Author: BNS Blog Coordinator
Henry III Long Class Pennies – A Very Rare Class 5d1/5c3 Mule – The Missing Link? – Ian M Heavisides.
Despite the fact that Henry III pennies are quite abundant, and have been well studied over many years, just now and again a rare variety turns up. This brief article documents one such example.
The Last Galley Halfpenny – Joshua Cattermole
The topic of the Galley Halfpence, the circulation of the Venetian Soldino in England, has a history spanning nearly 150 years, split into three incursions between the early 15th and early 16th centuries. The end of the importation of Soldini is quite murky, and oft forgotten these days, along with much of the subject of Soldini. However, the recent discovery of a rare Soldino helps to shine light onto the latter period of Anglo-Venetian trade relations, and the end of the state-sponsored trading fleets from Venice to England, and how the very last Soldino type to be imported into England helps to tell this little-known tale.
Early letter forms in the Edward III Florin coinage 1344-51 (Part 2) – Some new developments – Denis Martin
In a Research Blog article of 30/11/2022 the early Unusual types of the Florin coinage of Edward III were investigated with particular reference to the lettering of types A and C. In the short time since this article was posted important new information has been obtained by the author. The latest developments are discussed in this short note. It is recommended that the original article is read first. Or….
Early letter forms in the Edward III coinage 1344-1351 – Denis Martin
Coins from Edward III’s 3rd issue, the Florin coinage, are divided into two groups. Firstly, the rare Unusual types A to E and secondly, the Normal (or Main) types 1 to 4. Durham coins are dealt with separately. Occasionally a coin turns up which throws some new light on the issue, in this case the chronology of the earliest coins produced in the series. It is such a discovery by the author which is the subject of this note.
In The Groove – Security Edges and Contemporary Counterfeiting in British West Africa and Nigeria – Gary Oddie
The official coinage of British West Africa has been well documented and catalogued. This note focusses on the prevalence of contemporary counterfeiting in British West Africa of the silver, tin-brass, and nickel-brass coins and the later white metal counterfeits of the cupro-nickel coins of the British Protectorate of Nigeria.
Further Examples of an Unusual Lettering Variant, Edward I – Rob Page
This is an update to an article published in late October. The original article featured a class 3 coin from Lincoln with a lettering error. We now have a second, and finer, example of that error, and we also have a similar error on a class 9 coin from London. One wonders if it also occurs on any other classes? With thanks to Jonathan Morris for sharing images of his coins.
“MCHBI” – A BNS Online Map Application for Medieval Coin Hoards in Britain and Ireland – Rob Page
The British Numismatic Society is pleased to announce the availability of a new feature on its website which allows users to explore Medieval Coin Hoards in Britain and Ireland (“MCHBI”). This brief article shows how to access the website and some examples of the products that can be generated. The facility should prove of interest to numismatists, historians, archaeologists and metal detectorists. With nearly 1900 hoards uploaded and increasing daily it is already the largest compilation of Medieval hoard data from Britain and Ireland, and will be continuously added to in order to keep it as up-to-date as possible.
The Fourth variety of Fleur-de-lis groats of James II of Scotland – David Rampling
This paper presents a review of Burns’ sub-classification of the fourth variety of the fleur-de-lis issue of groats under James II, paying particular attention to die combinations as evidence for the validity of his division into two groups. The relatively large number of dies exhibited by the still relatively small cohort available for study, points to a larger mintage than surviving numbers would suggest.
F.R. Reynolds of Yarmouth: Silver Token and Promissory Note Issuer, 1811 – Gary Oddie
This article presents the life and business of Francis Riddell Reynolds (1772-1846). He was a prosperous businessman, solicitor and brewer in Great Yarmouth, being elected Mayor twice. He was the issuer of two well-known varieties of silver shilling token in 1811, one batch of which was intercepted, and some pieces stolen whilst being delivered from London. Two further shilling token varieties, unrecorded by Dalton, are presented along with a five shillings promissory note, also dated 1811, missing from Outing’s catalogue, is illustrated for the first time thanks to the British Museum.
BNS Research Blog 