DaveG38

I don't know from any personal knowledge, but the cynic in me says its because proof coins retail for a higher price than UNC coins do, yet the gold content is the same. Sure, there's probably higher preparation and handling costs for proof coins, but I'd bet the Royal Mint still makes a healthy extra profit from striking proof coins rather than uncirculated.

He just has a problem with decimal points - obviously missed the one between the 5 and the 0. Or the one between the £ and the 5 ... Oh come on! It's a £2 coin, so a rip off would be £5 not £0.5 surely.

He just has a problem with decimal points - obviously missed the one between the 5 and the 0.

Definitely the latter.

Thank you for this - the photos are certainly much clearer than anything I have. Where do you all get these sources from????

I've looked through all the Edward I penny types illustrated in Coincraft's 1997 catalogue and I'm blowed if I can see any clear identifiers that would allow it to be attributed. My example seems to have a few charcteristics of one type, but a couple of a different one and so on. Spink's catalogue is useless as the photos are too small and the descriptors are impossible to use. Is there a better source of clear illustrations of what to look for in each class?

Bought this cheaply recently. Sold as Class 3c, but based on the Coincraft Catalogue, I can't see a class 3c here. Anybody help?

I've just bought a UNC 1886 penny, which it turms out is an 8 over 8. Does this carry a premium over the plain date type? Sorry dave i dont think so just a variety that is miniscule .It was just an impulse buy for me as i didnt have one. Oh well. I always live in hope.

I've just bought a UNC 1886 penny, which it turms out is an 8 over 8. Does this carry a premium over the plain date type?

Thanks for this assessment. Leaves me with a problem. Do I keep It even though I don't collect Maundy or do I sell it. If I sell would I be best off trying to put a set together or do Maundy sell best separately? Choices, choices.

Here's a pic of the 3d. Fields are very reflective, although this doesn't show in the pic.

The piece I have is AUNC, certainly has very reflective fields and I have to admit the hair and moustache both look very sharp, so it may well be a Maundy piece.

I've just bought a small job lot of threepences from DNW. One of the coins, the 1906 is identified as Maundy, whilst all the rest are currency. I've been staring at the 1906 and comparing it with the dates on either side and I'm blowed if I can see the differences. So, can anyone help by explaining what I'm looking for? Thanks in advance. Dave G

I don't know if all denominations will be issed with either the old of new effigy. However, there are definitely 1p. 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and £1 out with the old effigy. Haven't seen a 50p with the old on yet though.

Picked up a one pence and twopence coin today in change, both with the new Queen's effigy. Anybody seen any other denominations out yet?

As far as I can see the R and the I run together with no gap at all.

Isn't that the usual 'three leafed clover' sign in the upper right quarter of the reverse? Can't quite recall which maker that refers to.

And remember that if what you are about to buy is the last coin to fill that gap in your date run, and you've never seen one before, then everything except rarity becomes insignificant.

Lol, what can I say. I subscribe to coin news monthly and Mr P' auction descriptions always stick out like a sore thumb I assume he was looking for double the eventual price with the GVF grading, so not all ebayers are stupid when it comes to grading I never quite get why sellers even bother with overgrading, because if the photos are decent, then it's fairly easy to come to a judgment of grade and hence price, without an overblown description and grade. I recently bought a GVF coin decribed as GEF. I got it at the VF price, and was happy with the purchase because it was pretty much what I expected. When it came to ebay feedback though, I left a low score for the accuracy of the decription which generated wails of anguish from the seller. However, when I went back and looked at other purchases people had made from this seller, it was pretty obvious that they virtually all made allowances for the grade inflation and bid accordingly - in other words, it was a waste of the sellers time trying to overstate the condition of the coins. In short, nobody was being fooled.

Leaving grade aside for a minute, was it genuine?

If you just want the hinge removing then by all means go to a local jobbing jewellers. However, if you want the coin restored to very close to its former glory, and that will improve its value from what it is now to somewhere much nearer to an undamaged example, then you could do worse that approach the guy who runs this website. His results, as evidenced by the examples he shows are excellent, and although the coin will always be 'damaged', the end result will be so good as to make the damage barely noticeable. The only downsides are cost (he's not cheap) and timescale for the work (his lead times can be many months). http://www.crs-stockton.com/index2.html

Love the Q & As at the bottom of the ebay page.

Crowned 'V' for Victoria, maybe? If countermarked early in her reign, then this coin would have circulated for around 40 years or so, before being altered. Given the general wear, edge knocks etc. that's not unreasonable. Fanciful perhaps, but the BP could just stand for Buckingham Palace, which was first occupied by Queen Victoria in 1837 on her accession to the throne. Perhaps its a privately struck commemorative of that event? The only other information I can confirm is that there is no surname of 'Hurgon' in the UK census returns for around 1840 with a margin of + or - 40 years. In other words, Hurgon isn't a person's name, so is more likely to be a company or business. That is generally supported by the impressed mark which is very similar in style to company marks. Maybe they were a business that gained a Royal Warrant and for some reason had a Cartwheel countermarked to commemorate this. Having said this, the B and P are offset from each other and commemorating such an event wth a fairly indifferent cartwheel doesn't seem very appropriate, so I'm probably spinning smoke rings with this. Further minor update. If the word is 'Burgon' not 'Hurgon' (Can't tell from the photo) then there are a number of these as family names in London, with 3 born in 1836 and 2 in 1838, so could perhaps be a birth commemorative, especially for one of those in 1838.

I'm sure many of the coins are fine, and he does start them cheaply. I can only comment on the pennies here, but since xmas he has (presumably inadvertently) on a number of occasions misattributed Victorian pennies, identifying mundane coins as excessively rare Freeman varieties , I have yet to see him do the opposite but do check his coins as presumably he will get it wrong in the other direction eventually! This coin was the latest example, but I see he has cancelled the auction today, perhaps it will be relisted correctly described. Or am I 'ever the optomist?' Jerry Not being a Victorian Penny specialist, can you say what the attribution should have been?

So, pretty much doubled your money. Can't be bad, although I guess it's price today would be even higher than £2k.More than likely. It was another bought at the time of being unemployed, i knew it was rare and the Price was good and there was still Money in it so the Credit Card took a beating that day It's nice when you pick up something like that, where there's ultimately a profit in it. One of my best was a 1689 farthing, a little corroded, but basically VF with a small chip out of it. The seller was asking £100, so I took his arm off, having paid £500 to Colin Cooke for my existing one in Fine.