The Reverend Joseph William Hamlet (1857-1926) was Vicar of Barrington, Somerset, from 1885 till his death in 1926. Though previously known during this period as a key member of the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society (SANHS), antiquarian and beloved parish priest, no specific evidence of numismatic knowledge had previously been observed. This note publishes a suite of recently emerged items likely owned by him, suggesting both knowledge of and engagement with the discipline.
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THE BRITISH MUSEUM’S COLLECTION OF ANGLO-SAXON COINS AS IT EXISTED IN THE MID 1790s – HUGH PAGAN
This note draws attention to the content of a notebook, now held in the British Library compiled by Rev.Rogers Ruding (1751-1820), author of Annals of the Coinage of Britain and its Dependencies, in which Ruding recorded detailed information about a total of 356 Anglo-Saxon coins that were in the British Museum collection by the mid 1790s. The notebook shows that a significant number of coins in the British Museum collection today which up to now have had “undated” provenances were already in the British Museum before the end of the eighteenth century.
Card Advertising Tokens c.1930? Part 3-Gary Oddie and Alan Judd
This note adds three new advertising tokens to the 13 previously published. The first piece is from Frank Cox, a third-generation cut-glass and china merchant from London. Two further pieces carry advertisements for “Damaroids” and “Dr. Patterson’s Female Pills”, both ineffectual quack medications widely advertised in London in the first half of the twentieth century.
A New Halfpenny Die of David II of Scotland’s Second Coinage (1357/8-1367) – Cameron Maclean and Carl Savage
This short note details a halfpenny of David II of Scotland’s second coinage (1357/8-1367), potentially the second known example, which has recently come to light. This new specimen is of particular interest as it is struck from a different obverse die than the other example in The Lord Stewartby Collection of Scottish Coins.
An Unusual Counterfeit ‘Silver’ Shilling of 1818 – Gary Oddie
This note presents a contemporary counterfeit shilling of George III dated 1818. The alloy is a base silver and is the first such counterfeit to be published. Die duplicates have been found within another comprehensive ongoing study of the counterfeits of this period. The piece appears to be struck from hand-engraved dies and is extremely deceptive. It is very likely that many others were made and have blended in with the circulating silver coins that were finally removed from circulation in the silver culls of the 1960s and 1970s.
A new female coin collector of the 18th century: Katherine Blount (née Butler) – Andrew Burnett
We can now identify a new addition to the relatively small number of female coin collectors of the past. Katherine Blount (née Butler) (1676-1752) had an extensive collection of over a thousand coins, mostly Roman and British, as described in the fairly detailed inventory made of her collection after her death. Picture is more difficult as, despite consulting experts, we have been unable to find the Kneller portrait which is mentioned in the literature. Perhaps we could consider a page from the Inventory?
A New Mintmark for the Henry VIII York Halfpenny – Lee Stone
A Henry VIII halfpenny was recently discovered that has a pansy mintmark.
Seeking the Provenance of an Unusual Hiberno-Scandinavian Coin – Robert Page
Hopefully a reader may be able to assist with the quest to discover where the interesting coin illustrated above came from. The earliest appearance of the coin that the author is aware of is the 2001 Spink auction containing coins of the Chown collection, and it is hoped that any reader with earlier auction catalogues containing Hiberno-Scandinavian coins may be able to locate it, and determine it’s original provenance.
The 1962 Dated Proof Sovereign of Elizabeth II – Cameron Maclean
The purpose of this post is to draw attention to the 1962 dated proof sovereign of Elizabeth II as it is unlisted in the British reference catalogues.
Boulton’s 1799 Halfpennies and Farthings – Ian Calvert
Matthew Boulton’s 1799 and 1780 quick and cheap production and distribution of 42 million halfpennies and 4.2 million farthings effectively resolved a serious longstanding counterfeit problem for those coins. The Peck, KH16 coins provide one example of “Pattern” Early Soho coins which might well have been produced for the nascent “commemorative” coin market.
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