The theme of this month's meeting was a seasonal one. here is a photograph of some Christmas Club tokens. people would pay a few pence a week to save up for Christmas. Between the wars and later most people did not have bank accounts and this was the only way of saving. however the customer could only buy goods from the shop and they sometimes charged a fee and there were penalties for leaving the scheme early. They were popular in the USA and this country.
Have a cheerful collecting Christmas
New coins
The new portrait design has been published. It is not clear when they will be used on day to day coinage. what will the King's portrait look like on the Commonwealth coins?
It is interesting the legend has the English version of his name Charles. The name Elizabeth was used on her coins but George V, VI and Edward VIII all used the Latin versions. Victoria is the same in both languages. Both kings Charles I and Charles II used Carolus.
Elizabeth the Great
The lives of kings and queens
is an essential part of numismatics. The passing of Her Majesty on Thursday is
the end of an era. Most of us have never
known a different monarch.
Numismatically her reign started with the new issues bearing the Gillick
portrait. That image was controversial at the time but it is now regarded as youthful
and full of grace. The royal titles on the 1953 coins have BRITT OMN but this
was only used for that year
Her portraits changed over the
years, beginning with portrait designed by Arnold Machin for the new decimal
coins from 1968 although D Day was not until 1971. “New pence” quickly became
just “pence”. The third portrait of
the Queen was designed in 1985 by Raphael Maclouf. The fourth portrait of the Queen
was designed by Ian Rank-Broadley. The last portrait was designed by Jody Clark
in 2015 and shows the Queen with the Royal Diamond Diadem Crown, which she wore
for her Coronation in 1953. Many coins were issued to mark Royal and national
events over her seventy year reign. She appears on the coins of many
commonwealth countries.
Her Majesty offered continuity
in a world that changes too quickly. Rulers come and go but not many could
justly claim the title “The Great”. She is entitled to that because of her many
years of service and devotion to duty. She was not only the Queen of the United
Kingdom but also of fifteen countries in every country. She was a vital link to
many other nations and people across the world which we value so much. By tradition the portrait of the new king on
his coins will face the opposite direction to the predecessor. It will be
interesting to see what royal titles will be used on his coins.
We look back on her long reign
with pride and gratitude and look forward to the reign of Charles III
God save the King
Lets be Franc!
We were in a holiday mood for our August meeting on a very
hot day.
The most visited countries from the UK include
Spain 15.62 Million
France 8.56 Million
Italy 4.16
Million
USA 3.47 Million
And the most popular destinations in the world include
Cancún, Mexico.
Bali, Indonesia.
•Crete, Greece.
Rome, Italy.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Istanbul, Turkey.
Paris, France.
Hurghada, Egypt.
These details are all pre covid. I wonder how things have
changed.
The collector on holiday will look at the coins the get and
save some commemoratives. They will also find out about the history of the
currency and visit museums. Why not look out for some local street markets or
dealers. Your family will love waiting around while you look for bargains. Much
better than time on the beach!
A visit abroad might inspire you to collect coins of that
country. Members brought displays from France, Isle of Man, Lundy and Spain.
Get Real!
The coins of Brazil
This month the theme for the meeting was the coins of South America. Judging by the response it is not a popular theme for collectors. I am not sure why not. the modern coins of the continent are have an interesting history reflecting the social and political history of the various countries that make up that area. Perhaps South America feels a bit too far away. we did however have tropical weather on the day.
here is something about Brazil.
Following the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, Brazil was
claimed for the Portuguese Empire on 22 April 1500. The then largest colony in
the world relied on sugar cane and slavery. The first coins were Portuguese
followed by Spanish. Coins were counterstamped in 1643 with local
denominations.
By the end of the 17th century, sugarcane exports began to
decline but the discovery of gold and the Brazilian Gold Rush attracted
thousands of new settlers to Brazil from Portugal. Brazil became a major
producer of coins. The earliest colonial copper coinage was minted in Portugal
in 1693.
In late 1807, Spanish and Napoleonic forces threatened the
security of Portugal, causing Prince Regent João, in the name of Queen Maria I,
to move the royal court from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.
With the end of the Peninsular War in 1814 Queen Maria I
and Prince Regent João were pressed to return to Portugal. In 1815, to justify
continuing to live in Brazil, where the royal court had thrived for six years,
the Crown established the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves.
Coins especially copper ones were frequently counterstamped
in the early Nineteenth Century.
The Brazilians declared the country's independence from
Portugal on 7 September 1822. A month later, Prince Pedro was declared the
first Emperor of Brazil, with the title of Dom Pedro I, resulting in the
foundation of the Empire of Brazil. Portugal recognized Brazil on 29 August
1825.
On 15 November 1889, the monarchy was overthrown by a military
coup. A few days later, the national flag was replaced with a new design that
included the national motto "Ordem e Progresso". The country was
known as the United States of Brazil.
In half of the first 100 years of republic, the Army ruled
directly or through intermediaries. There was another period of counterstamping in
the 1930s.
Civilians returned to power in 1985
In the fiercely disputed 2018 elections, the controversial
conservative candidate Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party was elected
president. In the early 2020s, Brazil became one of the hardest hit countries
during the COVID-19 pandemic, receiving the second-highest death toll worldwide
after the United States. Experts have largely blamed the situation on the
leadership of President Bolsonaro, who throughout the pandemic has repeatedly
downplayed the threat of COVID-19 and dissuaded states and cities from enforcing
quarantine measures, prioritising the nation's economy.
special announcement for April 1st
Archaeologists have discovered a hoard of countermarks which
are not with the coins. This is unusual as countermarks are usually on coins.
It is believed that these were either trial strikes, the ancient countermarker
could not obtain host coins to stamp, or simply the person missed the coin when
stamping.
In ancient times coins were sometimes countermarked for use
by Legions or to refer to a new emperor. In these cases where only the
countermark is left and not the coin – probably the ancient coin maker ran out
of coins.
The theme this month was travelling mints. (Not travel
sweets)
An army on the march would need vast quantities of coin and the technology for minting coins was quite portable. Roman armies may have had mobile mints. Some coins are common in some areas where there was campaigning for example this coin featuring Britannia.
Roman Denarius issued by T. Carisius (46BCE) showing the
moneyer's die, anvil, hammer and tongs
By Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.
http://www.cngcoins.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=524450
This bronze as (top coin) , dated to AD 155, was common in Britain but
rare in other parts of the Roman Empire. It may well have formed part of a
special shipment of coin to the island or produced at a travelling mint.
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Happy New Year
