Hey Darksiders! I bought a few British coins...wanna help me out by identifying them for me?

TheLiberator

I bought these for 8 bucks each and I am happy with them because I like them for their age and neat design. That is the most important thing when buying as we all know! But, since I know nothing about the market for British coins, or indeed, ANY non us-coin, did I pay an ok price for them market wise? I was in a little coin shop in boston vacationing and i thought I'd pick these babies up. I guess they are farthings? ANY help would be appreciated!

Thanks!!
(Forgive the BUTCHERED photoshop job!!

historygeek

Lighter images please!

lordmarcovan

Farthings are smaller coins than those.

The first is a 1799 halfpenny, which I'd grade around G+ to VG (probably G6, to use an Americanized numerical grade). It's absurdly low in the Krause catalog, with most varieties listing for $3 in VG and $6-8 in Fine. So by Krause (my second edition, anyway), you overpaid a little for that one, but not terribly. In real-world eBay action, I would imagine they usually go for as much or more than you paid, and I have always thought the catalog terribly low on 18th century circulated British and French copper and Spanish silver.

The second is a 1797 "Cartwheel" penny struck at Soho (unless that's a bigger 2.5" X 2.5" crown-sized holder, in which case it's a Cartwheel 2-pence piece). These were among the very first coins to be struck on steam presses. They were very unpopular in their own time, for their inconvenient size, but all the more popular with collectors today because of that. The penny lists at $8.00 in Fine, but yours is only a Good (G4) at best, maybe even AG3. So again, you overpaid a little, if we consider the catalog price, but you didn't do so terribly, noting my previous comments above.

Neat purchases- welcome to the Dark. It was a cheap, well-circulated British halfpenny (an 1806, for five bucks) that was one of my very first Darkside purchases, over 20 years ago. Those cheap oldies can be very habit forming.

TheLiberator

Pictures lightened!

Thanks Lord M! As always, you are full of interesting info! I figured I was probably overpaying, but I liked them and I wasn't really shopping for expensive coins that day.

thanks again!!

lordmarcovan

<< <i>I figured I was probably overpaying, but I liked them and I wasn't really shopping for expensive coins that day. >>



You didn't do too terribly, and you got some interesting old coppers.

AuldFartte

... old British copper ...

Aethelred

George III coins can be great fun, perhaps you should start by building a copper type set and going from there.

Askari

Welcome to a great deal of fun, Liberator!!

ajaan

<< <i>George III coins can be great fun, perhaps you should start by building a copper type set and going from there. >>


Now why would anyone want to do a crazy thing like that?