Any dies for sale?

[rpeddie]

Simple question from my usual waffling

Are there any British dies used for currencies in private hands and not held by museum/s?

I've always assumed that there was a counter fitting issue with this but now i'm swaying the other way thinking that if i were to personally own a YH Victoria half crown die the last thing i would want to do with it is to start hammering away at it and possibly damaging it.

and is my assumption that some trial dies are held in private hands? I'm sure i've read someplace that the designers/families got to keep these, mind you i read a-lot of rubbish

[rpeddie]

what made me think about this

[Rob]

A you have seen, they do appear occasionally. Your best bet for these is to make sure you check the main London sales. DNW seem to have the most eclectic offerings and is probably the best bet.

If you want images, the Royal Mint museum has a large number of dies which were listed in Hocking vol.2 (1910). No illustrations but it tells you the contents of the archive. I have a spare copy if you want it. When Graham Dyer was curator he would have given you all the info you wanted, but they are not very responsive these days IMO as most questions I have put to them have gone unanswered.

[ozjohn]

I was shown a pair of crown dies at a coin dealer in Fremantle West Australia. The dealer was Sterling & Currency Fremantle but I don't think they were for sale.

[azda]

I was shown a pair of crown dies at a coin dealer in Fremantle West Australia. The dealer was Sterling & Currency Fremantle but I don't think they were for sale.

I've seen some of his offerings, he's expensive in my opinion and his coins all seem to have a similar tone

[scottishmoney]

I was shown a pair of crown dies at a coin dealer in Fremantle West Australia. The dealer was Sterling & Currency Fremantle but I don't think they were for sale.

I've seen some of his offerings, he's expensive in my opinion and his coins all seem to have a similar tone

There is always something disconcerting about coins having similar tones - like cleaned and baked.