Hammered farthing in need of I.D

[Michael-Roo]

Images attached.

Amulets in the obverse field either side of the bust? May help to pin it down.

[Michael-Roo]

Amulets?

My apologies. Annulets….

[Geordie582]

:Looks like Henry VI of Calais, but I can't be sure. The photo is too blurred for my old eyes to decipher!!! Spinks 1852?

[Michael-Roo]

I've tried to get a sharper photo of the obverse (attached). Difficult to get a sharp image of such a tiny coin….

[Geordie582]

Yes ! I'll stick with my first impression. The annulets seem to be a little smaller than normal, but clear enough.

[Michael-Roo]

Thank you Geordie.

The other possibility (?) is Spink 1912A. I see that one does display smaller annulets. What do you think?

[HistoricCoinage]

It's a Henry VII halfpenny, by the looks of it.

[HistoricCoinage]

Or Henry VIII. What's the diameter in mm?

[Michael-Roo]

Hi Clive.

Not round (as you can see) so:

11mm wide diameter. 9mm narrow diameter.

My digi scales have a graduation of 0.1g. It reads 0.3g!

[Colin G.]

Probably too large for a farthing then, more likely to be a halfpenny as Clive says.

[Michael-Roo]

The distinctive sloping shoulders may help identify it? Annulets too.

[HistoricCoinage]

I'm not convinced that they're annulets. The one on the right is definitely a die flaw or excess 'blob' on the blank, and the one on the left isn't regular.

It's got the distinctive Tudor portrait, and so I'd be inclined to say it's Henry VII like this: http://www.historiccoinage.com/shop.php?action=full&id=1001 but I'd need better images to be sure.

[Michael-Roo]

They do look similar, don't they.

One thing I notice though: mine has a bust which looks smaller within the inner circle than yours does.

You're probably right about the annulets, though they do seem more pronounced in the first photo I took, even though its not as sharp as the second.

[HistoricCoinage]

One thing I notice though: mine has a bust which looks smaller within the inner circle than yours does.

Yep, there are many varieties in this series. Larger/clearer images and more precise measurements would narrow it down considerably.

[Michael-Roo]

Here it is next to a coin I did buy as a hammered halfpenny. You're right, I think. Even though the other coin is a little larger the inner circles are the same size on both. Can you identify this second coin?

[HistoricCoinage]

These photos are much better!

Both are Henry VIII as you can make out SPI on the obverse which is part of the "h DG ROSA SPIA" legend typical of these issues.

The one on the left is London and Spink 2356. The one on the right looks to be the same, as I can make out "ON D" on the reverse.

[Michael-Roo]

Thank you again.

I bought the coin with which I began this thread as an 'unresearched hammered farthing' around two or three years ago. The one I've since added to the photo was bought as 'hammered halfpenny, possibly ED I-ED III' around the same time. Nothing groundbreaking but, as the total cost for the two came in at about £12, definitely worth having! :-)

[Michael-Roo]

You can see can't you, how someone like me who is out of his comfort zone when attempting to I.D tiny hammered coins like these, can get it wrong.

I was convinced the first coin was showing annulets, as per 1912A or, as Geordie suggested: 1852.

[HistoricCoinage]

Very much so! Smaller denominations can be notoriously hard to identify. Nice additions for £12, though!