jelida

I got the 1889 penny, and the F18 (sorry Mike). The latter has the potential to be a nice coin once the thick old lacquer is removed, the surfaces are fine and should tone quite quickly. Will post before/ after pics in due course. The 1889 is one of the best I have seen. The 1911 Gouby x shot off of course, I only got one bid in. It is one of those you hope to find unrecognized at a bargain price, so I will keep on dreaming! Jerry

True, though I find the TPG's gradings to be somewhat inadequate as regards lustre and even-ness of tone, and I have on a number of occasions seen true verd in a slab. Clearly the coin cannot always be inspected, but I always make the effort when practicable. I dont think any vendor will ever be perfect, and you become more wary of some than others through individual experience, but I would still be watching them for that 'impossible to find' coin. Personally I like the LCA setup, though cannot comment on (L)CGS as I have never used them, though their slabs that have come my way are fine. I often use their (free) site to search past sales and review prices. Jerry

There is an important difference between the green waxy material that can look like verd initially, but will wash off with acetone (or more easily petrol, provided any oily residue is washed off with acetone after), and true verdigris, the hard green or powdery light green corrosion that has removed metal in its formation. The latter can never be removed invisibly, it will always leave pitting or worse. Unlike some, I have actually found Verdicare rather good, provided mechanical 'picking' at the verd with a cocktail stick is done as per instructions, and plenty of time is taken for it to soften. The verd I saw on several coins yesterday was true corrosion. Jerry

I agree with you, and dont think the photos are the worst either, though certainly not the best. Issues with lighting and poor white balance , even good focus seem endemic in the numismatic trade. For this reason I always try to see a coin before buying, and to that end LCA are the easiest as they are out of the centre of London and you can view even during the auction. I made a 300 mile round trip yesterday purely to view a few coins at DNW, spent 4 hours in traffic getting home, but I found verd on several of the coins that was not visible and not mentioned in the catalogue, and got a far better idea of lustre and toning. This is the reality with auctions, caveat emptor if you dont examine the wares first. Jerry

I'm so pleased for you Peter, after the incredible trauma you have suffered its great to know that you are again getting some joy from life. And dogs can be so helpful, company and distraction. Even our ageing Burmese cat, when the father-in-law was dying of cancer a couple of years ago (he lived with us) was such great (petting)company for him we called it Palliative Care Cat. The daughter's 'chiuiuaza' (?) dog was so welcome a (walking) distraction after the event that he became 'Bereavement Counselling Dog'. Have a great fish. Jerry

Will do, of course, Richard, and thanks for the comment. I have one in at least GVF, previously shown on this forum, but was surprised to see this one from a dealer who specializes in bronze. I had to look at an 1875 narrow date as well to confirm my thoughts, but was safe in the knowledge that it was an improvement on my 'normal' F72 anyway, so not a massive risk. A good loupe is needed with this variety. Give me a day or two, must add my F21 to your list, will check for others. Jerry

Got a nice F72, Gouby ja Freeman H* reverse today at the Midland coin fair, as a normal F72 for £220. Doubt I can better this. Jerry

Certainly Freeman obverse 4, possibly also Gouby 'G', even fishtail ribbon end, variety with the missing tuft of hair at the nape of the neck below the bow. Also slightly smaller/narrower colon after F:D. Look forward to higher res photo as requested above. Jerry

The 1934 went to a phone bidder, who clearly rated it. It did have quite a lot of lustre, but was quite streaky, perhaps due to uneven exposure to the toning solution during the artificial toning process. The halfpenny was again nice without being exceptional, so at about £300 inc juice was a tad high IMO. My only purchase was an 1886 penny to upgrade my current, nicer in the hand than the pics. The 1918KN with the verdigris made a couple of hundred less than when sold as part of the Elstree collection, despite quite successful removal of the verdigris in the interim. I suspect that sometime in the future it will be sold without the past damage attracting mention. Jerry

Tough luck Brian, but well spotted, far better condition than most. I totally missed it, otherwise it would have gone even higher! I always check the 1911's that pop up on my search, gonna have to work out what happened, as it looks clear in the pics. ☹️ Jerry

Is there evidence of the defective '4' punch being used in 1845 and later, or does the upper serif return at some stage? A return of the serif might reinforce the likelihood of a broken punch replaced, rather than deliberate font change. Jerry

Ah, of course. But receipts would not be very helpful anyway, unless to be insured on the basis of price paid, rather than current value. They would not even be definitive evidence of ongoing posession . Best an independent current valuation from an expert, or a photographic record with agreed value logged with the insurer. With regular review. As stated above, the collection may not merit separate insurance. I would get a decent quality safe, however, as a minimum. Jerry

I would say that from a numismatic point of view it would only make much difference to a coin that had previously been part of a well known or important collection, where the name might have attracted a premium. Knowledge of dealers who have handled the coin would make very little difference in the vast majority of cases, so I wouldnt lose sleep over the lack of records, though most of us would keep an acquisitions log or ticket note to keep track of outlay as well as provenance. Jerry

What Pete says is right, buy the coin first on its merits, not because a dealer is 'recommended'. I have had several great bargains on Ebay, not surprisingly from inexperienced sellers rather than knowledgable numismatists. But of course there are risks, look at sellers other items and feedback to guage whether they are honest, and know your subject - if you dont, there are many fakes out there to fool the ignorant. What might be more useful is a list of Ebay sellers who are to be avoided, but should be created in the 'members only' section to limit public access. S*x*y would be top of my list, most of you will know who I mean. Jerry

Drat! Missed that one! ? Jerry

It is on your site Richard as one offered on Ebay in 2015 I think. I bought it slabbed from an Ebay seller in California after negotiating a reasonable reduction from his initial price. I think I need to update you on one or two though, I will check and email in due course. Jerry

Needs a close-up photo Scott, but good luck! Here is a pic of mine for comparison. Jerry

I dont think the 1 need be re-punched, providing the impression on the die was deeper than that of the die clash. An interesting coin though, I've not seen one as dramatic. Jerry

What do members think of this guys stock? Some of these look iffy to me, the coins and most of the artefacts. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hammered-Sceat-Silver-coin-with-CROSS-Ancient-ANGLO-SAXON-circa-680-720-AD-/152183888123?hash=item236eddd8fb:g:px4AAOSwdzVXmQn2 Is this another Saxby? Jerry

Found one in 38 1964 pennies, but none among 39 1965's .

If it is a striking issue, it will probably be found with other dates. I will check more of mine. Jerry

Is this collection for you, as a hobby and pastime, Pete, or just to put away and forget, as an investment? If the former, the world is your oyster and buy what you like. Personally I like a well documented series where there are plenty available but also great rarities to be sought. Larger silver would appeal if I had the money, or gold hammered, wonderful. Or with beautiful designs and the hope of finding something new, maybe Celtic or early Anglo Saxon sceats. If for investment, whatever top quality material ticks the rarity , provenance and visual appeal boxes, less of a challenge as there is always something about if outlay is not a big issue. Go to a fair and have a wander. Good luck! Jerry

The alloy of the planchet 'flows' into the die under pressure of striking, and sometimes the high relief of one side draws more metal than the other side, weakening the strike on that side. In this case I suspect that the alloy has not 'flowed' fully into the die along the exergue, a slight differential being due to some alloy 'flowing' into the date digits causing even less fill locally and giving the wavy appearance. The digits might have appeared sharper and narrower ( ie greater depth, with the slight tapering of the section becoming manifest ) had the die been fully filled. The finding of coins of intermediate 'waviness' might support this, if the appearance is due to to a (variably) reduced striking pressure. Possibly. Jerry

Metal flow issues are all part and parcel of striking a coin, and strange effects do occur with some die combinations, take 'ghosting' on the earlier George V pennies, for example, an issue that took the mint years to resolve. Differing die striking pressure and therefore 'depth' of strike would also cause different patterns of flow and degrees of die filling. Under the high powered microscope this does not look like a sharp, re-engraved edge change to me. And the digits do not actually seem larger, though if they had been, the date digits could easily have been inserted a fraction of a millimeter lower in the exergue when preparing a working die from the master without the need to re-engrave the die. We would really need an opinion from an expert at the mint to clarify what might have happened here. Jerry

I have been through my curry container of 52 1963 pennies this morning, and only found one with an exergue as wavy as Terrys. However there were four more with 'waviness' distinctly greater than the norm, but less than Terry's one. I wonder whether this appearance is due to differing striking pressure, which might also fit in with the less sharp digit tops, perhaps with a degree of metal migration into the high relief shoulder region of Elizabeth's portrait on the obverse? The concavities of the exergue on mine do seem to be associated with some loss of definition of the edge. I dont really see it as a re-engraved die, but what do others think? Jerry