1938 Darktone Penny

[Guest Robina]

Hi everyone,

Have just come across this forum,and really think this is just what I am looking for.Breifly,I have been collecting British pennies for about 40 years,what some would call a series collector.I have virtually every date from 1860 - 1070 in top grades.I was given the first edition of Check Your Change by my dad and then spent every waking hour looking for a 1933 penny.I never found one!

With me,collecting comes and goes.I go years buying absolutely nothing,then go crazy,go undercover.and spend a small fortune for a few months.

However,I digress. What I woukld like is anyones opinions on a few pennies I have that are unrecorded, and that I would welcome any second views on.The first is a 1946 DOT after ONE of ONE PENNY.It seems to be a mint identification mark,and was certainly used on other dates,but 1946 ?

The other coin is a mint darkened 1938.This was usual for 1944 45 & 46 but as far as I know,unheard of for this year.There is no mistaking the dark toning,as is is identical as for the other years. Does anyone have a similar coin.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Robina

[scottishmoney]

The only coins darkened by the Royal Mint were the ca. WWI era farthings, because they could be confused for a half sovereign. Anything else would have been a chemical or environmental event after it left the mint.

[Gary D]

The only coins darkened by the Royal Mint were the ca. WWI era farthings, because they could be confused for a half sovereign. Anything else would have been a chemical or environmental event after it left the mint.

1934 and most of 1935 pennies were mint toned, as well as 1944-46. Freeman states that " some pennies of other years (George VI) also appear to have been treated with 'hypo' unofficially". The 1946 with dot is well recorded and not uncommon in worn grades.

Gary

[custard1966]

Hi everyone,

Have just come across this forum,and really think this is just what I am looking for.Breifly,I have been collecting British pennies for about 40 years,what some would call a series collector.I have virtually every date from 1860 - 1070 in top grades.I was given the first edition of Check Your Change by my dad and then spent every waking hour looking for a 1933 penny.I never found one!

With me,collecting comes and goes.I go years buying absolutely nothing,then go crazy,go undercover.and spend a small fortune for a few months.

However,I digress. What I woukld like is anyones opinions on a few pennies I have that are unrecorded, and that I would welcome any second views on.The first is a 1946 DOT after ONE of ONE PENNY.It seems to be a mint identification mark,and was certainly used on other dates,but 1946 ?

The other coin is a mint darkened 1938.This was usual for 1944 45 & 46 but as far as I know,unheard of for this year.There is no mistaking the dark toning,as is is identical as for the other years. Does anyone have a similar coin.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Robina

The DOT on the 1946 penny is usually described as a die flaw.

Some 1897 pennies have a similar flaw.

[josie]

Yes Freeman wrote that other coins where treated with hypo besides the official one and also mentioned that other may surface.

What Hypo looks like?

And what other coins in pennies recorded with hypo treatment besides the official one?

[DaveG38]

Hi,

Hypo is correctly known as Sodium Thiosulphate. It comes in crystalline form as colourless water soluble crystals and coins will have been treated with a solution rather than in any other form. Its chemical formula is Na₂S₂O₃. Its effect in darkening coins is to produce a layer of sulphide on the surface of bronze coins. Copper Sulphide is black - hence the darkening on the surface.

Hope this helps.

DaveG38

[Gary D]

Hi,

Hypo is correctly known as Sodium Thiosulphate. It comes in crystalline form as colourless water soluble crystals and coins will have been treated with a solution rather than in any other form. Its chemical formula is Na₂S₂O₃. Its effect in darkening coins is to produce a layer of sulphide on the surface of bronze coins. Copper Sulphide is black - hence the darkening on the surface.

Hope this helps.

DaveG38

Hi Dave,

Is this a same treatment that the late vicie to 1918 farthings received as they seem much darker to black than the GVI pennies.

Gary

[josie]

Thats good info and guide.

Look burnt or charchoaled liked?

[DaveG38]

I don't know which coins were treated with hypo and whether any other treatments were used in the past, so I am afraid I don't know whether the 1918 farthings were darkened in this way. However, hypo has been around for a long time, so I wouldn't be surprised to find it was used. It's also traditionally used for 'fixing' in black and white photography, and this goes back to the earliest photos in the 19 century.

DaveG38