The theme this month was political coins including coups revolutions and voting. No picture this month as for some reason the photograph would not load. You will have to use your imagination.

Members brought medallions featuring Eighteenth Century elections and political groups and more modern coins. these included a coin commemorating the recent Turkish coup, some heroes of various independence struggles and newish 50 p relating to voting reforms.

Being political is a good way to get your head on a coin. think of all the presidents, freedom fighters and rulers. I wonder which politicians you would like to see on a coin?

Some one not a fan of Cromwell

I bought this Commonwealth shilling recently. It has a sun mintmark and the date is 165? I do not mean the final digit is a question mark! It is difficult to read. Any suggestions? I just thought it was worn but if you look at it carefully it has been deliberately damaged on both sides. The legend around the edge is in quite good condition. 

Most Commonwealth coins must have been recalled after the Restoration. This one was deliberately damaged by a Royalist. One shilling would have been a significant amount - perhaps two days’ pay for a craftsman. There are examples of ancient roman coins that deliberately damaged but I have not come across one like this. Damnatio memoriae is the Latin phrase for those coins.

Penny for your thoughts – penny quiz with answers

The letters KN and H stand for King’s Norton and Ralph Heaton Metal Co.  

They were used on Twentieth Century pennies in 1912, 1918 and 1919

No pennies were minted in 2018-19. The last year that no 1p coins were produced was 1972.

Edward VII faces left and George V and George VI face right on pennies.

The change to the inscription of pennies in 1983 was from New Penny to One Penny

Pretty penny means something which is costly.

The main design on reverse of Australian, New Zealand and South African pre decimal pennies is Kangaroo, Tui (a bird) and the Drommedaris which was one of ships that Jan van Riebeeck 

When was first copper penny struck in England was 1797.

Penny for your thoughts – penny quiz

The theme this month is the penny. Here is a short penny quiz. No prizes!

1. What do the letters KN and H stand for on pennies?  

2. What dates were they used on Twentieth Century pennies?

3. No pennies were minted in 2018-19. When was the last year that no 1p coins were produced.

4. Which way do Edward VII, George V and George VI face on pennies?What was the change to the inscription of pennies in 1983?

5. What word comes before the penny when something is costly?

6. Why is there a ship on South African pennies?

7. When was first copper penny struck in England? 

ONS peace treaties June 2019

The June meeting marked the end of the First World War a hundred years ago. 

Fighting ceased at the Armistice in November 1918 but the First World War did not officially end until the Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28 June 1919. The government decided there would be a national day of celebration on 19^th July 1919.

South Africa Johannesburg 1914-1919 end of First World War medallion. 28^th June 1919. South Africa 1939-1945 end of Second World War. South Africa Cape Town Peace restoration after Boer War

Canada 25 cents 2005 veterans

Italy unveiling of Unknown Warrior 1921. Aylesbury War Memorial  Russia 1914-15

Low Countries Peace or War jetton 1608

1608  Dutchman stg & facing, Jehovah in Hebrew above, sword and olive branch as offering/Bundle of arrows, S - C, FORTITVDO BELGICA.

France peace of Isle of Faisons 1659

The Meeting on the Isle of Pheasants on 7 June 1660 was part of the process ending the Franco-Spanish War (1635–59); the Spanish princess Maria Theresa of Spain entered France for her marriage to Louis XIV of France. Pheasant Island lies on the river Bidasoa that is still the border between France and Spain, and the tiny island remains joint territory to this day.

France capture of Besancon by France from Spain

The Siege of Besancon took place between 25 April to 22 May 1674 during the Franco-Dutch War, when French forces invaded Franche-Comté, then under Spanish rule. Under the 1678 Treaties of Nijmegen, the province was annexed by France and Besancon replaced Dole as the regional capital.

Low Countries Liberation of Valenciennes (1656)

The Battle of Valenciennes (16 July 1656) was fought between the Spanish troops commanded by Don Juan José de Austria against the French troops during the Franco-Spanish War. It was the worst of only a few defeats that the French Marshal Vicente de Turenne suffered in his long career campaigning and is regarded as Spain's last great victory of the 17th century.

Spain Barcelona relieved 1706

The Siege of Barcelona took place between 3 and 27 April 1706 during the War of the Spanish Succession when a Franco-Spanish army laid siege to Barcelona in an attempt to recapture the city following its fall to an English-led Allied army the previous year. The siege was abandoned, following the appearance of a large English fleet.  Barcelona and the entire region of Catalonia remained in Allied hands until 1714.

Low Countries 1603 end of Siege of Ostend

The Siege of Ostend was a three-year siege of the city of Ostend during the Eighty Years' War and the Anglo–Spanish War. A Spanish force under Archduke Albrecht besieged the fortress being held initially by a Dutch force which was reinforced by English troops under Francis Vere who became the town's governor. This resulted in one of the longest and bloodiest sieges in world history: more than 100,000 people were killed, wounded or succumbed to disease during the siege.

A bit late for Easter but we are still in the Easter season. this is a German – Pesttaler. the item is not dated.  

One side has the Crucifixion of Christ scene and the other has an Old Testament image of people looking at a snake on a pole. Pesttaler is a new term to me but presumably means something to do with plague.

Katz 21., Slg. Brettauer 1484. AR 46 mm, 10,70 g.Old cast. Nearly extremely fine

Auction 345  5 July 2014 Schulman Auction

http://www.schulman.nl/index.php

used by kind permission

Junk box find.

I bought this coin on Saturday for 50 pence. It is about the size of an old sixpence. I thought it was Korean at first because it was sat next to a Korean coin in the box. (No, not really scientific reasoning but you never know. 

It took quite a long time to track it down. It looks Oriental but I could not place it. 

It is in fact a 10 fen coin from the Reformed Government of China issued year 29 (1940)
by the Japanese controlled Hua Hsing Bank, Shanghai

The Reformed Government of the Republic of China was a Chinese puppet state created by Japan that existed from 1938 to 1940 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The regime had little authority or popular support, nor did it receive international recognition even from Japan itself, lasting only two years before it was merged with the Provisional Government into the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China under Wang Jingwei. Due to the extensive powers of the Japanese advisors within the government and its own limited powers, the Reformed Government was not much more than an arm of the Japanese military administration.

The coin is neither rare nor expensive according to the catalogue but I have never seen one before. It comes from an interesting yet tragic period in history. I wonder why they are not scarcer. Not many people would have wanted to keep them and I expect they were rejected by Chinese and Japanese authorities. Perhaps it was kept by a foreigner in a handful of coins that he or she did not recognise. Not bad for 50 p!