Halfpenny ID check

[copper123]

1 hour ago, Bronze & Copper Collector said:

I've found the A to the RIGHT of the lighthouse to be the scarcest followed by the B. 

Die letter A appears to me  to the most common in either of the letter positions to the LEFT of the lighthouse.

Die letter C follows with same observation regarding either of its two letter positions.

Die letter B is next scarcest followed the die letter A to right of the lighthouse.

Years ago I had posted images of these in the forum. Can't seem to find them now. Probably using incorrect search parameters.

 

I myself found a A in fair grade (but very clear) it was the more common A to the left .

I sold it as I did not consider it collectable in that grade as it had been polished as well and I am a bit old school on polishing (I hate it)

Heres hopeing I find another

[mrbadexample]

28 minutes ago, copper123 said:

I sold it as I did not consider it collectable in that grade as it had been polished as well and I am a bit old school on polishing (I hate it)

I hate it too, but if you cart it about in your pocket with the rest of your change for about a year you can take the shine off it and make it look a bit better.

I'd have kept it, but then I keep everything.

[Bronze & Copper Collector]

2 hours ago, Bronze & Copper Collector said:

I've found the A to the RIGHT of the lighthouse to be the scarcest followed by the B. 

Die letter A appears to me  to the most common in either of the letter positions to the LEFT of the lighthouse.

Die letter C follows with same observation regarding either of its two letter positions.

Die letter B is next scarcest followed the die letter A to right of the lighthouse.

Years ago I had posted images of these in the forum. Can't seem to find them now. Probably using incorrect search parameters.

 

I think that this is the link.

Link to Thread with Images

[Zo Arms]

1 hour ago, Bronze & Copper Collector said:

I think that this is the link.

Link to Thread with Images

Extremely informative thread Gary. Thanks for taking the time to find it.

I would imagine that your wants list is minimal.🙂

[copper123]

[Mr T]

8 hours ago, Martinminerva said:

Not true! Reverse I lighthouse also has two windows as picture above shows, albeit masonry is a bit heavier (and akin to reverse F as Zo Arms says above).

Yes you're right - there are fainter lower windows. Maybe I meant there are no upper windows when I wrote that - I don't have a reverse I in hand but it doesn't look like there aren't upper windows.

[jelida]

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

[jelida]

A decent 1871.

[Iannich48]

1 hour ago, jelida said:

A decent 1871.

Thanks Jerry. Those coins are more than decent.

[jelida]

a HALP halfpenny, 7 + G from Ebay

[jelida]

My 1861 B over R in BRITT, 7 + G

[Bronze & Copper Collector]

2 hours ago, jelida said:

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

A lovely specimen

[Bronze & Copper Collector]

3 minutes ago, jelida said:

a HALP halfpenny, 7 + G from Ebay

Much scarcer than the 6 & g HALP penny.

[copper123]

3 hours ago, jelida said:

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

That reverse is not  near unc  in fact its not EF obverse is much better. Makes me jealous though.....

Edited January 18, 2022 by copper123

[jelida]

19 minutes ago, copper123 said:

That reverse is not  near unc  in fact its not EF obverse is much better. Makes me jealous though.....

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

[copper123]

I agree could be die wear , collectors will still mark it down prob a grade because of lack of clarity on the reverse , still worth around £1700 though.....

If it were a penny of similar rarity it would be £6000

[jelida]

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

[Bruce]

5 minutes ago, jelida said:

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

Thank you Jerry for sharing all above lovely halfpennies in your collection.  200% agree that you won't dispose it, coz taking it out and have a look is already a big enjoyment.  Cheers, and thanks again for your sharing.

[copper123]

It is a unique rarity and so great seeing it on here thanks

[copper123]

20 hours ago, jelida said:

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

Any chance being remembered in your will?!

[Peckris 2]

On 1/18/2022 at 6:48 PM, jelida said:

a HALP halfpenny, 7 + G from Ebay

No reflection on your particular example, but is the HALP a genuine variety? It always looks as though the upper and middle serifs of the F have met due to some die irregularity. To my eyes it looks nothing like the P in PENNY.

[Mr T]

On 1/19/2022 at 6:20 AM, jelida said:

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?

Good point - has there ever been a true explanation of die numbers on the silver coins, or is all we have speculation?

[jelida]

3 hours ago, Peckris 2 said:

No reflection on your particular example, but is the HALP a genuine variety? It always looks as though the upper and middle serifs of the F have met due to some die irregularity. To my eyes it looks nothing like the P in PENNY.

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

[Peckris 2]

21 hours ago, jelida said:

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

The main problem seems to be the left hand edge of each letter: on the supposed overstrike F/P, the serifs extend at exact right angles, like they do on the L. However, the P of penny has a regular curve extending from the bottom to the top on the left hand side; this makes the serifs rounded rather than extending straight at right angles.

[jelida]

7 minutes ago, Peckris 2 said:

The main problem seems to be the left hand edge of each letter: on the supposed overstrike F/P, the serifs extend at exact right angles, like they do on the L. However, the P of penny has a regular curve extending from the bottom to the top on the left hand side; this makes the serifs rounded rather than extending straight at right angles.

This would be true if the letter punch were held truly vertically, but not if the strike was made at a slight angle. Many of the overstruck letters and digits we see are partial.  
 

Jerry