October 2009.

Next club meeting - Monday 2nd. November 2009.

Please note that the December Winter Bourse will take place on Monday 7th December, not 1st December as indicated on the membership cards.,

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

October meeting

The October meeting of Reading Coin Club was a talk given by John Roberts-Lewis on British Colonial Money, and was attended by 24 members.

Some of the tokens Tim talked aboutWe started our journey in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the charter of the Company of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa in 1660, a slaving company set up by James, Duke of York (brother to Charles II). This Company was granted a monopoly over the English slave trade by this Charter, however went bankrupt in 1667, reformulating in 1672 as the Royal African Company. The gold and silver generated by the Company was sent to the Royal Mint, and coined. The coins made had the mintmark Elephant, and subsequently Elephant and Castle (the logo of the Royal African Company).

Prior to this, token coinage of Cowry shells was used in West Africa, possibly as early as the 10th Century AD, and right up to the 1920’s in Nigeria. The Cowry shells used were generally Cypraea Moneta and Cypraea Annulus. The shells were strung together in strings of 40 shells; 50 strings to a head; a head being valued at 1s3d. These made for a clean, pleasant to handle currency that was virtually impossible to forge, and had an intrinsic decorative value.

In 1792, Silver Dollars and Copper (or Bronze) pennies were struck for circulation in Sierra Leone by Boulton’s Soho Mint. The Dollar showed clasped hands on the obverse, and a lion (for Sierra Leone, topographically, the country looks like a lion’s head) on the reverse. Also struck in 1814 was a copper penny, by Babbington. This was dated 1807 and had the legend ‘We are all brethren’ with the words ‘Slave trade abolished by Great Britain’ and the date in the exergue, with a village scene in the background and a Negro and European shaking hands in the foreground. The reverse had an Arabic inscription, translating as ‘Sale of slaves prohibited in 1807, Christian era, in the reign of George III: verily, we are all brothers’.

By 1831, the Spanish coinage that was in circulation had become cut, clipped and forged, and as such, two punches or a crown over WR (William Rex) were sent to Sierra Leone as countermarks for genuine coinage. The R on the punches was weak and soon gave only a P, and as such a third punch was sent with broader lettering.

In South Africa, the town of Griqua circulated copper Farthings and Halfpennies, showing the legend Griqua Town and the value on the reverse, with a flying dove (the symbol of West of Kimberly SA) on the obverse. Silver 5 (IIIII) and 10 pence coins were also struck to the same design. These were struck by Halliday of Birmingham in 1814/15, however were withdrawn and melted in 1817.

In East Africa, the Royal Navy had an agreement with the Sultan of Zanzibar to patrol the waters against slaving ships from 1888 to 1899. Coinage was also provided, which was struck by the Heaton Mint in Birmingham. Mombasa Rupee’s of 1888 had the legend ‘Imperial British East Africa Company’ surrounding the scales of justice on the reverse, with a crowned sun over the words ‘Light and Liberty’ on the obverse. Half, quarter and eighth Rupees were also struck, again to the same design, but replacing the scales with their value in Anna (16 Anna to the Rupee).

This concluded a very interesting talk, and we thank John for joining us.

Annual Subscriptions

Will the few persons yet to pay their club subscriptions please do so at the next meeting.

Future Events.

Past Events

1 Year ago – Graham Dyer gave a talk about the reduction to and selection of .500 Silver

10 Years ago – Bryce presented a talk on ‘Funny Money’

30 Years ago – A talk by George Berry entitled "London Tavern Tokens"