The coin collection made by an Irishman, Hugh Howard (1675-1738), sold for his descendant the 5th Earl of Wicklow by the Sotheby firm in May 1874, incorporates what is presumably part or the whole of a mid-tenth century coin hoard in which the coinages of the Anglo-Saxon rulers Eadmund, Eadred and Eadwig were well represented. The present note lists the coins involved, and identifies the places and regions where they are likely to have been struck. Attention is also drawn to the fact that thirty-eight of the coins concerned were purchased by the dealer James Verity for the Bradford businessman Arthur Briggs, and that at the sale of Briggs’s coin collection in March 1893 a good number of the tenth-century Anglo-Saxon coins in the collection that can be identified as ex Howard were purchased for the collector Charles Montagu Crompton-Roberts. These were to be purchased from Crompton-Roberts years later by the Spink firm, and are to be found listed, without
Irish
A penny die of Edward IV used at Waterford and Cork – Philip Lee and Oisín Mac Conamhna
The new evidence of this coin is consistent with the suggestion that the Cork mint of Edward IV and Henry VI was initiated with expertise and equipment from Waterford.
A Suns and Roses Halfpenny of Drogheda – Lee Hodgkiss and Oisín Mac Conamhna
One of us found a small coin at a detectorist club dig at Hanbury, Staffordshire, on 25 January 2026, that is a notable addition to the fifteenth century Irish numismatic corpus. The find has been reported to the PAS in Staffordshire.
O’Neill Money: The Irish “Rebel Money” of the 1640s, the battle flag of the Confederated Catholics, and Eoghan Ruadh Ua Néill – Oisín Mac Conamhna
Irish “Rebel Money” has long been a numismatic enigma, as no record of its production survives. This note highlights that the encircled cross potent on the obverse of the coinage was the emblem on the battle flag of the Confederated Catholics, and attributes the production of the coinage to Eoghan Ruadh Ua Néill, the only Irish general since the advent of firearms to defeat a regular British army on an open battlefield; and dates the coinage to the immediate aftermath of the battle of Binn Bhorb (Benburb) in June 1646, two months after Ua Néill received approximately £10,000 in silver from Rome.
A Contemporary Counterfeit Irish Base Shilling of Elizabeth I, c.1559 – Gary Oddie
This note takes a close look at a counterfeit shilling found in a hoard possibly from Co. Tipperary in Ireland sometime around 1966. The hoard comprised exclusively the base coins (white money) that were circulating in Ireland prior to the introduction of a “fine” (11oz) silver coinage in 1561. These factors leave only a very narrow window for the manufacture of the counterfeit and the deposition of the hoard. A further piece, originally suspected to be another contemporary counterfeit, is shown to be a worn genuine coin.
A Trial Note From The Limerick Soviet in April 1919 – Gary Oddie
This note presents a contemporary photograph of a ten-shilling note that is possibly a trial printing for the issues made by the Limerick Soviet 15-27 April 1919. The press photograph originates from the USA. The style of note is previously unknown and any help locating a specimen or the publication that used the image will be gratefully received via the BNS Blog.
The Limerick Soviet Shilling Notes – 1919 and 2019 – Gary Oddie
Shortly after the Irish war of Independence began in January 1919, several areas declared themselves as self-governing Soviets. When Limerick was declared a Special Military area by the British army on 9 April, a general strike was called to start on the 14th and the Limerick Soviet began. Negotiations brought an end to the strike on 27 April. From 15-27 April a series of 1, 5 and 10 shilling notes were issued, and these are well-known to collectors. Less well known are the 1, 5 and 10 shilling notes that were issued in Limerick for the centenary celebrations. The notes circulated in several Limerick shops and businesses, exchanging at 1 shilling = 1 euro, and ceased circulation at midnight on 1 May 2019. There are similarities with the British Transition Town notes such as the Bristol, Lewes or Totnes Pounds.
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.
Further Lis-by-Neck Waterford Pennies of Edward IV or V and Richard III – Kelvin Brosz and Oisín Mac Conamhna
The purpose of this note is to document two further lis-by-neck pennies of Waterford of Edward IV or V, and Richard III, which have recently come to light.
BNS Research Blog 