Yes-YES Happy day - Birmingham update!

Teg · January 10, 2005 9:40AM

Forgive my excitement but, YES ,whoosh, punch the air and shout Yippee.
Reserved lot us Brits - don't you know.

When I posted a report on the Birm. show I said that one of the 1700 farthings could be a variety.
To be fair most people would call it an ugly coin - true, but an exceedingly rare ugly coin.
It is (I think) Peck 668.
The obverse legend should read :-

GVLIELMVS TERTIVS (William Third)

This variety reads

GVLILMVS TERTIVS

I love spelling mistakes on coins - the William III series is very good for them.

Peck only lists two examples of this coin - one in the British Museum, and one in his own collection.
I know of at least two others, maybe three.

The top coin is the one I bought, the second is on Colin Cooke's site - with his description.

Colin has just sold the bottom one for £250
(BMC 668. GVLILMVS error. Almost Fine, extremely rare (not even listed in Spink 2004).
Ex Debens (private purchase, not in his auction), who purchased it from "Farthing Specialist" for £200 circa 1982.)

Vulgar it may be to talk about money - I paid £8.
I had wanted to buy the one on Colin's site - (£250) but was not quick enough.

O happy day.

Teg