scott

natural rainbow toning.

coins do tone those colours, but depends on what they react with. it is the way they tone though, I find that the top grade silver with a bit of handling tones green/yellow around the legends and it fades as you go in there is no way you should be getting a coin that looks like someone spilled oil on a road naturally, except when they are stored, there is a toning when they are storred in rolls on the top coins. I have seen rainbow toned brass, and that wasn't fake. if you look through silver from the early 20th century, you can see the toning always starts on the outside and works in, although there are examples in North america of a more uniform tone.

there is also the 1874H

it is the same height, the problem with the 2nd one is the die looks to be on its last legs.

toning for me would be working from the edges inwards, the colours are just not uniform

there is a picture now

yea Colin Cooke is handy for the more obscure early milled.

that is a cool coin

possibly Sri-lanka hard to tell, not an area i know. looks to be the India/Sri lanka region look at the script.

that would mean having dies for 1968, why have dies for that date when they were not going to use them until 1971, especially when they were still making the older ones in 68

the copper ones are slightly differant, the earlier copper ones the design is more raised, you can rub your finger over the top of it the design is sharper to the touch. so it might be something to do with that.

look at the one that went for £600. I mean come on, that gap is insane as well.

hard to tell exactly, but looks like the board of public works. one of the most common mints.

Quite a few nicely priced things there. might keep an eye on thier Hammered and early Milled £3-6 on this place for quite a few in the category, may be able to fill some monarchs. seems to know thier stuff on the worlds though. could be a bargain to be hard.

possibly a die fault, dunno the methods they used to engrave them.

is there something near the 2 as well?

well just so happens i saw one of these on Ebay in better condition, and the legend makes it very easy to pinpoint it is an Ardite of Filipe IV the mint is Barcelona and was used between 1624-55

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/metal-detector-find-ww2-coin-with-bullet-stuck-init-/360734236665?pt=UK_Coins_OtherBritish_RL&hash=item53fd6f9ff9 erm, WW2 penny with QE2 on?

a specimen with a fingerprint in the middle

there were differant date spreads.

mints have minting figures, they know how many were made we had mintmarks and monyers before dates, allowing for tracking etc. there is no other real reason to put dates on, other then to keep track of how much is produced in that year, can't think of an actual other reason to do it, other then, because you can.

were they not, bringing the coinage up to standard after Henry VIII? seems best logic as you can record how much silver you are using and how much currency is out there. doesnt matter how many mints, each one could record, make financial sence for the country. seems like thebest logical explanation for this, look at key things, William III there are lots, due to recoinage, 1860 and 61, 1971, all replacing older coins, so more minted.