For many years the topic of coin grading has vexed collectors, dealers and auctioneers alike. This short blog presents the British and Sheldon grading schemes and then illustrates a small group of Victorian young head coins. Readers are asked to grade them using the Sheldon system. The results can be compared with the ‘official grades’ as all of the pieces have been encapsulated or slabbed by third party graders – TPGs. A similar variability is seen when dealers and collectors grade the same coins.
Author: BNS Blog Coordinator
An Unrecorded Pattern Shilling of 1840 – Gary Oddie
This note presents an 1840 shilling of Queen Victoria. It was initially considered to be a proof striking. However on closer inspection, the coin differs very slightly in almost every detail when compared to a circulating coin. On the obverse the hair is more finely engraved and in lower relief, and on the reverse the whole of the wreath is finer, leaving more “open space” between the design elements. The differences are extremely subtle but sufficient for the piece to be considered a pattern.
Amos Winch of Shoe Lane – Paul & Bente Withers
This little token, with the outer legend missing, turned up among the items from the David Rogers collection. A search through all the index entries for ‘king’s head’ in Williamson brought no result, so we sent the photos to Michael Dickinson, who came up with the answer. The one remaining question is why it was struck on a small flan or cut down.
Card Advertising Tokens c.1930? Part 2 – Gary Oddie
Following the recent publication of eleven card tokens, ten being penny size and one a halfpenny size, all bearing on one side a printed image of a very worn bun head penny of Queen Victoria, as might be expected further examples have been found. Background searches have also uncovered more details for some of the issuers already presented. This note will begin with details of the new pieces, followed by new information about the pieces in the previous note.
A 17th Century Token Die Engraver’s Conundrum – Jo. Broxup of Manchester – Gary Oddie & Nigel Clark
This note presents a recently discovered seventeenth century token issued by John Broxup of Manchester. The reverse legend is the latin Motto Quicunque Vult. As with most tokens and coins of the period the legend is engraved upper case and U is replaced with V. This leads to a difficulty with the word Vult which should be rendered VVLT which looks and reads oddly and the engraver has chosen to render the upper case U as such. Apart from tokens with legends in script, this is the only known appearance of an upper case U in this series. Apart from a short period in the 1730s and 1740s, the regal coinage also replaces U with a Latinised V up to the 1790s. Most recently this difficulty has been avoided on the new coinage of Charles III by the use of a hybrid English-Latin legend – CHARLES III D.G.REX F.D.
‘New Scotch Tokens’ – Tracing the Irish Dissenters’ Ticket to the Table – David S. Dunlop
Well underway, a projected new Catalogue & History of Irish Communion Tokens will chart the history of the Irish Presbyterian’s ‘token of admission’ to the Eucharist. Giving a brief overview of the history of Irish Communion tokens, this ‘working paper’ calls for engagement and input, as set out in the penultimate paragraph.
Documentary Evidence for Hampshire Seventeenth Century Token Issues – Susan Stewart
In the late 1970s the author’s father, Harold J.M. Good, began a search for the surviving dies used to strike seventeenth century tokens. When he passed away in 1984,(1) the project was continued and updated with new findings. The results will be published in the next year or two. The following notes present two contemporary documents relating to the town issues of seventeenth century tokens from Hampshire. The first is a series of transcriptions from 1669 to 1680 for Southampton Corporation, found in the Southampton Assembly Book,(2,3) and is published here for the first time. The second revisits a document from the Winchester Book of Ordinances from 1669,(4) first published by H.S. Gill in 1889.(5) Several minor discrepancies were found between Gill’s transcription and the new readings. Gill’s original transcription is reproduced with corrections, along with images from the microfiche.
Four Pieces – Seventeenth Century? English? Tokens? – Paul Withers
The four pieces presented here are all from the collection of the late Dr. David Rogers. Although they are obviously connected, they were not acquired at the same time. Though all are Æ and the style is very similar to that of 17th century tokens, their origins remain elusive.
An Early Norman Period ‘Productive site’ in Norfolk – Mike Cuddeford
Early medieval ‘productive’ sites are well known, but usually feature coins from the ‘sceatta’ series. Later broad-flan pennies are much scarcer and it is not until the late 12th century that multiple site finds tend to occur. This article places on a record a group of coins that, most unusually, appear to indicate an early Norman period ‘productive’ site and as such is noteworthy.
An Unusual Series of Card Advertising Tokens c.1930? – Gary Oddie
This note presents a group of eleven cardboard advertising tokens which bear a printed design on one side of a photographic image of a very worn Victorian bun head coin. One is a half penny and the other ten are pennies. Background research on the issuers reveals a range of business activities, and possible dates of issue, as well as some common factors. The rarity of the pieces and geographical spread across the country means that these pieces would not normally be brought together for study. If any readers can add further tokens or fill the gaps in the business histories, please get in touch via the blog.
