Next club meeting - Monday 6^th. October 2003.

• Benedetto Pistrucci by Michael Marsh

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

Last months meeting was devoted to members giving short talks competing for the Mark Myhill memorial trophy. There were four entries as follows:

Graham spoke with much humour about some of his recent acquisitions:

• a tie decorated with US coins
• a book of historical facts entitled "Time Table of History"
• another book with superb illustrations of gems in the British Library
• a token (or something) in the process of being identified
• a medal of the Manchester ship canal
• another very rare medal of the Bible Abstinence Society

Neil spoke about his recent holiday in Bulgaria and the places he visited. In one fortified town of Roman ancestry and Byzantine churches he also found antique stalls with coins. Using these coins as the basis, Neil described the political and regal history of the country, and in particular the development of the coinage under the various regimes.

David gave a short illustrated talk on 19th Century tokens. With each piece shown, David gave some background information on the issuers, their enterprises and the buildings/factories depicted, including Cornish Mines, Wythamore Iron works, Birmingham workhouse, Priestfield Iron furnaces.

Tim bought along a good selection of pieces to illustrate his talk on the 'Electors of the Holy Roman Emperor'. As usual gave a wealth of information on his chosen subject. He explained the background to the election process, how the six original electors came into being and who they were (Bishops & Nobles). Examples of the Electors arms/ badges on the coins were highlighted. Later another 3 electors were added into the process, which was eventually abolished by Napoleon in 1806.

23 members voted for the best talk - the winner of the competition was Graham.

There were 5 dealer tables and 23 members and two guests attended.

Davidson Monk Coin Fair at the Commonwealth Institute 9&25^th October

Coin Fair (Coinex) at the Marriot Hotel - 10/11^th October

DNW Auction - 7^th October

Coin Fair. Sunday 12^th October. National Motorbike Museum, Birmingham. Note the museum has been seriously damaged by fire, so there may be an alternative venue)

Bonhams Coin Auctions - 21^st October

Anyone interested in medallions and visiting Oxford may like to visit the current exhibition at the Bodleian Library entitled 'Napoleon & the Invasion of Britain 1798 - 1805'. The exhibition features caricatures and many of the medallions on this subject. Entry is free and open Mon - Fri 9.33-4.45; Sat 9.30-12.30. The exhibition runs until 1st November.

A group of seven intrepid club members braved the one-way system and roadworks to visit Birmingham Museum and Soho House. On arrival at the museum we were taken down into the depths of the building for a handling session courtesy of the curator, David Symons. The coins on show covered everything from Ancient Greece (Gold 8-drachmai of Arsinoe II of Egypt), up to Maundy money from the current day and included some great rarities.

Some of the coins of note were:

• a Silver penny of Edward the Confessor, struck at the Droitwich mint
• a Short Cross farthing (i.e. not a cut quarter penny), one of only five known
• a gold ryal of Edward IV, struck at Coventry
• various pieces from the Soho Mint
• a forged 1s/6d and a forging plate for a £5 note of the Dudley Old Bank, both the work of William Booth
• a Coronation medal for Edward VIII, made from bakelite

David Symons is a very enthusiastic presenter and kept us amused for far longer than we had originally panned. He explained that the museum had managed to buy some of the lots from the recent sale of coins from the Birmingham Mint and that he was hopeful that some of the coins would shortly be put on general display.

Following a short break for a cup of tea and a bun, we carried on to Soho House. This was Matthew Boulton's residence and a large part of it is still preserved. There is also a visitor centre including display space and a tea room and shop. Unfortunately, Val Logie, the curator was unable to be with us, but her second in command, Mike, proved a very able stand-in. The residence is a treasure house of original and period pieces, having been carefully restored with authentic furniture and fittings from Boulton's time. Many of the house's features were explained to us, including the underfloor heating, the painted decorations, the wallpaper (printed in squares rather than rolls) and so on, as well as a fabulous display of silverwork and ormolu, diagrams and plans from the Soho Manufactory and of course a collection of coins from the Soho mint. We saw Boulton's own study and the Lunar room where the famous Lunar society met.

A very rewarding day in an area of Britain of outstanding numismatic interest.