Paddy

Welcome @Halfcrowned I would love to give a definitive answer, but the books are very sparce on dimensions for the 18th century coins. There is always some variation in size, but 34.5mm does seem big. My 1745 halfcrown is almost exactly 33mm. By the way, this thread appears in "Decimal Coins", which may make it more unlikely that the specialists in this area will see it. Maybe @Chris Perkins can move it to a more suitable section?

That one is more worn, but doesn't look the same. On the one I posted before the trench is more noticeable down the left side and around the lobe.

For me it is the "trench" around the ear that struck me. The actual design of the ear is unchanged, but as the name suggests, it is recessed into a hollow. I am very poor at identifying all these varieties. Even "colon to gap" and "colon to tooth" often leaves me puzzling which I am looking at!

I agree - I find these very difficult to sport generally. I was fortunate this time that the next image was a 1916 in similar condition and the difference in the ears stood out, even to me! Here is the 1916:

This 1915 Penny looks very much to be a recessed ear variety, but seems to lack the broken tooth. Any thoughts? (Screenshot from online so no sharper image possible.)

Welcome @Jackbillfred! Not really an error - restruck date numerals I suspect. T prolong l=the life of the dies some details were re-punched as they became worn down. As discussed elsewhere, this was very common in the Victorian pennies. Probably of passing interest to a collector but not a "variety" as such.

I think it has always been accepted that the Double Florin was a further step in the attempt to decimalise the currency, so it seems even more crazy that they started re-issuing Crowns at the same time as the DF. I suspect we will never know the reasoning.

Not only did the Double Florin prove unpopular at the time, it still seems unpopular now. Whereas a Victoria crown in reasonable condition will make much more than melt, a similar double florin can still be picked up at scrap or even less here in the UK. Anyone looking to make a long term investment in silver would do well to keep an eye out for cheap DFs at the moment.

Welcome @Avocet! I too like nothing better than sorting through a big box full of old coins, both British and foreign, finding the few gems and identifying them in the appropriate books. Sadly these days the bulk lots in the auctions go for quite a lot of money, so more difficult to get them at an affordable price. Good luck with your future hunting.

It might be worth checking out UK auction houses that do still ship to the US. This one doesn't preclude US and has a few shillings in the current auction: https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/60e4343a274a32c193156da1ff265135/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/general-auction-silver-gold-coins-sets-numismatics-meda/

I am a bit out of date buying this sort of thing on Ebay, so both those prices seem high to me. If I was going to splash out that sort of cash, I would go for the second one as it is appreciably better. Is either sale open to best offer? I tend to do my buying through auction houses these days. At least you can be sure the price is "current market value" or close to it. Bear in mind most of the Ebay sellers are buying at auction and flipping to Ebay for a profit.

Welcome to the forum @Marcin. I can see the defect you mention. I am not much into note collecting, so I don't know if this is a known issue. My first concern would be to check if they are genuine as there are a lot of fake notes around at the moment. Find a local friendly shop and get them to check one on their detector.

The 1834 is definitely Maundy as by that time the small silvers (1 and 2 pence) were not in general circulation. The 1710 twopence was both included in Maundy sets but also in general circulation. I found the smaller silvers easy to pick up quite cheaply throughout the 17th and 18th centuries (with only a few really scarce dates).

Welcome to the forum @Sam5. I would say the H on that one is as clear as you would expect with that level of wear.

Very difficult to tell what the black stuff is. In some ways it looks like excessive patina, but the stuff by Britannia's bicep looks thicker. I would go through the same sequence, starting with warm soapy water, and if that doesn't shift it, on to Acetone. This may reveal underlying Verdigris, in which case you are onto the Sodium Sesquicarbonate or Verdicare options. I suspect nothing will shift it without taking off all the rest of the patina, turning the coin pink. If you do get to that stage, there is a way of restoring some of the patina: if you apply a thin coat of vegetable oil and then leave the coin on a sunny windowledge the dark patina will slowly return. Don't hold me responsible if none of this works!