Having got back into the scene recently, and having pretty much none of my kit left from 20 years ago, I decided to invest in some new stuff.

I thought it would interest members to see what I get - maybe some reviews, and certainly some opinion! As it will be discussion and not just review I thought I'd post it here rather than in the reviews section.

First up - I got a tube of 1967 English Pennies. Being in the UK it's easy to get these. 50 coins cost me £10. They are uncirculated and the tubes unopened. Really nice coins that are a blank canvas for ageing with other coins.

My first gaff to arrive was the Tango Copper Silver Walker Liberty Half/English Penny. I was delighted to see the Penny used is a 1967 (yay!) and its also a mint uncirculated.

So... I took the coins to what I'd call a 'start point' ready for ageing and blending. This involved baking soda and water to remove any grease, dirt etc. and then for the silver part a aluminium foil/baking soda/vinegar bath and then a very gentle rub with some silver polish. It's got it to clean, not too shiny, but clearly not 'new'

For the Pennies, I used a touch of acetone, then vinegar and salt bath followed by a quick rub with a jewellers cloth. It helps get rid of the "lustre" coating, and get the colours all the same and neutral.

As they are handled they will dull and tarnish evenly now.

The Tango copper/silver is excellent. It's more like the Bobo description with a sliver rather than 50/50, and the quality of the cut is excellent.

Here it is with 5 standard 1967 Pennies as cleaned and prepped ready for ageing:

https://i.imgur.com/YbhDXhy.jpg

And here, I've turned over the copper/silver (so it's in the same position) so you can see the excellent penny match:

https://i.imgur.com/6496L09.jpg

And finally - here is the copper/silver mixed in with two regular pennies - good luck telling which one is which

https://i.imgur.com/WYaxPUt.jpg

More to follow!

For info, I've got a selection of Mark Mason/Bob Swadling coins on the way, and I'll do the same compare/contrast job on these as well, as well as start reviewing handling/routines etc.

I originally ordered Triception, a Penny Shell and a Walking Liberty Half set from Mark, but the order was delayed as Mark was in Europe. When he got home he found he was out of Walking Liberty Sets, so I opted to upgrade to a Shell Shocked set - Mark was brilliant throughout - comms were excellent - and to compensate for the hassle and mix up he upgraded the penny shell to a double penny shell, which was really kind of him. They are on the way now, so will review when they are here. All in all the experience of ordering from Mark has been really really good so far - he's a genuinely nice guy to deal with.

Got a big delivery today!

Mark Mason stuff arrived - Triception, Shell Shocked, and double expanded penny shell set..

Also got Tom’s Chinese Coins. The Chinese coins are excellent - great value for money, perfect size and may well get a few more and an expanded [ as well.

First up though, the double expanded penny shell set. I really love this set. I’ve cleaned it to colour match with my pennies and both [‘s are indistinguishable. Hardly any distortion at all. Coverage is about 80% and fit is excellent - tight, but any of my pennies will fit. I’ve added a small patch of painters tape (frog tape) and talk is very minimal.

With the Tango copper/silver I basically have the copper portion of a hopping halves set - might need a bit more careful handling, but it’s all there..

That's some serious coinage you've got there. I must admit, I more than a little envious. You have the right tools to get the job done. Keep us updated on how it goes performing with these babies.

Yes - when I get a few minutes I’ll post some thoughts on shell shocked and the Triception set as well