Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 34 i Coin Collector

Welcome to Coin Collector

This edition of the magazine goes to press at the end of December, which is a time of change as we look forward to the new year. Among the articles in this month’s edition is a fascinating account from Susie Sandford of the Royal Mint Museum, which outlines her work in the museum’s tooling store and includes numerous stories about the items in the collection. I was particularly interested in the die created for Charles II, who became king following the end of the Commonwealth in 1660. The Restoration was a time of great change in the country, and one of these changes was that the process of coin production became fully mechanised. This change meant significant modifications at the mint, located in the Tower of London, to enable the…

2 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

NEWS IN BRIEF

A special lecture will be given on 24 January by Clive Stannard in celebration of his being awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters (HonDLitt) by the University of Warwick. The lecture, titled ‘The Non-State Coinages of Minturnae and Pompeii and the Silver/Lead Mines of South-Eastern Spain in the Last Two Centuries BC’, will explore non-state bronze coinages at Minturnae and Pompeii during the late Roman Republic, the Italo-Baetican group’s role in Roman silver/lead mining in Spain and trade dynamics, and Pompeii’s critical role in wine and maritime commerce. The lecture is being held at the University of Warwick, but online participation is also available. For more details, see the Money and Medals Network website (warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/classics/research/money-and-medals). The 55th NUMISMATA international numismatic fair will be held in Munich on 1 and 2…

1 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

What’s in a Name?

Over the years, I have been asked several times if I was related to the Garrett family, whose vast numismatic collection was sold by Bower’s and Merena around 1980. The collection formed around the turn of the century and sold for tens of millions of dollars. The collection contained some of the greatest numismatic rarities to ever cross the auction block. After a brief laugh, I usually tell people my ancestors at that time lived in the mountains of Kentucky and read the Sears Roebuck catalog in an outhouse. Today, coins with the Garrett pedigree are highly coveted by collectors. Examples from the collection rarely appear on the market, but when they do, you can be sure the coins will bring a premium price. Collectors love coins that were once…

4 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

Behind the Scenes at the Royal Mint Museum

If you have been listening to the Royal Mint Museum’s ‘Coins and the Sea’ podcast recently, you may have heard about the museum’s tooling store. Located at the back of the Royal Mint site in Llantrisant, South Wales, this windowless, environmentally controlled room is full of numismatic treasures, and it is part of my job to care for it. I first set foot in the store in 2014, fresh out of a conservation of objects in museums and archaeology degree at Cardiff University. I had no idea what an effect this collection would have on my career or how passionate I would become about the stories it can tell, but I was fascinated from the start (Figure 1). I had just joined the museum team as part of a short-term…

8 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

The 6th Century AD

History tends to see the Visigoths as just another barbarian tribe, whose attacks on Rome hastened the end of a once mighty empire. The truth, as ever, is a little more complex. Rome was certainly shaken by the Visigoths, but the Empire’s collapse was also hastened by civil wars, poor leadership and successive waves of invaders. In fact, the Visigoths had been vassals of Rome (known as foederati) since the early-5th century – lending Rome their military might, in exchange for lands and tax revenue. And their earliest coinage clearly shows this allegiance. These first Visigothic coins appeared around AD 420, and they not only ape Roman gold and silver coinage, with similar imagery and mottos, they also refer to the Emperor Honorius (AD 393–423) as their sovereign. These ‘pseudo-imperial’…

3 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

IN BRIEF

The Royal Australian Mint has issued the 31st release in its Kangaroo series, Desert Life, which celebrates the iconic red kangaroo and its home in Australia’s arid red centre. Desert life is harsh and unforgiving, yet the red kangaroo has adapted to these surroundings and can go for long periods without water. Through its ongoing Kangaroo series, the Royal Australian Mint continues to tell the unique stories of the country’s iconic national symbol. The reverse design of the coin depicts a quiet moment of rest as the kangaroo enjoys a cooling drink at a desert waterhole. This 2024 coin is available in a $1 silver frosted uncirculated finish. The unique polish and frost finishes of this coin creates a striking contrast to the other proof coins in this release. Finishes…

2 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

coin update

Campaign to save Worcestershire Conquest hoard The Worcestershire Conquest hoard, unearthed in late 2023, is one of the largest coin hoards of the Roman Conquest period (circa AD 43–84), and the largest hoard of the reign of Nero, ever found in Britain. Its burial date of c.AD 55 places it right at the beginning of Roman Britain. The hoard was discovered by members of the public and reported as Treasure via the Portable Antiquities Scheme. It was declared Treasure by the coroner for Worcestershire in June 2024. The hoard consists of 1,368 Iron Age and Roman coins, which were gathered into a pot and buried in the ground in the Leigh and Bransford area of Worcestershire. It is one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Worcestershire in the last…

7 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

auction update

Spink held the sale of the Alfred Leonard Fuller of Bath collection of English silver coins and tokens on 17 December. One of the key items in the sale was a ‘Canopy’ penny from the reign of William the ‘Conqueror’ (1066–87) (lot 5). Struck at the Bedford mint (1070–72) by the moneyer Sigebrand, the obverse of the coin featured a crowned bust of the king facing forward under a coronation canopy raised by two columns, with a trefoil above his left shoulder and the inscription ‘+ P[IL]LEMVS RE[X]’. The reverse had the inscription ‘+ SIB[R]AND ON [B]EDEF’ for the moneyer around a double quadrilateral with incurved sides, with an annulet at the centre and voided fleurs at the tips. Presumed unique, it went under the hammer for £13,000. SOLD FOR…

8 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

How to Kill A Popular Collection Area

Anyone who viewed the abolition of the €500 note, the reduction of the limit for anonymous cash payments in Germany from €15,000 to €10,000 and most recently to €2,000, and other measures as part of a broad campaign against cash and the precious metals trade has long been dismissed as a conspiracy theorist. However, the legislative actions targeting the coin and precious metals trade over the years can indeed be seen as a clear declaration of intent. “Kangaroos and Koalas, Lunars and Chinese Pandas often serve as a gateway for numismatic newcomers. These individuals take their first steps into the world of coins by buying a single ounce of silver with minimal risk” Take silver bullion coins as an example. For a long time, they were taxed at a reduced…

3 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

The Pleasure of Ownership

Coin collectors enjoy their hobby for many reasons and with several different aims. The outcome of their collecting journey clearly gives a great deal of pleasure to collectors judging by the large attendance at major coin fairs, the size of relevant social media groups and the proliferation of worldwide online auctions on the internet. One aspect of the enjoyment could be the opportunity for the owner of a coin to embark on some original research. A coin new to one’s collection can be increased in value by the discovery of a provenance that was previously unknown. A moment in history can be illuminated by a feature of a coin, such as an overstruck mint mark or the existence of a mule between the obverse and reverse. Such research, once dependent…

6 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

8 January – Tooveys Spring Gardens, Washington, West Sussex RH20 3BS www.tooveys.com 9 January – Spink 67–69 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury. London WC1B 4ET www.spink.com 17 – 18 January – York Stamp & Coin Fair The Grandstand, York Racecourse, York YO23 1EX stampshows.net 17–23 January – Stack’s Bowers (NYINC sale) InterContinental New York Barclay, New York, USA stacksbowers.com 15 January – St James’s 10 Charles II Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 4AA stjauctions.com 15 January – Tennants Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5SG www.tennants.co.uk 19 January – Chris Rudd PO Box 1500, Norwich NR10 5WS celticcoins.com 17–21 February – Christoph Gärtner Steinbeisstraße 6+8, 74321 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany www.auktionen-gaertner.de 19 February – Noonans 16–17 Bolton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8BQ www.noonans.co.uk 19 February – Warwick & Warwick Chalon House, Scar Bank, Millers…

1 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

price £ watch

BUY AND SELL ON DECAMPE, MORE THAN 80 MILLION COLLECTABLES ARE WAITING FOR YOU!…

1 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

Australian Lunar Coins

The Lunar New Year of the Snake starts on 29 January 2025. For many people across Asia, and around the world, Lunar New Year is the most important festival of the year. The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, which is based both on the Moon’s phases and the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The traditional Chinese calendar is used for religious purposes, festivals and for agriculture. Its system for naming years has been in use for about the last 2,000 years, but it is traditionally extrapolated back to 2637 BC when the calendar was supposed to have been invented. Collecting coins with the Chinese zodiac signs of the lunar calendar brings lots of fun and fascination. But it has also become a question of finances because there are so…

6 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

Venezuela

Although inhabited by indigenous tribes since time immemorial, Venezuela received its modern name in 1498 when it was discovered by Christopher Columbus. The name means ‘Little Venice’ in Spanish. The Spanish did not start to colonise the territory until 1522, and it remained a province of Spain until 1810, when a junta deposed the Spanish Captain General and declared the independence of the Republic of Venezuela in 1811. Wars of independence followed, and it took until 1821 for it to be secured, first as a province of the federal republic of Gran Colombia until it broke away on 13 January 1830. EARLY ISSUES The paper money history of Venezuela dates back to 1811, when crudely printed notes were issued by the treasury, the very first paper money in South America.…

6 min

Coin Collector|Issue 34

new coins

Paul McCartney takes centre stage With a career that spans multiple decades and transcends numerous generations, Paul McCartney remains one of the most influential music artists and songwriters of all time. Now, for the first time ever, Paul McCartney takes centre stage on his very own £5 coin collection from The Royal Mint. Paul McCartney is one of the most successful and enduring British musicians of all time. As a member of both The Beatles and Wings, Paul McCartney became a rock ‘n’ roll superstar, but his continued work as a solo artist has cemented him as one of the greatest artists in history – selling over 100 million solo albums. An undisputed icon of popular culture, his ever-expanding legacy includes countless hits, a long list of industry accolades and…

9 min