This note will present a brief history of the de Beers diamond fields in South Africa, beginning with the discovery of the first diamonds in the mid-1860s through to the consolidation of the various companies. The various mining compounds issued metal, paper and later plastic tokens, initially as part of a truck system. A fully illustrated catalogue of items known from the company is included. This provides colour illustrations to the catalogue published by Brian Hern and Allyn Jacobs in 2009, along with six previously unrecorded pieces.
Author: BNS Blog Coordinator
Where Have all the Four Reales Gone?
My numismatic interests lie in cut and countermarked silver coins. In the main these were Spanish American 8 reales. Very few, if any, 4 reales were used in this manner and I have always wondered why. This note is to seek further ideas and advice.
Some Unusual Coin Measures – Gary Oddie
This note will present a gauge for the diameter of a pre-decimal shilling and a group of similar pieces which are also suspected to be diameter gauges for a shilling, sixpence and brass threepence. Any further information regarding these pieces and their use will be gratefully received.
Unrecorded White Metal 18th Century Tokens – Part 2 – Gary Oddie
Since the first note on this topic was published on the BNS blog (19 October 2021), other specimens of false 18thC tokens have been made available for study from two different sources and are clearly from different manufacturers and materials than presented previously. This note will look at the two new groups and then compare all three together. Rather than clarifying the situation, we now have three (possibly more) different series of white metal copies of 18thC tokens. …. or click here to read the earlier article
Guadeloupe, 1802 Issue of 4 & 1 Escalin Cut Countermarked Coins -The Modern Makers Mistake – K. V. Eckardt
Contributors to British Numismatics – Introduction – Gary Oddie
This note will provide a brief description of the archive, the reasons behind setting it up and the sources that have been used already to create the 800+ entries in the archive. The project has been prompted by the difficulties sometimes experienced in finding images of past collectors, dealers and authors etc. The late Harry Manville’s five-volume encyclopaedias were published between 1986 and 2009 and are extremely useful and virtually complete, but contain few illustrations, and no portraits of the characters within. The aim of this archive is to add some faces to the names and bring the works up to date. Incidental images, such as book plates, coin tickets and envelopes have also been added. A separate section has been created that contains just images of coin tickets and envelopes which is expected to initially have a life of its own with many of the names not yet appearing in the main archive.A final section describes future plans and also
read more Contributors to British Numismatics – Introduction – Gary Oddie
A New Type for the Halfpence of Richard III – Dave Greenhalgh & Lee Stone
A recently discovered new type of Halfpenny for Richard III links the halfpenny series more closely with the Groats and Halfgroats.’
Further Lis-by-Neck Waterford Pennies of Edward IV or V and Richard III – Kelvin Brosz and Oisín Mac Conamhna
The purpose of this note is to document two further lis-by-neck pennies of Waterford of Edward IV or V, and Richard III, which have recently come to light.
An Unrecorded Privy Mark on Edward I Class IX Pennies of Newcastle upon Tyne – Jonathan Morris
A short article highlighting a potential privy mark observed on Newcastle coins of class IXb1.
Potential Tradesman Countermarked Dollar Issuers – Ken Eckardt
As a series the British (mainly Scottish) Tradesman Countermarked Dollars are considered very rare to scarce with only a few types generally readily available for collectors. The recall of these countermarked dollars by their issuers seems to have been generally very effective and relatively few pieces of most types have survived. I have often wondered how many issues have no surviving examples recorded. There may be a clue as to enterprises that could well have issued countermarked dollars and examination of some of the countermarked halfpenny coins is a good starting point.
BNS Research Blog 