Sword

This is a glitch of the website. You need to sign out, wipe web history and then post the second picture.

There are silver and vermeil versions on sale on the web. I think your description is a direct translation of the vermeil medal's French description. The "House of Platt" is Maison Platt which is a coin & medal shop. https://www.maisonplatt.com/default.asp?langue=en This is the medal for sale: http://www.123numismatique.com/documents/monnaies/fiche.php?categorie=medailles&id=243 Your bronze version has a somewhat cruder design in my view. (The lace loop at the bottom of the queen's portrait is missing). The font is different. The vermeil medal has wavy bottoms serifs to the letters. The edge of the bronze medal and the beading look a lot more modern to me. So I imagine yours is a reproduction or restrike. The word bronze was stamped on the edge presumably so that people cannot confuse it with the vermeil version.

I don't collect medals or know anything about them. But if it say "bronze" on the edge, then surely the description must be wrong in calling it "vermeil" which does indeed mean silver gilt.

Use the App "Paint" (which is a standard app in windows) to open the picture. Then click the "resize" button in the tool bar. Then select "pixels". Reduce the horizontal pixel number (try 1200 or 1000). Then save and use properties to see if you have reduce the picture to 0.5Mb or less. If not repeat the process and reduce the horizontal number further.

I agree that dipping a coin with bad or ugly toning is often worth trying. The appearance can be significantly improved making it more marketable and increasing its potential value. But one of the biggest worry of any form of toning removal is the loss or alteration of lustre. (And lustre is to do with how atoms are arranged on the surface). None of the methods is perfect so that is why there are alternatives. The reason why people are afraid to leave their coin in the liquid for too long is precisely the worry that it might look dull afterwards. Otherwise you can leave it in the liquid for a month until all the even toning is gone. There are plenty of discussions of cartwheel lustre and flowlines and how these are affected by any method of toning removal including the aluminium method. Goggle and have a look. I am not saying that toning removal shouldn't be attempted. The numerous discussions on the web has convinced me that once a coin has been significantly toned, none of the methods used will be able to give it the 100% original mint lustre. But I am not arguing that the final result might still be an improvement than the original badly toned state.

There is clearly a conflict of interest when a TPG carries out "conservation" and is then allowed to grade its own handiwork. To be truly impartial, coins after NGC conservation must be graded only at PCGS and vice versa. Obviously, one must not declare that conservation has been carried out and see if the other TPG can work it out for themselves. But this will never happen.

I have always liked the highly reflective surfaces on JH coins. Even deeply toned coins can still show this mirror finish.

I was indeed thinking of that process. Although the sulfides are converted back to silver atoms, I am inclined to think that some lustre would be /could be lost because the arrangement of the surface atoms might not be as regular as they were previously. I have not tried the process myself and so am only guessing.

Yes, I guess restoration is a more appropriate word than conservation when there is any modification to the metal surface. But we do agree what removing external contaminants without damaging the surface is not consider detrimental to the coin or its value in response to the OP.

I think the definition of the term "cleaning" is somewhat imprecise. If cleaning is about removing loose surface contaminants without damaging the coin surface in anyway, then it is of course perfectly acceptable and is usually the correct thing to do. This can include removing deposits on dug up coins, or dipping a coin in acetone for example. This can be compared to cleaning a valuable oil painting covered with dirt. It is absolutely correct to remove the dirt so that we can actually see the painting below. We want to admire the painting and not the layer of dirt. However, conservation is a different thing as this is about altering the actual surface of the object in some way. This can include removing a mount, a mark on a frosted portrait, and yes, in the strict sense removing bad toning or tarnishing. I don't think it is chemically possible to turn a toned object back to its 100% original shiny untoned state. Whether this removal of toning is obvious / not obvious / exceedingly difficult to detect is another matter. Giving a choice, who wouldn't prefer a coin that has not been "conserved" over a "conserved" specimen. Removing dirt off the surface of a painting is cleaning. But chemically turning the pigments that have discoloured with time back to the original colours is conservation. Such conservation is often very acceptable for paintings because each painting is unique and you will not find another better specimen. I think IanB is correct in that it is not necessarily true that all bright / untoned coins over 100 years old have been cleaned. There are bronze coins over 100 years old with full lustre but are admittedly rare. By sheer coincidence, coin surface can perhaps be protected from toning by picking up / developing a layer of "substance"? If the layer is thin enough, it will be invisible.

I think the "seller" only wants to get information on his teddy which is sentimental to him. A price needs to be given for an advert on Ebay and a £10k price just mean he doesn't want to sell it. Nothing sinister in that. Likewise he is only after information on his coin I think. It would be different if he had artificially toned the teddy a pale golden colour (which I understand can be a very rare colour), sew a button onto the ear to pretend it is a Steiff, make up some story about it being the favorite teddy of Queen Victoria and get "assistance" with the biddings.

I think the standing Scottish lion is just a hybrid between a man and a lion. It is also well known that the crowned lion on George IV shillings has a very human looking face.

Great to see you back !

Unsold of course and relisted. It's now withdrawn (for the time being) after a couple of bid retractions.

I think it is not that likely she will get the £98 for it. The buyer O***R(16), placed bids on 175 items in 30 days! Her interesting items have a habit of being relisted after being "sold".

With such a terrible tone and other relevant factors, the "item" is already found wanting. It's not even worth the trouble to weigh it in the scales.

An old article I came across. Something that eBay sellers and buyers should be aware of. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/apr/20/ebay-seller-convicted-auction-fixing

Marleybob1 started the bidding at £40 because " I CAN'T LIST IT AT THOUSANDS OF POUNDS I CANT DO THAT.. THAT WOULD BE DISHONEST AND I WAS BROUGHT UP BETTER THAN THAT.. .BUT I CAN SHOW AND TELL YOU WHAT THERE IS." Now she has started the bidding at £25k. Reason: "I have been looking and i have found something else about the man Robert armitage and he wasn't just to do with coal like I thought and 11.11 wasn't his birth date . And this came from where I said it did so on that basis I have increased the price."

I wonder when will the bids from n***y(162) and 1***z(1) kick in. They have 100% bid activities with her but do not appear to have brought anything.

Yes, a speck of "foreign" verd on its own might not be enough to cause problems. But verd, like other forms of corrosion does not develop evenly across the surface. Spots get bigger with time and would suggest that it is easier to form further verd on an existing spot rather than a clean surface. If a coin is stored in less than ideal conditions, it is not improbable that a verd speck could trigger off the process. These are all just speculations of course.

Told you so. Some people are so predictable.

I honestly don't know but can imagine that a speck of the green stuff can catalyse further verd development.

Yes, but you might also turn a shade green if your best coins get infected by those things. Looks like the verd is dropping off readily onto the background piece of paper.

No doubt. The estimate is £60 and there is no chance it will sell for that.