1949threepence

I quite like these wooden watches:-

I agree with all the above. DNW are by far the best. Very smooth, professional organisation. Also very pleasant to deal with when you contact them by phone - you get an intelligent, coherent person with whom you can have a normal conversation with. Increasingly rare these days.

Great Photography lol

Indeed. Another point that comes to mind is the grade. I'd strongly bet that the 5 bob bags of pennies you got from the bank did not have any high grade specimens from those years. Given the usage and wear of over 50 years, there'd have been a vast majority of VG to fine, with the odd good fine, and the very occasional VF, but nothing better. The high grade examples that collectors gravitate towards now would have come from prior collections or the odd few from the inside of settees, old long forgotten purses and the like. Probably, they did not include anything deliberately set aside because of what look like a stoved in ear. Although as you rightly say Chris, it's a real unknown. A mystery we can never crack.

Well yes, although if you look at David's post, which is as follows:- I'd venture to say that there wouldn't have been too much rarity distortion on the recessed ear varieties, as I don't think they would have been extensively known about or collected prior to withdrawal on 31st August 1971. Although I stand to be corrected on that as I know Freeman was first published at some point in 1970. So there might conceivably have been some collected in the year or so that the book was out, before pennies were withdrawn from circulation.

That again is a good option worthy of strong consideration.

That is true of course. I must admit I was thinking more of the recessed ear specimens.

Awesome. Fantastic detail, and amazing collection. Although one of your 1922 shillings is a mirror image, rather than a true representation.

Neat idea, and one I will consider.

Nice one, Sword. At least in worked out positively in your case.

They describe it as a proof - link - but I don't think any Crown proofs were issued in 1928. So to the best of my knowledge that's an inaccurate description by Heritage.

Nice R over E.

There you go:-

Oddly seems to happen more often than it should. More lustre (apparently) lost in 19 years, than in the previous 73.

Just returning to this topic, and in particular 1926 ME pennies. I do think that a certain amount of possibly exaggerated myth or mystique have entered the numismatic lexicon when it comes to the 1926 ME penny, given that they are touted as rarer than what they actually are, even in high grade. A trip onto the LCA website for 1926 pennies was very enlightening in this respect. Not exactly in short supply. The 1860 Freeman 14 (LCW under foot) changes hands at about the same amount in top grade - maybe slightly less. But they are many orders of magnitude rarer. Seems to be that old charismatic price enhancer at work, as with the 1869 to some extent. Rarity doesn't dictate popularity.

Indeed. Although by logical extension, since melts would be totally random, the ratios calculated by Court should still be roughly the same on the remaining population.

This stamping of "votes for women" on pennies has turned into a bit of an industry.

Just as a footnote to this topic, I found this January 2016 incredibly useful post from @davidrj quoting estimates from V.R.Court in this regard.

Of course, if that is the case, then theoretically at least, there may be some decent specimens to be had.

The entire case raises a number of disturbing questions, the answers to which are vague at best:- 1/ How were the drones identified as such in the first place? - given that doubts are now expressed as to whether they were drones at all. Somebody must have first reported this - who was it, and precisely what evidence did they hold? 2/ Was any official daylight verification of the sightings made by police/intelligence/airport management, before the decision was made to completely shutdown the airport? If not, why not? 3/ Since the suspects concerned have now been released without charge and had cast iron alibis, exactly what evidence caused the police to arrest them in the first place? Personally I'm left with the distinct impression that there was an almost hysterical, unthinking reaction to the initial sightings, then further knee jerk actions in arresting the suspects concerned. All part of the really worrying trend of downgrading the importance of actual evidence, and seemingly placing more reliance on "some bloke down the pub told me". Even more concerning is that Paul Gait's employer contacted the police early on to verify that he was at work at the time, but nobody got back to him or seemingly followed up this piece of highly relevant information.

The drones, not the culprits Anyway the entire episode is now taking on a bizarre twist.

Incidentally, of all the 4 1918 - 1919 , H's and KN's, it appears to me that the most difficult to get with any decent hair detail is the 1918H. I wonder if maybe the Heaton mint were handed worn out dies to fulfill their contract.

I don't know what the issue is. I have noticed that when you tilt the camera, the shading changes. But on this occasion, I held it in the same position (or what I thought was the same position). Most peculiar. The hair detail, along with a complete breastplate, is the clincher on the pre 1926 dates. If one is there, the other is often absent.

Actually available on Amazon right now. I've just ordered a copy. link

Not life. That would probably be too harsh. But they do deserve the maximum sentence of 5 years with no early parole. Irresponsible idiots. The massive inconvenience that have caused to so many thousands is incalculable. Plus, if they hadn't been spotted in time and had been sucked into a jet engine, it would have been instant curtains for everyone on board.