RLC35

They did a lot of rework on the Victorian Dies! There are some interesting mis-alignments.

Azda, That's a re-punched B alright! It also looks like the A might be re-punched.

Azda, Is that your 1975? It looks like it has a large "1" over a small "1." I can't tell for sure from the pic...but it looks like it.

Red, You are right about the BM being further to the right on th 1926ME. The problem is that most of the 1926ME's are softly struck, and the BM is not visable, or if it is, you can't tell if it has the stops or not, due to the soft strike/wear. A clearer identifier is the colon between GRA and BRITT on the obverse. On the ME the bottom dot of the colon will almost be touching the A of GRA, where on the regular 1926, the bottom dot of the colon is perfectly centered between the A of GRA and the B of BRITT. I have a 1926 ME in AVF for $30.00, plus $3.99 S&H (from the USA), if anyone is interested.

I like it Gary, especially the Reverse. I would grade the Reverse at GEF, the Lion faces appear to be fully formed. I would grade the Obverse at EF, like you have already mentioned, there is some friction on the neck, and in the field at the back of the head, but it does not distract from the the grade...at least for me! It is a quality example!

Gary, You have close even spacing on your 1877 date. That is the identifier for the narrow date 1877. I would like to have one, but 3500 pounds is a little steep for a "Fair" coin, which is what Bamfords was listed as in the CCGB. BTW Gary, I was able to purchase another 1880/8 recently in a little better condition (VF) than my original example.

I have Dave's Bronze book, and find it to be a valuable 20th Century reference.

I am a Bun Penny man, but over the years I have collected the odd penny and thought it interesting if I could get the lot. Alan, "London Coins" latest Auction List just came out, and it has a low cost 1849 Penny in the list. It is item # 1672. It has a suggested value of 50-75 pounds. The condition is Fair, but it has a clear date. I thought you might want to check it out.

Cameo refers to the frosted effigy, against the mirrored flat surfaces of the proof coin. A deep Cameo refers to an exceptionally well defined effigy against a mirrored background. Where you start and stop within the two designations...who knows! LOL!

Chris, I have one for sale on eBay right now. It is item # 270575489297. Whatever it brings... will give you an idea of value.

I think the "Crack" in the R is pretty common with the 1905 Half Crown. It is a character that is beginning to deteriorate from a worn die. I have seen many that way, and I have owned a few with that condition, including one purchased from Michael Gouby, who is a reputable dealer. This is not to say that a fake coin does not have the same condition, in an effort to look genuine.

Fubar, The coin you show, a Pillar Dollar, is a fake. They are around 90% silver. This coin does not have a iron wafer core. The actual data is as follows for this coin. 1819 8 Reales 27.07g (total wgt) .903% silver .7859 oz ASW (silver wgt) Krause # KM111

Chris, I know you are into cars...the Queen has her "Majestic V8" for sale, will you be bidding? LOL!

Danzig (Free City), 5 Gulden KM# 158 (Krause, USA) 800,000 minted Value.... Fine $120.00 VF 180.00 EF 265.00 UNC 500.00 These are "Retail values." You may or may not be able to actually sell at these rates!

Voynov, Brasso is a thick liquid cleaner for brass and bronze. It does clean well, but leaves the coin very shiney, and does slightly scratch the surface. Never use it on coins above fine grade.

The 1854 1 Franc is what you have. The spec's are as follows: 90% Silver .1446 oz ASW Krause #: KM 779.1 764,000 coins minted Value: Fine $25.00 VF 50.00 EF 150.00 UNC 350.00 It looks like a pretty nice coin!

Ira Goldberg bought it for an "unidentified" private party, at least that was the write up in the "Numismatist" this week.

Russ, You've probably heard about "die cracks" where the crack shows on the surface of a finished coin...well what you have is a "die break." That is a condition where part of the die has actually broken, and come off, and is missing when the coin is struck. I am sure the coin presses were stopped very soon after this coin was struck, so that the broken die could be replaced. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Derek, Nicely put. BTW Scott...you are correct about Michael Freeman, he is British.

Here is my coin. It is not as pronounced as yours, but very different than any of the others that I have.

I looked at 8 pennies I have, and only found one (1) that had the bump on the nose. It is not quite as pronounced as your copy, but is definatly bigger than the other 7 coins. I tried to send a copy of it, but the file was too big. I will have to adjust my camera, and send it later.

If money was not a concern, I would own this 1827 Penny (MS63). It was sold by Colin Cooke for some ungodly amount. It is only one of two 1827 pennies in this grade.

Attached are some close up pictures of the "E" (x60) that shows multiple cracks coming from the rim, and extending through the character "E." While a multiple restrike (repair) of the "E" probably did occur, it might also be that some of the change could have been caused by debris stuck to the die during this time period. This debris probably was caused by the breaking (cracking) of the die. I have conversed with Michael Gouby about the issue, and he also feels that could be a contributing factor too. Thanks to all for your input!

Go for it Reluctant! LOL!

If you google for "Deller's Darkener" you will get a dozen of places that sell it. It is about $3.75 for enough to last 5 years of use! I don't know what kind of chemical reaction that it provides, but I do know, if you get it too dark, you can lighten it a shade or two by using Olive Oil on it. It is best to practice on a few older coins before using it on something of value.