Contemporary counterfeits of Victorian silver coins are typically cast from pewter-like metals, more rarely silver plated brass and very unusually silver. This note presents two shillings dated 1863 and 1882 which are of good weight and good silver and struck from hand engraved dies. The pieces also share the same obverse die. Being rare dates it is speculated that they are not contemporary but were manufactured in the third quarter of the twentieth century. This issue is compared with the halfcrowns that have been noted with dates 1861, 1866, 1868, and 1871 which were first discovered in the 1960’s during the change checking that accompanied decimalisation.
Author: BNS Blog Coordinator
A new variant of late Henry VI halfpenny – D.I. Greenhalgh.
Described in this article is a new variety of a halfpenny of London, from the later part of Henry VI’s first reign, and of the Cross Pellet issue. The coin shows an interesting feature – the addition of a definite pellet between the R and I of HENRIC; a feature previously unrecorded on the coins of this issue.
A Mid-Nineteenth Century Hoard of Counterfeit Silver Coins – Gary Oddie
A small hoard of counterfeit silver coins with dates ranging from 1816 to 1845 will be described. All of the pieces fall into the category of cast white metal, tin, pewter or lead-alloy counterfeits and many have been mutilated by cutting, sometimes into pieces. That many of the fragments of the broken pieces have remained together suggests that this group might have been together since the middle of the nineteenth century.
Henry III Long Cross Pennies – Analysis of the Use of the Letter “H” for an “N” – Robert Page
Throughout the Henry III long cross series one often sees the capital letter “H” used for an “N”. This usage is not consistent, in that many coins have a mixture of “H” and “N” in their reverse legends. In this small study I have analysed the proportions of different usages of H/N for several mints and moneyers. This has allowed various conclusions to be made about the die preparation process, and has highlighted some rarer lettering combinations that collectors may wish to look out for. I would very much welcome feedback on the observations and conclusions presented.
Dies for a Fantasy Bristol Public Free Libraries Token – Gary Oddie
Two previous articles have described a group of dies that have been used to create modern copies of various tokens. These included transport tokens from England and a plantation token from the Dutch East Indies. Two further dies from this group have recently been located and are described here.
Insights into a die breakup for a Charles I Aberystwyth threepence – D.I. Greenhagh
Looking into the breakup of a threepenny piece die at the Aberystwyth mint in the reign of Charles I, and the relevance in the dating of die sequences.
An Addition to the Sylloge of Coins of the British Isles 35: Scottish Coins in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford and the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow – Cameron Maclean
This brief note serves as a record of one of William Hunter’s Scottish coins that was not included in the Sylloge of Coins of the British Isles 35: Scottish coins in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford and the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow. The reasons for its exclusion will also be discussed.
Ballindalloch Works Checks revisited – Further Contemporary Documentation Discovered – Eric C. Hodge
Further to my article for the BNS research blog filed under Tokens, dated 12 July 2018, and headed Ballindalloch Works Checks, more documentation has been discovered that casts new light on these issues of Works Checks by the Ballindalloch Cotton Works.
A new obverse local die from the Durham mint of Edward I – Denis Martin
The local dies sunk in Durham around 1300 during the reign of Edward I produced a small series of scarce coins often not recognised by collectors. These coins were discussed by J.J.North in a ground- breaking article in the British Numismatic Journal, 1984. In it he discussed some reverse local dies which carry very distinctive lettering. Only recently discovered is an obverse die with the same unusual lettering. The coin is now in the author’s collection.
A Pewter Oddity from the Thames Foreshore – A G Bliss
The River Thames, sometimes described as the longest archaeological site in the world, has produced an unparalleled assemblage of finds dating from prehistory to the present-day. Many of these objects have come to light due to the efforts of licenced modern ‘mudlarks’, who are permitted to recover objects from the foreshore and subsequently record them with the Museum of London. This short article discusses one such object discovered some years ago – a large, 18th century pewter medal which is completely unparalleled in any publication. The author suggests in the following discussion that based on the evidence available, this piece may be interpreted as a trial strike for an unproduced medal commemorating the Act(s) of Union in 1707.
