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22 hours ago, Rob said:

Peck was definitely not mainstream literature for the masses. At the time the second edition was printed, you were looking at around a fiver for a book. The same price as Seaby's were asking for a gFine Elizabeth I milled 3d or an EF Chas.II 2d. Colin Cooke once said to me that many of his customers didn't have reference books, and a good number didn't even have a copy of Spink/Seaby. The reluctance to 'waste' money on useful books is an age old problem.

I remember in the late 60s I'd calculated that if I cashed in savings certificates I'd probably near enough have the £5/5s/6d the local bookshop had quoted me to order a copy. Somehow though, there were parties to go to, albums to buy, bicycles to repair .. and I never bought it then. You're right, a fiver was a small fortune back then, though still reasonable value for Peck.

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Does anyone know the rarity of the 1854 half penny V over inverted A ?

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23 hours ago, Peckris 2 said:

I remember in the late 60s I'd calculated that if I cashed in savings certificates I'd probably near enough have the £5/5s/6d the local bookshop had quoted me to order a copy. Somehow though, there were parties to go to, albums to buy, bicycles to repair .. and I never bought it then. You're right, a fiver was a small fortune back then, though still reasonable value for Peck.

It is an amazing book, and of course being it about coins from a previous era, it never ages. The information gathered and presented, being as useful and relevant today, as it was in 1958. Despite a few new varieties being discovered since then.

I got mine for £50 hammer at the September 2016 DNW auction. The £50 being a reduction from the £60 lower estimate, by the auctioneer, as nobody else was interested. The buyer had written February 1967 as the date purchased, and above that, in pencil, is £5-12-6 as the retail price then operating. 

The book is so large and comprehensive, that in checking the price and date before posting on here, I started reading the section about Tayor restrikes. Really interesting stuff.  

Have you got one now, Chris?

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16 hours ago, 1949threepence said:

It is an amazing book, and of course being it about coins from a previous era, it never ages. The information gathered and presented, being as useful and relevant today, as it was in 1958. Despite a few new varieties being discovered since then.

I got mine for £50 hammer at the September 2016 DNW auction. The £50 being a reduction from the £60 lower estimate, by the auctioneer, as nobody else was interested. The buyer had written February 1967 as the date purchased, and above that, in pencil, is £5-12-6 as the retail price then operating. 

The book is so large and comprehensive, that in checking the price and date before posting on here, I started reading the section about Tayor restrikes. Really interesting stuff.  

Have you got one now, Chris?

I do - cost me £105 at auction in 2002 or 2003. It's the 1964 edition and it had its dust cover which has sadly become rather torn and marmalised since I got it. :(

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24 minutes ago, Peckris 2 said:

I do - cost me £105 at auction in 2002 or 2003. It's the 1964 edition and it had its dust cover which has sadly become rather torn and marmalised since I got it. :(

Indeed, mine's also the 1964 edition, but no dust cover.

When you think of the time, hard work and sheer dedication that went into producing the book, you really do have to take your hat off to Peck. 

I doubt we shall see his like again.  

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On 11/22/2022 at 12:30 PM, DrLarry said:

Does anyone know the rarity of the 1854 half penny V over inverted A ?

I've seen about a dozen over the years, nearly all lower grader. Are you asking because I have one currently for sale on ebay?

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1 hour ago, alfnail said:

I've seen about a dozen over the years, nearly all lower grader. Are you asking because I have one currently for sale on ebay?

No I was just interested I have one at a reasonable grade and could not find any references to them in terms of the rarity.  I did look at yours the other day though,  thanks so much fr replying 

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2 hours ago, 1949threepence said:

Indeed, mine's also the 1964 edition, but no dust cover.

When you think of the time, hard work and sheer dedication that went into producing the book, you really do have to take your hat off to Peck. 

I doubt we shall see his like again.  

I got a first edition for about £100 about 5 years ago, from Canada I think. It really is a great book.

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2 hours ago, Iannich48 said:

I got a first edition for about £100 about 5 years ago, from Canada I think. It really is a great book.

Well done. You don't see many first editions. They're mostly the 1964 or 1970 reprints.

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39 minutes ago, 1949threepence said:

Well done. You don't see many first editions. They're mostly the 1964 or 1970 reprints.

It's often less good to have the first edition of a coin work - as a lot of work goes into updating or correcting things! I have a first edition Freeman but I wish I had the 1980s second edition...

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3 minutes ago, Peckris 2 said:

It's often less good to have the first edition of a coin work - as a lot of work goes into updating or correcting things! I have a first edition Freeman but I wish I had the 1980s second edition...

That is true, but it's the cache of a first edition which is important.

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37 minutes ago, 1949threepence said:

That is true, but it's the cache of a first edition which is important.

I'm not sure cachet applies to learned numismatic works? It's very much a minority market! Ask 100 people if they know what book Peck wrote and I'd be very surprised if even 1 got it right (it would definitely be a Pointless answer :lol: )...

Edited by Peckris 2
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My second edition Peck with dust jacket cost me £12 from a secondhand bookshop in Abergavenny in the early ‘80’s, when I was a junior doctor in the local hospital,  and freshly married (same wife). It seemed expensive to me then,  when I was buying lustrous Victorian pennies for a few pounds from Lloyd Bennett in the Tuesday market. The book is still in my bookcase,  but I use a ‘reading copy’ without dj that I acquired somewhere since.

Jerry

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1 hour ago, Peckris 2 said:

I'm not sure cachet applies to learned numismatic works? It's very much a minority market! Ask 100 people if they know what book Peck wrote and I'd be very surprised if even 1 got it right (it would definitely be a Pointless answer :lol: )...

OK, opinions will vary. I'd sooner have one anyway. 

 

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It is so easy to lose the will to keep going when trying to understand the obverses of the 1860 penny ............:wacko:

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On 11/20/2022 at 11:42 PM, 1949threepence said:

Depends how you define "recent". Peck referred to small date 1858 specimens, over 60 years ago. 

 

48 minutes ago, alfnail said:

All very interesting..... but ebay's best offerings? 😁 

I think it may have started with my post above, Ian, and went on from there into a full blown discussion about Peck.

Such mini debates are often engendered by well meaning and innocuous observations.

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22 hours ago, DrLarry said:

It is so easy to lose the will to keep going when trying to understand the obverses of the 1860 penny ............:wacko:

I cannot think of anything better than counting teeth on these😁

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46 minutes ago, Iannich48 said:

I cannot think of anything better than counting teeth on these😁

I suppose it has one advantage it saves having to  watch football....but then I am a man that watches paint dry most days .  I suspect  someone will develop an app one day soon that counts teeth 

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On 11/25/2022 at 10:37 AM, DrLarry said:

I suppose it has one advantage it saves having to  watch football....but then I am a man that watches paint dry most days .  I suspect  someone will develop an app one day soon that counts teeth 

No need - my dentist already does, and the job is easier every time I visit. ;)

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2 hours ago, Peckris 2 said:

No need - my dentist already does, and the job is easier every time I visit. ;)

i had thought a dentist might be our best bet.....he/ she  has about an equal chance of working out these teeth 

Edited by DrLarry
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Again - same seller as before - this seems to be a great offer. But do I detect verd by the second N of Britannia?

link  

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13 hours ago, 1949threepence said:

Again - same seller as before - this seems to be a great offer. But do I detect verd by the second N of Britannia?

link  

Yes, looks green. I thought that they called it green toning or patina these days😁

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3 hours ago, Iannich48 said:

Yes, looks green. I thought that they called it green toning or patina these days😁

Euphemism for "it's really not verdigris, just your imagination".

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