Gary

Judging from the pictures, which are not that good, this coin is very well preserved. There is an 1887 Proof shilling from the proof set but that was struck in silver. However there are examples of Proof Victorian pennies struck in gold so why not shillings! I cant find anything in my literature that mentions gold shillings though. I seem to remember that Rob is the shilling man, perhaps he's the one to contact. One other point, maybe its the glass itself that is giving the gold appearence it seems to have a darkish tint. Is it possible to remove the coin and weigh it, would help a lot in determining wether its silver or not. Be carefull!

And your reply to this Scott in coin aquisition of the week was "the close 96 is the most common, but still a nice 1896" yet now in CCGB its something else? So a new opinion now because of CCGB? I thought as the subject of date spacing has been brought up I would dig out an old thread from ages ago concerning date spacings on vic bronze pennies and other varieties. Might be of interest to to you and others azda. Date spacings

never had that before! could'nt get in for about half an hour! Back up and running now though.......All other sites were working, so it was not my system....

Seems Ebay has crashed. Cant get onto any ebay site Uk USA Germany India LOL.... Any one else notice? 21:58 16/12/10

It was a member of this forum........and I know who I got outbid as well but not suprisingly! Forgot you guys looked on the german ebay too! I know as well, as I have on a couple of other recent buns, but we'll keep our own counsel!!! Have lost many a coin to our fellow forum member. I am suprised that there are any 1860/61 pennies and halfpennies left out there at the rate our friend takes them out of circulation

Happy birthday RLC35 hope you have a good one all the best, Gary

:D:D Your bidder id is hidden to anyone who has not had dealings with you. I have you saved as a prefered seller and although I dont see your name in the actual item bidding I can see your feedback score and check it against my prefered sellers list!

Thanks for that. I have now ordered it and now eagerly await its arrival, xmas post willing! I'll blame you lot if I dont like it

If you bid 25 Euros it did not get through as I bid €22 and the next bid was €253!!!! I ony spotted it at 1min to go, and i attemped a snipe €25 to bid at 3 secs to go, maybe I was too late or it went in after than the €253. Was gobsmacked when it finished Yeah, I had to look twice at the end result, £215. i just wish I had that sort of cash to spend on my hobby

If you bid 25 Euros it did not get through as I bid €22 and the next bid was €253!!!!

It was a member of this forum........and I know who I got outbid as well but not suprisingly! Forgot you guys looked on the german ebay too!

Done! Look forward to recieving it can I then tear out years 1860-1901 from the original ?

Thanks for that, I suppose I will now have to order a copy. Just wanted to check that it was worth the £56 (with postage)

The book, The British Bronze Penny (Victoria) 1860 to 1901 from Micheal gouby, who has it and would you recommend it? Sounds interesting and I am thinking of getting a copy but would like your opinions. Thanks in advance. Gary.

Usually, gently washing with soap and water does the trick with silver coins and now we are back to the subject of coin cleaning

Sorry to start this thread up again but I would just like to throw in a point that no one seems to have mentioned. Coins are made of metal and most metals react to the enviroment that they are in, gold being the exception. By that I mean they oxidise in the atmosphere. Somebody mentioned that a cabinet was causing his coins to oxidise, this is possibly not true as I know John Nichols uses an inert wood. Fact is, its the air that gets into the cabinet that is the problem. Most of us keep our coins at home, the humidity goes up and down, we open windows and let in fresh air, the temperature goes up and down, there are impurities in the air that we let into the house, all this affects metal! Why else do museums keep thier coin collections in Enviromentaly controlled rooms with a constant humidity (low) and temperature. In my opinion the only way to store coins is to isolate them from the atmosphere around them, good quality coin capsules or self sealing 2x2 coin holders. A tip, put the coin on the radiator to warm it up before putting it into a capsule or holder this will ensure that the coin is perfectly dry and will create a small vacum within the capsule or holder after it has cooled down.

oh yes, and a big hello to Holger. Your english is certainly getting better, keep downing those pints and it will get even better

Thanks to everyone for your answers. I take it then that it is quite a normal occurrence, the 1 over 1 and the 4 over 4 but who has more than one example to compare.....not me! Thanks again. Gary

sorry, heres the whole coin...

Hello everyone, I have not been around for a while, sort of taking a break from coin collecting. However a friend of mine has obtained an 1849 penny, rare in its self but this one has the first 1 over a lower 1. Anyone have any idea if this will up the value? or is this the norm with 1849 Pennies? The only other 1849 penny that I can find on offer is a F+ example offered by a dealer in the UK for 500 pound! This one was apparently found in a german coin shop and he paid 25 Euros for it! How about that for a find!!!! Cheers, gary.

and the whole Obv.

hello Everyone, here is another 1861 Halfpenny that I recently recieved. As you can see from the photo`s the R of BRITT is very badly recut. Freemans 277 Obv.6 Rev. G happy easter Gary

Hi Holger, yes, I did mention that Chris is based in germany but it was a long time ago, you probably forgot All the best, Gary By the way, good photos .....

Thanks very much to the two of you, particulary to Red for taking the time and effort. After your tip about the Harp Strings I got myself a picture of a real Gothic Crown and compared the two. Something that may be helpfull in the future.... If you look behind the Shield at the background you see a pattern (Diagonal lines). On the real one this is orientated from bottom left running up to top right. On the fake it runs the other way, bottom left to top right...... Also the Harp its self is much finer on the real coin. Once again thank you for your opinions. Gary

hello everyone, I have not been here for a while so happy new year to you all. A german collector has asked for my opinion on this gothic crown that he has obtained. My first reaction was forgery.... However I thought I would just check with you lot as I am certainly no expert when it comes to crowns. The coin weighs and measures as it should do, 28,3 grams in weight and 39mm in diameter. The edge is plain. Colour looks to be ok. However on the rim of the coin you can see small cracks running around the edge, I have included a close up. the obv. looks very worn and to my eyes it is not natural wear and tear, looks almost like a worn die or weak strike. I know there is a white metal plain edge version but as all strikings of this coin were supposed to have been near enough Proofs then the cracking around the rim would suggest forgery? anyway have a look at the pics and I would be interested in your opinions, thanks, Gary.