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Palmers Green Hoard of Richard II Coins, 1911- Rob Page

In Thompson’s Inventory he gives information for two coin hoards found in 1911 in Palmers Green; his “Palmers Green #1” (Ref 247) is a well documented hoard, consisting mainly of Henry III long cross pennies, and is not in any doubt. However, his second hoard, “Palmers Green #2”, (Ref 248) is almost undocumented, and it is this one that is the subject of this very brief article.

Reconstructing a Hoard of Joseph Heath 17th C Tokens (Cambridge W/D 52) – Gary Oddie

At some point in the past, a hoard of Joseph Heath’s Cambridge tokens from 1667 must have been discovered and dispersed. This note presents an accumulation of 43 specimens and identifies three different die states. It is suggested that a typical batch of tokens supplied to a seventeenth century tradesman would consist of about 3,000 tokens, which could have been manufactured by a small team of moneyers using a single screw press in half a day.

A Die Study of James I Shillings – Third Issue, Sixth Bust, mm Trefoil – Gary Oddie

The three previous notes in this series have presented die studies for the third issue shillings with mintmarks Rose, Thistle and Lis. This note will finish off the third issue with a die study of the shillings with a trefoil mintmark. A total of 63 specimens have been noted from 36 obverse and 47 reverse dies and a statistical analysis suggests that as many again are yet to be discovered.  As the last mintmark of the reign, the trefoil continued to be used for a few months into the reign of Charles I and two Pyx trails were carried out on 7 July 1625, the first for coins struck whilst James I was alive and the second for posthumous issues. This note also identifies a group of dies that might be associated with the posthumous issues.  Extrapolating from the Rose, Thistle and Trefoil data allows an estimate to be made of the amount of silver at the previous Trial of the

read more A Die Study of James I Shillings – Third Issue, Sixth Bust, mm Trefoil – Gary Oddie

Revisiting the Case of Joseph Hunton – Silver Token Issuer and Last Man Hanged for Forgery – Gary Oddie

When originally conceived, this note had a very different title and form, but as the story of Joseph Hunton was uncovered in contemporary newspapers, it took a more serious turn and so is being given a separate article. This note presents the life, career and ultimate downfall of Joseph Hunton, a Quaker and very successful businessman. The original act of forgery of a bill of exchange, his attempt to escape, foiled by the weather and the police chase, his capture and high-profile trial and execution were all laid bare in the newspapers of the time. Though he had started with significant wealth, all of his properties and possessions were taken to pay his debts. Just over three years later an Act of Parliament would repeal the death penalty for such counterfeiting.

F.W. Wilkes, Great Colmore St., Birmingham – Gary Oddie

Many modern trade tokens are purely functional in nature and give insufficient details to allow conclusive attribution. Those with just names or initials can be challenging to research and require other corroborating information such as personal knowledge, a documented find or links with other tokens that include more details of the issuer, the use or the series. However, some tokens include more information that allows the issuer and his business to be traced more easily. This note presents one example of such a token.

Discovery of Nine Examples of UK Merchant Countermarked Dollars from an Old Collection Held in the National Archaeological Museum, Naples, Italy – Eric C. Hodge

In most series in numismatics, provenance is of vital importance. The series of UK merchant countermarked dollars is no different. So when early records, and photographs to support them, are found, then these can prove to be an invaluable resource for future research. This note is a record of such a find.

A Die Study of James I Shillings – Third Issue, Sixth Bust, mm Thistle – Gary Oddie

This note presents the next die study of the third issue James I shillings. Once again online archives and private collectors are thanked for their images. Just seven die-pair duplicates have been found amongst the 37 specimens and 23 obverse and 27 reverse dies have been identified. There are just two obverse legend variations (HI and HIB) and only one of these (HIB) is found with the plume reverse. The relatively small number of die duplicates in the sample suggests that there will likely be over 50 obverse dies and more than 80 reverse dies to be found. ……… or click here for the previous article in this series (A Die Study of James I Shillings – Third Issue, Sixth Bust, mm Lis)