Author: BNS Blog Coordinator

BARBADOS – SOCIETY FOR ARTS – USEFUL ARTS PROMOTED – AN AWARD MEDAL – ‘ARE THERE ANY SURVIVORS?’ – Ken Eckardt

In July 1781 Mr Joshua Steele wrote to the Society at Adelphi in London informing that several Gentlemen of property and liberal education had formed a Society on the island of Barbados for the ‘Promotion of Useful Arts’. These included agriculture, manufacturing and innovation all in order to provide vocation training and employment to the poorer classes, both white and black, on the island. In May 1782 the Society decided to commission an Award Medal to be presented to deserving individuals contributing to the aims of the Society. Have any of these award medals survived?

Unrecorded White Metal 18th Century Tokens? – Gary Oddie

This note presents a small group of previously unrecorded 18th century tokens struck in white metal. At first the dies appear to be original, however close inspection reveals that the dies have been created from a genuine token, displaying several characteristic flaws on all tokens from the same die. A metallurgical analysis of the new pieces along with some genuine white metal strikings listed in Dalton & Hamer suggests that the presence of bismuth in the genuine pieces and absence in the new pieces might be another differentiating characteristic. The five pieces presented here would seem to be part of a very large group which requires further investigation as to when and where they were made.

Coins and Medallions of Lady Jane Grey – Gary Oddie

This note presents a brief review of the events leading up to the brief reign of Lady Jane Grey and the coins and medallions that have been made subsequently with her portrait. The pieces made and used in the 1986 Paramount film ‘Lady Jane’ are described, along with the various pieces created by the infamous coiner Edward Emery and finally some modern pieces issued as part of monarchs’ sets. Though she was never crowned, the paranumismatic items form an interesting group.

Cartouche Countermarks Revisited – Gary Oddie

This note will take another look at the Stuart hammered silver coins that have been countermarked with a cartouche containing various Roman numerals; III, VI, VII and VII above a horizontal I. The five previously published specimens are presented and discussed along with a further piece that might be attributed to this group. The weights of the pieces are found to correlate with the numeral in the countermark, but no plausible explanation for the issue has been found. All of the pieces should be considered as unsolved until new evidence appears.

A New Bust Type for James I Shillings – Gary Oddie

The silver coins issued during the reign of James I have received very little attention since Morrieson’s publications over a century ago. The scarce crowns have been revisited with extensive die studies, but the lower denominations have had nothing more than the occasional notice of a die sinker’s error or a new overstruck initial mark. A new transitional bust for the first issue shilling was first noticed in 2007 and this short note presents a new bust for the second issue shillings with initial mark key.

An Overlooked Series of English Card Tickets c.1811 – Gary Oddie

The chance find and revisiting of the Lauderdale report of 1813 has revealed a previously unrecognised series of low denomination printed tickets that must have once been commonplace throughout mainland England at around the same time as the silver token issues of 1811-12. There are a few tantalising hints of other card and paper replacements for small silver, with proofs of a 1774 card issue by John Wilkinson and assignats from Gilbert Gilpin amongst others, but all circulated pieces appear to have been lost to history. Along with the illustrations from the Lauderdale report another piece of contemporary evidence of a now lost piece, helps date the series.