Next club meeting Monday 1st June 2009
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.
Meetings are held at the Abbey Baptist Church, Abbey Square, commencing at 7.00 p.m.
May Meeting
The last talk that David gave us took us from 100BC up till the Civil War, here was part II, taking us up to the end of the 19th Century.
David started with the first attempts to produce a copper coinage. The King gave patents to various favourites to strike copper farthings – very small and lightweight – not liked by the public, but very profitable for the issuers. Private traders then took matters into their own hands and issued tokens. David showed a selection of types. They often had initials of both the issuer and his wife, often trade coat of arms or other emblems of trade.
After the restitution the Government issued machine made coins (after a brief issue of hammered coins). In 1672 they also issued copper farthings (and a few halfpennies) to replace the tokens. The reverses depict Brittania for the first time. The model for Britannia was the Duchess of Richmond, one of Charles II mistresses. Most of the denominations familiar to us up to the end of predecimal coinage were now struck. Gold £5, £2, £1 and £1/2, Silver Crowns halfcrowns, shillings, sixpences, 4d, 3d, 2d and 1d, Copper 1/2d 1/4d.
William III withdrew all the old hammered silver coins going back to 1551 and replaced them with milled coins. This was financed by a tax on windows – which accounts for many windows of the time being bricked up. He set up five branch mints to help viz. Bristol, Exeter, Chester, Norwich and York. David then showed a selection of early milled coins. He showed provenance marks eg. roses and Plumes. Roses indicate English Silver, Plumes indicate Welsh provenance. David showed a coin with SSC (South Sea Company) in the quarters. Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of the time managed to recover much silver from the SSC and struck it into coins, so people called the shillings ‘Bobs’ after Walpole. Sixpences were called tanners after the engraver John Tanner.
David showed a selection of 18th Century coins including copper regal evasions. Towards the end of the Century (1787) Another wave of unofficial tokens began to be issued – particularly as the Industrial revolution got underway and the need for small change increased greatly. 18th Century tokens show a variety of interesting designs relating to places and events of the period. David then showed copper Cartwheel coins, machine made and full intrinsic weight of copper 2d=2oz, 1d=1oz and showed silver tokens.
In 1816 new coinage appeared, Crown, halfcrown, shilling and sixpence, well made and good weight. Copper coinage starting in 1821 with farthings, 1827 halfpennies, 1826 pennies. David showed an 1827 sovereign dug up by his uncle and given to him, also a Maundy set of 4d, 3d, 2d and 1d, Britannia groats, half farthings, third farthings and even quarter farthings. He then showed a selection of Victorian coins including a Florin – our first attempt at decimalisation – it was a tenth of a pound.
Also a selection of tokens, unofficial farthings were typical of the period. In 1860 copper coins were replaced by Bronze coinage – smaller in size. The Royal mint were helped by the Heaton Mint in Birmingham. Many of their coins bearing the famous H mintmark. He then showed shillings with die numbers (to control output). These appeared on florins, shillings and sixpences as well. He finished by showing Edward VII coinage including a Florin with Brittania on the reverse, this time standing. David felt that as most of us had handled coins of George V onwards he would wind up the talk at this point. There then followed a lively discussion.
Many thanks to David for completing the History for us.
Spring Social
A group of seventeen, comprising members and partners, met at the Red Lion at Theale for the annual skittle match. A considerably improved menu awaited us, with chilli, rice and salad accompanied by bread and baked potatoes. Alternatives for the chilli were also available. The first game was a boys versus girls, won by the girls. The highest scorer for the boys was James, whilst the highest score for the girls was Lucy. In the second game, where each player has three lives but MUST knock down at least one skittle each time, gaye Pottinger came out the winner. The final game also involves three lives, but each player is required to knock down ONLY one skittle each time. This was won by Jean. A very enjoyable evening for all those who made the effort. Thank you to Gaye for donating and awarding some of the prizes in memory of David.
Summer Social
This will be a trip to the Royal Mint on Monday August 3rd. There are limited numbers for the trip and we are already oversubscribed but anyone wishing to attend should contact the Hon Secretary or talk to a committee member at the next meeting. We will be travelling down by coach and the estimated cost will be £23.
Future Events.
Past Events