identification Bronze proof or just cleaned copper coins?

[bensharp27]

I have been collecting coins for 15 years or so since my grandfather left some coins to my father (who gave them to me).  I love researching them and learning the history, significance and value of them.

I have been picking up some British coins along the way and am only now going through what I have.  I noticed a couple of the Pennies look different than the rest and I am not sure what I am looking at.  It appears there were Bronze proof coins made these years, but I would not presume that to be likely since I didn't get these from a dealer or anything (they were just among others in a collection I picked up at an auction some years ago).  

They are 1927 and 1934 one penny coins.  I would upload images, but not sure how (keep getting an error about the files being too large to upload)?  How can I tell if they are something worth more of a look or relegated to sale on ebay as cleaned coins (with a lower value than the others)?  Also, is there anything I should be looking for in 1900 and up one penny coins?

Thank you all for your time!

 

 

[Paddy]

Welcome @bensharp27 to the forum!

We do need to see pictures. You need to crop and/or resize your photos to a max 500Kb.

How you do this depends on what system you are on. I am on Windows and use Photoscape X, which is free, to manage my pics. If you tell us what system you are on, others can advise.

As to telling Proofs from business strikes - there is no simple catch all approach and much depends on experience. Unfortunately in this modern era of Ebay and AI, many coins are being described as proof or proof-like when they are nothing like that good!

 

[bensharp27]

Thank you!  I am on Windows and will look at trying to crop with that software and post a couple pictures.

[bensharp27]

Ok - I cropped and reduced the quality of the picture to get something I can post

Let me know what you think or if I need to try to get a better picture.

 

[bensharp27]

1934

[bensharp27]

[Peckris 2]

Not proofs I'm afraid - they've been polished, which occurs a lot. Unfortunately that reduces the value a great deal, but those aren’t high value coins  so that's  a  back handed way  of   saying  you  haven't lost  a  lot! 

[Rob]

Cleaned. Proofs have features not often seen on currency coins such as sharp rims/edges, sharper milling. Reflective fields (with a few exceptions) which have no hairlines which would indicate cleaning. Lettering is sharper and more precise in terms of angles and everything about them tends to scream 'special strike' when compared side by side with one from your pocket. 

[Rob]

Not KGV pennies, but to demonstrate what I mean, a couple of 1938 halfpennies. Proof first

[Rob]

Currency 1938 halfpenny. 

It is worth noting that the rims are not as good on the KGV coins as the later ones, but it was only with the introduction of the smaller head in 1926/7 that they started to make serious numbers of sets on a regular basis.  

[bensharp27]

Thank you, everyone!!  I greatly appreciate this insight and I will keep my eyes open for those signs.  I suspect most of my collection is made up of pretty ordinary old pennies and half-pennies, but wanted to make sure I didn't overlook something worth keeping