coppercop

This 1916 Farthing has interesting striping on the metal...on USA older copper cents, "woodies" are not uncommon, and are usually stated as a alloy mix error, with impurities causing a wood-grain effect...this Farthing has similar streaking, and, perked my curiousity..it is beautiful and appears to have it's original uncleaned patina? The reverse pic came out quite realistic to true color and nature, the obverse was a tad harder to shoot, for some reason. Thanks Cal

I found this in a lot of coins recently..of course it is nearly worn beyond recognition, but my curiosity about what this possibly may be won't stop...weighs 5.96 grams, measures 7/8" in diamter..not sure if the edge is just been "hit" from age, or, a hand-hammered copper. Thanks Calvin

Thanks for the help here...if Seuk, or, anybody that is in contact with him wants to let him know of the Half crown Forgery, please do..I would rather sell or trade for genuine coinage at this point. Now, I've got to poke around and learn as much as I can on Copper itself, that is, it is imperative that I learn how to distinguish original, un-tampered copper from cleaned, and, the so-called "re-colored" copper(I have NO idea how that process is done), so, if anyone wants to share links, I sure would appreciate it. I have enough beginner's knowledge to see and spot what I believe is true copper aging patina, for the most part..I am having a harder time with the higher grade coins, and brighter colours...my hunch is to purchase slabbed coins, a few at a time, where I know they are genuine, and move slowly from there. I really appreciate this site, and all the wonderful folks on here...A+ job & forum. Cheers Calvin

Last, here is the large 1-9/16th inch(sorry, mm's not on my caliper)"God Save The King" 1830 coin..cleaned I believe..if copper, it sure is "brass-like"---weighs in at 13.47 grams.

Here is the George IV 1827 Third Farthing, for use in Malta, according to the listing in my Mr. Perkins "Collectors' Coins GB"(what a SUPERB little book!)

Next is the 1820 Half Crown..notice the washed out "Silver", leaving base metal today--weighs in at 13.47 grams.

Here are the 1822 & 1823 "Gold-Plated" Farthings...perhaps tried to be sold as "Gold" at some point to an unsuspecting buyer?

Here's the Coronation coin, with die cracks both sides...not sure if contemporary counterfeit. 3.72 grams.

Here's a closeup of the numerals on the 1923(normal, not "Roman" 1)--the 8 may be of interest..you folks will know...now, how do I remove gold plating? It also has a nice die clash both sides, near George's cheek, in field, and, on the staff of the trident..I would guess coins this old with heavy clashes as this are not uncommon...if I can add them here, Last Pic is the small Coronation coin has 2 neat die cracks, both sides, and has such a rough rim, it may be a fake also...very thin(3.72 grams), and very poor quality strike..with chopped letters, missing letters(the 8, in 1821, the UL in JULY, etc...I need a freeman# to learn more of this specimen. The Malta-usage 3rd Farthing is very cute...I think I want to complete that set..I usually don't go for small copper, but, these intrigue me(maybe because it may be the only genuine coin in the lot!!!) Cheers Calvin

Coins arrived now...I believe this is why online sales can be so dreadful....the Half Crown is a base metal fake(13.46 grams, old "silver" toning worn away to reveal base metal-bronze of some sort)---the 1822(4.64 gr.) & 1823(4.70) Farthings are spray-painted gold, and the 3rd Farthing may be a copy, as it weighs a scant 1.31 grams, but has original patina.......not off to a good start...time to crawl under a boulder and hide now........should I request a refund? Seller stated coins were "unknown", so, it's a grey-area as far as truthfullness or not...may have to chalk this up to the "educational expenses"...1 possible redeming feature--the 1823 Farthing seems to have an issue with the 8..I call it an overdate on coins I have seen with this, as a Morgan Dollar, or, some call this a re-punched date..It has a partial loop coming over, and on top of the upper loop, and a thin curving line inside------can shoot if interested. Calvin

Yes..I agree..I do not buy my beloved Esienhower Dollars, and others, without pics of both sides...I got carried away...simple as that. Lesson learned. Thank You.

I'll update when coins i...pistol is in storage...thanks all who chimed in.

Thanks--sounds great.

If somebody can ID these coins I won, I would appreciate it...kind of a shoot-from-the-hip purchase. Thanks! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140657233793#ht_500wt_1202

Fantastic..thanks to all for the tips.. I found this site online, the photo's and descriptions are most helpful. http://www.wybrit.com/Museum/British%20Coin%20Catalogue.htm Your all a ice friendly group here..thanks for letting me participate. Calvin

My UK knowledge is in the "Infantile" stage...I ordered the 2011 UK Coin Book from the site, so, I expect to move into "Juevenile" stage shortly.. I'll be frank..I like to hunt for Varieties and Errors...nothing makes my day more than finding coins with issues...nothing makes my year more than finding a new Variety, it feeds my somewhat shall we say pathetic ego, and, keeps me hunting for more. I recently won a slew of UK 1/2 pennies and Pennies online, dirt cheap, and, I fell in love instantly with the toning of the bronze, and, the overall look of the coins, and, of course, the History in my hand(I do daydream WHERE a coin has been, whom handled it, etc..that's the fun side of this hobby!). Anyway..there is A LOT to learn...I want to move slowly....today, I worked on the different die numbers and die pairings on my 1937 Pennies, and, it was a good experience for me to learn the differences. It looks like it would be best to limit my next rounds of hunting to Edward VII and prior coinage, so as to perhaps find a scarcer dates, and Varieties(I like to scour the "Lot Sales", and find some kid selling his "Uncle's" Coin Collection, and hope they are not very knowledgable!)...if anybody cares to point me in the right direction where to find a simple list of key coins to look for, including some of the more interesting Varieties and Errors, that would be very helpful...maybe there is a specific Book I need to know about you can pass along too. thanks a ton. Calvin G.

The loss of colon stops is a common occurence due to die fill. Examples can be found in various states of fill and so nothing exceptional. When you say notching, I'm not sure what you refer to, but if the letters appear slightly fishtailed, this is due either to metal flow or the use of a different font punch. Again, not something to get overly excited about. A better picture would confirm this. The whole series is littered with double cut lettering due to the desire to extract as much life out of the die as possible. Again, nothing to get carried away over, but a leter cut over a different letter would be of interest. There are two types of 3 seen on the halfpenny, a small and a tall one, with a 3rd intermediate type found on the proof. On yours it appears that the 3 has a small upper section. beat me to it, Rob! Luckily I said the same as you. Phew. Rob is the recognised authority round here, Calvin! Thanks Rob, and all of you..I appreciate the help..as stated, I am new to coins of the UK, and find them fascinating..a nice change from the USA coins...lots to learn, so, I'll be hanging around, if you don't mind, pestering with questions!

I have an 1863 Half Penny I have 2 questions about. First is the "dots"..I see an MS63 coin of the same year online I used as a comparison coin, as the details are very nice....as one would expect, there are 2 dots after G, in D:G: obverse....MY Penny only has ONE Dot, and, does not look like a struck-through error, but, a Mint issue..is this something of interest I need to know about? 2nd question is on reverse, there seems to be minor notching on the H, in HALF, and, the NN's, in PENNY, and, I am curious if this year has a known Doubled Die? First Pic is my Penny, 2nd is the reverse, 3rd the "normal" MS63 Half Penny. Thanks Calvin