Test Jump to content
The British Coin Forum - Predecimal.com

DrLarry

Accomplished Collector
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,765

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    45

 Content Type 

Everything posted by DrLarry

  1. DrLarry
    man of many words Jerry
  2. DrLarry
    I am not sure I know how to blow up a png file I saved it but I cannot see anything under although it does seems thinner but that could be the angle of the camera maybe. Having purchased about 150 1863's thinking them to be narrow or open LOL I am expert at getting it wrong...still at least my error is gain for the charity box I did eventually find 2 open threes by the way to complete that story.
  3. DrLarry
    either way I find the R over the R in this 37 "cool" as one of my kids would say ....I will search for one myself
  4. DrLarry
    no they seem a little thin on the ground. Yes I know the F over P is a difficult one, one the 63 the F of FD has a connected metal attachment essentially making a P but I think that seems quite common not just on the 63 .... yes I think I am pretty sure I will try to image more pictures the problem is using a phone camera down a microscope is never easy when trying to angle a coin to show a profile of the letter especially on a farthing. I sometimes use blu tack to get better pictures so I shall try that. I tried to look for it on the farthings website and could not see assuming ,although I may be wrong, that the website would be more up to date than a book. But as I say I will keep trying to improve my picture taking
  5. DrLarry
    oh ok I have looked at hundreds and never seen one before, certainly I have seen where something has been cut away from the mid part of the B this is especially common on the 61 and 62 half penny ..on the B over R's on these two latter coins the R initially does give some indication of making the mid point a little flat but this is the most pronounced I have ever seen in a 63. They are pretty much the rarest of this group so I have only seen three or four I thought it might be a good idea to look at the 1865 over 2 over 3 to see if the reused 3 might crop up as this E under the B. The metal is raised up perhaps I have not caught the angle right. The Straight top and the inner straight are very unusual on a B in the farthing
  6. DrLarry
    Farthings I am on not pennies! anyone ever come across a B over an E in BRITT on the 1863 farthing? This is a very clear example and I have not seen it listed before the central arm of the E and the overhang of the squared off upper arm are clearer in the hand than in the images but they clearly show that a squared off letter existed under the B at some point. The straight middle section cuts the B at the centre. I have tried to find another one but with these things I would rather ask the forum of farthing lovers if they know of the error and if they might check any they have to see how rare or common it is. Many thanks Larry
  7. DrLarry
    It is very hard to find the kind of books that introduce the knowledge about die making, collars, machinery used to create dies, engraving verses punching, anything that seems to touch on it is either over technical or over simplistic. I have to admit I am still not 100% even 50% of the way there to understand it my favourite is a link on UTube showing the Royal MInt in Canada in the 30's I think it is an old black and white film its wonderful to see the coining in practice. I have tried to understand it in the soho book but the plans dont really seem to come alive like the description by S Pepys on a rare visit to the mint in the 17th C. I wish Newton had written more but of course that would have given all the secrets away.
  8. DrLarry

    1863 OPEN 3

    DrLarry replied to DrLarry's topic in Free for all

    i know the top two are mostly 5's but there are a couple of pregnant bulges on the edge right and in the upper section of the round. on the fourth one you can see a line that seems to correspond to the scar on the open 3
  9. DrLarry

    1863 OPEN 3

    DrLarry replied to DrLarry's topic in Free for all

    ok thanks that is helpful to know ....Here are the various types of 65 over 3 some seem to be very very different from each other others even the plain 65 seem to show some features having been removed .....surely they could not all have been taken from 63's
  10. DrLarry
    oh yes sorry i did not realise that it alerts them directly ...i am still getting used to things on here I do notice that I have to go back over my postings not realising anyone has commented so if I do that it will make it easier ...thanks
  11. DrLarry
    LOL you are more into conspiracy than I am LOL
  12. DrLarry
    yes me too it's like its just out of reach
  13. DrLarry

    1863 OPEN 3

    DrLarry replied to DrLarry's topic in Free for all

    of course the easiest explanation is that this is just a scratch across the top the fact that the second example has a dent/scar removed maybe simply the result of the bar often getting damaged because of where and what it is but it does seem strange that the alignment is the same and seemingly related to the two areas of metal that peep out of the top of the 3 .....anyone who has one might like to take a look and see if theirs also has these features...please. Thanks I just think that it may explain this strange little creature I also think it might be important in understanding the 1865 over 3 which seems to come in a variety of overpunches and removals. Most seem to be connected to the open 3 in all the examples six examples I have.
  14. DrLarry
    I usually have all my US buys come to a friend who saves up until a box is full and then sends them over in a single box , as they arrive from the US postal service the cost is usually around £30 handling and tax sometimes £40 it is not that I mind the tax its the handling if I were to get that each time it would make the process of buying there much more difficult. Find a trusted friend and rely on goodwill
  15. DrLarry
    yes I quite agree I was told hpowever that RM only spot check something like 20% of the custom excise mail which is a lot better than these companies that shove on the handling fee and the tax 100% of the time. I asked them once for the accounts they send to the tax office and they denied my request..LOL it's a postal scam I am sure
  16. DrLarry

    1863 OPEN 3

    DrLarry replied to DrLarry's topic in Free for all

    right I must walk the dogs any thoughts on this one I am grateful for ...many thanks
  17. DrLarry

    1863 OPEN 3

    DrLarry replied to DrLarry's topic in Free for all

    so when I started looking at this scar I began to realise that the better example which does not have the scar per se does have something in the exact same place
  18. DrLarry

    1863 OPEN 3

    DrLarry replied to DrLarry's topic in Free for all

    it is this overlapping of the 3 over another ?3 that intrigues me I will see if I can capture it on a picture
  19. DrLarry

    1863 OPEN 3

    DrLarry replied to DrLarry's topic in Free for all

  20. DrLarry

    1863 OPEN 3

    DrLarry replied to DrLarry's topic in Free for all

    yes it's to the kids at MADaboutART out in southern Africa
  21. DrLarry

    1863 OPEN 3

    DrLarry replied to DrLarry's topic in Free for all

    here are my two I will sell the lower grade one I was interested to see how the three has this spike and that area above where there has been a cut away
  22. DrLarry

    1863 OPEN 3

    DrLarry replied to DrLarry's topic in Free for all

    ok great thanks very much I will do that .
  23. DrLarry

    1863 OPEN 3

    DrLarry posted a topic in Free for all

    That conversation about the open 3 in the 1863 I wonder if anyone else has one so I might compare with mine. I am interested in details of the area above the three, and the structure of the upper part of the three. I will post mine for comparison I thought I might sell one for the charity and likely put it on ebay as an auction. But before I do I would like to make a brief study of the type. Thanks
  24. DrLarry
    yes well I think Peck or Freeman refers to an alteration in the left side apparently to reflect a more conservative bust . My theory is that that by altering the bust line more than just the bust has to be ground down because it throws out the aesthetic balance of the portrait. There appear to be remnants of a necklace with a large drop jewel which sits in the valley of the bust (now removed) to the right of this on the right bust there is also evidence of something having been removed which to me as I have imaged it hundreds of times is the order of St George. If the left side has been altered it would make more sense artistically as the shoulder would balance out and there appear to be ribbons which have been removed on this shoulder. I know that the Queen was not happy (or the politicians) with the portrait and that Wyon had to return to the palace and Windsor to re-do it. There are no details of the changes in his diary and there are no serious remarks in Victoria's Diaries so I assume it was not a major problem, although you cannot of course surmise this on so slim evidence. My theory is that something went wrong and the original portrait was too "German" more akin to the Gothic either the politicians were either unhappy or the royal family unhappy with the losses or some combination of both. Why do we not have the patterns? Good question ! we do not have any records either. If it was part of the "Penny problem" you would hardly want to have reference to it for future consideration. It is also referenced that when they tried to use the original dies of the reverse the engraving was too deep and complicated and had to be simplified. As I have said Wyon was not happy with the mint and this could not have helped the relationship. It would be remarkable if a set of dies were cut and dramatically altered as Jerry has said to me the work involved is tremendous and if so you may as well start a fresh engraved set. If however the disasters occurred at such a rate as to make the re-presentation of the lost die designs anything seems possible. Then the question arises why would elements of a "lost " design continue to be present in subsequent dies? but if you are willing to allow for flaws to keep being reproduced like the colon and the C flaw and the E of REGINA on the halfpenny over and over again ....I remain confused sadly . Please correct me if I have misquoted any literature.
  25. DrLarry
    did you say that this lowest image is an 1860? the position fits with a series of what appear to be alterations running up along the portrait. I find this whole area around the base of the portrait very troubling primarily the cut off. On some specimens I have you can see a shadow of a continuance of a design past the D in the 1860's and 61's This engraving of the HONI SO is my pet hate it just does not fit somehow and is so poorly engraved as to sometimes seemed to have been an afterthought. other times it is more defined but still it seems very strange to have reference to the Garter insignia without any emblem of the Garter itself. Although I have a pet theory (as I often do!) about why the full motto is not included. At the same time the other side of the portrait also appears to have extended to include the bosom line dropping down in the position of the V. Which of course would mean that the lettering would have to be smaller to then fit into the available space. In many 1860's I have found as I am sure you all have relics of previous smaller letters with the older curly bases. Presumably these are repunched. On the issue of re-punching I am a little confused. They used steel letter punches and basically hammered these into the previous space so that when the coin is punched the outline would be the new punch? does that not put an awful lot of pressure on the metal of the die? would it not have been easier to re-engrave which seems a much more gentle approach to the problem? If I had watched the chaos of the attempts to introduce the Bronzes and was the supervisor seeing how problematic the dies were I would have been tempted to suggest a less aggressive method.
×
×
  • Create New...
Test