Madness

Can anyone recommend a work on eighteenth century typography?

This is the chain isn't it: Matrix -> Punch -> Die ? I guess then that the matrix would need to be the hardest of them all. Did engravers do the the bulk of their work directly on a matrix? Eg. Bust of George, but not the lettering? I assume, then, that they did something to the matrix after the engraving to make it harder.

That's really useful information, thanks @Rob. So in relation to the second example you think the following has happened? 1. A letter "D" punch broke 2. Mint staff removed some remaining metal from the "D" punch to transform it into an "I" 3. Subsequently a die was made using this bastardised letter punch I wonder why just the curve of the "D" remains? Too sloppy to clean it up properly?

Crap. That's an expensive book. Can someone summarise it please in 200 words or less?

What would cause the two strange lines on the letters below?

@Rob It seems as though you know a lot about this topic. Could you please point me in the direction of some non-BNJ resources that would help me learn about eighteenth-century minting tools and techniques? Thanks!

The relative consistency of the fishtailing is remarkable then.

Thanks @1949threepence. I've started my own catalogue here of BNJ that is searchable by author, title and subject with a direct link to the relevant article. Started at 2014, but have only gone as far back as 2007 so far.

I follow their argument. However, I've noticed late eighteenth-century coins with a mixture of bifurcated and non-bifurcated verticals in legend-lettering on a single side. What would cause this? Uneven pressure during the strike?

I previously linked this BNJ article by Dyer & Gasper concerning late eighteenth century minting processes. Here are a few points I found interesting: 1. They attempt to determine the manufacturing techniques by examining the coins, dies, punches and matrices. This suggests that there are no detailed contemporary accounts of same. I imagine the Tower Mint wanted to keep things close to their chests! 2. Proofs and patterns were minted using a collar whereas circulation coins were not 3. The square letter bases we see on proofs of the time result from the use of collars. The bifurcation we see on letter and number fonts is a result of the manufacturing technique, not the use of a different font. Because no collar was used to restrict the outflow of the metal, it oozed out the bottom of the letters on the dies thus producing the fishtails. They claim to have experimentally verified this. Point 3 seems very odd to me. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what they say. Does anyone have anything to add to this?

My job in real life is trying to keep this thread on topic.

🤢 🤮 I wonder if a jeweler would buy it... Up-cycle it again.

I'm thinking of selling my guinea on eBay as it's not really in a condition worth collecting. This will then free up money to spend on other coins/books/resources. Can you please take a look at how I plan to list it? Auction starting at $449 AUD (approx 260 GBP) "1794 George III 'Spade' Guinea Ex-mount, but neatly de-soldered. Please examine the supplied images to determine grade. Delivered in a Lighthouse Quadrum Intercept square coin capsule and shipped with insurance." Do you think I should mention that it has been polished or just leave that for the buyer to determine based on the images? I don't want to mislead anyone in the same way that I was misled. By they way, I'm still waiting for that partial refund from the seller.

The inkling of an idea in line with my obsessiveness and my inability to see the forest for all the tress: To collect as many varieties of the 1787 shillings and sixpences as I can reasonably afford. There are many more than just the "semee-of-hearts" and "no-semee-of-hearts" varieties, so I should be kept busy for a while. Is this a detour in my quest to acquire Proclamation Coins or a re-assessment of the direction my collecting will take? Only time will tell. It's sure going to be an interesting ride, though.

I love The Far Side @mrbadexample

My first computer had beads. And after buying it I had enough change from sixpence to see a cinema show.

We have many double-headed varieties in Australia. They are called "Tasmanians".

The Manville & Gaspar article? If so, thanks for bringing it up, but I read it a couple of weeks ago. Amazing piece of work and written in a very engaging style. Now if only I could find a Pingo Proof going for $100 on eBay...

Michael is a scholar and a gentleman. He got back to me about the coins very quickly providing an image of the without-stop shilling, a revision of the grade and a reduction of the price. As there was a slight scuff on the obverse, it was downgraded to EF/EF+ and priced at 265 GBP. Spink lists this variant at 300 GBP in EF. Decided to buy the shilling and have worked out a payment plan with Michael. I believe that it uses exactly the same die combination of the specimen @Rob used to illustrate an "uncirculated" example. The condition isn't quite as good, though. On an unrelated note, many of the examples of the 1787 shilling I've seen have a small raised dot in the centre of the obverse. Is this an artifact of the manufacture process? If so, what does it indicate about how these coins were made?

Thanks @Peckris 2. Just what I wanted to hear!

The catalogue I'm creating will almost certainly not be as good as the index linked by @Peckris 2. However, it makes content searchable by title, subject and author as well as providing a direct link to the relevant article.

Just discovered this song about a coin dealer. Have never heard of the performers before, but it's a great piece deserving of circulation!

I've found three coins on the website of "Michael Coins Ltd" that I'm interested in: 1787 Shilling with hearts EF?/EF 75 GBP 1787 Shilling - No dots over head EF+/-pAS 285 GBP 1787 Sixpence with hearts EF(+)/EF+ 105 GBP The prices seem to be fair based upon what I've seen. Unfortunately, the images aren't the clearest. I've sent Michael an email requesting higher resolution photographs. Has anyone bought from him before? Is his grading generally reliable? Thanks as always