jelida

I have actually said much the same previously on this forum - many of this “variety “ look a lot like a die flaw - but I have subsequently also seen a number that appear quite crisp and very acceptable as an overstrike, this is one, and I am now reasonably happy that it is a true variety. It is definitely more than a serif issue. Jerry

Just been looking at the die letter halfpennies in LCA archives, the best ‘C’ is CGS45 so about VF, and has the same weakness of Britannia and lower shield, as does a CGS35. The A’s and B’s seem much crisper. The CGS 45 went for £2000 plus juice in 2013. I have no idea of the top grade out there. But value is not an issue for me, I very rarely dispose of anything. Jerry

A worn die is not the same as a worn coin, and I do agree the reverse die had lost detail, a bit like some ‘F’ reverses in the penny series. I pondered this previously, why the need to mark the engraved face of the die to monitor longevity, when the die could be marked elsewhere in greater detail ; they would have to have counted the number of actual coins struck per studied die either way. And the die marked coins seem to have been too few to be practically monitored for ‘in circulation’ studies. Could partially worn regular dies be lettered or numbered to in some way monitor a later stage of their lives, or to be brought back into use? Perhaps with such a tiny mark the die would not even need annealing. Is there evidence out there? Jerry

My 1861 B over R in BRITT, 7 + G

a HALP halfpenny, 7 + G from Ebay

A decent 1871.

Here are a few of my recent halfpenny acquisitions, firstly the 1862 Die letter C previously mentioned.

Oops, silly me, it’s the R over B in BRITT halfpenny that I have, which you have pics of. It’s my three 1862 B/R pennies that look identical to this B/R halfpenny overstrike. The abnormal shape of the inner loop of the B is a clear giveaway, even on worn coins. The halfpenny collection is coming along nicely, thanks to LCA and EBay. My best so far is the (pricey) 1862 die letter C with good lustre, from a continental auction a few months ago. I must take pics. Jerry

From the photo, I would be happy with the B/R, the leg of the R shows both within and outside the lower loop of the B. I have the 1861 version (F282 variety). Well done! Jerry

Revolutions? Well, I’ve just had five pints with my bell-ringing buddies, so spinning a bit. Now home for cauliflower cheese and chips with the wife. Fantastic! Happy New Year to you all, Jerry

I bought this one, as you say a reasonable price for a better than average example. Sorry, Blake. The other is nice, too. I think they may be from the same seller under different EBay guises - Barrie Clack of Ross on Wye. I have met him at a local car boot sale, seems a decent chap. Certainly sells a lot of pennies. Jerry

Yes, we’ll done Pete, I had spotted that and had put a bid on it in case it was missed by others ; the only other nice one I have seen is mine which featured in these pages some years ago. But I have seen a fair number of more worn specimens. The other 1880 botched repair that Gouby features in his revised text seems rarer again, does anybody here have an example? Jerry

Both fakes reported. Jerry

It looks to me to have been annealed and straightened, with a very satisfactory result. Jerry

I think the penny is nice, uncirculated but pretty ordinary otherwise, let’s generously say £200 worth. The slab, however, is very rare, you don’t see many MS67 1934 penny slabs and it must be worth at least £1200 to a dedicated slab collector, unless NGC decide to produce some more. Jerry 🙄

Very soft detail, suspicious colouration and the vendor clearly thinks it’s iffy “NO RETURNS ACCEPTED,SOLD AS PER PICTURES”. I certainly won’t be bidding. Jerry

I bid on seventeen coins and won seven, two at my max and five below. between five and 25% less than my bid. That seems a reasonable outcome to me. and doesn't obviously suggest any bidding shenanegans. One of the bigger savings was on my most expensive lot, too. Basically I am building up my halfpenny collection, commoner varieties so none of the bids were stupid, several less than the last time they sold. Jerry

Yes, RENAUD was only active in London for classes 5g,h,i, 6 and 7. It is definitely not 5i, 6 or 7, and of the first two I think 5g most likely from the pics with the low central fleur and thick crown band. Thus late Henry III. Jerry

One of the class 5’s, RENAUD ON LUND. Will have a look at the books later. Jerry

Cast replicas, I’m afraid. All from the same mould, which appears to be progressively breaking up, judging by the flaws. Jerry

Interesting this conversation on the relative rarities of the 1843 and 56 pennies. While not a serious or scientific study, some idea of relative rarity can be derived from the LCA sales over the last 20 years. 1843 sold total 44 coins, 19 absent colon and 25 colon present of which 5 are DFF. 1856 sold total 65 coins, of which 46 plain trident and 19 ornamental trident. This would suggest that 1843 is the rarer date, though of the varieties 1843 no colon and 1856 OT are found in similar numbers. The total sample of 109 coins is likely to give a reasonable degree of accuracy, but not absolute- is there a statistician in the house? The prices paid for these latter coins, even in VG or corroded, tends to hover around £100. Jerry

And the colon or no colon after REG as I comment above. Jerry

That 1843 is a rare coin and the 1856 is scarce! Where is this coin shop again? 😉 Note also that the 1843 is the type with the missing colon after REG. Jerry

Here are pics of an 1863 penny that I found in a bulk lot a couple of weeks ago, and have not seen before. At first glance it could be mistaken for a 3/1 overstrike, but I am sure this is 3 over a mis-placed 3 also giving a spike from the outer curve of the '3' but this spike curved rather than straight. There is a small step in the top bar of the '3', which is possibly due to the top bar of the repair '3' punch, though the distances would not fit with the curve of the spike unless the overstrike '3' punch was of a different size font so the jury is out there. I would welcome opinions, but it is interesting and has a place in my collection, particularly as it cost nothing. Jerry