Rob

I think in the case of the triple F, repairing hardened dies is always going to be a bit problematic as you run the risk of shattering the die as well as getting a clean repair entered perpendicular to the face. Any entry not perfectly aligned would be liable to cause a slightly displaced repair as the punch slips and cuts as opposed to just cutting into softer metal. Not the same era, I know, but this is a James I halfgroat with a saltire replaced with a spur rowel. Although dies were made with the saltire mark, no silver was struck in this period due to the market price of silver being above face, so no silver was brought in to be coined. Under a loupe there were at least 3 or 4 blows made to enter the spur rowel, all slightly displaced and not as deep as the original saltire. This modified 2nd coinage die is the reason for the entry against S2671 (3rd coinage halfgroat, no rev. stops) which notes mm.24 with reverse stops (2nd coinage) known. Dies for other silver denominations are also known with the saltire overmarked.

It looks good to me too, but the die axis and weight are a worry as we know there are Chinese copies with the inverted die axis. I think the check that needs to be made is the milling count. That's the one thing that can't be checked from pictures and the edge is something the Chinese tend to be sloppy on.

Coppers forgeries weren't punishable by death, only silver and gold.

I'm not convinced it is a beard from the image. The nose and forehead look reasonable, but the mushy centre could indicate die blockage or damage

If 20mm dia then it is a farthing, not a halfpenny. There are no bearded coins, but a better picture would help establish what you have. If it is really a beard then it would have to be a forgery (there were many around in the 1770s), however, the reverse lettering doesn't look bad from the (too small) image. A picture as close to 500kB as possible would be good.

Clearly with your wallet.

You looked at it a month or so ago, but here it is anyway. https://www.rpcoins.co.uk/

As for the verdigris, I would personally bin it given the number of scratches from previous attempts to remove the mess and upgrade to one that's only a midge's off unc from yours truly

To test out the die - presumably before they are hardened as they are almost invariably uniface. I means you can see what it looks like in real life as opposed to a mirror image. It is also easier to examine the detail in relief compared to incuse.

Yes, there are two 9/8 dies if I remember correctly

In the Spink catalogue of the sale. It should be on their website. 23rd July 2003 lot 365.

The field is polished, but the frosting is on the incuse detail. If you have a proof issue such as the 1970 with multiple dies used it would be easy to get one worn out/broken die replaced with the other worn but serviceable. We all know that frosting requires sharp fresh dies and the level of frosting decreases with use, so loss of this feature is not surprising, nor is the existence of frosting on one side only.

I know marketing is a tough game, but the following phrase 'Spink 2017 values at £375 in UNC condition no value given for Choice UNC-BU' is drivel. Spink don't list a value for choice unc-BU because there is no column with said description against which to post a value, and in any case, one man's choice BU is another man's ok or even a dog. The world expends and wastes vast amounts of energy trying to polish turds. Cut it out and you could reduce global warming.

Only ships within the US. Phew. A somewhat rhetorical question, but why do so many descriptions contain both the phrases 'We are not experts, so don't ask any technical questions' and 'Choice Uncirculated' ? A description of British coin - denomination and date would be far more accurate.

The portrait looks to be cameo, but as has been said before, it is entirely in the eyes of the beholder. It isn't beyond the wit of man (or the collector) to make that attribution personally and accordingly pay what he or she thinks is a reasonable price. After all, every collector does an eye-appeal appraisal before making a purchase whether raw or slabbed, even when it is so rare that buying is a no-brainer in any grade. I personally think the need for a comforting label is superfluous, whether it is a cameo designation, or a grade as this is ultimately the decision of an individual on the day. There is a greater case to be made for authentication given the diarrhoeic output of copies from China particularly, but to focus solely on that would be very detrimental to the TPGs' business models, so ain't gonna happen.

It still doesn't offer a quantitative assessment of cameo which should be present if you are to offer an opinion on it and simultaneously take on the mantle of 'God'. Given the willingness of people to cough up large amounts of additional cash for a person's thoughts on a thin sliver of paper, I stand by my argument that there should be some measurable quality used to substantiate the attribution.

Somewhat unhelpfully, the seller notes that PCGS have only slabbed 4 at MS65RD (which obviously can't include this coin). Can't wait to get me one of those super duper British rarities - the 1953 QE2 1st issue farthing with the woodcock reverse. Actually, I have one, but it looks like Liz overindulged on a trip to the Guinness brewery.

Thanks Paddy. They might be of use. I'll have to see what else comes up. I'm not expecting to source all 100 from the same place, because they are the hardest year for the issue..

I suppose that when you are 9 you have to be content with only puffing up the lips, or so it looks.

It's somewhere else on the forum, but to save looking...

Could be, God only knows. Just someone asking if I can supply 100 of them in circulated condition and how much. I don't let the pile of dross build up that much, hence the question.

It's always nice if you can get it, but only one in a few hundred at best have multi-hued toning. The Edward the Confessor Pointed Helmet from Dorchester in Hulett part 1 was the best offering of late, with the pictures in the catalogue not doing the coin justice. A superb coin that JH was over the moon with when it arrived. Best I can do is my Cnut Crewkerne, but that is just predominantly pink to red.

Hi all. I've had an enquiry for 100 1938 farthings. Don't have to be mint state. Any squirrels with a significant number please PM me. Ta.

The higher the grades, the more likely it is to be dealers. The lower grade bulk goes on eBay. Lotting is a difficult one. You obviously can't combine lots from different vendors, so a single person's submission will really depend on the overall value of the consignment. You don't want lots with an estimate of a fiver, otherwise you would be all day making not a lot of money. That can easily lead to diverse lots. I still don't see how any one person can cherry pick at lower prices in a free and fair auction. If somebody wants a lot then they will continue bidding, and if a collector, they can pay more than a dealer because the latter needs to make a margin. Virtually every collector I have known has pushed the boat out on a bulk lot to get a particular coin of interest. Whether it is a bulk lot or a complete collection you are buying, in my experience the initial outlay is nearly always covered with interest when the unwanteds are sold, so on balance worth pursuing.

For every dealer there are literally hundreds of collectors, so surely the prices realised are a reflection of collectors' unwillingness to pay 'a fair price' at auction. Time and time again, you encounter people whose sole reference point for prices is eBay, and in consequence are always working on the expectation of picking up something for 99p. No auction excludes people because they aren't a dealer, so with a level playing field in terms of access to bidding, it boils down to the collector's willingness to pay. The auctioneer is never going to knock things down for less rather than more, as his commission is usually a percentage of hammer.