January 25^th 2003.

Next club meeting Monday 3^rd February 2003.

• This will be the Coins From My Collection by Tony Merson.

Meetings are held at the Abbey Baptist Church, Abbey Square, commencing at 7.00 p.m.

January meeting.

The January meeting was given over to the annual club auction, comprising 147 lots of English and Foreign coins, Medallions, Medals, Tokens and Books. Very few lots remained unsold after an evening which most members seemed to have enjoyed. Details of some of the more interesting lots and the prices they achieved are as follows. The highest price achieved was £210 for an album of 100 Roman bronze corns. At the other end of the scale 25p was sufficient to secure a complete year set of the Seaby Numismatic Bulletins. A very nice EF 45 Piastres of Cyprus sold for £44, while 18^th century English crowns in fine condition ranged from£12- £7. A large French medallion in very nice condition sold for £15, and if nothing else the buyer must have received value in metal content alone. A British trade dollar of 1930B made £17, a Charles I coin weight sold for £15 and a more unusual Coronation medallion of Edward VII went for £15. A proof set of 1950 impaired with verdigris made £42 and an assorted bundle of banknotes £17. The auction closed with a hotly contested lot of auction catalogues, finally fetching the princely sum of £2!

The auction commissions and donations resulted in the club funds benefiting by £125.

After the auction 4 dealers set up tables and were still trading at lights out.

Obituary

It is sad to report the death of another longstanding member, Kay Cooper. Kay was a very keen supporter of our club right to the end, even though in recent times ill health prevented her attending the club meetings. Our chairman and other club members paid their respects at a well attended funeral.

Our condolences to her family at this unhappy time.

Membership

It is pleasing to report we have had several new people recently join our club. We extend a warm welcome to new members Henry, Richard, Gordon, Nick and Ron.

Next Years Programme

The committee is beginning to put together next years speaker programme. We would like to hear suggestions for speakers - what are you interested in? Or are you prepared to give a talk? If you have suggestions please discuss with the programme secretary David (or any other committee member) at the club next meeting.

We have received a request for a member from Reading to give a talk to Fareham coin club (near Portsmouth) - in return they will provide a speaker for us in 2003/2004. Any volunteers? Contact David.

Library

Club members are reminded we do have an extensive numismatic library. It is located on the top floor of our meeting place and is open every meeting. It is there to be used. If you are not sure of the borrowing arrangements our librarian David will be more than happy to assist.

We have received a flyer advertising a new book entitled 'The Counterfeit Coin Story' by K Peters. These flyers will be available at the next meeting.

Future Events.

Birmingham Coin Fair at the National Motorbike Museum, Birmingham Fair. Sunday 9^th February.

Davidson Monk Coin Fair. Saturday 15^th February. Commonwealth Institute. Kensington. London W8.

Past Events

30 years ago nearly 40 people came to hear DR Kent talk on the Aston Rowant hoard.

20 years ago a club social was held where the recently acquired slides on the history of Jewish and Biblical coins were projected.

10 years ago Mr C Comber gave a talk, well illustrated with slides, on the gold coins of Elizabeth 1. He spoke about the three different issues in the reign and the various denominations.

Numismatic Interlude - Princess Louise

London, as with most European capitals, abounds with monuments dedicated to past Royal personages. For example, in Kensington Gardens there is a statue depicting Queen Victoria at the time of her accession. Erected in 1893 by her loyal Kensington subjects it commemorates the Queens 1887 Golden Jubilee and records the fact that Here in front of the palace where she was born and where she resided until her accession. However, what makes this monument unique is that it is the work of her daughter, the only statue in the world of a reigning monarch executed by an offspring.

The daughter in question was Victoria's 6^th child, Princess Louise. She was born in 1848 and like her mother displayed considerable talent as a painter, no doubt encouraged by her father Prince Albert. In 1861 the happy days were abruptly terminated by the death of Albert and the Queen plunged into an orgy of mourning. In such depressing surroundings the young Princess sought solace in her drawing and started to attend the National Art School, later to become the Royal College of Art.

In 187l Louise shocked the world by marrying a commoner, the first such Royal marriage since Henry VIII. However, he was no ordinary commoner but the Marquis of Lourne, later to succeed to the title Duke of Argyll. The medal below executed by J S Wyon commemorates the marriage. The obverse depicts the co-joined busts of the couple and the reverse comprises crowned armorial shields. My example is in a very nice original Wyon embossed case, but a pity about the edge knock at 12 'o'clock. When large medallions are dropped the weight means the damage is usually severe. But back to the story.

Sadly, and somewhat surprising given the circumstances, the marriage was not a happy one. When in 1878 the Marquis was made Governor of Canada they spent more and more time apart. Louise became an enthusiastic traveller, particularly in the USA, and also spent much time at home in England pursuing her artistic interests. She established many friendships with artists. One evening in 1890 she was alone with one male friend when the unfortunate gent had a stroke and dropped dead. Thiss terrible event was made eve more difficult for Louise because the person in question was very well known and none other than Joseph Edgar Boehm. Numismatists will of course recognise the initials JEB that appear on Victoria's Jubilee coinage. He was particularly well known because of the adverse comment the Jubilee coinage attracted, showing the Queen with a silly little crown on her head. Just like today the papers of the day liked to report scandal, and the impropriety of a Royal personage being alone and unchaperoned in a man's studio at night would have been a scoop. The lengths to which the authorities went to conceal the truth, especially from the Queen, likens to a modern day MI5 cover up.

However, Louise's artistic reputation grew and she began to receive significant commissions, including the memorial to her mother. It is in white marble and was sculpted in a studio in the gardens of Kensington Palace. It was unveiled by Queen Victoria, at a ceremony in the summer of 1893. It must have been deeply moving for the Old Queen to unveil a statue of herself as a young woman, particularly one created by her own daughter.

Her reputation as an artist and sculptor grew and she completed several further commissions in her lifetime. She did much charity work during the First World War and lived to a ripe old age of 90+. She was truly a remarkable and colourful Princess.

British Numismatic Society (BANS)

This year the triennial John Sanford gold medal is to be awarded to a member of the society whose paper appearing in the Society's publications is voted as being in the best interests of numismatic science. Unfortunately there has been a hiccup with distribution of the ballot papers, which I have only just received, but which have to be returned by 28th January. If any of our members wish to make a nomination it is suggested a vote be posted directly to BANS at the Warburg Institute (or C. Farthing, 10 Greenbanks Gardens, Wallington, Fareham, Hants, P016 8SF) stating:

• person being nominated
• the title of the paper that qualifies for the award
• your name & dated signature
• your affiliation.

This year is the centenary of BANS. To mark this momentous occasion a reception is being held in the HSBC Money Gallery at the British Museum on Friday 4^th July at 6pm. Then on the following day, Saturday 5^th July a special meeting will be held in the Stevenson Lecture theatre. The morning will be devoted to a reflection of those individuals who have helped shape the society over the past 100 years. The afternoon will be short talks by notable numismatic figures (G Dyer, N Mayhew, P Mitchell, H Pagen et al.) on the theme of how the Journal has inspired new research and the development of numismatic knowledge.

Persons wishing to attend one or both events, which are free to members, should indicate their interest to: Dr K Clancy, Director British Numismatic Society, c/o Royal Mint, Llantrisant, Pontyclun CF72 8YT (tel 01443 62305, email Kevin.Clancy@royalmint.gov.uk)

The Lecture programme for BANS is as follows:

Meetings (6pm - 7.30pm) are held at the Warburg Institute, Woburn Square, London.