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All these pursuits are commonly perceived as a bit eccentric or cranky, and anyone trying to explain what makes their hobby so fascinating might well be in danger of reinforcing that view! I don't necessarily agree. Coins have been a central part of everyday life for centuries. Given a few minutes I am pretty confident I can convince most folks that studying and collecting them can be both worthwhile and cool. The sharp trend away from cash transactions (presumably there's some quantification of this out there) is a dark cloud on the horizon, but the history remains.

I think the above is correct. The outlines seem to start going astray around teeth 7 and 8, both of which are a bit too narrow. This is my 11.5, alongside an 11:

Looking at the comparative pictures above, most of the differences (apart from the colours!) seem to come from the angle of the final 1 rather that its horizontal position. Completely different to what we see with 1896 pennies, for example.

Allowing himself to stand again would need an amendment to the constitution, and he won't be able to get that done. But I find it hard to believe he has any intention of leaving the White House, and I expect him to stop at nothing to try to stay there. His death would simplify matters, but part of me hopes that doesn't happen. I'll be watching from a distance of course.

If I'm understanding things correctly, to do this you need to use underhand methods - it's not a feature. The presence of such manoeuvres helps cement my belief that the only rational bidding strategy is to decide how much you're really willing to pay (a more complex mental process than many give it credit for) and bid once only, as late as you dare. The only proviso I can think of is that buy it now and make offer options are removed by the first bid, so it may be desirable to place a minimum bid early if someone hasn't done so already.

I can quite see how a snappy descriptor, coupled with just the right level of scarcity, adds a touch of glamour to a particular coin and helps to make it more sought after - whether the V word is carelessly applied or not. Against the dot pennies, the poor old "1915 extra bar penny" doesn't stand much a chance, despite its origins and scarcity being broadly similar (IMO).

Coincidentally I checked my very small pile of 1961 half crowns the other week, prompted by seeing the missing EF abnormality listed on Michael Gouby's site. And I find that I have one, now properly installed in my collection as a coin of interest. Generally my wife's attitude to my hobbies is one of resigned acceptance at best, but she "gets" my coin collecting. I find people are genuinely interested when I show them examples of variations and abnormalities and talk about the stories behind them. The unanswered questions help to add to the intrigue.

I'm not sure I understand. Is anyone suggesting that features like those on the 1915 pennies pictured above were not created during the minting process? If we do call such things varieties (not an issue I was attempting to address) how does that give the green light to the sort of nefarious activity you are describing?

Not absolutely everyone then! 😂 Still very happy with my acquisition 🖖

Right back on the first couple of pages of this thread I see there was discussion about partly filled date numerals in George V pennies, whether they constitute collectible varieties, etc. Clearly V M Court was keen on them, as shown by the attention he gave to the 1915 and 1920 examples. But over the years they seem to have attracted very little comment. This coin arrived in the post today, purchased unattributed from eBay for £2.18 including postage which I'm very pleased about: An almost perfect match for Mr Court's example, a coin which featured prominently in a celebrated document. Wouldn't everyone want one?

No, that wasn't my point at all. I left the shilling out of the argument altogether, it being the only denomination where the new design was issued for circulation. I'll rephrase: why do the 1927 threepence, florin, and the new design sixpence and half crown appear to command such widely different market values?

There's something I find curious about the market for the new 1927 coins. Tony Clayton's site lists the threepence at £140, sixpence £75, florin £170, and half crown £120. Ebay asking prices tend to be a bit higher but from my observation tend to follow a similar pattern. I don't see any compelling reason why they shouldn't all fetch roughly the same. Possibly some date-run collectors might be satisfied with a old-style sixpence and half crown and not see the need to include the new version?

From my observations, it's preferable to use the second N of PENNY rather than the P. Both vertical limbs point to teeth on a regular coin, spaces on a HT. Because the limbs themselves are much narrower it easier to be certain you've picked the right line.

The recessed ear is a three-dimensional phenomenon, but most photographs are taken from directly above. With a coin in the hand I'm sure we all look from a variety of angles without thinking about it. With the images above I purposely used an angle to help accentuate the contours. It might be interesting to look at a similar view of a near uncirculated coin. Not to be found in my collection sadly!

If you think of the ear as an ellipse, the feature I find most readily identifiable is a crease running along the line of the shortest axis. Well-worn examples of a 1915 and a 1916 to illustrate: Both of these pass the broken tooth test. Note that the tip of the ear remains distinct despite the considerable wear.