January 2010.

Next club meeting Monday 1st February 2010.

We will try to have the lots displayed by 7.l5pm and start the auction just before 8pm in order to be completed by l0pm. Please give the committee members time to put out the lots before charging in!

All members will be given a bid number, you must sign in to be assigned a bid number. Please pick up your paddle bid card prior to the start of the auction.The auction commission charge will be 10% of the hammer price.

Finally, while some of the lots have been graded it is still up to prospective purchasers to verify the grading description is to their satisfaction prior to bidding, There will be no returns other than postal lots or coins that are subsequently shown not to be genuine.

Dealer's tables will not be allowed until after the auction and only if time permits.

Notices

We will be running the annual Skittles evening in April. We have been offered two dates by the venue; 17th April and 24th April. Please could you have a think, as we will be asking for a show of hands to select a date after the auction.

January meeting.

This meeting was devoted to short talks by members and to award the Mark Myhill memorial shield. Four talks were given.

Alistair gave a talk about the rise of Transition Town Banknotes. The Transition Town movement started as a community level scheme concerned with climate change and peak oil production, but quickly gained international recognition with Transition schemes now running across the world.

An interesting by-product of this is the introduction of Transition Banknotes, or banknotes that are only redeemable in specified shops in a particular area. The first launched in the UK was the Totnes Pound in 2007, where 300 notes of the design of the 1810 Totnes Bank White £5 where issued. These were succeeded in 2009 by a new design of £1 note. Lewes, Stroud and Brixton followed suit in 2008 and 2009, issuing notes up to £20 (or £21 in Lewes!). Each note features a local historical figure, or personality. Brixton’s are the most elaborate notes with holograms and other security devices included.


Neil then gave his talk on Co-operative tokens and Dividend Cheques. The Co-operative movement began in 1840 with the Rochdale Pioneers. A co-operative is a group of like-minded people who contribute to the success of a particular venture, and share any profits equally. In the case of the Rochdale Pioneers, a shop was established selling food items that could not normally be afforded by the local people. Purchased were rewarded with co-op tokens, which could be redeemed at the end of the year for a share of the profits. The tokens were originally made from iron, tin or brass, and latterly, plastic, aluminium or even fibre! Most are inscribed simple with the society name and value. Local societies grouped together, but most faded by the 1960’s. Some groups issues different tokens for different ‘departments’, i.e. a milk purchase earns a milk token, and is rewarded with a share of the milk profits! The number of different co-op tokens in existence is very difficult, but is likely to be in the 10’s of thousands.


Tony then treated us to a trip down the A3 from Southwark to Portsmouth, speaking about tokens that he had acquired from the various towns on the route. These are mostly 18th century hammered tokens. A lot of the tokens found are pub tokens, however the token for Putney also features Parsons Green, and may have been issued by a ferryman. Only one token of Ripley exists, and this is for a haberdasher. Some of the pubs mentioned still exist today including the Anchor Inn at Liphook, and the White Hart at Petersfield.


Graham finished the evenings talks with his piece entitled RRRR: Review, Remember, Research and Reward – Four key points to collecting. ‘Review’ is where one inspects ones collection and looks at areas to specialise in, or branch into. Graham described how new acquisitions for him need to have a story, so that they will be useful for giving talks to various groups including Women’s Institutes and Coin Clubs. ‘Remember’ is meant in a sense of ‘don’t forget to ask’… pieces bought may have an unwritten history may would be lost if the vendor is not asked. An example was a small key fob marked ‘Lorry 254FJO’. This was a Coal lorry based in Oxford with an interesting history… I am sure that Graham will be most willing to share this should you ask! ‘Research’ refers both to the pieces themselves, as well as the stories behind the designs displayed. The fourth R of ‘Reward’; your hobby should be enjoyable, and as such rewarding for you to continue with… the feeling of joy and pride when you secure that long sort-after piece! Perhaps a tidy-up of one’s collection could reveal the funds to do this!


This concluded the talks for the evening, and the members present were asked to vote for their favourite of the high calibre of talks given. The result of this was that Neil Beaton was awarded the Marc Myhill Memorial Trophy for his talk on Co-op Tokens. Congratulations Neil!

Numismatic Quiz (as promised in the last newsletter.

  1. Owls and Turtles are nicknames for coins of what series?
  2. What word is used by Americans to describe British 18th Century tokens?
  3. What was a Bodle?
  4. What coinage was nicknamed Breeches Money?
  5. Who issued a coin of 8 Testerne, when and why?
  6. Who designed the portrait on British coins of George V?
  7. What was the first dated English coin?
  8. Which country used the denomination Kip?
  9. When were round halfpennies first issued?
  10. When were British farthings finally demonetised?
  11. Who were the original members of the Latin Monetary Union?
  12. One of George III’s titles is abbreviated on coins as S.R.I.A.T ET E – what does this mean?
  13. What were proclaimed as current English coins in 1842?
  14. Which country used the coin denomination Kyat?
  15. Which large Commonwealth country has issued crowns but no halfcrowns?
  16. When were florins first introduced in England?
  17. Coins were struck in Calais 1422 – 61 – for which monarch?
  18. Which modern UK coin has a reverse featuring a bare-headed male bust?
  19. Who designed the reverse of George VI British farthings?
  20. When and why was BRITT.OMN introduced on British coins?

Future Events.

5th Jan – Croydon Coin Auction

6th Jan – ClickCollect Fair, Stowmarket

24th Jan – Lockdales Numismatic Auction

6th Feb – London Coin Fair

Past Events

1 Year ago – Short talks by members

10 Years ago – Talk by Mr W Spencer entitled "The Public Record Office and the First World War"

30 Years ago – Stand-in talks by two club members due to booked speaker’s illness