This is a coin struck during the treaty period of Edward III. On the obverse there is an annulet before EDWARD and on the reverse there is a fleur de lis in the centre. On both sides the stops in the legend are double saltires. In the Standard Catalogue quarter nobles of this type are listed as number 1511.

Valuation

It must be a wonderful feeling when a hammered gold coin comes out of a freshly dug hole, especially one as nice as the specimen illustrated here. On the obverse there is a small weak area at 10-11 o’clock but this side is otherwise good VF. There is a small graze at 1 o’clock on the reverse but this side would still grade VF. If the coin was sold at auction I’d expect the hammer price to be no lower than £900.

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Firstly, this is a coin of Alfred the Great and it looks to me to be perfectly genuine. On the obverse is a bust facing right, together with a legend reading AELFR ED RE. On the reverse is a large London monogram, with a small cross pattee above and a triangle of six pellets below.

In volume I of J. J. North’s English Hammered Coinage halfpennies of this type are listed as number 645. In the Standard Catalogue they are number 1063.

Valuation

This is a very rare coin but its state of preservation leaves something to be desired. On the obverse the bust of King Alfred hardly shows up and at best this side would grade only Fair. The reverse is clearer but only about Fine. In its present condition a likely presale auction estimate would be £600-800.

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Firstly, at 21mm in diameter this will be a James VI eighth coinage quarter merk.  On the obverse is a crowned shield and a legend reading IACOBVS 6 D G SCOTORVM. Within the inner circle on the reverse is a crowned thistle head and on this side the legend reads REGEM IOVA PROTEGIT 16–.

At first sight this coin looks to be quite well struck. However, at the end of the legend on the reverse is the date and the last two digits do not show up. The faulty date is due to a die shift, which starts at roughly 9 o’clock. On the obverse the shift shows up at the end of SCOTORVM and on the upper left quarter of the shield. The shift is slight but enough to really mess up the date, which is important on any coin in this series. All I can say is that 1602 or 1603 are the likeliest candidates.

In terms of its overall condition, the coin would grade about VF for the issue. I’ve seen a few of these as detecting finds and this is probably the best so it is a great pity about the dodgy date.

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The coin was struck during Alexander’s first coinage and has on the obverse a crowned head facing left. On the reverse is a voided long cross with a mullet in each angle, which is surrounded by a legend made up of a moneyer’s name together with that of a mint.

Unfortunately, part of the legend on both sides is flat so I can’t be absolutely certain about the moneyer or the mint. The letters in the second quarter appear to be LTE and in the last quarter possibly DV-. If this reading was accepted as being correct then the full legend could be WA LTE RON DVN.

Valuation

I must stress that I cannot be certain about the legend on the reverse. The central area stands out but on both sides there are flat parts in the legend. If my reading was accepted then even in its present condition the coin should be worth around £120.  However, if it wasn’t accepted then £20 would be nearer the mark.

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The post Penny of Alexander III of Scotland appeared first on Detecting Finds.

The coin is a Henry VII groat, which has a profile portrait of the king on the obverse. It’s an example of the ‘regular’ type with three bands to the base of the crown worn by King Henry. On both sides the mint mark is a cross crosslet. In the Standard Catalogue groats of this type are listed as number 2258.

Valuation

There is a small weak area on the reverse and what looks like a slight bend at the base of the obverse but the coin is otherwise in about VF condition. In its present state of preservation it should be worth around £250 to a collector.

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Firstly, this definitely is a Tealby cut halfpenny. This was part of a huge coinage and examples of cut coins are not particularly scarce. 

In the opinion of many numismatists, most cut halfpennies were produced by mints before they went into circulation. As they were cut by mint officials they were far more likely to be the correct size and weight. Coins of the Tealby type were often very badly struck so only the better examples would be cut. This cut halfpenny seems to add weight to the cutting at mints theory, for it is round, well struck and cut across the dead centre.

Valuation

The overall state of preservation of Dave’s coin is not particularly good. The centre on both sides is Fine but the legends are poor. However, it’s better looking than many other Tealby coins I’ve seen as detecting finds. Pricewise, I’d say £12-15.

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The post Henry II Tealby cut halfpenny appeared first on Detecting Finds.

The coin is a penny of Harold II, who was killed in 1066 by men loyal to William, Duke of Normandy. The death of Harold ended a long line of Anglo-Saxon Kings of England.

 On the obverse the head of Harold faces left and has a sceptre in front. Within the inner circle on the reverse is PAX with a beaded line above and below; the surrounding legend reads +LEOFSI ON LVNDEN. Therefore, the mint is London and the moneyer is Leofsige (abbreviated to Leofsi on this penny).

Valuation

The surface on both sides is rough in places and there is what looks like a crack at about 9 o’clock on the obverse. With just photographs to work from it is impossible to tell how long the crack is. Overall, the coin would benefit if it was cleaned by someone skilled in this line of work. 

Having never seen or handled the coin the only figure I can give is based upon photographs. From what I can see of the coin I’d place upon it a pre-sale auction estimate of £2,000.  However, if the work of a skilled conservator improved its eye appeal then my estimate would rise.

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The latest find is an early milled gold coin. It’s a half guinea of Charles II and is dated 1684 on the reverse. Gold coins of Charles II rarely turn up as detecting finds so Darren was very lucky to have unearthed this example.

Valuation

The coin would grade Fine and to a collector it shouldn’t be worth any less than £800.

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On the obverse the king’s head faces left and has a sceptre in front. On this side the legend reads DAVID DEI GRACIA.  The reverse is divided in four by a cross with mullets of five points in each angle. The surrounding legend reads +AV IDS COT TOR.      

The legend on the reverse should have been paired with an obverse that reads MONETA REGIS D. Had that been the case then the whole legend would read MONETA REGIS DAVID SCOTTOR, which translates as Money [of] King David [of] Scotland.

The preceding information adds up to this coin being struck early in the reign (circa 1330s) of David II. A few different varieties of farthings were struck but all are extremely rare.

Curiously, I’ve heard of a few specimens being unearthed in England but not a single example in Scotland.

Valuation

Bob’s farthing would grade Fine but is rather grubby looking and this reduces its eye appeal. Pricewise, if I was cataloguing it for sale at auction then in its ‘as found’ condition I would set the pre-sale estimate at £300-400.

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This is a halfpenny of Henry VI, which was struck during the rosette-mascle coinage (circa 1430-31). On the obverse the legend reads +hEnRIC REX AnGL, with a rosette before REX and a mascle after it.

On the reverse is a long cross with a trio of pellets in each angle. The legend on this side reads VIL LA CAL IS, with a mascle before LA and a rosette after IS.  The mint signature tells us that this halfpenny was struck at Calais, which was an English possession at the time and would remain so until it was lost during the reign of Mary Tudor.

Valuation

This is an attractive little coin, which would grade nearly VF with good eye appeal. My price range on this halfpenny would be £90-120.

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