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 Replies: 14 / Views: 2,754 |
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New Member
United Kingdom
2 Posts |
Hi all I've been looking at obtaining some uk pre decimal coins and have bought a book Collectors' Coins: Great Britain 2020: British pre-decimal coins 1760 - 1979 to help I had been using ebay but when looking for advice on here it seems this may have been a mistake - I didn't appreciate how many fakes were out there. Anyway, one of my first was a cartwheel two penny however I've noticed the seller has sold multiple versions so I'm now a bit suspicious. The weight is about right though I was using kitchen scales. This is the link for the one I purchased https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI...991501173021If it is a dud i'll take it on the chin, but would be grateful for tips on how to tell. Thanks! |
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
 to CCF. Give it a bit and members will help. John1  |
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
24885 Posts |
To the Forum. |
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Moderator
United States
188770 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
4628 Posts |
It's a dead link now. But basically your cartwheel coins should be Tuppence - weight 56 - 57 grams and diameter 41.5mm Penny - weight 28 - 28.5 grams and diameter 37mm Allow a 1 gram allowance for very worn coins. They should look like this   As they were pure copper and not bronze, pitting and corrosion are acceptable on worn coins. There was only one year of cartwheels - 1797. Similar looking coins with smaller rims are dated 1799, 1806 and 1807 but these are Halfpennies and farthings 30mm and smaller. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
945 Posts |
With the link dead, can we have some pictures of what you bought? That is probably the only way we can tell you now if it is OK. You might get some clues from how the seller was listing them - if he had lots of identical coins at the same fixed price, then it is a fair bet the were repros. There are a lot of good condition genuine 1797 twopences around because so many people put them aside as souvenirs when they first came out. In VF condition you would expect to pay £30 or more, well worn examples sell for just a few pounds. |
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New Member
 United Kingdom
2 Posts |
Thanks for getting back to me, will take some photos and post tomorrow.
Hope you're all staying safe and well in these challenging times
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New Member
United Kingdom
2 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
735 Posts |
5.5g is rather more than a little off.
These pennies weigh in at 28.3(ish)g, one full ounce of copper.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
945 Posts |
55g is not that far off for a tuppence, which should be 56 to 58g. Having said that, I think this is a restrike at best, if not an outright forgery. The detail is clear but unnatural - too rounded and linear compared to the originals. The rim is too shallow. Overall it is really "too good to be true"! If you paid up to £20 for it, you have done OK for a decent restrike example. A genuine one in something close to this condition would be £50 plus, and if you paid anything like that for it, you were had. Here is one of mine for comparison:   |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
735 Posts |
My apologies, I read your scales as 5.5g rather than 55g.
Paddy is correct on both counts, this is around the right weight for a cartwheel twopence (two ounces of copper), but the detailing on your coin is all wrong. Look at Britannia, look at the sea below the ship.
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Pillar of the Community
4628 Posts |
Agree with PaddyB and Hogarth - coin looks too clean and too fresh and seems too well finished, original coins not as sharp.
Why would anyone fake a copper coin? Then again an UNC Tuppence is about £500 in a catalogue!
Tuppences are much less common than the pennies.
Real coins look like mine (For worn ones in VG/Fine condition) and PaddyB's (for much nicer VF/EF ones).
A coin in most conditions should have at least some colour changing to green.
Edited by Princetane
04/10/2020 04:22 am
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
945 Posts |
I actually find it more difficult to get decent Pennies than Twopences here in the UK.
The penny remained in circulation until 1860 and most examples are very worn - often engraved or counter-stamped. The Twopence was not popular because of its weight. It was never made again and most seem to have been put aside as souvenirs or used as weights, so seem to turn up more often in decent condition.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
735 Posts |
Edited by Hogarth
04/13/2020 4:53 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
735 Posts |
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Replies: 14 / Views: 2,754 |
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Posted 03/15/2020 7:26 pm
