53 replies to this topic

[loganshort]

When working in my dad's shop in the 70's I started collecting vintage coins. All of the QV pennies were quite black with just her head and some raised parts a dark brown. The small change in a tommy's pocket would have consisted of a mix of blackened coins and a few dull brown ones, even the modern coinage in my pocket is turning a dark brown, ie a 1996 pence and a 1997 2 pence, they don't retain their shinyness for long!Just clean any green verdigrees off them.
Anyone remember the amusement arcade on Brighton pier in the 90's, the one that burnt down? They had old penny games and you could exchange your modern coinage for the original pennies to use in the vintage machines. Great fun, especially "what the Butler saw!".

[ianw]

Sepoy, on 18 September 2010 - 06:48 PM, said:

I was given this a couple of years ago and thought it may be of interest to people viewing this post.

Sepoy,

Yes, most interesting. I can't read the dates on the pennies but the 1906 half-crown is quite scarce - as I said in an earlier post the Edward VII silver mintage figures were generally low - I would imagine that the halfcrown is in at least GVF (good very fine condition) and therefore worth around £125.

Had the date been 1905 (a genuinely rare date) , the value would be much higher.

However, I am sure you would never split these coins.  A really nice slice of history to have.

[Sepoy]

I was most surprised and delighted to receive these coins - it is such an unusual reminder of WW1. I just wish I knew a little more about R G Claridge.
I certainly would not split up or clean this little group.

The rubbed 1d is dated 1880 and the other two are for 1912 and 1914.

Sepoy

[Peter Doyle]

Wow - what a nice little collection, Sepoy - It's fantastic when things like this survive over the years (the paper could easily have been lost).

Illustrated is a leather bag with Great War period coins - who knows when they were collected together; and a 'trench art' 1915 sixpence with engraved initials and date (again, 1915), which I take to be  the King's Shilling kept as a fob coin. But who knows - no paper to prove otherwise!

Peter

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[ianw]

I like the 1915 dated memento but would think that the group of coins was assembled well after the Great War period due to the amount of wear on them - contrast the level of wear on Britannia'a shield on Sepoy's pennies with yours.

[Andrew Upton]

ianw, on 19 September 2010 - 04:52 PM, said:

I like the 1915 dated memento but would think that the group of coins was assembled well after the Great War period due to the amount of wear on them - contrast the level of wear on Britannia'a shield on Sepoy's pennies with yours.

Period coinage was noticably soft, and didn't wear very well, a problem that persisted until after WW2 - one of the reasons examples in mint condition attract premium prices.

[dycer]

Andrew,
You show three pennies and a Florin,in your post i.e. 2 Shillings and Thruppence.
Which probably equates to 10-5 pence in Modern money
George

[dycer]

But why is coinage,of WW1 important?
I have been able to deduce,from Colleague's posts on this Thread,that a French Coin,dated 1917,may have bought a Soldier,egg and chips,or his fill of white wine.
But instead it has passed into my Family,and will probably be taken to Tuesday's Cheshire Meet.
Do I take it as an an item of reverence or use it, at the Meeting, to buy myself a Pint or a plate of egg and chips?
George

[khaki]

dycer, on 19 September 2010 - 06:55 PM, said:

But why is coinage,of WW1 important?
I have been able to deduce,from Colleague's posts on this Thread,that a French Coin,dated 1917,may have bought a Soldier,egg and chips,or his fill of white wine.
But instead it has passed into my Family,and will probably be taken to Tuesday's Cheshire Meet.
Do I take it as an an item of reverence or use it, at the Meeting, to buy myself a Pint or a plate of egg and chips?
George

A coin, nail ,spent bullet or whatever has only the significance you want to give it, I would think that as, it "passed into your family" that it at some time it had some significance to someone. To me a humble coin is a source of reflection upon events dating from the coins minting to what ever time is of interest to you. I hope you decide to keep it.
regards
khaki

[dycer]

Khaki,
I appreciate your point of view.
I would suggest,in my defence,that familiarity breeds contempt.
I am uncertain how the coin came into the Family,possibly given to my Father or another Family member by an older Brother,Son,who was subsequently killed,or by my Father's Brother-in-Law,who survived the carnage,earning the 1914 Clasp,etc,in the process.
In either case the coin could have been used to purchase a treat e.g. a fresh food or wine by a WW1 Soldier,on active service,to supplement his army diet,or give temporary escape from the reality that he was witnessing or had to participate in.Instead the coin was given to a Family member.
I appreciate the coin's potential significance to a serious Collector of WW1 items and will never let it go, as long as I am its Family custodian,however,as I do not know how it originally came into "my possession" I will never view it as an important historical artefact,or attempt to place a monetary value on it,other than its original face value.
Best wishes
George

[khaki]

Hi George,
I don't wish to 'labour' the coin question to exhaustion, but may I respectfully suggest that you consider putting it in a wall frame not as a collectors item, but as a conversation piece. I would put it in an area of your home where guests would see it and would be drawn to comment on it. What you have already stated about its possible family origins are sufficient combined with the purchasing power of the time, in., the chips, the wine etc. I would think that any guest not being a collector would be intrigued by it, I know I would.
I promise no more suggestions on your coin,
regards
khaki

[dycer]

Khaki,
Fair suggestion but I doubt "her indoors" would countenance the suggestion.
She allows two WW1 era photographs to be displayed among the other old Family photographs that denote our lineage and grace a wall,in a quiet corner of the house(i.e. my Paternal Uncles with their Maxim Gun Team Colleagues in November 1914 and my proud Maternal Grandfather,taken in 1916 in his Naval Uniform,with his Wife and first born child who happens to be my Mother) but I've a feeling she would throw a fit if I suggested enlarging the Paternal photograph by adding Medals and the coin to it.   
George

[ph0ebus]

Finally went coin shopping today and got some nice ones for a good deal:

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Best part is, he has other militaria too.  I will most certainly be back.

-Daniel

[khaki]

Daniel,

Nice examples of Imperial coins, I am still looking but have found that what I want is not as available through local, dealers as I thought, the worn examples are often
in a mixed bin of thousands of other coins of no worth, I will probably have to move toward more collectable grades of Great War coins. Keep us posted on what other
militaria your coin dealer has.
regards
khaki

[ph0ebus]

khaki, on 29 October 2010 - 04:38 PM, said:

Daniel,

Nice examples of Imperial coins, I am still looking but have found that what I want is not as available through local, dealers as I thought, the worn examples are often
in a mixed bin of thousands of other coins of no worth, I will probably have to move toward more collectable grades of Great War coins. Keep us posted on what other
militaria your coin dealer has.
regards
khaki

Hi khaki,

He had at the time I visited two bayonets, but both WWII-era (one Nazi, sans swastika badge) and one Spanish.  He indictaed he had other bayonets he would be bringing in.  He also said he has a 'box full' of medals, many Great War-era, both American and British (BWM's in particular, but others).

What coins are you seeking?  That is his primary business, and next time I am there I can check.

-Daniel

[khaki]

Thanks Daniel,
I would probably look for any French coins up 5 fr and English up to half crown,  I am still not sure of what proportions of British/French/Belgian coins would be in someone's pocket. I guess that would depend whether a soldier had just arrived in France or had been there for some time. I have seen photo's of returning soldiers money exchanges, I wonder if  coins could be exchanged in England or did coins have to
be disposed of before returning?
regards
khaki

[ph0ebus]

khaki, on 01 November 2010 - 11:59 AM, said:

Thanks Daniel,
I would probably look for any French coins up 5 fr and English up to half crown,  I am still not sure of what proportions of British/French/Belgian coins would be in someone's pocket. I guess that would depend whether a soldier had just arrived in France or had been there for some time. I have seen photo's of returning soldiers money exchanges, I wonder if  coins could be exchanged in England or did coins have to
be disposed of before returning?
regards
khaki

Any particular date range?  I will likely swing by on November 11 and will see if he has what you are seeking...and I will also see if her has the medals in.  

-Daniel

[khaki]

Daniel,
Anything 1914/18 generally interests me, although I understand that it is not realistic as to what was in circulation at the time and that  (as has already been noted) anything from victorian coins were likely to have been carried. I try to limit my interest to wartime production. I would guess that the average tommy would only have a few shillings worth of change at any one time in his pocket. What are your thoughts?
Thanks
khaki

[ph0ebus]

I think perhaps a good judge of the date span would be to have a look at the coins you have in your pocket right now (assuming you have some!).  For me I have coins spanning 1970-present, so translating that back, your soldier might have had, say in 1916, coins in his pocket going as far back as 1876.  I am curious to hear if others agree with this line of reasoning.

-Daniel

[auchonvillerssomme]

I don't think it would matter what date they were if it was current spending coinage, we still had victorian coinage until the start of decimilisation so there is no reason why they wouldn't have had at least young head Victorian coins.

[Dawleyjockey]

I have yet to find any British coins on the battlefields of the Somme (Except for a modern 2p !) but have found quite a few French and German coins (non - silver) but the two best finds must be 1785 Stuber  and a 1890 Indian One Rupee coin which is Silver found near Guillemont which cleaned up with a gentle rub of a cloth

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[khaki]

I think that is an interesting idea to compare your change minting dates. Today coins do not carry the same significance they had in Victorian Britain when many never used anything else, What I am trying to get at is I am wondering whether or not  coins were in circulation longer than today because they had a greater relevance to the general economy. Its only a guess but I think that for a lot of British soldiers, French paper money may have been the first they ever had. I wonder if battlefield archaeology (real) has given us any data on pocket change found during excavations.
khaki

[khaki]

What a neat battlefield find especially the rupee, makes you think.
khaki

[ph0ebus]

Picked up a few 1914-1918 British and French coins from my new friend....nice examples, well priced.  Pics to follow.  

It seems you can get Great War-era coinage relatively easily and at a nice price, at least in these parts....not sure if that is the case in the UK or Europe.

-Daniel

[ianw]

The mintage figures of Great War coins tend to be relatively high - I think more were minted because of higher levels of economic activity during the war. For example, the mintage figures of George V silver coins (1910-1935) such as the half-crown and florins are generally much higher than those of the reign of Edward VII(1902-1910). Personally , I think that the George V coins are lovely - particularly those before 1920 which are .925 silver - and a bargain.