Coin Community Family of Web Sites
Ken's Numismatic eBay Store US and World Coins, Bullion, and Exonumia. 300,000 items to help build your collection! Specializing in Modern Numismatics Royal Canadian Mint products, Canadian, Polish, American, and world coins and banknotes. Vancouvers #1 Coin and Paper Money Dealer Coin, Banknote and Medal Collectors's Online Mall
Subscribe to our Youtube Channel! Check out our Pinterest!
Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?


This page may contain links that result in small commissions to keep this free site up and running.
Welcome Guest! Need help? Got a question? Inherit some coins?
Our coin forum is completely free! Register Now!

What Is This Letter ? 1861 Half Sovereign

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.
Author Previous TopicReplies: 11 / Views: 740Next Topic  
Pillar of the Community

Australia
580 Posts
 Posted 04/19/2024  06:09 am Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add echidna to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers





Appears to be a partial letter under the C.
Maybe E or R ?

(Two different examples shown).
Watch your top knot
Pillar of the Community
Australia
580 Posts
 Posted 04/19/2024  06:41 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add echidna to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Watch your top knot
Moderator
Learn More...
John1's Avatar
United States
56855 Posts
 Posted 04/19/2024  07:28 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add John1 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
( I'm no pro, it's just my humble opinion )
Searched 6.5 +/- Million Cents Since 1971
Bedrock of the Community
Errers and Varietys's Avatar
United States
54911 Posts
 Posted 04/19/2024  11:33 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Errers and Varietys to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Very interesting.
Errers and Varietys.
Pillar of the Community
Australia
580 Posts
 Posted 04/20/2024  12:58 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add echidna to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Perhaps they placed more importance on the spelling of of VICTORIA.
And went to some extra effort to fix the wrong letter.
Hence the area inside the C looks rough.

Other legend blunders were let go.
There are quite a few such errors in this series which are quite blatant.


Watch your top knot
Edited by echidna
04/20/2024 06:40 am
Valued Member
United States
257 Posts
 Posted 04/20/2024  07:10 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Centinal to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Looks to be a 'K' under that 'C'

'VIKTORIA'?
Moderator
Learn More...
jbuck's Avatar
United States
157722 Posts
Pillar of the Community
Australia
852 Posts
 Posted 09/23/2024  01:18 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add nealeffendi to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Is that a die crack in REG? And another on the I of VIC? Also what is going on with the base of the 1? An old die perhaps that was refurbished by a mint worker?
Pillar of the Community
Australia
580 Posts
 Posted 09/23/2024  04:13 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add echidna to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply



Another example.

Hi Neal

I can't see any die cracks.
Re the 1 in 1861, there is something extra which looks like a partial number 1 at the base of the 1.

Watch your top knot
Moderator
Learn More...
Sap's Avatar
Australia
16181 Posts
 Posted 09/23/2024  8:47 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Sap to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I'd read the under-letter as "E" rather than "K", but there's very little practical difference between E, K and R in this context.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
Pillar of the Community
Australia
852 Posts
 Posted 09/26/2024  01:16 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add nealeffendi to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
As for the possibility of it being a K as Centinal suggested; it got me thinking; did the mint maintain a punch set with all 26 letters or did they only get letter punches made with the letters used? Are there any 1860 era British (or empire) coins that have words or abbreviations with the letter K in them and more to the point of the same size as the letters on a sovereign?
Also it looks like the wrong letter is under the correct letter so the mistake and correction was done before the die was ever used so it wasn't a repair done to a used worn die to extend its life (unless it was done as a repair using the wrong letter and then the worker then fixed his mistake which would make it a C over an R or E over a C)
Pillar of the Community
Australia
580 Posts
 Posted 09/26/2024  01:54 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add echidna to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Hi Neal

Regarding the original error I'd agree that it must have occurred on the original dies in London.
Off the top of my head I can't think of another contemporary coin with a K in the legend, that the London mint might have been working on.
So K is almost impossible therefore as they would not have had a K punch with the correct font at hand.
It has to be an E or R and it looks more like an E to me.

Watch your top knot
Edited by echidna
09/26/2024 02:05 am
  Previous TopicReplies: 11 / Views: 740Next Topic  

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.



    




Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2025 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us  |  Advertise Here  |  Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum © 2005 - 2025 Coin Community Forums
It took 0.42 seconds to rattle this change. Forums