1854 P1505 Plain Trident 4 over 3
This variety derives from a policy of using old dies from 1853 pennies that were then altered to 1854, and is almost certainly “scarce” rather than truly “rare” but I will leave the page on the site as a guide to identification for collectors.
The genuine variety (only found on Plain Trident types) has been previously defined as having traces of the underlying 3 on both sides of the 4 at the top and around the lower half of the 4 (see below), together with a weakness in the top half of the queen’s hair. For further identification, Ian Fall also mentions that this variety is normally struck with a reverse featuring the colon after BRITANNIAR sloping away from the R.
However, there are coins with just a trace of the 3 at the top right of the 4, as in the example below:
they are also found without the weakness in the hair, and it seems reasonable to assume that they are true examples of the type, from a different die that has been altered. In fact, Ian Fall has identified some key features (below) which identify this particular modified die and its reverse:
There is a small protrusion to the top of the I in DEI on the obverse, and traces of repairs to the G of REG and the second N of BRITANNIAR on the reverse of this die pairing |
This coin can be tricky to identify and examples offered for sale are sometimes only an 1854 with some “grot” around the 4. Some such examples are shown here:
The left hand coin appears to be a 4 over something completely different; the right hand coin was advertised as a 4 over 3 but there is no trace of the top of the 3 (and the there was no weakness in the hair).
I have so far accumulated the following specimens from various sources but the pictures of examples 1 and 5 are not sufficiently detailed to categorically confirm that they are true examples.
Example 1
Sold by Dix, Noonan & Webb in October 2002
Example 2
Sold by Spink in July 2003 as part of the Colin Adams collection (lot 123) [I viewed this coin at the auction and noted that it was a very clear overdate]
Example 3
Sold by London Coins in November 2004
Example 4
Sold by Colin Cooke in March 2007 as part of the Alderley collection
Example 5
Sold by London Coins in March 2016
Example 6
Sold by Spink in September 2015 as part of the Andy Scott collection (lot 491)
pictures courtesy of Ian Fall
Example 7
Sold by London Coins in September 2014 (ex-Laurie Bamford)
Example 8
Held in a private collection
Example 9
Sold on Ebay in December 2009 by Michael Freeman
(Pictures courtesy of Ian Fall)
Example 10
Pictures courtesy of Cliff Davies
Example 11
Sold on Ebay in October 2020
Example 12
Listed on Ebay in January 2021
Example 13
Pictures courtesy of Steven Clegg
Sold by London Coins in December 2022 (for £514.80)
Example 14
Listed by Colin Cooke in April 2022
Example 15
Pictures courtesy of Martin Barker
Example 16
For sale by Spink in December 2022
Example 17
Listed on Ebay in February 2023
The following 2 specimens are examples of what are probably coins produced from different altered dies which didn’t have the weakness in the queen’s hair and which show slightly less of the underlying 3 (as described in the heading to this page). They do, however, have the sloping colon after BRITANNIAR.
Example 18
Pictures courtesy of Dr Jerry Davis
Example 19
Held in a private collection
Example 20
For sale by Kleeford Coin Auction in September 2023
Example 21
Provenance unknown