1949threepence

Yep - right on all three. F38, 8/6 and halfpenny date. Absolute for definite.

But the fact it went for £800 would very strongly suggest a few rare varieties in it. You wouldn't pay that much for 60 tat 1862's.

I think you may be right on the F38, Jon. Honestly not sure about the other two.

Better luck next time.

Just shows you how many politicians just spout hot air and haven't actually researched and fully understood their subject. A few years ago one MP was caught out when doorstepping before an election, and defending EU regulations on using metric measurement. They then discussed something else. Just as he was about to leave, the householder asked him what his height and weight was, "Oh, 6' 2" and about 14 stone" came the reply. Then the householder asked him what that was in metres and kilograms - stumped !!!

It didn't sell. Not a great surprise really. Interestingly the really nice F1 went for £700 - actually £200 less than the one I got in December 2017, which isn't as good. The F7 went for £600. The 1902 LT went for £300 and the poorly struck 1918H went for £320 (all hammer) Were you successful with any or all of your bids? Did they include any of the above?

Yes, I notice that the stamp e auction lots are now available to view. That one is due to start on 11.6.19, the day before the coin e auction.

That's a great channel, by the way.

Yes, that was a great film. I'm not exclusively 40's and 50's, just mainly.

Thanks Chris - if you do get the time, that'd be great. If you're anything like me though, it'll turn up when you're looking for something else - and you'll think "how the hell did it get there?"

Don't know, Terry. Time goes so fast. Those that were dealers when you were a kid will now be retired or passed away. Fantastic. I have volunteered on the Great Central, which isn't too far away from where I live - mostly for track maintenance. Lot of work going on there at the moment as they try and combine the Leicester to Loughborough end with the Loughborough to Nottingham end. Much of the work is done, but still a fair bit to do. Massive shame that the old Nottingham Victoria station isn't still around. What a job could have been made in restoring that. 45 years and 29 a driver is amazing. I stand and applaud that achievement. Well done that man !

Terry, thanks very much for that really interesting account.

Reply received as follows:- Hello there, I note you have a coin and medal e auction commencing 12th June and ending on 25th June. How do I view the lots on this auction, or when will they be available to view? The title in "19005", which you'd normally click on to view the lots, is greyed out. The auction is due to start on 12th June, which is only 2 weeks away, so surely we should be able to view the lots at this stage? I've downloaded the app, but still no further forward. Thanks, Kind Regards, Michael Sent from Outlook Disclaimer The information contained in this communication from the sender is confidential. It is intended solely for use by the recipient and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in relation of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. This email has been scanned for viruses and malware, and may have been automatically archived by Mimecast Ltd, an innovator in Software as a Service (SaaS) for business. Providing a safer and more useful place for your human generated data. Specializing in; Security, archiving and compliance. To find out more Click Here. By the way, the app is also on Google Play if, like me, you have an android device.

That sounds interesting and useful.

I'll keep an eye on it, and if I don't receive a reply from Spink by Friday, and the lots are still not appearing, I'll call them and find out what the hell is going on.

It's now 2nd June and the auction commences at 11am on Wednesday 12th June, just 10 days time. But the lots aren't visible. The bidding instructions advise that the lots may be viewable beforehand, (but obviously not biddable before the commencement time). I did e mail Spink about this last week, asking when the lots would be viewable, but received no reply. Maybe it's me not "managing my expectations" properly, but I would have thought, not unreasonably in my opinion, that a) they'd be visible by now, or that b) that Spink would give a date and time when they will be visible. link to Spink auctions

Probably the changeover from copper to bronze in 1860, and all the patterns/variants for that year. Including an 1860/59 copper penny, now very rare and much sought after.

Take a look at this letter issued to a bank by the Royal Mint in January 2016. It seems you can exchange them at the Royal Mint in their original packaging and with proof of purchase - so if it's an old Crown, you're most likely going to be completely snookered. I'm surprised the Royal Mint hold the kind of executive power to be able to issue such decrees, without referral to parliament. On this occasion it seems to compromise the test of reasonableness.

The one pictured in your profile is the best of the lot IMO. The Rocking Horse Crown isn't bad either.

It's really up to Chris and Eric to discuss further if they wish. Not anybody else's call.

Looked this up, as I thought the same as you Chris. I've certainly never seen one in circulation (as a 25p piece, as it were). Also called my parents who confirmed they never had - period. Halfcrowns, yes, abundantly, but not crowns. In any case, surely if they'd been intended for circulation, more would have been minted, and in many more years than was actually the case. Although whilst looking this up, it did surprise me that banks are no longer accepting them at face value - link to story

Cheers Chris.

Thanks Ian. There is a bit of a back story to this one. I noticed this coin on Michael & Rendel Ingram's website a few weeks ago. I wasn't prepared to buy it at that stage though, because whilst it had potential, the photograph was appalling. As a former customer and enquirer, I then received a "how are you, is there anything else you are interested in?" type e mail from them. To which my reply was possibly, but could you send me a better pic. I received the pics below - still awful and they couldn't even be bothered to take it out of the plastic wallet. As a result I then asked if I could have the coin on approval, without paying the money up front. This was agreed to, and having then received the coin, decided to buy it. In hand it was good, but their photography is dreadful.

Well after a protracted search, I've finally managed to locate and buy a 1918H with probably slightly better detail than most. At any rate, I think it's the best one I'm going to manage. The breastplate isn't fully struck up, but is not absent either, and there is some reasonable hair detail, which give the King's bald appearance on most 1918H pennies is a bit of an improvement.

Thanks - that vindicates what I thought.