The Bath (1755) hoard, comprising coins of Aethelstan, Eadmund and Eadred, and deposited in the first half of the 950s, was the subject of an article in BNJ half a century ago by Christopher Blunt and the present writer. More now be said about it, and an updated summary list of its content is attached.
Author: BNS Blog Coordinator
Continental Imitations of Henry III Long Cross class 5F – Mike Shott
The good reputation of the English coinage during the mid-thirteenth century gave rise to it being copied on the continent, with most imitations originating in Frisia or Westphalia. Some of the imitations are good enough to be easily mistaken for English coins, others less so.
The 1887 Double Florin – Andrew Thorburn
1887 Double Florins. To consider the mule 1/B, (unlisted), the existence of three different proof die combinations and the gradual deterioration of the reverse dies.
MCHBI – The Medieval Coin Hoards of Britain and Ireland Database – Three years on… Robert Page & Martin Allen
In November 2022 the British Numismatic Society’s Medieval Coin Hoards of Britain and Ireland database, “MCHBI”, first appeared online, and was documented in a BNS Research Blog article at the time; in the ensuing period of almost three years the database has been expanded with additional hoards, and some useful new software features added. Currently with over 2,100 hoards and still growing, this is the largest available compilation of medieval coin hoards for Britain and Ireland. It is now timely to present an updated overview of the current state of this important online resource.
A New Mint for Henry VI Leaf Mascle Pennies – Dave Greenhalgh
An unrecorded York mint penny for the Leaf Mascle issue 1432-1436 of Henry VI first reign.
A Couple of New Sub-variant Charles I Tower Mint Shillings – Paul Woodard
The two coins in this article are both ‘newly identified’ sub variants within the Tower issued Charles I Shilling’s (Issued under Parliament) It is the hope both these coins can be considered additions into Michael Sharp’s BNJ 47 article 1977 and to complement the update article by Holt, Hulett and Lyall BNJ 84 2014. Both coins are of good silver with weights illustrated.
A Study into Die Numbers Found on British Half Sovereigns in the Period 1863 – 1880, Part 3 1876 – 1880 – Brian Unsworth LLB
The period 1876-1880 is far less complicated than the previous period but still has a few complications which need to be covered. In the year 1876 a new obverse started to appear although the reverse die was not changed and continued in use until 1880. Coins using the new narrow ribbon obverse die where minted along with coins that used the previous wide ribbon obverse die for the years 1876 and 1877. This new obverse die continued until 1880, when a new obverse die of 136 denticles bearing the fifth head started to be used.. The half sovereign is the only denomination on which die numbers can be found on coins bearing the date 1880. The various types of half sovereigns that were minted in 1880 will be explained later.
Twelve Pearl Varieties of Jubilee Head Half Sovereigns, Part 2 – James D. Korp.
Three separate arguments are presented which completely reject the hypothesis that onlytwelve pearls were included in the original design of the Jubilee Head gold half sovereignnecklace. Examination of the entire set of sixteen redesigned coin denominations shows that oneach and every one a string of pearls runs up to the edge of the neck, and then terminates witha final pearl positioned mainly over the empty field. This final pearl was obviously intended tovisually facilitate linking between the hanging pendant and the necklace. There is absolutely nopossibility that the final pearl found on essentially all half sovereigns struck at three differentmints over a seven year period was caused by a random die flaw or striking problem, sincequality control inspectors would never tolerate such an obvious and persistent defect. Athirteen pearl necklace is undoubtedly the normal configuration for the Jubilee Head halfsovereign, while a twelve pearl necklace is the extremely rare anomaly. Please click here to read the article.
Walter Jonathan Andrew and his Resignation from the Numismatic Society of London – Hugh Pagan
This note identifies a review in the periodical The Reliquary as the first spark in the sequence of flash-points that led to the foundation of the British Numismatic Society in 1903.
A Study into Die Numbers Found on British Half Sovereigns in the Period 1863-1880, Part 2 1870-1875 – Brian Unsworth LLB
In Part 1, which covered the years 1863 to 1869, if you excluded the years 1863 and 1864, theremaining years follow a similar pattern with the die numbers starting at 1 each year andseemingly completing a range. After 1869 the die numbers used do not follow any pattern withdifferent types of half sovereign being minted in the same year, some bearing the same dienumber although they are different varieties of half sovereign. Using the Spink referencenumbers I will detail which coins appear in which years and the die numbers that have beenrecorded to date. All the different varieties will be fully explained after the details for the 1871die number half sovereigns have been given.
BNS Research Blog 