarised these into a one page jpeg image which I now attach. The actual image on my own computer is over 6 times the size of this attachment, so if anyone wants a copy of the full image then please PM me. I thought that this may be of interest to some other members (and so did Jerry), as I am unaware that anyone has ever tried to do this with a rarer date in the YH series.

1908 Freeman 164a e,bay find , rare in this grade much better than nearly all finds out there

Big piece of British bronze from the Birmingham Workhouse - quite possibly the largest numismatic object struck for actual circulation by Matthew Boulton's steam powered machinery - this weighs almost 2.5 ounces.

...my mate told me that I needed a boy to help me in the workshop, but so far I can't see any advantages....

All so amusing, and reminding me of a lost time when you could have, when we were all much younger, for example's sake, a model aircraft club. All the members swapped info, ideas, and build techniques on how to get the most out of any model they own, or have built, or are hoping to build. In the village there was The Model Shop. For many years, in the window, was the most magnificent model plane. An unattainable plane. The shopkeeper had to clean the window often, because our noses were pressed to the glass so regularly. Then one day it vanished.... Later that week, a kid turned up at the club, and announced he had all the models that Airfix made, and now also owned the Plane from the Window. We were all very interested and excited and couldn't wait to see what this new kid was offering. All we got was a promise of some pictures, but no plane to admire in the clubhouse, no chance to see it fly, no, we were told it wouldn't be seen again. Those in the Club who liked the new member were described as 'intelligent and rational', and those who though him a bit of a pushy upstart who really should know his place as 'bitter, irrational and ignorant'.... Hmm.....I've been here years, and I still feel an outsider, and from day one I've been respectful to members who know way more than I ever will about coins. Piling in in the way we have seen this week, and saying what has been said is like the dealings of a petulant child. It crosses a line with me. Just because Trump does it doesn't mean anyone else should.

An exciting Ebay listing for penny collectors seeking the 1863 with die numbers - the first example with minus 1 (-1) under the date. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/356491300476?itmmeta=01JJ5H9EW45WNYWTVKMXTG816F&hash=item5300898e7c:g:Oy4AAOSwWS1nj~eK&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwHoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKlmKrLpByFK3NCH5LpfdrzNdV8QOMQvZOkA9KHBdFYpZf%2B22CKYOwtY5SzdG41OU5lzTamqMvLWCKwCT%2B5o6Ubr7WzTw4bib88BMHIRH689xsTWKwFjwupAPGchYDWdjDFknqaecWQTY90QZbrnYTIhoZEUzBGa9vKJC5sl5z%2FGWgn0FZdKwgRvaOksMKux0sckksjF0TGMpqC445MhuNGbBaQRGOdWSeV4gjRN8RxZFg%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR5jupbGRZQ

These are the best of my bunch, 1864 is probably the best example that I have, these as the rest I have were boot fair finds well over 30 years ago, pre computers internet day and age...... also It turns out 12 months have passed by it was 1 year today that I first joined www.predecimal.com/forum 👍🍻

I was fortunate enough to pick up mine before the prices went completely crazy:

I bought an F33 with I over I in BRITT at Noonan's last week. It's my second example, but with a different overstrike: And the previous one:

I up graded my original coin with this rather nice Dot 1909 I found recently 😊

The date run:

And some shillings ..an early Easter egg. 😄

Ironic that a post titled ‘quiet’ has become the busiest post on the forum right now! 🤷‍♂️

Gotta love the large pennies from early in the reign of Victoria:

"Rear coins", my arse! Never a truer word spoken, ironically!💩 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335864676756?itmmeta=01JPFXGTJTN1RG45Y420E50A97&hash=item4e33184194:g:z6YAAeSw3gRn1tFb&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA4MHg7L1Zz0LA5DYYmRTS30mrq7ZxPzDEwuz8dTR9vNwPjzLW%2FuMX5XltgQFtpMHHmnRKnKSwHS2EHGaBuZZTzeAyo7vBCaNXWE7rC0eUs1a3UAPqSfoxMXUhGYBRxRctI1SzZkz%2F87wmmn7PLVuqilJL2Hnpyum2FXPyagkamcmyk19tRXQ1uYhivX%2F%2BQ5MpVwJR4wrVH884T3OqmdtYRy%2FMBYuL99oc2ot7nkkIQkglog9iV0i6hktsrzfkuOT9Vj8D4SESULXQdPk7VyUd5VA36awsPuW0yS638Fe%2BmT45|tkp%3ABFBMyKnD_bNl

I rather like the double florins myself but they are somewhat unloved and can be obtained significantly more cheaply than crowns. The main varieties for the 1887 is the "Arabic 1" (like you 1889) and the "Roman I". These are my examples: (1887 is the Roman and 1888 is the Arabic)

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.

Not particularly flattering, is it? Having said that, my all time low is probably the 2002 Queen Mother £5 portrait. The first time I saw one of those, I had to do a quick check that it was a Royal Mint product and not some private enterprise output. Give Anne her dues. She is probably the hardest working royal of the 4, and I suspect has a greater sense of duty than the others.

A good crop this year. Pollinating the vanilla orchid flowers is a tricky business.

Having a go at posting pictures again lets hope It appears on your screen. This one hasn't got a hole in it , Its almost a train tunnel , but I just had to give it a home as Its an 1861 Freeman 24 4+f on Richards rare list.

Bloody Top Cat and his Gang have set up home outside my workshop....

Finally reached the end of Route 66 in Chicago. Back to Australia via Hawaii.

To expand - a few beers, a packet of cigars and a garden chair to recline in. Happy days. The lyrics and music were crystal clear. Saved myself a few hundred quid there. Just need more beers for tomorrow's concert.

George IIII 1821 Six Pence 1st reverse this coin was only minted for 1821,....... and found here to be in a nice condition...👍

Medals

We are working in Crackington Haven in Cornwall for the next few days, and just in case work gets in the way, we're going down early so I can go on the beach late afternoon today with my new metal detector, to see what I can find. Up till now all I've found is bits of alloy from a German E boat that was scrapped on the beach in WW2...... I'll let you know when I find the sovereigns. Or not.

Are you calling ME a moron Richard! LOL 😂🤣 PS. Thought to be the only existing example.