Rob

The biggest diameter piece I have is also 27.5. Although they are not supposed to have been struck in a collar, mine has remarkably sharp edges for one struck without restraint. Nicholson 172 applies in this case.

Why would anyone slab a VF coin in the first place? The difference between mint state and the faintest trace of friction is far more obvious than the same amount of wear to a vf coin.

Yes

Same for the halfpennies, but the proofs are always notably shallower than the currency pieces.

My numismatic library takes up the best part of two rooms. She doesn't like it when I encroach on the living room. She complains that my rubbish occupies every room in the house - a complete distortion of the truth as I refuse to store things in either the upstairs or downstairs loo - and the bathroom is devoid of books.

The security edge is usually in a deeper groove than that on a currency piece. Proofs have very shallow edges similar to that, but the rim/edge of your coin which would be nice and sharp says it isn't a proof. Your coin looks legitimate. An image of a proof edge is attached below.

Based on Tom's respose, I think I detect a preference for the relative beauty of red felt.

And the key to THAT is to have a lunatically high disposable income!! Or buy selectively, like Marvin. For me it depends on whether a coin is for research or the collection. For the collection, I don't want to go through the hassle of disposal, so will accumulate as many images of the target coin as I can get and then decide on a list of acceptable pieces. After that it is a case of waiting patiently. On the other hand, if I want to do a bit of research, then as many examples as can be obtained is the ideal situation which inevitably means a compromise on grade. Colin G must be in the same boat with his farthings, or Chingford with his coppers. After all, none of us have unlimited funds on tap 24/7.

Given the seller's other items, how can this be described as rare? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-Scotish-Alexander-III-Silver-Penny-1249-1286-Hammered-Coin-/321582338686?pt=UK_Coins_BritishHammered_RL&hash=item4adfcd127e

The key is to buy things that you don't want to upgrade.

What would you do with the money if you sold all your coins? Put it in the bank and lose a guaranteed 1 or 2% a year? There are several people on here who say they have never sold a coin from their collection. It's the tracking down, acquiring and completing goals that drives collectors. Although money is a concern for all bar a handful of people, most seem to buy with a view to building a collection and as a consequence do not insist on everything costing 99p which can then be sold for a fiver. i.e. there is a fair amount of leeway in the price they will pay, and any profits are secondary.

I need a P1237 or P1238 too, but that one doesn't make it with the deposits seen. Many a coin has been ruined by lacquering and subsequent attempts at removal.

He's been doing it a long time, and unlike most people hasn't aimed to turn things round quickly for a profit. He's a collector first and foremost, with good taste.

They are all like this. The BM's has a crack as a bonus.

I know

I've just acquired this for someone. There are 3 others in private hands somewhere, so if anyone is hiding one, please PM me. I want one. Actually, I need one for the initial mark.

I don't think the use of the word patinated is anything to worry about, but the bottom one looks as if it was previously lacquered and someone has tried to dissolve it away.

Don't need one. Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole means you don't need a bargepole to not do the thing you have decided not to do.

Carry on using it until it either disintegrated or became obsolete.

I don't know for certain but would think not as you have a piece of machinery involved now which has to locate in the top and bottom of the fly-press. You see quite a lot of underlying detail on some hammered coins, but rarely see anything which could be rationalised to a previous die on the milled. Recut or overstruck corrrections to letters are common, but they usually involve the preceding or following letter in the legend, suggesting a misprunt.

There are at least two varieties of the large 0, one of which is over an undersized 0.

Generally speaking they have to be spectacular clips to be desirable as minor clipping occurs too frequently.

Novelty value only I'm afraid. A slight premium to 10p, but not a lot.

I can only see the V. I'd go for badly aligned on the first clout with the hammer, then the position corrected on subsequent blows. Whilst I don't have any examples with a corrected positiion, I have lots with hopelessly misaligned letters, overstruck letter errors or just spelling mistakes on completed dies, as the literacy and skills of the engraver were clearly lacking in many instances.

I can't see the displaced S on my screen, but that might be a contrast issue. If in line with the other legend characters, then it is most likely a double strike IMO. I can't see any way in which it can be related to the holes in the head. Maybe they are due to 18th century hammer damage? It looks too smooth to be a flan lamination problem.