£400 for a Penny ?

Perhaps, like me, you were scrambling to get all your jobs done so you could crack open a bottle of red and watch the football ? Only twice in my collecting life, have I done better on ebay than I was expecting. It is a sea of mediocrity, within which swim sharks.

Good photos mate. When my head is inclined in that direction, I will sit down and work out for myself why it's an F10. In the meantime, if it isn't a favour too far and your camera is up to it, can you zoom in as far as you can get without losing focus on the left shoulder of her dress ? (basically until L.C.Wyon comes into view) Ta.

WW1 pennies that are well struck are tough to find, but someone must have them, this is not a new pastime. Here's my 1917

In nice condition, although is that a spot of verdigris near the I of IND ? Is it lustrous ? Lustre is so difficult to assess from photographs I find. I guess everyone has a different collecting experience, it's just that as I come near to signing of the GV series in AU 85% lustre +, it's interesting to reflect on how easy each coin has been to hunt down compared to the projected rarity figures one encounters in Freeman et al. OK I haven't turned over every stone in the world looking and I've also been collecting the EVII and old heads in parallel, so there is absolutely nothing scientific about my observations, but here goes: Leaving varities to one side for now, I expected 1922, 1926 and 1934 to be difficult and so they have proved. 1915 and 1916 were so difficult I compromised on condition, and 1920 and 1928 just haven't seemed to turn up for me, yet. I'm having a struggle not compromising on condition, must stay strong

Noted Sir, although I had spotted it. Do we know why the 1917 seems to stand alone among a generally wretched series from 1915-20 as being well struck ? Interesting observation. The 1917 I've got is definitely better struck than the others with the exception of a really good '18H. As to the reason for this, I haven't a clue and it defies all logic. Perhaps a new master die was cut in that year which rapidly wore out due to the unprecedented demand for pennies? As I said, I'm guessing though... There are plentiful BU 1917's, well struck to be had, it's odd isn't it. As I've said before, I do wonder exactly how many original collectors we owe our supplies to today. Maybe it isn't anything to do with the striking, maybe it's to do with who was around and interested at the time ? Such a shame that we can never have a definitive answer and must speculate into the sunset.

Noted Sir, although I had spotted it. Do we know why the 1917 seems to stand alone among a generally wretched series from 1915-20 as being well struck ?

Morning Men, I have two holes in my GV collection that, on the face of it, ought to have been easy to find in BU, but have escaped me this past 2 years. I thought I'd ask as many of you are dealers, does anyone have a true BU 1920 or 1928 ? And by BU I mean entirely problem free with at least 85% remaining lustre....

IME that's the way it works. I don't think your average coin travels very far, just goes round and round in the same area, therefore it stands to reason that if a bag of new coins are released into circulation, most of them will still be roughly in the same area. I got a Brunel top hat and a Trevithick locomotive in the same handful of change and I haven't seen either before or since. In fact I haven't been able to add to my collection for months now.

Strangely enough, yes, I had exactly the same thought process. The rules are, the £2's must come from change, I can't buy any from anywhere I must be handed them in change. You've done well with those two, I've not seen them. In fact, it's not that often you get given a £2 full stop, but it's good harmless fun.

I can recommend the Brooker collection and the Schneider catalogue, plenty of specimens in tip top in there ?

Well, you're right of course about the H and KN because the reasons for them being there are of numismatic significance, so I have to concede the point. However, I don't accept that overdates and different numerals are of numismatic significance, they are evidence of mintworkers working the dies, but not part of a change in the design and therefore to me, interesting perhaps, but not important. And why they command the incredible premium that some of them do completely escapes me, honestly, it goes so far over my head that my hair doesn't even move. But, as has been said many times, it's a free world. I am starting to agree with Scott on this - that perhaps it is a clash of two different collecting cultures(countries). Rgds,

So.. Is the exergue part of the die ? I'm saying it isn't and that any activity within the exergue is not part of the die and therefore isn't of any significance. In my world thick and thin lighthouses are of interest, Wyons initials are of interest, numbers of berries and hair vvariations count, but the exergue has been created deliberately as an area in which ongoing working maintenance (such as changing the date) can take place, therefore it should be of no surprise that there are differences. My position is, that if it's below the exergual line, it's not a difference in the design, it's an unintentional (and inevitable) signature of the mintworker who engraved the plate. And therefore, to me, it's not a variety, it's a feature. These are just my thoughts, better expressed than withheld. Rgds as always.

I'd say a flash has been used (unless the table has lustre as well..) Difficult to tell what's going on with a flash photo, bleaches everything as you know.

No, neither did Freeman much, but we know who does now..... Question is, are they creating the market, or tapping in to a vein of interest ? The perennial question.

Good job you had your rubber pants on then. I love it when that happens - have to say, ebay is pretty reliable IME, an item almost always fetches market value and usually in the last 10 seconds, as you say.

Looks a nice one mate and in my preliminary recon, I believe it's the first time I've seen a '75 in that kind of shape. Good to know they are 'out there' somewhere....

From the prices you recorded for 'run of the mill' buns though, there doesn't seem to be a contamination effect as yet, which is obviously a good thing. I wonder what these fellows exit strategy is, if they have one ?

So, 1887, welcome to the forum, which two coins did you buy ? Don't pay any attention to the ribald comments and heckling from certain quarters, one wonders if any cheese found it's way into the gasket (fondue) or how anyone can function properly without eating - fumes maybe ?? Az, thank you for your support, my friend, all these rude men can get one down

Sharpen up Chaps.... His post; No, but I bought a couple of coins over the phone. Next question. Which I have interpreted as an invititation to ask which ones and so have asked, which ones. I suspect the pair of you of having lunched enthusiastically.

Is... Which one's ?

You may not believe this but, no. My collecting is very much at an impasse and I'm unsure which way to go. Of course getting a job might help... Funny old life isn't it ? You're not alone, I haven't had a job for 18 months now.

Ah So, The catalogue is out, the wine is poured and I'm spending the rest of the evening analysing that. I did look earlier but prices realised wasn't online. Shows the value of a man on the spot. Buy anything ?

Interesting intelligence Red. Did the individual appear stable, or was he maniacal ? I'm joking Outside of this skinny date bubble though, you would say the market was what you would expect, i.e. a little bit depressed and not exactly buzzing ? Hopefully, it's just the two of them and people will keep feeding them until they are done.

Unsatisfying though it may be, you're never going to get a scientific solution to what is a moveable feast. Some people might want to collect die differences, after all, what's the difference between collecting wide or narrow dates and die numbers ? Why do some narrow/wide dates become 'known' and attract a premium and others dont ? I can only talk about pennies, but Freeman and Gouby didn't think they were of any great significance, seems there are powers at work who now want to highlight these die differences. I think a consensus in the coin community is fundamentally unobtainable, an oxymoron. There is no right or wrong, just as any values are estimates, it's not a precise pastime. I understand your desire for clarity, but.......

It's the same with everything that is moved by a middleman Scott. I've always kept tropical fish on and off and there's a certain type of South American Cichlid (stay with me) that attracts a lot of following. They used to be either Brown, Blue, Green or Heckel when I started keeping them 25 years ago. These days we are having them listed by the name of the river they were caught in, Rio Ica, Rio Abacaxis, Rio Madeira, Lago Tefe it goes on. Fact is, they are still the same bleedin fish they were 25 years ago, it's all the people with a vested interest in selling them for a premium that are new. And it's the same with coins. Or pretty much anything else which is traded. So and so school catchment area.....