Let's See Your Copper Coins, Tokens, Or Medals!

[scott]

1789/9 in case you were wondering

massive flan crack from the time of minting

[scott]

[scott]

[scott]

not copper but bronze

[brg5658]

While the design of this token is a bit unflattering for poor "General Elliot"...I just loved the huge dentils around the design. Also, it's very well preserved for being 220+ years old.

[Peckris]

Tell you what, brg, your photography is superb. I always lose colour with copper...

Easily fixed in Photoshop:

(It sounds like you need to underexpose by at least one stop for copper? Maybe even more.)

Edited November 9, 2013 by Peckris

[Peckris]

"Reverse" :

three tokens rev 2.jpg

I'm curious if you can also list out the type of edge for these three tokens? All three of these have common varieties, and a handful of very uncommon edge varieties.

In order, the tokens you listed are:

Suffolk/Ipswich Conder's Halfpenny - D&H 25

Suffolk/Woodbridge Penny - D&H 15

Lanarkshire/Glasgow Halfpenny - D&H 8

The Suffolk token has a diagonal milled edge.

The Lanarkshire token is completely plain.

The Woodbridge penny says "PUBLISHED BY R.. LODER 1796 .* *." (incuse)

Probably all those are the common varieties, right?

Edited November 9, 2013 by Peckris

[declanwmagee]

(It sounds like you need to underexpose by at least one stop for copper? Maybe even more.)

Good tip, Peck - I'll try that!

I suspect I'm still set to overexpose by half a stop - that was the setting I came up with, with much ecperimentation, a few years ago. Of course, that was in the gloom of a bus under a railway viaduct!

Times have changed....

[Peckris]

(It sounds like you need to underexpose by at least one stop for copper? Maybe even more.)

Good tip, Peck - I'll try that!

I suspect I'm still set to overexpose by half a stop - that was the setting I came up with, with much ecperimentation, a few years ago. Of course, that was in the gloom of a bus under a railway viaduct!

Times have changed....

With few exceptions (e.g. snow) it's always better to UNDERexpose. The reason being that the other way, you can get blown-out highlights instead of dark shadows. However, you can pull out details hidden in the darkest shadows, but once a highlight is blown out to pure white, there's no way to pull it back to get detail.

[jaggy]

I'm not really a collector of copper or bronze coins. But, on occasion I do buy the odd one:

[brg5658]

"Reverse" :

three tokens rev 2.jpg

I'm curious if you can also list out the type of edge for these three tokens? All three of these have common varieties, and a handful of very uncommon edge varieties.

In order, the tokens you listed are:

Suffolk/Ipswich Conder's Halfpenny - D&H 25

Suffolk/Woodbridge Penny - D&H 15

Lanarkshire/Glasgow Halfpenny - D&H 8

The Suffolk token has a diagonal milled edge.

The Lanarkshire token is completely plain.

The Woodbridge penny says "PUBLISHED BY R.. LODER 1796 .* *." (incuse)

Probably all those are the common varieties, right?

All are common, but nice nonetheless

Suffolk/Ipswich Conder's Halfpenny, edge milled - D&H 35 (Common, it's DH35 - not 25 [typo on my part])

Suffolk/Woodbridge Penny, edge "PUBLISHED BY R. LODER..." - D&H 15 (Common)

Lanarkshire/Glasgow Halfpenny, edge plain - D&H 8 (Common)

[Gary D]

[ChKy]

searching through my collection I found something interesting for you...

[Coinery]

Tell you what, brg, your photography is superb. I always lose colour with copper...

Easily fixed in Photoshop:

1799Halfpenny5guns.jpg

(It sounds like you need to underexpose by at least one stop for copper? Maybe even more.)

Nice one, Peck!

[davidrj]

"Live free or die". Despite 'The Terror', you can't argue with that.

Very hard to find pretty bronze/copper from the Terror - some don't come in any grade better than this

2 Sols 1793 W minted at Lille - poor strike due to no copper available to add to the bell metal - R2 a similar one here

Coins better than VF from 1793/4 are most likely restrikes, those that aren't command 4 figure sums

Edited November 11, 2013 by davidrj

[brg5658]

I thought this pair was interesting...

[Peckris]

"Live free or die". Despite 'The Terror', you can't argue with that.

Very hard to find pretty bronze/copper from the Terror - some don't come in any grade better than this

2 Sols 1793 W minted at Lille - poor strike due to no copper available to add to the bell metal - R2 a similar one here

Coins better than VF from 1793/4 are most likely restrikes, those that aren't command 4 figure sums

"Men are equal before LALOI"? What's LALOI? I'd have thought God or Guillotine should be the right word here...

I thought this pair was interesting...

If I remember right, Martin Coles Harman was an eccentric (American?) who possibly had bought Lundy Isle or at least owned a good deal of its land - he decided to issue his own currency but again (if I remember right) he was prosecuted by HM Government and told in no uncertain terms that he couldn't. That's a nice pair you have there.

[davidrj]

"Men are equal before LALOI"? What's LALOI? I'd have thought God or Guillotine should be the right word here...

All men are equal under the law - The Terror though bloody did not last for long - La Terreur Revolutionaire declared 5 Sept 1793, Robespierre was guillotined 28 july 1794, Napoleon and the army gained power and influence until the Directoire was established 23 Sept 1795, Napoleon effectively military ruler by 26 October 1795. The Consulate under Napoleon 10 Nov 1799 - 18 May 1804, followed by his 1st Empire.

The Franc replaced the old LSD (Livres, sols & deniers) 15 August 1795, though copper coin of Louis XV, Louis XVI, the Constitutional, the Convention and the decimes and 5 centimes of the Directoire; circulated until demonetarised in 1856. Many coins not known in decent grades

[scott]

brokage

we talkin about these the wear is planchet thickness rather then real wear.

Edited November 11, 2013 by scott

[davidrj]

If I remember right, Martin Coles Harman was an eccentric (American?) who possibly had bought Lundy Isle or at least owned a good deal of its land - he decided to issue his own currency but again (if I remember right) he was prosecuted by HM Government and told in no uncertain terms that he couldn't. That's a nice pair you have there.

Lundy Puffins

[davidrj]

brokage

we talkin about these the wear is planchet thickness rather then real wear.

Dunno what the top one is, the lower coin was minted in Year 6 of the Republic ( 1796-7) and also was legal tender until 1856, similar 1 centime were issued 1848-1851. There was also a very unpopular and heavilly forged billon 10 centime 1808-1810

[Gary1000]

If I remember right, Martin Coles Harman was an eccentric (American?) who possibly had bought Lundy Isle or at least owned a good deal of its land - he decided to issue his own currency but again (if I remember right) he was prosecuted by HM Government and told in no uncertain terms that he couldn't. That's a nice pair you have there.

Lundy Puffins

Being effectively fantasy pieces I'm a little suprised to see them being slabbed.

[davidrj]

They did see limited use for trade on the mainland - hence the prosecution

Being effectively fantasy pieces I'm a little suprised to see them being slabbed.

I think far more dubious pieces get slabbed - business is business

[brg5658]

I thought this pair was interesting...

If I remember right, Martin Coles Harman was an eccentric (American?) who possibly had bought Lundy Isle or at least owned a good deal of its land - he decided to issue his own currency but again (if I remember right) he was prosecuted by HM Government and told in no uncertain terms that he couldn't. That's a nice pair you have there.

Harman was born in Sussex, so not an American. However, I think your assessment of him having been "eccentric" is probably accurate. He bought ALL of Lundy Isle in 1924, declared himself King, and issued the half puffin and puffin by 1929. Some of these coins did actually see circulation as money on the island, so I would not consider them strictly "fantasy" pieces. Eventually, Harman was prosecuted, but fined a laughably small amount. After his prosecution, the remainder of the coins were withdrawn and remain collector pieces today. The restrike/reissue pieces of 1965 (in both copper and gilt) of the same design are considered truly fantasy pieces.

Being effectively fantasy pieces I'm a little suprised to see them being slabbed.

With regard to the "slabbing", I hear the deeply entrenched hatred of plastic on the other side of the pond and it's a little tiring. But, for my collecting interests, 1) I never pay a premium for plastic, and 2) the plastic does offer some additional protection from the elements and mishandling. As I have mentioned before, any collector who systematically and dogmatically avoids slabbed coins will miss out on a lot of high quality items. I buy what I like, and have over the course of the last decade or so developed a very picky taste. If it happens to be in plastic, so be it. The coin is the coin, anything else is a distraction from the hobby.

[davidrj]

The restrike/reissue pieces of 1965 (in both copper and gilt) of the same design are considered truly fantasy pieces.

as are the 2011 sets