1860 over 59 Pennies.....are they

[Colin88]

....really that rare?....currently I know where there are 7 for sale ....I'm sure with a little effort and a few phone calls I could track down a few more......??

[Peckris]

....really that rare?....currently I know where there are 7 for sale ....I'm sure with a little effort and a few phone calls I could track down a few more......??

The penny is certainly the least rare of the three 1860 copper coins.

[Michael-Roo]

If you can get EF for 2 grand or less, scoop them all up!

[RLC35]

....really that rare?....currently I know where there are 7 for sale ....I'm sure with a little effort and a few phone calls I could track down a few more......??

The penny is certainly the least rare of the three 1860 copper coins.

Spink has the Farthing and Half Penny at about twice the value of the Penny. They show the Penny (EF) at 3,750, and Unc. at 6,000 (pounds). Still the Penny is not "Common!"

[VickySilver]

Uhhh, demand might just provide a bit of an answer and especially for the nicer specimens. I remember the Colin Adams specimen as particularly noteworthy...

[copper123]

There tend to be a lot of penny collectors so the market sez it all really , I would have a guess at there being around 50 copper pennies and less than 10 copper farthings and halfpennies.

it is true that you often see them for sale - remember the same coin is sometimes put for sale with two or more dealers - increases the chance of a sale

[PWA 1967]

Think the point of different dealers/auction house makes the difference.Its a penny i have been looking to purchase.Not really common in a good grade,but see the same coin numerous times.

[VickySilver]

Copper brought up an excellent point - often the same coin IS listed in multiple venues....

[PWA 1967]

Yes vicky thats what i meant see the same coin numerous times

[Colin88]

Yup...all true but these are 7 different ones...

Its like when I went to buy a supposedly very rare 1841 Sovereign...after making a few calls and putting the word out I was inundated with them in only a few days...same as a Cromwell broad....loads of them in reality....I bet that if I wanted to, I could lay find half a dozen triple unites in a day......so are these coins really rare?

I've tried hard to find a 4 Real with the octagonal Geo III countermark for over 5 years....its a £400 coin....cant find one for love nor money...thats what I call rare......

[Peckris]

Yup...all true but these are 7 different ones...

Its like when I went to buy a supposedly very rare 1841 Sovereign...after making a few calls and putting the word out I was inundated with them in only a few days...same as a Cromwell broad....loads of them in reality....I bet that if I wanted to, I could lay find half a dozen triple unites in a day......so are these coins really rare?

I've tried hard to find a 4 Real with the octagonal Geo III countermark for over 5 years....its a £400 coin....cant find one for love nor money...thats what I call rare......

Hah! Really really high grade 1806 halfpenny, anyone? Can't find one to match my other two denominations, not for love nor money, yet it's 'supposedly' a very common coin. :angry:

Edited August 21, 2014 by Peckris

[VickySilver]

Hmmm, Colin I think you might be leaving one big and one moderate factor out.

Big: as I've said, demand is there and likely more than for the counter marked 4 real

Moderate (but linked): Condition - try to find a top GEF specimen of either the 60/59 with some decent lustre and lacking handling marks - or the '41 sov in top condition which I would define as EF or above.

[declanwmagee]

Hah! Really really high grade 1806 halfpenny, anyone? Can't find one to match my other two denominations, not for love nor money, yet it's 'supposedly' a very common coin. :angry:

[copper123]

MMMMMM very nice - shame about the light strike though , and do i detect a bit of wear on the curls between the ear and the nose .

A far from perfect coin , rev is far better

[Peckris]

MMMMMM very nice - shame about the light strike though , and do i detect a bit of wear on the curls between the ear and the nose .

A far from perfect coin , rev is far better

Agreed. I think the strike is one reason why they are so difficult to find compared with the penny and farthing - perhaps there was some problem with the halfpennies as they rarely have that desired crispness? Gorgeous reverse though.

[Rob]

I think the halfpenny dies were used to destruction. Halfpennies are by far the commonest of the three denominations and presumably they were the ones in greatest demand. The lack of crispness is in the main down to the design which has quite a low relief laurel wreath, but there are a few contributing factors also. The reverse is usually crisply struck.

One thing you see more often on halfpennies is the weakness in the legend. I have ascribed this to a build up of rubbish over time which blocked the dies. This blocking tends to be of annular form which I suspect might be the result of a small amount of play in the die fixing mechanism leading to slight rotation during operation which in turn would allow the rubbish to spread itself along the circumference. It is worth noting that the blocking only seems to occur where the legend is on the die. This is a significant factor in the apparent lack of crispness.

The relatively low relief of the obverse design can be seen from the attached. The K43 halfpennies in the various metals are the only Soho proof (halfpenny) struck from currency dies. Ironically, the reverse die chosen for the type has two long flaws and is presumably an old and somewhat knackered die, meaning you see better on a regular currency piece. Apologies for the trimmed edges necessary to keep it under 500Kb.

[Peter]

Bloody hell Rob.

That is = to one of Dave's dinner plates

[Peckris]

I think the halfpenny dies were used to destruction. Halfpennies are by far the commonest of the three denominations and presumably they were the ones in greatest demand. The lack of crispness is in the main down to the design which has quite a low relief laurel wreath, but there are a few contributing factors also. The reverse is usually crisply struck.

One thing you see more often on halfpennies is the weakness in the legend. I have ascribed this to a build up of rubbish over time which blocked the dies. This blocking tends to be of annular form which I suspect might be the result of a small amount of play in the die fixing mechanism leading to slight rotation during operation which in turn would allow the rubbish to spread itself along the circumference. It is worth noting that the blocking only seems to occur where the legend is on the die. This is a significant factor in the apparent lack of crispness.

The relatively low relief of the obverse design can be seen from the attached. The K43 halfpennies in the various metals are the only Soho proof (halfpenny) struck from currency dies. Ironically, the reverse die chosen for the type has two long flaws and is presumably an old and somewhat knackered die, meaning you see better on a regular currency piece. Apologies for the trimmed edges necessary to keep it under 500Kb.

Thanks for the info Rob. I'll keep looking out for a topnotch currency 1806 halfpenny though it might be a long wait.