This note provides an update to the 1993 booklet ‘Columbia Market’ published by the late Bob Williams. The original introductory text is repeated, followed by a group of new illustrations relating to the market. The new catalogue expands the number of known types from 13 to 27, with most fully illustrated. Brief notes from trade directories, newspapers and genealogical searches are added to the catalogue entries. An early advertisement for the market is presented along with transcripts of relevant directories, confirming the presence of many of the names and will allow newly discovered tokens to be quickly identified and dated.
Author: BNS Blog Coordinator
Henry III Long Cross Pennies – Class 2bi – The Coinage of the Lincoln Mint – Ian M. Heavisides & Rob Page
There were three provincial mints that issued pennies of Class 2bi; Lincoln, Northampton and Winchester.It appears that the class was short-lived, and that the issue of dies was limited. We have taken each mint in turn and examined the dies known to exist, identifying these along with the corresponding reverse dies used with them.There appear to be four obverse dies of Lincoln for Class 2bi and two further dies that are contemporary forgeries. Included here are copious illustrations and some suggested means of die identification in order to avoid any confusion caused by wear and in some cases re-cutting.
The Checks of George Prier, Borough Market – Gary Oddie
The recent find of a small wooden box containing 332 checks issued by G. Prier at Borough Market, London is presented. Background research on the issuer suggests that George Prier (1835-1902) started trading at Boro in a partnership (dissolved 1867) and then as a sole trader 1869-94. For a late nineteenth century token box to survive, complete with contents, is extremely unusual.
Venetian Soldini in England : An Introduction – Josh Cattermole
Not uncommon as metal detecting discoveries in England, the small Venetian soldinii perhaps warrant more attention….
The R.C Lockett Collection – A New Resource on the BNS Website
Cyril Richard Lockett (1873-1950) was the Chairman of William & John Lockett Ltd., shipowners in Liverpool. He commenced collecting c.1906, focussing on the English series, purchasing heavily in the Rashleigh (1909), Carlyon-Britton (1913-18), Walters (1913), Roth (1917-18), Bruun (1925), Huth (1927), Morrieson (1933), Lord Grantley (1943-45) and other collections. From the 1920s his numismatic collecting interests expanded to Greek coins and then continental, Roman and Byzantine coins, building one of the largest and most important numismatic collections in the United Kingdom. His collection of English Milled (Cromwell to Victoria) was sold at Sotheby’s (28 April 1927) and after his death his vast collection was sold by Glendining’s in 14 sales over a seven-year period (1955-1961) to avoid flooding the market. The British Numismatic Society holds Lockett’s own 58 volume manuscript catalogue of his collection. These volumes provide a unique insight into Lockett as a discerning numismatic connoisseur, while documenting provenances of his purchases and his hand-written observations about the coins
read more The R.C Lockett Collection – A New Resource on the BNS Website
The Bank of England and Provincial Banking – Brian Williams
A brief informal account of the development of our banking system, being a résumé of a PowerPoint presentation given recently to the Social History Group section of Bookham U3A.
An Unusual Long Cross Cut-Half of Henry III – Robert Page & Ian Heavisides
Description of a cut half with an unusual style of central fleur, interpreted as earliest class 5c2. Seemingly a rare variety, and the authors would be interested in hearing from anyone with an example of a full penny with this variety of fleur.
The Jacks put to their Trumps: A Tale of a King James’s Irish Shilling – Gary Oddie
This short note presents details of a recent chance find of a pamphlet dated 1714. The 27 verses describe, in the first person, the life of a gunmoney shilling in the decades after its issue. This work was once attributed to Jonathan swift, though not conclusively. The work has similarities to better-known works by Joseph Addison (Adventures Of A Shilling, 1710) and John Taylor (A Shilling, or, the travailes of a twelve pence, 1621).
Some gunmoney-related evidence in French diplomatic and military correspondence, 1689-90 – Oisín Mac Conamhna
The purpose of this note is to highlight some evidence of relevance to gunmoney in French correspondence of 1689-90, particularly that of Antoine de Mesmes, the Comte d’Avaux, the French ambassador to the Irish court of James II.[1] Reference is also made to correspondence held in French state, military, and naval archives, which was published in the 1980s.
Tokens, Tickets and Notes of the De Beers Diamond Fields – Gary Oddie
This note will present a brief history of the de Beers diamond fields in South Africa, beginning with the discovery of the first diamonds in the mid-1860s through to the consolidation of the various companies. The various mining compounds issued metal, paper and later plastic tokens, initially as part of a truck system. A fully illustrated catalogue of items known from the company is included. This provides colour illustrations to the catalogue published by Brian Hern and Allyn Jacobs in 2009, along with six previously unrecorded pieces.
BNS Research Blog 