Paddy

When you posted your query, I did not even notice the lack of H! Very well done for finding one of those. How long have you had it? £6 is a stunning bargain. As to grading - I am not probably the best person to quote as I tend to be old-fashioned and grade harsher than most modern dealers. For example, I would not agree with the London Coins grading of the other example. I would give that only F on the obverse and a nVF on the reverse. On that basis, yours would grade aF or F both sides, with the scratches noted as details. But what the heck, I would forgive any grade to have an example in my collection! I prefer to grade on Rob's basis - "Acceptable" or "Not Acceptable".

Ah now that shows great promise!

I have seen plenty of both 2023 and 2025 £1 coins, though less recently, so maybe the Ebay hype is getting to people. Now if you found a 2024 £1, or indeed any 2024 GB coins in circulation, that would be well worth reporting!

If any plastic is still adhering to the coin, then Acetone will probably clear it and you can then review progress. It won't do any harm.

I have seen quite a few GV fake florins and half crown before, but not many GVI. Made of base metal and too soft, they were contemporary forgeries to fool the general public rather than fakes to fool the collectors.

I think it is a half crown rather than a shilling, but for that the weight should be 15.05g, so still light and therefore dubious.

With those statements from the RM, it seems it might be worth contacting them? They put not time limit on the production, so it reads as if all gold and silver coins produced by the Royal Mint, however long ago, are exempt! It would be great if that is the case, but I suspect not.

Sorry @Coys55 my comments were not aimed at you but responding to @ColdHands more general comments on patronising responses from some old hands. I think sometimes our posts can be interpreted as more critical than they were intended! I would be interested if the "legal tender" definition could be used to reduce the CGT burden, although I expect that battle will be down to my descendants in my case.

I recognise the problem and try to be as straightforward as possible when responding to newbie queries. I try to think back to when I was the newbie and how daft some of my questions must have seemed to the old and bold here! It is easy, when you know a lot about a subject, to be patronising to the less well informed, but unless the new collectors are encouraged, the hobby will just die out. Bear in mind that for every patronising comment made, there are many more here who are supportive and encouraging. As to your query on legal tender - if I knew the answer I would be happy to give it!

Not entirely. If the coin is sufficiently rare, they will fake an apparently well worn/used coin with patina to fool the collectors. Classic example is the 1850 Shilling, which is mega rare. A few years back a Chinese seller was touting a load of them at £10 each. All appeared well worn and convincing, each substantially different. This seller made it clear they were copies, but the unscrupulous could buy one and pass it off as genuine. On Ebay, the history of the seller is the most important factor, as you have pointed out before. In other auctions, for rare coins ask the auction house for provenance, and view even that with a jaundiced eye. There are now many coins in private collections that are fake because the collector was conned when he/she bought it. As they all say: "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is".

The typos keep coming! I think you mean 1696, not 1996! I knew what you meant the first time, so I didn't comment.

Circulation damage I would say.

Faked coins are made both in Silver and in base metal. In some ways the base metal ones are easier to spot as a simple silver test gives them away. 19th century coins are much faked and the "best" of them are very difficult to spot. There was a discussion on here several years ago about 1818 Half Crowns. A number of apparently excellent condition examples turned up in quick succession. They were all fakes, but the only sure way to spot them is that they all had identical dents and marks! As to the auction houses to avoid - impossible to say. Even the best houses have been caught with fakes in the past.

ditto

Yes, @wlewisiii has it right I think. They were made in huge numbers during the 19th century. Most of the British Indian coins of that period feature the Gothic portrait of Queen Victoria. In that condition only of interest rather than value. Even high grade examples don't go for a great deal of money.