1877 Shilling

[andyg]

I've been asked for my opinion on the below coin,
What's so special about it you ask?

Well, all 1877 shillings have a die number located above the date - this one doesn't.
Does anyone have a reference to this type?

It doesn't make Coincraft which is highly unusual....

[UK Decimal +]

Agreed.   Both CY2010 and Krause say 'with die number'.

Bill.

[Figleaf]

The picture is not big enough to be sure ...

The die numbers are really small and not very high. Consequently, it takes only a speck of dirt or oil to start a process that fills up the numbers. A close-up look should reveal if this is really an instance of a missing die number or just a filled die number, but I suspect the last.

Peter

[andyg]

Sadly it's not my coin, and that is the best picture my friend could make.
I agree about the possibility of it being a filled die rather than a missing die number,
but I'm intrigued to know if the variety is listed anywhere.
There are lots of overdates in this series to which are not well documented too.

Below is a scan of a shilling with a die number for comparison (94) I happen to have on my desk.

[tonyclayton]

I can see something in the image where I would expect a die number.  They are sometimes right up to the tie in the ribbon.

A better image is needed - any good scanner will show good detail, as in this example
(and I have reduced the size to fit in the 65 kB limit)

And there is die cracking along the number, which I had not spotted before!!

[Bimat]

I have got a shilling of 1873 with die number of 94.How many coins can be struck using a single die? And what is the highest die number that has been reported in this (1873 shilling) series?

Aditya

[Bimat]

And what is the highest die number that has been reported in this (1873 shilling) series?

I got answer to my own question (Credit goes to Tony's incredible website)
http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/dieno.html

Aditya