Peckris

You should investigate the penny mintages for the first few years of bronze (1860 -63) - they'll make your eyes water!

Where did you get it? Goldberg's Terner Sale of May, 2003. Hardly seems possible it was eight years ago. Marv ..or that your reply took 4 and a half years

I'll make sure your haggis is extra juicy. My mum once fed us haggis. She never did again. (To be fair - its worst fault was being over-salty.)

dont go near ebay then.....apparently theres a lot of shilling going on with pennies Lots of shilling going on with everything, even 1869 halfpennies, wreath crowns, pennies, the whole spectrum apart from hammered No, you're wrong Dave. Everyone who bids where there's shilling gets hammered.

Wish something would sweep mine - it hasn't had a good clearout for years

I'm sure I still have some of that kind of thing left over from my dealing days. I'd be happy to let them go just for postage costs. I'd need to look through it first, can't even remember what I've got.

The 1954? Add four zeroes! But if you mean 1854, it's all dependent on condition as I'm sure you know. Any pictures yet?

Apparently, a 168-year-old newspaper got shut down, someone dropped a mobile phone and someone else picked it up and broke into the voice mail on it, David Cameron & Ed Miliband & Nick Clegg got outraged in unison, somebody paid the police something for some reason or other, some ginger-haired tart resigned, and there's a decrepit Australian who's a bit pissed off by it all. Oh and the worst famine ever in Africa, and some European economies have gone bust with rioters on the streets. Bin Laden got found and terminated. Apart from that, I'm still looking for a 1903 open 3 penny.

You have lattes also in Scotland? Oh LATTERS. Are they like Tatties?

no-way, so they cut coins in halfs and quarters instead of making halves and quarter denominations, how lazy! lol as always thanks for the info. Just goes to show that the name "halfpenny" is literally true!

I think the seller would like the word 'commemorative' to be glossed over, otherwise why didn't he use the correct term "reproduction"?

The pictures you have of coins ranging from whole to precise halves and quarters, are a medieval silver penny / halfpenny / farthing, most likely from the reign of Edward I which is numerically the main suspect. Halfpennies were formed by cutting a penny in two along the lines of the reverse cross, and farthings ditto by cutting in 4. Fascinating coins to own though the commonest types are worth not a great deal.

Accidentally on purpose?? Who's defensive? Actually I really like farthings but can I sell one? Seriously though, pennies have been in the ascendency for many years now, I believe mainly because they were the most interesting coins for the 'Baby Boomer' generation to collect from change and the level of expertise in the field is unrivalled. As new, younger collectors come into the market and older collectors slowly vacate their perches, I think this dominance will fade away and we will have a much more level playing field. However, for many people, size matters and the larger silver denominations will always be worth a premium over smaller coins, whatever the metal (even gold if you take away the bullion value). I think this is true. Crowns, halfcrowns and pennies have usually been the most popular denominations for as long as I can remember. And of the denominations I looked through as a schoolkid in the 60s, it must have been one bag of pennies for all other denominations put together.

Welcome to the forums coinman! 1. looks like a late Roman bronze, but judging from the reverse it could as easily be an antoninianus (like a denarius only base metal, silver washed) 2. a late Roman bronze in decent nick, I think I can make out the name Crispus? Possibly a "follis" but need to know the size 3. unknown (token of some sort?) 4. a late George III shilling and sixpence in very ordinary condition (those aren't rare even in high grades) 5. 1723 George II "SSC" shilling, between Fine and VF (SSC denotes the origins of the silver used) - nice enough but not rare 6. A "Profile type" late Henry VII... can't say what without seeing the size! IF IT's GENUINE (and not a repro) then it's potentially very nice 7. 1673 either halfpenny or farthing (what's the diameter??) in VF condition. Pretty nice. 8. A hammered gold coin - hard to identify, quite worn, but gold prices are quite high now.

We'll have to come to some agreement about that then Dave. My main difficulty would be packaging up and posting (due to disability) so you'd have to allow a degree of delay on that. (Vol 1 wasn't it?) I have a few penny gaps, but I have the vague feeling we explored that avenue before? Anyway, I'm happy to talk more.

Well, if you have an 1897 high tide, or 1899 mint dot, or 1903 open 3 ... I'm interested!!

I wonder who you're talking about? My question too. Here's my memory of the guys I used to frequent in the 1990s : Dave Craddock - had some very nice stuff, but a lot of cheaper stuff too Wayne Nichols - another mixed-bag guy, who could probably exist off his best stuff Stephen Lockett - an enormous range Dan ?Daley (the other half of Lockdale) - ditto Dorset Coins - a lot of modern stuff, but nothing VERY highly priced Windsor Coins - some nice pieces but generally trading off the lower ends My first thought is that none of those guys fit the description, but maybe I'm WAY out of date? KB coins.....a super copper section but too hot. Oh yes! I remember them. I'd also forgotten Carlton Coins, and also ?Ian Richardson?. Plus Michael Beaumont was still alive then too.

Welcome to the forums Chris To start with a bit of grading : your 1935 crown is better than VF (reverse NEF I'd say); your 1937 crown is at least EF though it has one or two scratches on the obverse; the 1951 is Unc (prooflike). "Halfcrown's" (You're not a greengrocer by trade, are you? ) : 1887 VF+ but it's been cleaned; 1895 is Fair; 1899 is Fair+; 1914 VF+/NEF; 1915 (ditto); 1931 VF+/EF; 1947/1948 Fair+/Fine It's a good starter collection - the George VI halfcrowns could do with upgrading, especially as they are inexpensive. I'd suggest one between 1942 to 1946 (i.e. 50% silver) could be picked up UNC for less than a tenner, or EF for less than a fiver. A 1948 could be got UNC for around a fiver, and a 1949 in EF for around the same. Common mistake is to overgrade coins, and therefore overspend on them as a beginner. Learn to grade as your number one priority! At the top of the page you'll see a banner ad for Rotographic books - on the left is Grading British Coins which would make an excellent first purchase. And take grades you see advertised on eBay with a LARGE pinch of salt. There are some dealers who grade more or less accurately, but many others on there who describe everything as "UNC" or "RARE" or both. If you see something you like, and it's got plenty of time left on the auction (or Buy It Now), post the URL to it in these forums and someone here will assess it for you, and let you know 1) if it's worth going for and 2) what's the most you should pay. The best places to buy from : - your local coin club if you have one - a coin fair but go with someone who is more experienced, the first few times - online dealers (doesn't have to be eBay), for example Colin Cooke, Michael Gouby, Rendel Ingram, (Google), and a few members here have their own websites - the home page of this site, which sells a whole range of British coins at reasonable prices - a friendly local dealer (I'm sure there must be a few in Belfast?) - find them from a magazine such as Coin News Welcome to the hobby and good luck!

It's a long shot I suppose, but your out-of-date Seabys wouldn't be from the 1970s by any chance? (No, they aren't mega rare, but they don't come up that often, I need one from the mid-70s and I'd happily swap it for a more up-to-date 2000 edition, or 2002.)

Indeed. It just so happens that I have a broken PC and some spare cash free for fixing it (however much it costs). Could you give me a quote perhaps, or give me some ballpark idea of how much I'd have to pay? (This is a serious enquiry by the way.)

Only pay that if it's EXCEPTIONAL (a crisp, well-toned example). Otherwise I'd suggest leaving them alone or beating the seller down to the Spink price.

I wonder who you're talking about? My question too. Here's my memory of the guys I used to frequent in the 1990s : Dave Craddock - had some very nice stuff, but a lot of cheaper stuff too Wayne Nichols - another mixed-bag guy, who could probably exist off his best stuff Stephen Lockett - an enormous range Dan ?Daley (the other half of Lockdale) - ditto Dorset Coins - a lot of modern stuff, but nothing VERY highly priced Windsor Coins - some nice pieces but generally trading off the lower ends My first thought is that none of those guys fit the description, but maybe I'm WAY out of date?

im not that interested in pennies that much as they are the bulk of my collection . but i have a 1854 pennie that i like A picture or two would be nice

My bet is that they had a trial striking & then ordered a meltdown, and one got trousered but what if more than one got trousered??

A genuine 1954 penny would be worth many thousands of pounds. Only one is known for sure. But you have to ask yourself, "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya? My bet is it's either a counterfeit or a typo.