Round 1967 UK 3d

Walter

I have a client with a peculiar coin she's looking for some advice on. It's a 1967 British threepence struck on a circular flan. I've attached images (sorry about the image quality).




It seems to lack rim beading and the strike seems softer. It weights 7 grams, 2mm thick, 23mm diameter.

7Jaguars

Guess: OMS and maybe even struck by transfer die...ie could be counterfeit although there was a lot of "sport" at the Royal Mint at the time & in-hand inspection would be required for ID.

MrEureka

Seems like it's most likely a "wrong planchet error". A better image would help, of course.

JamesMurray

The pictures are poor , under a magnifying glass i'd say it's possible that coin has been altered.I see the 12 "sides" so to speak on the flat surface , best way to see what i mean is look at a 1961 3d , i could be wrong but i believe i see that.Also a flash of white metal at the edges, the problem with wrong planchet is this was the only nickel brass coin of the era.
I think it's altered.

Gazza

It looks too round to be a wrong planchet error, see my avatar which is on I beleive a nickel Irish sixpence. Is it thinner as I have a 1964 on a very thin flan although of the correct metal.

7Jaguars

I have seen a number of errors with these 3ds of the 1960s, some struck far off center (have one of those) some struck without collar, etc. - this may not even be OMS (off metal strike). What I seem to recall is that the planchets were cut to size, duodecagonal, and this obviously was not. The brass these were struck from may have been quite a pot metal as the non-uniform and crude mixture revealed by oxidation esp. as the different metals degrade differently.
6.8 gms is the weight for official bits.

So 7 gm a bit high, and struck out of collar, metal composition unknown. Possibly some environmental exposure...Bit of a challenge.

Gazza

<< <i>I have seen a number of errors with these 3ds of the 1960s, some struck far off center (have one of those) some struck without collar, etc. - this may not even be OMS (off metal strike). What I seem to recall is that the planchets were cut to size, duodecagonal, and this obviously was not. The brass these were struck from may have been quite a pot metal as the non-uniform and crude mixture revealed by oxidation esp. as the different metals degrade differently.
6.8 gms is the weight for official bits.

So 7 gm a bit high, and struck out of collar, metal composition unknown. Possibly some environmental exposure...Bit of a challenge. >>



It looks far too regular to be struck without a collar. When struck without a collar they tend to look as if they have been struck into a bit of gum. I like these oddball 3ds I'm starting to get a few now.
gary

7Jaguars

Well, I have seen a few "open collar" bits that did not look too different - wonder if that has to do with die alignment (the shape of the resultant struck bit)?

SaorAlba

It appears to me to be a broadstruck coin, struck without the 12 sided collar, which resulted in a large roundish coin that is flatter and broader than usual.

Hussulo

It could be a broadstruck error.

Here's mine a 1964 Threepence 70% Off-Centre & Partial Brockage:

7Jaguars

Huss, very like mine...

Sapyx

<< <i>What I seem to recall is that the planchets were cut to size, duodecagonal, and this obviously was not. >>


If the planchets were octagonal, then it's simultaneously a wrong planchet with a wrong or missing collar; the only way I can imagine that happening, without it being "mint sport", is if a press at the mint previously used for threepences were set up for striking a foreign coin, and they changed the blanks in the hopper and the collar but forgot to change the obverse and reverse dies.

We have evidence, such as the NZ 2¢- Bahamas 5¢ Mule, that there were die mixups in the Royal Mint at this time, especially were foreign coins are concerned.

A weight would be helpful to help determine what the planchet might have been intended for.

7Jaguars

Sapyx - I believe in the OP he said 7 grams (would that have been 7.0 gms or just "7" which could make it +/- 0.5 gm?).

Walter

You can assume 7g +/- 0.5. The measurements are from the client, I haven't seen the coin in person yet.

Gazza

Here's mine, although the outer edge is roundilsh you still get the inside of the rim present.

7Jaguars

Yes, I was thinking this is struck on original 3d brass pot metal stock and the weight is within tolerance so struck with no collar is best guess and the simplest...
Thanks for the pic Gazza.