Colin G.

Peck you are correct the 6 shown on your farthing and the R on Scott's example are both as a result of letters/digits being recut/repunched. The R in FARTHING on the royal mint farthings from 1875 - 1878 is not. It is however difficult to have any certainty why it is present and how it was produced.

I have to agree with the others , it does look like damage to me as well

From the 1863 farthings that have passed through my hands about a third have been dot beneath lighthouse types.

Yes but the forked R is not then in "FARTHING" for that date

Yes all the royal mint issues 1875 - 1878 have forked R's to farthings, and even some 1879 farthings do show a trace of the underlying tail, although some attempt has been made to correct/remove the feature. It is a great identifier of a genuine 1875 small date farthing, because where people have taken an 1875H farthing and removed the H in an attempt to make it more collectable the R will only have the single tail.....bizarrely I recently acquired an example of an altered 1875H http://aboutfarthings.co.uk/cart/index.php?id_product=299&controller=product&id_lang=2

Oh wow. What is that thing on the obverse? I think I may have dated her in the past

I agree with Scott, if you look at the number of border beads until you reach the horizon, they are the same, however the sea on the example to the right dips down as it approaches Britannia's ankle, probably as a result of die polishing/wear.

Is there any evidence to support Rob's theory, because if they were old dies being utilised, then it is feasible that a punch (for a 5 or other digit) could have been altered to create a 3 if one was not available. If the 3 is the same across all 3 dies, and it is just the positioning of the digit that differs then it could be a plausible explanation.

I would guess that the coin above the 1865/3 is the open 3, it does seem to curve rather than being a straight diagonal

I use a Pentax Optio A30 with macro mode...just an old point and click. Always seemed to do pretty well for me, as for lighting I think that is where the real work is. I now use axial lighting for my setup, with a cheap desk tripod and feel it now gives the best visual representation of what I actually see when I look at a coin, the colours and hues all seem to get captured. There are always the odd coins that just don't seem to like cameras but on the whole I have been very pleased. I do also use the flash with axial lighting. Bear in mind I only really photograph copper and bronze. http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://coinimaging.com/images/Axial_lighting.JPG&imgrefurl=http://coinimaging.com/photography.html&h=266&w=319&sz=14&tbnid=n1fzvKRR9o0_NM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=108&zoom=1&usg=__j44vZ0Tb-N4tPYb4pTkrUtbcofM=&docid=QfrTongqlQB-cM&sa=X&ei=DH1aUsCFI6ea0QXlo4DQAw&ved=0CDUQ9QEwAg

I have just finished my fourth Picture Book for children...does that count? Been completing the illustrations in the small hours, the only time I've got for such things; very nearly ready to pack them all off to the big guns! The Pumpy Grottum has turned out to be one of my favourite characters, with 'Moley and the Treetop Cafe' my favourite story! It's good to hear about life outside collecting! I didn't know you were a kids' book illustrator Stuart? Perhaps we should ask Chris to set up a new forum, "What We Do When We're Not Collecting". I'm an amateur photographer but the members of that forum are far more talented than I, so I'm a bit shy there (no, no, really..). I am quite involved with a degu forum (little furry creatures from Chile) and also do quite a bit of metal detecting when I find the time!!

Do we get to see any of the pics, or do we have to buy the book

Copies can normally be picked up fairly cheaply, it is more like a pamphlet than a book with no images, a nightmare at first but once you have used it a few times it does get easier to use. Galata may be your best bet unless any of the guys on here have a copy.

I am with you on gaming counter, the Obverse definitely matches up with some of the Hanover tokens which also bear A&M on the truncation, but there are no examples with the 1846 date that I can see. However the Obverse design is identical (V series in Bryce Neilsons publication on Hanover Tokens).

It and other collections are on Colin Cookes site Wise advice...but I still like a paper copy to thumb

A great denomination to choose, Colin Cooke's catalogue of his collection is also a worthwhile purchase if you can get hold of a copy

Why am I getting the urge to tip out a big pot of 1p coins and start hunting!!

I understood that it was believed that many Jettons were also used as counters/tallies when conducting trade

If I had known you were going for it as well...I wouldn't have even bothered!! That was earmarked early on All to no avail though. Things were getting desperate towards the end of the first five minutes. There were a couple that slipped under the radar, but not many. Once they started the Saxons, it was always going to be an expensive day. I wasn't surprised by 118 from the list above as Derby is always a popular mint, but the following lot going for £1900 was a surprise, as were the prices on 146, 164, 172 and 182. I even resorted to bidding on 514 at the end in the hope that it would be around estimate, but 3 or 4K hammer for a bent, double struck, and cracked William I had no appeal to me, however rare it might be. The Henry VIII farthing surprised me, I have seen better go for less...£1,400 + premium

If I had known you were going for it as well...I wouldn't have even bothered!!

I agree thought I may be able to fill a long standing gap...but not a chance still a couple more to come...but I don't hold out much hope!!

Neil, it is good to see you here...forgive me for sniggering but it was quite comical to see you get hung for something you had not done ......too honest for your own good...but not a bad trait to have in my opinion

You can store shortcuts to images in access and use code to get it to display the image

I would guess the raised area on the Obverse is a die flaw, whereas the extension of the serif to the A does look more "intentional" and is possibly where a die has been re-cut, but it in my opinion it would only go down as a "possible" at the moment, additional examples would need to be found before any certainty could be given...and even then it is still likely to be a best guess