Author: BNS Blog Coordinator

Henry III Posthumous Class 7 Pennies, Obverse Die Types – Rob Page

This article documents all the known dies of the Henry III Posthumous Class 7 pennies, from all three issuing mints: London, Bury and Durham. It is an update on work I published several years ago, and benefits from the new specimens that have come to light since then. For the obverse dies of Phelip of London, statistical analysis suggests that about two-thirds of the obverse dies may now be known. The article is actually a report output directly from a Microsoft Access database, so any new coins that turn up can be entered into the database and the article quickly updated. I invite readers with any further examples to please contact me using the comments box below.

Thomas Witheridge – Mariner and Slaver, Bristol – Gary Oddie

The coin presented here is an outstanding piece of late eighteenth century engraving in miniature. The host coin, possibly a shilling dating from the recoinage of William III, has been smoothed and engraved to act as a love token from the sailor Thomas Witheridge to his future wife, on his departure on the slave ship The Phoenix in 1772. This note will trace some details of the ship, its voyages, and the life of Thomas Witheradge.

A Die Study of Victorian Shillings Dated 1865. Part 1 – Validating the Statistical Methods – Gary Oddie

For some years the equations proposed by Warren Esty have been used to estimate the number of dies used to strike a particular issue or coinage. The equations are used to give point estimates of the number of dies and the coverage and also 95% confidence limits on these numbers. However, the equations are based on assumptions, and as reasonable as they are, it is still only a model, and therefore the question has often been asked “do you believe the results?”The acquisition of an 1865 shilling with the die number 102 (a rarity according to specialist collectors) led to the realisation that a study of the die numbered coinage can be used to test the statistical models. This is simply because we know what the answer is, as the dies are all numbered.A virtual collection of 184 shillings dated 1865 was gathered and used to systematically test the statistical methods with increasing sample size. This confirms that the equations

read more A Die Study of Victorian Shillings Dated 1865. Part 1 – Validating the Statistical Methods – Gary Oddie

Have Dies – Will Travel, Paul Withers

In late December of 2022 Paul Withers received an e-mail from Dr Jörn Schuster, FSA MCIfA, a Consultant Archaeologist and Finds Specialist, asking for help on a coin-weight discovered during the excavations carried out for the extension of the Dorset Museum in Dorchester. This article tells the story of that weight. The shape of a coin-weight is important, sometimes revealing its origins. This recent find from Dorchester shows connections between weights made in France, the Netherlands and Britain, or made in one place and exported to the others.

A False Greyhound Countermark Revisited – Gary Oddie

The coin presented here is a base shilling of Edward VI with a greyhound countermark that was recently offered for sale at auction without provenance and then withdrawn. The author recognised the piece as ex R.C. Lockett and traces its earlier provenance back through H. Webb Jr, T. Bliss and R.A. Hoblyn in 1906. Genuine countermarks are presented for comparison and other specimens with the false countermark are presented from F. Pridmore, the Forgery Cabinet at Baldwin’s and the British Museum. The latter has a ticket connecting the piece to the well-known counterfeiter and creator of concoctions in the early 1840s, Edward Emery.

A Contemporary Counterfeit of an Edward the Confessor Pyramids Penny of Wulfgar of London – Gary Oddie

The coin described here is an unusual class XVb (head facing left) pyramids type penny of Edward the Confessor. The metal appears base, and XRF analysis confirms just 28% silver. The piece is likely a contemporary counterfeit and has a provenance from L.A. Lawrence by private treaty in 1902-3 and then the Lord Grantley sale of 1944. Lawrence had seen a second example, which has not yet been traced.