oldcopper

Spink had a name for this in their Insider mag the other day - the attitude of: blow this - I'm going to treat myself! I can understand that.

Yes, it was a joke. Weak I know! Perhaps I should have said, as there might be an ebay seller out there getting out the domestos as we speak......

Yes, I hope vendors are taking reasonable precautions before sending coins out, like giving them a quick spray with bleach.

The Ingrams may have many nice coins but to describe the following 1806 gilt penny as "AFDC, die flaw Obv sl marks" £275, is incredible. And that's putting it politely. I think this coin was sold by Spink for not much in the early 2000's as "with a severe gouge and associated scratching" or words to that effect. Which it obviously has. The bottom line is not reassuring words (which may be wonderfully written but cost nothing) but a good recommendation from established or experienced collectors for instance on this forum. Can any experienced forum person give such a recommendation?

In terms of £/surface area, this must be the most expensive milled British non-gold coin.

You should have said! - I've just put one into DNW - it's ex-Spink auction Sept 2016 and is a nice looking coin, though it has two scratches on the Queen's neck. I don't know whether it's got the divot or not, don't know whether it's observable on the photo. https://www.spink.com/lot/16006002396 Edit - I can't see it on the photo.

Flattened in some sort of mechanical press maybe? Spink sold an ex-Peck GII old-head "penny" once, ie a halfpenny which they said had been squeezed in a press. I couldn't see any distortion of the design in the photo. The seller gives no weight for the coin - conveniently missing from the description. If it was on a very heavy flan, now that would be more interesting.

Yes, that's the one. Sorry I've been off the computer until now.

Good one on the F76, grab these best known examples of rarities if money allows, otherwise you may regret it ever after. I still occasionally rue the day my computer cocked up as I was about to bid for I think the finest F7 with virtually full orange glow (not streaky as often seen) at the Spink Dec 2015 sale. At the time I thought I'd never see another one like that and of course I haven't since. It went for £1100 hammer which was written up in Coin News as a high price, but I think it was a snip for whoever got it.

They're finally going now - nearly an hour down "due to streaming problems". I notice the 1847 penny of Hyram's lots went somewhat above estimate. Well I never.....

It's in Freeman's book as well, but the photo is not good, you can hardly see the ship.

Thanks, that's the one I was thinking of - great design!

Sorry! it's not a dreadnought, it's got sails of course. I should have reminded myself. I think the dreadnought's on a later pattern penny.

I recall one went for ~$15,000 at a Stacks and Bowers auction several years ago, about 2014. I wished I'd bid on the London Coins one from a few years before that which went for ~£1600 hammer. From memory. Were they making Dreadnoughts then? I think I read that's what the ship is somewhere. Maybe the same coin that MR sold in his list above.

And it's the rarer open 3 variety!

It's not a Seaby/Laurence scenario then....(a 1933 penny hiding in a lot of bric-a-brac).

I'd have thought so - these coins were struck for collectors in relatively small mintages, so a higher standard of strike would be expected.

No.

Yes, I can do that, not scan but photocopy (my scanner's on the blink).

Yes, it's a very good article, several pages long. There's the odd mistake but I use it as a regular reference. It's a shame there's no other book since Peck that goes into Copper proofs/patterns in depth - there are references to articles on things like Soho patterns that are apparently very useful but these are often in defunct publications or BNJ (so maybe on the web). I haven't got a decent scanner unfortunately, all I can suggest is that if you're visiting Spinks (DNW might have it as well) they should be able to provide you with a photocopy (or Secret Santa's reply which I've just seen). I had a look at my P1323 proof KP30 last night and you're right, it has got the incuse curl. I find it hard to tell without having a strong mag. glass to hand, even then I was getting a bit cross-eyed! Raised/incuse can give an optical illusion of the other way round at times.

Possibly might be on the Internet. Otherwise perhaps Spink would send you a photocopy?

Looks like you're right there - I've just checked the illustrations.

No, it's not mentioned in Mick Martin's article (actually July 2009 SNC) so could be a discovery coin. As Iannich48 says, neither of these dies was used for restriking and I presume it has an engrailed edge.

Yes, restrikes are also in Peck, he was the first person to classify them in detail. For 1799 - 1807 - if it's got an engrailed edge it's SOHO, not a restrike, and if it's got a plain edge, it probably is a restrike (though not always). That's because Taylor did not have the edging equipment. It does look like a KP30/31 mule - good discovery! Mick Martin listed a lot of unrecorded SOHO strikes in his SNC June (?) 2009 article addendum. It may be one of those.

Michael, I don't quite understand your angle here, but we're not on this Forum for our political uniformity, we're on here mainly to discuss coins. That's why this is a separate thread from the rest. But if you wish to share your views on politics or whatever, go for it.