oldcopper

Could be a copper fake - worth checking its weight.

I liked Neil's statement in the intro to the fixed price list: (from memory it was) "the undoubted star of the copper section is the 1827 penny". The "copper section" consisted of two coins - the 1827 penny and a £150 NEF cartwheel penny. So I can't argue with that assertion!

Interesting! It's a make of jeep apparently - I didn't know that!

Yes, if that's the copper one.

It's standard copper from the look of it. I didn't manage to look at it when I was there, but I wonder why CNG called it "blazing", usually an adjective for full proof red lustre, whereas NGC graded it as a BN! But I'd have thought it could reach an RB from the photo, though colour can be deceptive in photographs of course.

Interesting times. This from Wikipedia (Raleigh was originally imprisoned in the Tower since 1603 for his part in a plot against James): In 1617, Raleigh was pardoned by the King and granted permission to conduct a second expedition to Venezuela in search of El Dorado. During the expedition, a detachment of Raleigh's men under the command of his long-time friend Lawrence Kemys attacked the Spanish outpost of Santo Tomé de Guayana on the Orinoco river, in violation of peace treaties with Spain and against Raleigh's orders. A condition of Raleigh's pardon was avoidance of any hostility against Spanish colonies or shipping. In the initial attack on the settlement, Raleigh's son, Walter, was fatally shot. Kemys informed Raleigh of his son's death and begged for forgiveness, but did not receive it, and at once committed suicide. On Raleigh's return to England, an outraged Count Gondomar, the Spanish ambassador, demanded that Raleigh's death sentence be reinstated by King James, who had little choice but to do so. Raleigh was brought to London from Plymouth by Sir Lewis Stukley, where he passed up numerous opportunities to make an effective escape.[55][56] It goes on to say that after his execution, his embalmed head was presented to his wife - perhaps so she could bury it?

Wasn't his love interest about 5 years old at the time?! In reality that is, but like Gibson's film The Patriot, Braveheart is disgustingly anti-English or anti-British, they're all caricatures. I saw a critique of the Patriot, which I've never watched nor intend to, referring to a scene in which American families were herded into a church by the British soldiers and it was set on fire. The Nazis might have done things like that, but the British never did anything remotely like that of course. Thanks Mel!

Historic people do get stereotyped of course. Charles I of course believed he was divine so why should he take orders from non-divine commoners? Not a likeable trait today of course (!) but thought processes several centuries ago would have been different. There was a drama about George IV and Wellington on BBC a few years ago. Wellington was portrayed as the wise elder statesman doling out paternalistic advice to the young buck George when he was Prince Regent. Only one problem with that - in real life George IV was 7 years older than the Duke of Wellington!

Oh well it was a nice thought!

Yes

Great to watch, shame about the prices! Even the auctioneer sounded surprised -"I sink zee auctioneer is zee least important person here!" he said as the internet pings were almost merging into a continuous sound. Though I didn't understand them rerunning two of the James II halfcrowns as the original winner had decided he hadn't meant to bid for them or something like that...had I caught that right? Maybe the auction house had got some bids mixed up. I can only speak of the copper but I wonder what will be in part 2, going on what was in part 1. I spotted at least five pieces ex Nicholson, three I assume bought direct from CC's auction in 2004 plus the Anne and George I silver halfpennies bought a year later at St James. So I'm thinking for October at least one of Nicholson's two outstanding W&M tin halfpennies plus the 1701 no stops obverse. But who knows? Looks like someone was going as high as needed to get many of those early coppers based on how quickly they were pinging counterbids. Makes the lustrous 1849 penny seem reasonable at 3K. I'd given up by then though, zero success! I wasn't too disappointed though considering what i would have to have paid to win them, and they might have gone far higher of course.

Good luck. I know there are two reverse dies for the GVLIEEMVS 1700 variety. Anyway, I wish I'd noticed the SNC 2002 GVLIEMVS plus stop example at the time which was listed as the standard variety.

Here's the Nicholson example (from CC's website) but no stop after NIA. I think Croydon Coin Auctions (or possibly London Coins) sold one a few years ago with the stop after BRITANNIA, which was probably the misdescribed-as-normal photographed example in SNC Oct 2002. Like the GVLILMVS reverse, where the stop was not recorded by Peck as it was not visible on the one example he knew, which was the double struck Johnstone example. However, an example turned up subsequently (LC) showing a clear reverse stop on the same die..

There's the stated mintage of the 1831 proof sets, which is given as 120 sets. How reliable or where this number is from I don't know, but that's always the figure used in catalogues, annuals etc. I should also add it's often accompanied by the prefix circa, which makes it look more like a later estimate, so it might not even be official. Actual records of early 19th century proof set numbers haven't survived or were never made as far as I know. It's thought an unspecified number of extra proofs were also minted, often late strikings in some cases especially for the 1839 set, how many per denomination not known, and if so, for the William proofs the mintage would have been higher than 120. There are also the non-proof-set varieties like the 1831 milled edge sixpence mentioned and the upright bronzed proofs for example, and each 1831 denomination has extra proof varieties.

And that's without the original flip! They've just found a small parcel of them at the back of their basement that they never knew they had, squirrelled away many moons ago.....etc.

and many of the estimates are obvious teasers as well. Perhaps better to pop round the corner to Coincraft and pick up a very reasonable "getting harder and harder to find" 1977 crown in Unc or nearly so (with original plastic flip) for a bargain basement price of ....how much????!!!!!

The only part of China we ever colonised was Hong Kong. So we didn't lose anything because of the above attitude. But it was a fair enough comment at the time - they were a very backward society compared to Britain, and the comment was made back in the days when people were honest and judged what they saw, not turning themselves inside out with political correctness. And most Chinese would have seemed ultra-compliant and subservient showing little free agency of thought,. to a large extent because their culture made them like that. And that type of ultra compliant culture continues to today. Look at Tianamen Square for instance where people tried to show freedom of thought and action. And let's face it, do you think British soldiers would run their tanks over protesters if they were told to? But coming back to the point, it is apparent that the Han Chinese, the main ethnic group, feel they are superior, and it can be said that China is turning itself into an ethnostate. This can be seen in their mistreatment of other ethnicities/cultures eg the colonisation of Tibet, the enslavement and attempted breeding out of the Uighurs, and the replacement of Cantonese with Mandarin-speaking Han in positions of power in Hong Kong.

Do you know why he died so young (42)? I think that's the normal higher tide 1mm variety.

You may be right, but I've never really understood what is meant by the term "lamination" in terms of a coin's surface. In this case it would presumably mean partial flaking of metal from the flan on striking not caused by any irregularity in the die. However, the P.1237 does show another similarly textured fissure on the left of the bust, stretching from the back of the King's head to the second G in Georgius. This can be seen on another example of the large crowned bust, the P.1220 lustrous copper example (lot 605, DNW Oct 2023). As this fissure is on more than one example, it has to be from a hairline die crack. Though I have not seen any other P.1237's with the complex fissuring to the right of Britannia shown in the example above.

Looks like the product of a die crack. Here's a similar wiggly one on the recent P.1237 halfpenny sold DNW Oct 2023:

Bleach 'em, that's what I say! It is confusing though, but I've just googled it and an old name for sodium thiosulphate was "hyposulphite of soda" which is where the hypo comes from Glad MT didn't mean mounted.....

Sometimes the head/face can be quite sharp on the real ones. Here's one I used to own ex one of the CC collections, I think the Workman one.

Thanks! A very strange 9 if it is one with a sharp top. I think there was a thread on this overstrike a while ago with people going over this in far more detail.

Fascinating letter. I see the 58/3 described as 59/8 in the later edition. Never thought of that before - I wonder if that makes sense for Bramah's other 58/3 variety with the hump coming out of the left of the lower 8 and the vague straight mark in the middle right join of the 8. Normally overstriking give a stronger overstrike than understrike but I don't know if that's the case here if it really is 9/8. Peck didn't put the 1858/6 variety in his Addenda to 2nd edition of 1967 (BNJ) which confirms he wasn't sure of it being a 6, as he says, or else he had submitted or finished his paper by the time of this correspondence. Dave Craddock sold a D/U 1825 farthing several years ago now with a confirmatory letter from Peck, and that got into his 1967 article, so he was more certain about that one.