In the 18th century most European colonies were chronically short of circulating coins which led to many of them countermarking and/or mutilating specific quantities of any available coin, mostly Spanish American silver. These would then be issued and accepted by the authorities at an enhanced rate which, together with any mutilation, would deter their export. Most official (and some unofficial) cuts and countermarks have been positively identified but the simple countermark published here has not. A possible reason for it is suggested and reports of any similar marks, particularly on coins with a provenance, would be interesting. Click here to access the article
Author: BNS Blog Coordinator
Cromford Derbyshire Countermarks – by Eric Hodge
Countermarks are fascinating but even more so when they are applied over one another. The researcher is left to ask when, why and how. This blog post has attempted some answers based on an unusual mark and it is hoped that others will supply more ideas for further research and study. Click to access the article.
The Large Cnut Hoard of the 1990’s – Hugh Pagan
In 1995 a Stockholm auction house offered a parcel of 319 coins of Cnut evidently deriving from a single hoard. The coins were of three consecutive types, Quatrefoil, Pointed Helmet and Small Cross, and the geographical pattern of the mints represented within the parcel pointed clearly to this being a portion of the very large hoard of coins of this reign found c.1993, possibly in the Cambridge area. The parcel offered for sale in this Stockholm auction was small in relation to the likely size of the hoard as a whole and was probably broadly representative of the date range and geographical spread of the coins represented in the hoard as a whole. This article provides a summary listing putting on record the content of the Stockholm parcel, as in the twenty-five year period since the hoard’s presumed discovery no formal publication of any portion of it has been put into the public domain. It is hoped that the appearance
A Parcel from a Small Hoard of Coins of Eadmund of East Anglia – Hugh Pagan
In March 1995 I made a note of a group of five coins of Eadmund of East Anglia shown to me on a visit to the Baldwin firm by the late Michael Sharp. The coins had come to the firm as a group, with no other accompanying coins, and it is reasonable to suppose that they had been found together. The present-day whereabouts of these coins is unknown to me, but they doubtless ended up in the possession of a customer or customers of the Baldwin firm, and maybe the present note will jog the memory of one or more readers of this blog. Details of the coins are provided in this brief article. Click here to access the article.
The Late Coinage of King Eadmund of East Anglia – Steve Green
Described are three coins of Eadmund (855 – 869), with comments on how they may throw new light on Eadmund’s late coinage and illustrate a kingdom in turmoil. Click here to access the article. Scroll down this page in order to comment on the article.
The John Casey Fund
The purpose of the fund, financed from a generous bequest to the British Numismatic Society by the late John Casey FSA (d.2016), Reader in Archaeology at the university of Durham, is to provide grants for research by individuals into the coins, medals, tokens, jettons and paper money of the British Isles, the British Commonwealth and other territories that have been subject to British rule. It is envisaged that the annual sum of money available for distribution from the fund will be around £3000 and that within that total each grant made will normally be for a sum of not less than £500. Applications will be particularly welcomed from younger scholars enrolled with higher education institutions, although applications from independent scholars and from other researchers will also be considered favourably. Purposes for which grants will be made may include travel costs, the acquisition of specialist software, the costs of metallurgical analysis and of image reproduction, and similar expenses directly related to
The Recent Finds of Two Late Coins of London from the Long Cross Series in the Name of Henry III – Bob Thomas
Two previously undescribed Henry III long cross pennies are described and discussed. Both are late coins of Renavd of London, issued posthumously in the early years of the reign of Edward I. Click here to access the article. Scroll down this page in order to comment on the article.
A Newly Discovered Silver Farthing of James I – Tim Everson
A Norfolk metal-detecting discovery has turned up a James I Harington farthing made of silver rather than copper. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE To provide comments on the article please scroll down to the bottom of this page.
A Lost Cambridgeshire 17th Century Token – by Gary Oddie
Under Tokens and Jettons will be found a new article by Gary Oddie on a lost 17th century token from Cambridgeshire – hopefully this brief article might cause it to re-appear. CLICK HERE TO READ THE RESEARCH NOTE To provide comments on the article please scroll down to the bottom of this page.
An Intriguing Edward I Penny mule of Berwick – Denis Martin
The BNJ of 1977 included an article by C.J.Wood examining early penny dies of Edward I from the Berwick mint. In it he mentioned a mule coin of type Ia/IIa which displayed a double initial cross although there was no indication as to where he had seen an example. The author of this note has been looking out for this die combination for many years but only recently, like London buses, two have come along. Annoyingly, the first to turn up had the region of the initial cross poorly struck up although in other respects it had the other features mentioned by Wood. Fortunately, the second coin to come along was much more conclusive…..! CLICK HERE TO READ THE RESEARCH NOTE To provide comments on the article please scroll down to the bottom of this page.
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