March 2008

Next club meeting Monday 30^th March 2009.

• This will be a talk on The Thames Water Collection – Secrets from the Depths by Jill Greenaway.

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

March meeting.

Douglas Saville gave us a talk on “Numismatic Books, Old and New”. The format he chose, was to couch the talk as a series of questions, which members attempted to answer and then to go through the questions, presenting answers and providing the context for the question/answer. Here are the questions and answers as provided by Douglas.

• 1. In which year was Seaby’s Catalogue of Roman Coins first published?
1936- and, it wasn’t ever originally intended as a guide to the values of the coins- it was a list of the coins the firm had for sale- and basically reprinted from Bert Seaby’s duplicated “Lists” of coins he had in stock at the time he issued his usually weekly, but sometimes more often, lists of coins for sale. He founded the company in 1926 after having worked at Spinks coin department after leaving the forces in 1918. He had been encouraged to leave Spinks by Valentine Ryan, an apparently eccentric and very wealthy collector whose collection was sold by Glendining in several sales in the 1950s. An example of that first edition on view here.
• 2. What was the title of the first printed numismatic book? When and where was it published?
• Guillaume Bude. 1514. The title is “De Asse”. Paris. Scholars have suggested that the work is the greatest study of its kind produced during the Renaissance. The author succeeded in establishing the exact meanings of the monetary terminology of Greek and Roman antiquities, as well as the correct value of Roman and Greek coins in relation to his own times, and it went through innumerable editions well into the 17th century.
• 3. In which city is the largest and best reference library of numismatic literature? And when was it established?
• The American Numismatic Society, New York City. Initially organised at a meeting in 1858, it was incorporated in 1865. The benevolence of a number of presidents and fellows of the ANS, formed the basis of its own magnificent collection of coins and medals, and the tremendous library developed along similar lines. It is now a major research library with members based all over the world.
• 4. When was the Numismatic Society of London founded? Principally by whom? And what is it called today?
• 1836, at a meeting in London. JohnYonge Akerman was the main founding member, and the Editor of The Numismatic Journal, the Society’s first publication issued between 1836 and 1838. It became the Numismatic Chronicle in 1839, and Akerman continued as Editor until the late 1850s. It became incorporated as the Royal Numismatic Society in 1906. An early issue of the Chronicle from October 1841 is on show here.
• 5. What happened in 1901 that was to lead to the founding of the British Numismatic Society ?
• W.J. Andrew’s paper on the coinage of Henry I (1100 – 1135) was published in the Chronicle, taking up virtually the whole volume - some 515 pages and 8 plates. The paper was criticized in the 1902 volume and led to the founding of the British Numismatic Society by members who felt the Chronicle was specializing too much on non-British coinages. Few papers relating to British coins were subsequently published in the Chronicle, being taken up by the British Numismatic Journal, founded in 1904. The BNS was principally formed by a “breakaway” group including P. W. P. Carlyon-Britton, L. A. Lawrence and W. J. Andrew.
• 6. Spink’s Numismatic Circular has been published for over 100 years. When was it first published? For a time it changed its name – to what and when?
• >The Numismatic Circular was first published in December 1892 - presumably to give customers the opportunity to read it over the Christmas and new Year holidays! From the start it included short notes and other articles relating to coins (mostly by the founding editor, Leonard Forrer) as well as lists of coins for sale. Between May 1940 and May 1947 it changed its name to The Numismatic Circular List, due to wartime paper and cost restrictions, and lack of staff, many of whom were serving in the forces. It included no articles,only list of coins. Incidentally, it was printed in France from the beginning until the fall of France in 1941, or 2Howard Linecar who some of you must have known, and who worked at the company from 1935 to 1986, saw war service as a fireman based in London, and witnessed a bomb exploding opposite Spink’s main entrance and which blew out the corner of the building where Duke Street meets King Street. The main entrance was rebuilt after the war, in 1946. A copy of the May 1940 issue of the Circular List is here.
• 7. Which book is the first illustrated numismatic book? Who is the author and where and when was it published?
• Illustrium Imagines. The author was Andrea Fulvio, and it was published in Rome in 1517. One issue was published on November 7th, the other, with minor corrections (don’t ask me what they were!) on November 15th. The book illustrates famous Romans, mostly taken from coins, but not always, since some of are of imaginary coins.
• 8. When was the first colour-printed numismatic book printed? Where was it published? Who was the author and what is its title?
• It was published in 1846, in London. Henry Noel Humphreys was the author, and it was called Coins of England. It had 23 colour-printed plates, printed in metallic inks, on a blue background. Both the first and the second editions appeared in the same year. Humphreys was a graphic artist, and experimented with colour printing. He was also an illustrator, a naturalist, entymologist and a numismatist. He studied medieval manuscripts as a young man, and became an accomplished scholar in numerous subjects. He wrote works on Greek and Roman coins, archaeology and the art of writing and printing, and all these works included colour-printed plates. One of his most famous books was on British Moths (with John Westwood) published in two volumes in 1843-1845, also with colour plates. I have a nice copy of the book here.
• 9. Which young numismatist wrote the standard reference on the coins and Medals of Oliver Cromwell? What is its title and when was it published?
• Henry William Henfrey (1852-1881) was the author. The book was entitled Numismata Cromwelliana, or the Medallic History of Oliver Cromwell, published in London, in 1877- when he was just 25 years old. At school, when he was just 12 or 13, he wrote and produced 8 parts of a quarterly Henfrey’s Journal from his home in St. Albans then Brighton, most likely distributed to friends and acquaintances. In it he included articles on astronomy, fairy tales, myths, travel and a series on postage stamps and coins; and included a plate illustrating his own coins. For unknown reasons, possibly due to an accident, he was unable to go to Oxford University, and devoted his time to studying archaeology and numismatics. By the time of his death at the age of just 29 he had contributed 12 papers to the Numismatic Chronicle. He has been described as one of the most brilliant of Victorian numismatists, and at the time of his death he had been preparing for publication a history of English County mints. As far as I know that was never published.
• 10. What is a “COIN BOOK”?
• These are (usually) rare 16th or 17th century merchant or government-issued guides to coins circulating in the issuing country. Authors are usually unknown, and when offered for sale they are listed by the name of the printer, the publisher or even the country that issued it. A good, and named, example is by Adam Berg, Munich, 1597.

  An interesting way to present a talk and accompanied by very interesting books, some of which were the answers to the questions!

  Spring social / Skittles Evening

  This will once again be a skittles evening at the Red Lion pub, Theale on Saturday 18th April. We intend to start gathering around 7pm for an 8pm kick off.

  The price is £15 per head (£30 per couple) and includes a good buffet. If you would like to come please sign up at the April meeting.

  Summer Social

  We are starting planning early for this year’s Summer Social. The event in question will be another of our trips to the Royal Mint. Numbers are going to be limited to about a dozen members and is likely to be some time on August. Watch this space!

  Future Events.

  • Spink Auction 18^th March
  • Bonhams Auction. - 8^th April.
  • Midland Coin Fair at the National Motorcycle Museum 12^th April.

  Past Events

  • Ten years ago was the second half of the Mick Luckett collection and short talks
  • This evening 20 years ago was a Coin Fair.
  • This evening 30 years ago Mr. Porter spoke on War medals