Bernie

Rob, Have you any pictures or info from the auction catalogue, please ?

Mike, Is the picture from the Empire coin company an actual photograph or a Scanned ? picture of some sort. If it was reproduced in 1963, the technology to copy from a photograph was very basic. The picture submitted by Secret Santa was a "Scan" of the coin. The actual coin has some residual subdued lustre. I have attached another picture from the front cover page of the 1992 coin news.

The small scratch in front of the helmut plume and the two dents in the trident prongs, also the dent in the bottom stem of the "E" of "ONE" are visible on the 1992 coin News picture and yours.

Thanks Mike for your close up picture. The attached picture is from Coin News of January 1992. The 1954 penny was sold, by auction ?, on 25th November 1991 by Spink & Son. If there was an auction on that date I would be most interested to hear about it, as I don't have a copy. the coin was bought by Keith Ashman. The coin then changed hands again on the 10th April 1992, to the present owner. The royal mint have never contested the ownership of the coin probably because they had no evidence that the coin had left the mint illegally. ("Hearsay" one curator of the mint believes that he knew how the coin left the mint.)

The modern pictures of the 1954 penny were produced on a scanner. There is some residual lustre on the actual coin.

Hello Mike, Is it possible to get a clearer picture of the reverse from the letter ? please.

Went yesterday, some really lovely coins there, but they are getting very expensive !

I thought that I was losing it !! I was about to eat my hat !

Are you sure that this coin is obverse 4 ?? can you see L.C.WYON below the bust ?? the outer ribbon also appears thinner. The toothed border is thinner. Are you sure it's not obverse 5 ??

Beautiful coin !!

Good provenance, definitely ex Bamford, Michael Freeman did own the ex C W Peck coin. Laurie Bamford won many of MJF, coins. Well done !

Sorry to hear that you got sniped ! I am feeling worse than you.....Did I miss something of significance ?

Hello Bob, The 8 in the date appears to be over something. The left hand side of the 8 appears to be filled, very much like 1861, 1862 overdate pennies.

My gambles usually fail, any chancers here ? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WCA-British-One-Penny-1863-978-/311671061512?hash=item48910afc08:g:-acAAOSwdzVXpjkx

I am not very familiar with farthings. I just cannot recall seeing a British copper coin dated 1830, is it rare Paulus ?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1830-GEORGE-IV-COIN-ITEM-1803-/162155588592?hash=item25c139ebf0:g:qVUAAOSwaB5Xn52C

I believe that the Freeman 2 Gold proof was sold to a Japanese collector. I believe the auction hammer was £6000, Auctioned by Spink, June 1987. I did hear that the coin was once in the Royal collection.

I was the lucky buyer. I too have lost many coins in the past through hesitation. At one time I had to be very selective in which coins to buy. They were turning faster than I could earn the funds to pay for them.

Yep. A real Gentleman, In the distant past dealt in High grade extremely rare coins, many British.

"nice chap".......Bruce !

Thank goodness he hasn't got any coins that I am looking for. They might as well be trapped in the British Museum ! Lovely coins though.

It is most probable that one of the two Mint currency coins was the unmentioned seventh, a currency coin apparently first appeared in a Glendinning auction in 1969. The Royal Mint now have only one example in their collection. A currency coin was said to have been given by the mint to Laurie Asher Lawrence in 1933-4. This is not mentioned in the Letter above. I have tried to obtain the information from the Royal Mint regarding the disposal of their second coin, but have had no reply. There are six known examples plus the one stolen from the "Church of St. Cross, Middleton Leeds, presumably a Proof coin. Charles F Barrett, who made an annotation on 10 May 1934 that “seven examples exist, one of which is not traceable at current time

This is what I believe happens if late bids are made just before auction ends. Only bidders that were bidding on the coin before the auction ends can make offers for the particular coin after auction end time. these bidders will be informed of the highest bid and will be expected to inform CC when they have made their final bid. The auction on the particular coin will end after the highest uncontested bid is made. If only one bid is made on a coin at lower estimate at 23:59 the coin will be sold to that bidder. Sometimes bids for some coins may continue for days after auction time ends. Offers can then be made on any unsold lots, possibly the owner of the coins may accept below estimate offers.

Hello Dave, I also can't recall seeing a High grade example of this variety. Mine is about the same grade as yours.

Another thing, why is the coin worn, if it were struck that size, I am certain that someone early in its life would have noticed it and it would have been kept in better condition. It would not have fitted in any chewing gum machines !