Rob

Anne P724 pattern halfpenny obverse. This is the later obverse die, identifiable by the lack of serif to the base of the right limb of the N.

yes

This is just one of a number of patterns made in the period 1857-9 leading up to the bronze issues. Most of them had the word decimal in the legend, but not all. In fact some only had a number or fraction, or even nothing at all. You also had things like One Dime, One Centum, 10 Centimes etc, so they were clearly influenced by foreign currencies as well as retaining good old British units.

P2037, decimal pattern halfpenny struck in Cupro-Nickel. Ex Baron Ferrari de la Renotiere 399, (Sotheby 1922), V M Brand & M J Freeman 221. The wax is from the 1922 sale.

Looks like a 6+G to me. Having said that, the image quality doesn't help. I've got a 6+G 1 over higher one on the site for comparison if you need it. https://www.rpcoins.co.uk/collections/half/products/00002572

It's a rev B with the dots on the shield, so restricted to those years. You can't tell which though.

Oh, the other way round then. Sorry. eBay and its working don't figure too high on my list of useful info.

That's going to end in tears. I thought someone said you were only covered up to a limit which is lower for new sellers.

yep

And the obverse.

Last one for tonight, and one that I forgot to put on the revised list of halfpennies - will do for the next edition. A halfpenny struck on a piece of brass bar when the mint relocated from Tower Hill to Iver during WW2. Used to test the striking pressure as I understand.

And the reverse.

Shouldn't fool anybody, but you never know. Footnote in Peck applies here.

Don't see too many of these.

And the reverse. There is a note at the bottom of Norweb 2 lot 520 stating the other known example of this type has the provenance ex Caldecott, ex Dean Rogers, Brand-Lichtenfels Sale (Kreisberg/Schulman, New York 18/3/64 lot 2737) and SNC March 1965 (CC1324). However, the appearance of a rather worn example in Baldwin’s Basement sale suggests that piece was the ex Roger’s example as it was accompanied by a note stating a gift from C W Peck 1951 who noted there were only 2 examples known. As Peck’s piece passed to Norweb when his collection was sold, this would therefore appear to be a third and previously unrecorded third example, but a bit of digging has shown this to be the Caldecott piece, bought by Brand, and sold in the US in 1964 before reappearing in the Circular in 1965. Norweb's went to Nicholson. It was the Rogers piece surfacing that finally resulted in 1 and 1 making 3, because it had been in Baldwin's basement since Rogers' death in 1961 and so could not be either this piece, or Norweb's

1719, 1st obverse with grained edge.

And the obverse.

1734/3. Better by a full grade compared to the other two I have seen. RRR in any grade.

And the reverse.

1738 halfpenny with V/S in GEORGIVS. This error is clearly seen in grades down to at least fair. Not common though, as I've only recorded 7 examples in all grades.

1773 halfpenny with OR over O and struck on a spread flan of about 32mm diameter.

It looks too bright. If you leave silver in the open air for 150 years it will tarnish. Depending on the atmosphere it can be any colour as far as jet black. Circulated coins will pick up contact marks, but also dirt, which will get lodged in the incuse parts. If you don't believe me, take a sharp knife and use it to scrape your finger. all that stuff will get deposited on coins with use. Surfaces don't get more shiny with time unless they are cleaned. An awful lot has been cleaned on ebay. It's the easiest way to dispose of problem coins.

Cleaned

Sorry, can't find the bigger reverse image that's in the 'toned silver'(?) thread.

The jury is out for me. Previously cleaned silver often tones down to a dark uniform colour. The fields and her cheek look to have the same 'brilliance'. If untouched I would not expect the cheek to be necessarily reflective. There is quite a lot of 'flat' relief on the lions' manes which would also make me think polished in the past i.e. they are a little reflective given the minimal wear indicated by the veil detail. Claims by certain peole in the past that it was die polish and not brasso have never held water. This might show what I mean above