coinsandmedals

All of the British coins are counterfeit. A cursory glance from even a novice could determine that much. I don't know enough about the Chinese coins to argue the point in detail but based on my general experience with numismatics I am comfortable calling them for what they likely are. I’ve already reported the British pieces. I just didn’t have the time to report the other 35 items they have listed. 

I realize now that I failed to mention that they are listed on eBay. @Just Bob you should be able to pull the coins up by searching for the item numbers. On any note, I have included a link to one of them. If you view the sellers other listings you will see almost everything they have listed is counterfeit. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/313341651600

A new eBay seller from Albania just listed a bunch of counterfeit coins. I have included item numbers for the 1799 halfpence, but it looks like everything else they have listed is fake. 

313341651600

333823764654

174557497674

1909 P

The cheek and neck (i.e., the prime focal areas) on your coin are pretty marred up. In my opinion, your coin is nowhere near MS-65 quality. Here is an image on another 1884 CC graded MS-65 taken from Heritage.

You should immediately notice how your coin has substantially more chatter in the primary focal areas than the example I provided. 

@brg5658 thank you for the words of encouragement! I love the look of your 1892 1/2 crown. I find toned and prooflike coins to be the most difficult to photograph. I tend to be a bit critical of my images, but here are a few that I find tolerable. 

@brg5658 thanks for the tip!

You can still find a small usb version of the Jansjö lights at Ikea. I have one but I don’t find it particularly useful. The Nävlinge lights are nice but slightly larger than their predecessors. My biggest issue with them was trying to diffuse the light. I’ll order the translucent plastic tonight and give the cone diffusers a shot. 

@brg5658 do you have a recommendation for the translucent plastic? I see a ton of options on Amazon. 

47 minutes ago, Insider said:

A final question:

There are about six of you posting on this thread.  Has any one of you ever tipped a coin while imaging it?  Yet you know it does not work.  Interesting. 

Yes, I have and it distorted the image. 

2 hours ago, Insider said:

 You do?   As a proclaimed long-time numismatic photographer, you have pointed out the basic concept of DEPTH OF FIELD.  It allows the entire coin to be in focus when each of its sides is a different distance (when tipped) from the camera lens. 

 your "dodge"  using "micro-anything" does not apply when imaging the entire coin.   

There is no need to take their word for it. Mark Goodman discusses the importance of the coin being square to the camera in his book (page 63). 

Excellent post! I have made a lot of progress over the last year with smaller copper coins, but my recent ventures with large medals have proven more difficult. The biggest issue being proper lighting. The diffusers in your last illustration are interesting, and I may give this a shot and see how it turns out.

@Zebo I also found a Biden label. Have they done this in the past with other elections? 

Does anyone know if they plan to use this label with the 2020 “emergency issue” Silver American Eagles? 

I agree, $50 was rather expensive for the period. In the process of researching the Boulton family, I came across an auction catalog from 1912, and I made a note of the handful of U.S. coins that sold (the prices realized and often who bought them are penciled in the margins).  

Lot 51 Federal Quarter Dollar, 1796, and a dime of the same date, both brilliant proofs, the latter from flawed die, very rare. This lot realized £7-17-6

Lot 54 Copper, &c. Washington Cent, 1791, small eagle; Federal Cent, 1797; and a tin Continental Currency Piece (two R's in currency), 1776, all very fine and rare. This lot realized £5-2-6

Lot 55 U.S.A. Cent, 1795, head of Liberty with cap behind pole, ONE CENT high in wreath, unlettered edge, extremely fine, uncirculated, and very rare. It sold for almost £5-18 

Lot 56 U.S.A. Half Cent, 1795, Head of Liberty with cap behind, on pole, Half Cent in centre of wreath, with lettered edge, extremely fine, uncirculated and very rare. This one fetched £7-2-6

From what I can make of the handwriting, Spink won all of these lots. 

I believe you were kind enough to share this information with me in one of my earlier posts about the Soho Mint. The files are on my computer, but I have not taken the time to explore those just yet. They are on my agenda for this upcoming summer. 

Oh yes, Doty's book is by far my favorite numismatic read. I partially have him to blame for my Soho addiction.

My father-in-law introduced me to Glenlivet, and I have yet to look back. I have a bottle of 18-year single malt on my shelf, but I have never seen an 80 year! 
 

Wow, it sounds like you have a nice setup where you are. You very well may find Huntsville a bit disappointing. I spent two years there while I earned my master’s. There is not much in the way of numismatics from what I remember, but I could be entirely wrong. I barely made enough money working for the Institutional Review Board to pay the rent, much less seriously pursue numismatics.

6 hours ago, Just Bob said:

Nice bit of sleuthing.

Would you mind giving a bit more background and explanation of your opening statement, "This document just arrived from Scotland"? I am really curious about what led you to request it in the first place, and how you went about it.

I purchased this letter from a private seller located in Scotland. My initial statement was more so an expression of relief that it made the trip in one piece. The mail has been less than reliable for me over the last few weeks. 

My numismatic research has been primarily focused on the Soho Mint. In part, this has lead me down a more in-depth exploration of the Boulton and Watt families and the lasting impact they had on society. This letter just happened to mention James Watt and seemingly fit with my overall research on the topic. 

10 hours ago, RWB said:

A wonderful article you found! The folks at Durham should be able to resolve the originality of your letter. The transcription you have is complete - not so the one on the website.

After this enjoyable read, I shall sit back in the library, light my pipe of Prince Albert tobacco and enjoy a cup of perfect Earl Grey tea.

How appropriate! Minus the tobacco, that sounds like an extraordinary evening to me. 

3 hours ago, RWB said:

Uhhh...There's a piece on the floor, next to the table leg.....

 

As it turns out, several pieces to the puzzle were on the floor! I just noticed your note: Was "Grey" (a secretary to the Prince) writing to "John Gray"?

Charles Grey served as secretary to Prince Albert from 1849 to 1861, so it seems logical that he wrote the letter. After a bit of searching, I was able to confirm that a copy of the donated book remains in the Royal Collection Trust, but they do not list a donor. It would have been nice to establish that John Gray was the intended recipient of the letter. I persisted and kept digging. 

In doing a little more research on the author of the donated book, George Williamson, I found out that he was the president of the Watt Club. A few google searches later, and I found the mother-load of information, including a transcript Of the letter! For those you who are interested, here is the link to the website. The research presented on the website confirms that the author of the letter was, in fact, Charles Grey, and the recipient was John Gray. 

Now I can’t help but wonder if my example is an original letter written by Charles Grey or a copy in someone else’s hand. I believe I will save this mystery for another day.

@RWB thank you! It appears I now have all of the pieces to the puzzle. 

Thank you @VKurtB and @Just Bob! You have both been very helpful. Some of these words (e.g., Highness) seemed pretty cut and dry, but the handwriting had me second-guessing myself. 

This document just arrived from Scotland and I have been trying to decipher the handwriting with little luck. Do you think you can help me fill in the blanks? @RWB I know you have a ton of experience with stuff like this so I am hoping to take advantage of your expertise. Here is what I have so far:

Balmoral Castle

____ : 7, 1856

Sir,

I am commanded by

His Royal ________ Prince

Albert _______________ (the?)

(Receipt?) (of?) (your?) (note?) (of?) the

4^th - ____ - (with?) the ­­­­__________

_______ _______ _________ __________

Of the memorials of James

Watt, which you have been

Good _______ ________ for

______ __________ __________

Her majesty cannot but

Admire the manner in

Which this (volume?) is ­­­­_________

______ , I am commanded to

____ the  ________ _________

(Which?) she accepts _______ for

The Royal Library.

_____ __________ _______ _________

_______

____ . _____ ________ _________

______ ________ ____          Grey

15 hours ago, Zebo said:

Not on subject, but I started to look at your custom sets and am enjoying them very much. A lot of work involved - nice job.

Thank you, it means a lot to me that others, such as yourself, have enjoyed them. I had a blast discovering all of that history, and I couldn’t think of a more meaningful numismatic goal than sharing it with my fellow collectors.

Yes, but not very frequently. 

As always, @Just Bob you are too kind. I think you are giving the OP more credit than they deserve. The coin pictured is too large to be a 50 Réis (17mm). The reason I suggested the coin was a 100 Réis (21.3mm) is because it is roughly proportional in size to the Lincoln cent pictured.