Rob

I also have a second piece with a ball below the trident prongs, but this is slightly closer to them and is bigger than the proof ball size on the piece before. It doesn't match the position of any of the proof reverses in my collection. I therefore have assumed it is either a flaw or a punched error during manufacturing. Again it has clashed dies, slightly less wear than the previous piece, is uncirculated and unambiguous. If anyone has a KH32 reverse (Peck 1356) I would appreciate an image of this as I am missing this piece. Also if anyone has info along similar lines could they tell me. Thanks.

An 1806 currency no berries 1/2d (Peck 1376) with a ball below the trident prongs in exactly the right place for the ball found on the proof halfpennies. This is rare and unrecorded to my knowledge. Since finding this piece I have checked 446 images of sufficient quality without unearthing another. Some of these will be the same item resufacing on eBay but not many will be. Peck states on p.375 that the ball is an infallible means of identifying proofs, however this is the exception. The rim/edge, legend and quality of the die are all not of proof quality with much striking weakness in the legend together with die wear and clashed dies apparent. It therefore appears to have been made from a proof Britannia punch but which one I can't say as yet. The coin is uncirculated and the variety unambiguous. The only proof 1806 1/2d without berries is Peck 1365 and it is definitely not derived from this reverse die as the ship is of the rather crude design associated with the currency pieces.

Define your collecting taste if possible and then read as much information as you can find. Most importantly learn how to grade because this determines price and most sellers up the grade a bit to give the appearance of a bargain. If you don't know what you want to collect, search the web for coins and see if anything takes your fancy. There are a few dealers and auction sites with good quality pictures in their catalogue sections. If you want to expand your existing collection, it looks as if you have the whole world to choose from. It should therefore be relatively easy to amass a broad collection quite cheaply. Most people start out as generalists, but then refine their area of interest as they research their hobby. Resist the temptation to buy the first thing you see that seems to be attractive as it may be overgraded and you could pay too much. On occasions you will do this, just try to keep them to a minimum.

I refer you to the 8th posting on the previous page.

It's the same as DNW lot 448 on 12/12/05 which is the same piece as has been on the Colin Cooke list for most of 2005 @ £775. Neil Paisley said he had put it in the auction but it didn't sell. Make him an offer if you are interested. It was in the list saying it looks as if it has been plugged, but has a provenance being ex- Lingford and Comber.

It's BMC3. According to Peck the details are as follows, 18mm diameter with an average weight in Silver of 34.5 grains. Cast as well as struck pieces exist and the former have details of the design altered by tooling. It is probably relatively common as Peck ascribed a VR rarity whilst giving the copper version ER and of these he examined 6 specimens.

None of the feedbacks are coins on this account but very well informed about Peck so a copy and scam is the most likely. If I didn't do coins, I'd like to find the occasional high grade 1919H penny to sell. Don't be surprised if the next offering will be a painting of a vase filled with sunflowers. RRP £25m, but available to you starting at only 99p. An absolute bargain and garunteed genuine, just like what van goff done.

Problem solved. As it's in eBay speak, rearrange the words and stick in a bit of punctuation and it is clear. I think it should read. 1919 PENNY TO BE. FOR CONDITION BEAT HARD

And it will probably sell for under a tenner. I listed an 1826/2 shilling once and it sold for £1.71. Even in dire grade it had to be worth more than that. Still, Footandankle was happy. What is it about ebay that enables a piece of crap worth literally nothing other than scrap value to sell for £10, 20 or 30, yet start a piece worth £10 for £4.99 or even £1.99 and it doesn't sell because you didn't start at 99p?

Only a lot wide of the mark as opposed to being greedily and hopelessly over-ambitious. There's hope yet!

It looks a bit more serious than just the T. It looks as if the top of an R is visible, a bit more I and the second T breaks the linear circle although the first T is the most obvious. Check the rest of the legend.

Awful New Year

Obverse 3 narrow rim, the I of GRATIA points to a dot. Obv. 4 wide rim the I points to the right of a dot. The legend is also closer to the border on the wide rim.

From what you are saying, I'm not sure this is the right way to go. Surely the info you need is the price you paid for it a this will have a more significant role in any insurance claim than any theoretical price for a coin in what will be a subjective grade, slabbed or otherwise. Any prices given by Spink, this Coin Elite program, Krause, CCGB or any other publication can only be an approximation to the market value as these change on a daily basis and from dealer to dealer, auction to auction. Unless the programmers have an all encompassing pricing database (which for $79 I doubt) it is unlikely to be very accurate. Very few coins are precisely Fine, VF, EF or UNC and so these prices are inevitably fairly meaningless. All pricing info also leads the average collector to inaccurate assessments of value because most people overgrade their coins.

Freeman doesn't list a narrow rim 1970 1/2d and I've certainly never seen or heard of one. The only varieties of 1970 are 2 ship sizes, 21.5 and 21.7 mm wide listed as Freeman reverses I & K respectively.

Good fine, certainly doesn't make VF

Fathings are quite common as are sort after cions, unique 1967 peennies, hlaf crwons and crwons, floorings, florians, peenies, penny's, shilings, hammerd victroian and gerogian etc. Kant ne1 spel? Amny thnaks for reading this diatribe.

Although not farthings, so possibly a distraction to the debate, there are examples of both halfpenny and penny proofs with defective dates or lettering. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that there would also be imperfect farthings.

Freeman estimated the rarities as follows. The narrow rim version rarity C18 (75-100 million in existence), the wide rim rarity C8 (15-17.5 million in existence). Both common enough to be given away with a packet of Cornflakes.

For what it is worth, here is a close up of the same area on my 1853. The remains of the stop can just be seen. So I still say blocked die and therefore not a genuine variety.

My 1853 1/4d has the same feature. I looks like it is due to blocked dies though as the ebay close up image has what could be the remnants of the lower stop. This is also just visible on mine as a dot of reduced area in very low relief.

Half price unwanted bottles of Jamesons.

I would suggest it's probably letter punches purchased from two separate sources. If you look at the widow head half crowns (Davies 660-674), some have a flat base and some have an indented base at the same point as those on the coins above. I don't think it would add significant value.

Jamesons Jamesons Jamesons Jamesons .......... Paracetamol

Certainly do and sorry, that was just a dig to your reference on another thread that you prefer a gVF to an EF. I must atone and being the season of goodwill to all, wish you an almost merry Christmas.