Am I correct? And is it anything to get excited about because of its low grade? Found it in the back of my late grandfather's desk while cleaning up. Thank you for any info, Mopy
Hi @mopydick at this grade nothing to get excited about $10 on a good day as it is so worn. Therein, other than the fantastic sentimental value and connection to your ancestor, it is really interesting and actually quite rare because of its poor condition. These coins were far from popular because they were heavy and wore holes in peoples pockets and were easily lost. You can find a lot of coins in superb condition, a lot in average circulated condition but you seldom see them so worn. In fact in 60 years of collecting I have never seen one so worn. It is almost as if it was a "lucky touch piece" and someone was continually rubbing it. They don't need to be on the Sheldon Scale and collected in lumps of plastic to be interesting! Thank you for sharing.
Ah, I think the reason it is so worn is because it is a penny, not a twopence. Diameter and/or weight would confirm, but the relative position of the features suggests to me that it is a penny. On the twopence, the centre point of the trident points to the right hand down stroke of the second N of Britannia, whereas on the penny it points to half way between the N and the I. Whereas the twopence never won favour and was often stashed away as a souvenir, the penny saw heavy circulation until the Victorian era.
This might help a little here is the penny and the twopence with a quarter.. I do love these chunky coins
Very good point @PaddyB as I only gave it a cursory glance as I thought the OP had identified it. I am curious to know the weight and diameter.