Next club meeting Monday 4^th June 2008

This is the club's AGM and Annual display Competition for the Michael Broome Cup.

It is sobering to realise that this is the tenth year since Michael Broome’s death. The AGM is the meeting where the officer's report the status of the club and the membership voice their concerns/ideas. It is also the time where the club committee is elected for the forthcoming year. A copy of the Club’s accounts is included with this newsletter.

The second part of the evening will be devoted to the annual display competition, with the winner being awarded the Michael Broome Memorial Trophy for 1 year. The competition is open to all members and can cover any topic connected to numismatics. So to all members please have a go and enter a display. Those that do a display will receive an entry into a raffle, the prize being a bottle of wine.

May Meeting

Our speaker for May was unable to attend and we were very fortunate that Michael Gouby was able to fill in for us at such short notice. Michael also brought along the club’s latest purchase, a computer controlled projector. Truly Reading Coin Club has arrived in the 21^st Century!

This was a talk of two parts, in the first Michael demonstrated the variety of Web sites available for people to look at and in the second he displayed a large number of varieties that are not listed in standard texts.

There are different types of websites

• 1. Simple web sites showing details of the company (Dorset Coin Co.)
• 2. Actual dealer’s lists (Frank Milward’s site)
• 3. More detailed lists with descriptions of the company (Baldwins and Coincraft)
• 4. Very detailed lists, updated daily and illustrated (Michael’s own site)

There followed a discussion of web sites. Much discussion from the floor and Michael recounted how he had recently had his Paypal account emptied by a thief!

The second part of the talk was on coin varieties, with the following being presented

• 1. An Elizabeth I 6d from 1594 dated 15944 with an extra 4
  
• 2. A 1673 halfcrown with the F of Francia over an M (for Mag)
• 3. An 1857 shilling with two different 5’s used, one flat top, the other curved
• 4. A William III shilling, 1st bust normal, 2nd bust rare new variety misspelt GULIEMUS (should be LL)
• 5. A sixpence of Queen Anne 1711 with both large and small LIS – very distinct
• 6. A George III shilling (or sixpence) originally struck incorrectly without hearts – later corrected in Hanoverian shield
• 7. A 1674 Maundy Penny with 4 die errors - Carolus III instead of Carolus II – D of DEI with extra upstroke, I of DEI like an Arabic 1 – G of GRATIA like a reversed G
  
• 8. Altered date 1863 3 over 1
• 9. William and Mary 2d 1693 3 over 2
• 10. 1743 2d 3 over 0
• 11. 1825 2d reads TRITANNIAR B over T
  
• 12. 1676 3d reads ERA instead of FRA
• 13. 1679 3d CARO1VS ie. 1 instead of L and upside down A instead of U
• 14. 1686 4d James has two eyes – double struck
  
• 15. 1826 1d Plain saltire / thin raised line / thick raise line in saltire
• 16. 1848 1d 4 double struck, 8 over 6, 8 over 7, E of DEF double struck, all numerals repaired or only 8s repaired and even 8 over different 7s
• 17. 1857 1d different varieties mostly minor but pronounced
• 18. 1858 1d Many different varieties – Michael doesn’t believe 8 over 3 exists – it looks like it but no3 matches the variety many different 8 over 7s
• 19. 1860 1d N over sideways N and O is double struck – E of PENNY over P – E has lost lower stroke so appears like an F – V of VICTORIA is upside down A
• 20. 1861 1d 6 over 8 also 8 over 6 (sold for £6,000)
• 21. 1863 1d normal 3, open 3 and slim 3
• 22. 1983 2p saying NEW PENCE instead of TWO PENCE

A very interesting and informative display prompting much discussion and very much enjoyed by all present.

Thank you to Michael for talking at such short notice.

Summer Social

We are in the process of fixing the Summer Social for this year. This will be a social ‘Garden Party’ event for members and partners and will take place sometime in August.

Future Events.

• Croydon Coin Auctions, - 3rd June
• DNW (Trade tokens) auction - 5th June
• London Coin Auction, Bracknell - 6th & 7th June
• London Coin Fair at Holiday Inn, Bloomsbury - 7th June
• Midland Coin Fair – 8th June

Past Events

• 10 years ago in May 1998 John Kent gave a talk on “The Coins of Roman Britain – for the Curious and the Collector