Nutsaboutcoins

Great film.

If these dots are formed by a foreign body getting trapped between die and flan, then what process would make them progressive? surely they would be missing on one strike, introduce crud, and there on the next. what would make the hole / dot develope? My brain is starting to hurt

beautiful coin ChKy

I'm no expert and this may be a question that the true answer may never be "proven". If it is an identification mark, you would expect this to be added at the start of the dies life and therefore for more examples of the same date/spot to be known. It would also be human nature to put them in a logical position eg in the legend or at 12 o'clock 6 o'clock etc.If it is a random foreign body to blame, then this could presumably happen at any point in the life of the die, so some varieties should be a lot more common than others depending on how far through the life of the die the damage occurred. Also as the flan is much softer than the die is a foreign body more likely to embed itself into the coin rather than the die when struck?If it was an attempt to stop a die flaw / crack from becoming worse, then this is more likely to be towards the end of the dies life making examples fare scarcer. Is it also possible that the die could show a sign of failing and a remedy be applied before it would appear on coins struck explaining why Brian's coin has a dot but no sign of a flaw, but this also suggests the drilling or punching of the die, didn't stop the deteriorating further. Or maybe there could be another explanation?It would be interesting to see if these dots appear on all denominations in equal proportion to the number of coins minted. Trying to establish a time line of coins produced by the same die showing dot or no dot flaw or no flaw may help in identifying a reason but may be impossible to do. Is silver not the "shiny side" rather than the "dark side" Hopefully Brian, but silver collectors may be reading the title and passing over the thread mumbling under their breath about pesky penny collectors Ian..

You may be correct, but I would expect that process to also create coins with indented dots when the crud was still between the flan and the die, do these exist, although I apreciate they would possibly be much scarcer? Also these dots seem to be more prevelent on copper rather than silver, or am I wrong? If they are and this is a random occurence would you not expect them to be on the same proportion of silver coins too? Ian..

If the dot is associated with a flaw in the die, could it have been added to the die to stop a crack developing? Apologies if I am totally wide of the mark. Ian..

Is it not a bit odd that the only details that are not worn smooth is the date and the bit of the legend that makes it rare? or am I just being over suspicious?

Post mint damage?

Is there something up with the 5 in the date too?

I'm no expert, but I think i would grade Brian's coin a bit better than the one for sales, but not a whole lot in it. And for £8 I'm sure your more than happy.

Looks like "New & Lis?" to me, but sorry not sure what that would mean.

Interesting piece, I wonder if a lead mould could be used to make a wax positives used for casting a forgery? but why forge a half penny?

I might be wrong but isn't the 1954 penny in the British Museum collection? If it is they should be able to provide a photo for research.

72 & 84 half pennies were only available in proof, I doubt Richie let those slip into his auction lot but you never know whats lurking in those mixed bags.

Was this in your £2.10p bag or that really expensive £4 lot you bought? Glad you found something of interest in the lots. Ian..

Even with the additional £2 coins an over 700% increase on face vale isn't justifiable.

Looks post mint to me

Depends on the coin and denomination. The £100 coins regularly go for £130-140 on the bay. Ditto the £20 go for a premium. I failed to buy a 2014 set from the RM at the time and now they are sold out it its quite hard to find one at all let alone at the RM price, so for some of these, particularly the most recent, the secondary market is quite good. The first £100 coin (Big Ben) sold out, but they seem to be struggling to sell the Buckingham Palace one. But just because they stamp a large so called legal tender value on it doesn't mean they are not profiteering. £100 for what is essentially a Crown is still excessive and I bet you will never be able to spend / bank them for face value if you were so inclined. .

Just seen the Royal Mint Proof Set for 2016...£145, Are they having a laugh?

I'm no penny expert but is there not a difference in weight between copper & bronze pennies? or is the weight difference due to composition miniscule?

http://www.durhamtimes.co.uk/news/13886812.500_year_old_silver_groat_left_in_charity_bucket/ Generous donation or absent minded mistake, or maybe the spirit of an old mariner walking the streets of Durham looking to make peace with himself? I have heard stories from America of donation buckets containing gold coins from anonymous donors, it would be nice to think British philanthropy is also alive and well.

Just for you Nordle

I suspect the plates may have been at the back of the original journal, and when it was digitised it has ended up in the wrong article.

Thanks for the link Mr T, I'll have a read through tonight. So I guess the answer to my question is "no".

I'm really glad you enjoyed your evening and hope to see you back as often as you can make it. You will have to ask the wife for more pocket money, those prints might just make an appearance next month too Ian..