Tag: United Kingdom
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1936 UK Painted Threepence
A colourful version of one of George VI’s last coins The last circulating coin we wrote up from the UK got the “altered” tag, in that case because it had been carved. Today’s will as well, although the changes are more cosmetic. The UK This threepence was issued under George V. Son of Edward VII,…
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2023 Australia King’s Birthday Medallion PNC
A PNC for a holiday A change in holiday In 2023, Australia Post released a medallion PNC to commemorate the King’s Birthday. This was a momentous occasion as it was the first time in 72 years that the holiday was for a King’s birthday, rather than a Queen. As someone from the Commonwealth, my head…
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N.C.B. Rawdon Check, UK
A prototypical colliery check from England. The coal industry Coal had been mined in the UK as early as Roman times, but it wasn’t until the 1700’s that mining started to venture deeper than surface level. Steam engines powering the industrial revolution from the mid-1700s needed coal, and arrival of railways in the 1800s helped…
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Imitation Spade Guinea Sam Lyon
An interesting advertising ISG variant Obverse We’ve previously looked at another Imitation Spade Guinea (ISG) token. These are gambling tokens produced in the UK in the 1800s and early 1900s. They come in many varieties, although there are a handful of main types. The previous piece we covered was an “In Memory” type. Those are…
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Imitation Spade Guinea “Good Old Days” UK
One of many fascinating gaming tokens Gaming tokens George III became king of the United Kingdom in 1760, following the death of his grandfather, George II. The industrial revolution was just getting under way, and local manufacturers were in a position to produce commemorative medalets. These were made firstly to mark his ascension, and then…
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1902-10 UK Penny “Art”
An interesting cut-out coin (and a bonus altered coin) Obverse The original coin is a United Kingdom Edward VII Penny 1902 – 1910. Edward VII ruled from January 1901 when his mother, Queen Victoria, passed away, until his own death (at 68 years old) in 1910. The piece has been carved quite carefully to cutout…
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1979 Isle of Man pound
The first circulating base metal pound coin in the British Isles Isle of Man There are three island territories within the British Isles that are known as Crown Dependencies; these are the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey which make up Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. The Crown Dependencies are not part of the…
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1841 Jersey 1/52 Shilling
An interesting fractional coin Reverse Which coin has the smallest value inscribed on it? Most currencies these days are decimal, with the smallest denomination coin equalling 1 / 100th of the main currency unit. One cent, for instance, or a penny. But generally they will say “1 cent” or “One Penny”. This coin, from Jersey,…
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2009 Trinidad and Tobago cent
A small hummingbird from the West Indies Trinidad and Tobago The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is made up of two main islands (Trinidad and Tobago) and 21 smaller islands. The country is located in the far south of the Caribbean, near the northern coast of Venezuela. The total landmass is 5,128 square kilometres (1,979…
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1897 Hong Kong 10 Cents
An elegant design from a turbulant time British Hong Kong Prior to the mid-19th century, the area currently known as Hong Kong was part of the Chinese Qing dynasty Depending on the history you read, the 1840-42 war between Britain and China was either over Britain smuggling opium into Chinese ports, or Chinese military threats…
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2023 UK 1oz Bullion
One of the first coins to feature King Charles III King Charles III Charles Philip Arthur George was born on 14th November 1948. Becoming heir apparent at age 3 in 1952 when his mother Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II. The eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II became King Charles III on her passing in September…
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Duty Pass, W. Alexander & Sons, Scotland
An enamel staff bus pass (W. Alexander & Sons Leyland Tiger bus, courtesy Wikipedia) W.Alexander & Sons W. Alexander & Sons were a Scottish bus company, based in Falkirk, in the central lowlands. Halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh, it has a population of around 35,000 (not to be confused with the local government area of…
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2016 UK 2 Pounds
The most recent Britannia. Obverse In 2015, the UK redesigned their coins to include a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The fifth crowned portrait was designed by Jody Clark. With the £2 coin being bimetallic, the portrait neatly fits in the central area with the text around the edge. The text reads “ELIZABETH II·DEI·GRA·REG·FID·DEF·2020·”,…
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1797 UK Penny
The first base metal British penny Base metal coins The first base metal coins in Britain were farthings and half pennies struck from 1717 under George I. Previously these were struck from silver, with the face value being roughly equal to the value of the metal content of the coin. All higher denominations were still…
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D Napier & Son check
A check from an interesting early auto maker Acton Vale is a district in London’s west. Described as “Motor town” in the 1920s, it had one of the largest concentrations of industry south of Birmingham. In 1932, 5,400 people, or 80% of the workers in the district, were employed in the motor industry. One of…
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2019 Centenary of First UK-Aus flight
A great use of the PNC envelope to show the subject In 1903 the Wright brothers famously flew. Although not the first flight, or even the first aeroplane flight, it was the first photograph of one – proving that pics or it didn’t happen isn’t a new phenomena. Within about a decade, by around 1914,…
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1995 UK Peace 2 Pounds
A simple, elegant design without words in 1995, the UK issued a commemorative £2 coin to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. The whole reverse design is taken up with a dove, flying left and holding an olive branch. The coin was designed by John Mills, who created some memorable…
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Henry III Long Cross cut pennies 1247-1279
In recent times, the UK has minted pennies, half pennies and farthings (1/4 penny), each as their own denomination coin. That wasn’t always the case. This is a penny issued under Henry III between 1247 – 1279. It shows the King’s portrait, facing front, with text around the edge. The coin has been cut in…
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King Charles III Coronation medallion
The coronation of King Charles III was on the 6th of May 2023. There was no shortage of commemorative souvenirs available made by many different organisations, both official and less so. I picked this piece up from Downies purely because I like the coronation emblem and the cypher featured on it. Here is the Coronation…
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1975 Cornish Festival medallion
Here is a medallion commemorating the 1975 Kernewek Lowender Cornish festival. This was the second such festival which started in 1973. The festival still runs every two years. 2023 was its 50th year. The Yorke Penninsula is on the South #Australia coast, just east of the capital city, Adelaide. Featured in the centre of the…
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Great Western Railway Pay Cheque
I have always had an interest in railways. Both as a practical means of transportation, and the romantic, nostalgic aspect of train travel. The railways, like a number of others industries in the 19th and 20th centuries, used “checks”, “cheques” or “tallies”. These are a special type of token, used by employees, and individually numbered…