Edward Cont. Sterlings…Does anyone have knowledge of these?

[Coinery]

In this example the letters, especially the W & A, and also the obverse legend is wrong for starters! Maybe a Class 5-style pellet on chest, not sure?

I don’t have the coin in-hand, yet, but would probably be looking to sell it anyway.

Can anyone share some insight into it? I know very little about the continental imitations themselves?

[Coinery]

[Coinery]

Or is it simply a class 9 legend error?

It does look as though that rust has gone right through the flan?

Edited Tuesday at 11:42 PM by Coinery

[Citizen H]

Sorry I cant help, However..... interesting find....I will be waiting for the others to chip in with assistance 👍  

[Coinery]

I may have jumped the gun, labelling this an imitation sterling! I’ve since discovered there’s actually a known class 9a coin with an ANL error and pellet on the breast, which is footnoted as extremely rare. I’d need to get a look at it in-hand…I’d be hoping that the S is top-tilted (it currently looks like it could be a mix of serifs)!

We’ll see  

[Ukstu]

On 10/7/2026 at 12:38 AM, Coinery said:

Or is it simply a class 9 legend error?

It does look as though that rust has gone right through the flan?

It has a bit but its only a minuscule hole i think. It's looking promising for that rare one though

Fingers crossed 🤞

Stu.

[Coys55]

13 hours ago, Coinery said:

I may have jumped the gun, labelling this an imitation sterling! I’ve since discovered there’s actually a known class 9a coin with an ANL error and pellet on the breast, which is footnoted as extremely rare. I’d need to get a look at it in-hand…I’d be hoping that the S is top-tilted (it currently looks like it could be a mix of serifs)!

We’ll see  

Yes, the Galata Guide has a 9a2 with the ANL error. I'm not 100% sure that is a pellet on the breast though, rather than just a slightly outsized pellet in the beading. The S on the reverse is badly worn, but the one on the obverse does look top-tilted to me.

My opinion is that it's a 9a2 rather than an imitation sterling, but I have to admit that I'm not an expert on either series. Surprisingly (to me) though I've just counted 45 long cross in my collection. Only one sterling though. 

 

[Coinery]

2 hours ago, Coys55 said:

Yes, the Galata Guide has a 9a2 with the ANL error. I'm not 100% sure that is a pellet on the breast though, rather than just a slightly outsized pellet in the beading. The S on the reverse is badly worn, but the one on the obverse does look top-tilted to me.

My opinion is that it's a 9a2 rather than an imitation sterling, but I have to admit that I'm not an expert on either series. Surprisingly (to me) though I've just counted 45 long cross in my collection. Only one sterling though. 

 

Many thanks for your thoughts, Coys, much appreciated! You may be absolutely right on all counts…it would be easy to see how just the slightest flattening of that bead/pellet could convince anyone that it is indeed a pellet! The jury is out for me at the moment.

The little fishtail serifs on the reverse S do suggest to me that we’d be looking at a mule if the obverse S is top-tilted? There are a few different possibilities in the SCBI 39, and the coin should be in-hand shortly to verify. It was a throwaway coin in a small bulk lot, so the pictures are not great.

[Coys55]

1 hour ago, Coinery said:

Many thanks for your thoughts, Coys, much appreciated! You may be absolutely right on all counts…it would be easy to see how just the slightest flattening of that bead/pellet could convince anyone that it is indeed a pellet! The jury is out for me at the moment.

The little fishtail serifs on the reverse S do suggest to me that we’d be looking at a mule if the obverse S is top-tilted? There are a few different possibilities in the SCBI 39, and the coin should be in-hand shortly to verify. It was a throwaway coin in a small bulk lot, so the pictures are not great.

I'm also wondering about the "rust". If it is indeed rust rather than soil or another type of silver corrosion that would certainly be a highly debased batch of silver.

[Coinery]

Because the ‘rust’ is so localised I feel it may not be part of the coin’s alloy at all? My gut instinct is that it’s been historically impaled by something iron, and that the impaling object has long-since corroded away…a bit like you see in old wood, sometimes, where old nails have become nothing but a crumbled orange deposit in a char-like blackened hole - which is testament to the endurance of wood over iron, that’s for sure!