Let's see your exonumia!

Hoping you could post a pic of that chest if you get a chance. I would love to see it.

 

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Here's one of many many many I have

 

Imitation is indeed a sincere form of flattery. Beautifully detailed coppers, these.

I may post pics of my antiquary chest at some point in the future. Presently, it rests on a shelf in the safe and has rarely seen daylight. I treat it like a time capsule of sorts, looking within every few years to revisit the forgotten contents.

 

Thanks for the information, Paddy. Apparently, the ship depicted is a generic sailing ship of the time, or I'm sure it would have been mentioned somewhere if it were an actual ship.

I like these coins very much, as they have pleasing design elements. Here in the US we have far too many ugly coins, though that's been changing with the state quarters, presidential dollars, and others. I was always fond of the old designs depicting various renditions of Liberty and other American symbols.

Bruce

 

A simple love token with the name Annie

 

Oh how I love job lots at auctions! Here is the paranumismatica fromthe latest lot. I think I know what I am looking at - anyone else care to give their thoughts?
Scale at the bottom is in tenths of an inch.

 

Got me!

 

I just love stuff like this!!!

 

There is a good counterstamp or two in the batch, and that's a cool array of encased.

 

Nice lot of tokens, Paddy.

I'm somewhat familiar with the Cumberland story, at least to his involvement in putting down the Jacobite rebellion in Scotland 1745/1746. Culloden was the final battle and the English victory there devastated the Highland Clans. His retribution after the battle was brutal and countrywide, and basically destroyed the Scottish way of life for decades. Not a easy period in Scottish history, and no credit to Cumberland either.

The Toogood's medal is interesting too. It's a shame it's not engraved with the award they won or any other info. Looks very much like medals awarded to American companies in the early to mid 19th century for excellence in various types of manufacturing and innovation. They were sometimes called mechanics fairs and were especially prevalent in the New England and eastern seaboard cities.

Do you have any idea what the small portrait is? Appears to be struck on pewter or lead. It's a bit battered but has a nice look to it. I'd love to know who it is.

Bruce

 

That's a nice assortment of exonumia, Smitty. Your "Use / GGG" counterstamp is a good one. What type of coin is it struck on? Appears to be a S/L Dime.

Bruce

 

Thanks for all that Bruce. Yes the Cumberland medal is very interesting and takes us back to a sorry patch of history. One other snippet on this - the flower "Sweet William" was named after the Duke of Cumberland as he was deemed a hero in England. In Scotland the flower is known as "Stinking Billy" even today!

The Toogood medal is from a family seed supplier in Southampton - probably mid 20th century. As you say a pity it was not engraved but it seems few were - searching on the net I can find plenty of blank examples and none engraved. EG: http://artemis-antiques.gr/en/medal...hampton-estd-1815-awarded-for-excellence.html

The South African pond is of course a brass copy. They seem to have been produced in quite large quantities - possibly as gaming tokens. I have seen a dozen or more over the last 20 years.

The little black plaque is the most enigmatic. The metal is too hard for lead or Pewter. Could be well toned bronze? Could be Silver, but I don't want to damage the patina to find out. The portrait looks like Queen Anne to me and certainly many curios were made with her head on, both during her reign and subsequently. More research needed!

 

Yes, the small plaque is special, Paddy, and could possibly have some value to it. I thought perhaps it might be a portrait of a prominent Englishwoman, but thought you'd have a better sense of who it might be. It would be a bit difficult to research, but Google Images might show something. I don't suppose there's any writing or engraving on it anywhere. Perhaps a tiny mark obscured by the heavy toning? If so, it might be helpful when researching it.

Thanks for the information about the flower. The respective names used for the flower mirror Cumberland's standing in England and Scotland. A hero to the English. A butcher to the Scottish. History is a strange thing, I think.

Bruce

 

BTW, Smitty, the GGG counterstamp advertised a hair preparation called Goodwin's Grand Grease Juice (believe it or not). It was sold by Charles H. Goodwin of Exeter, NH as early as 1856. There's a nice write-up about it in Greg Brunk's counterstamp reference. I'm sure there's information about it on the internet if you want to look into it. A fairly common piece, but still having some value.

Bruce

 

Yes the plaque is interesting. On closer inspection I am fairly sure it is white metal underneath, but maybe softer than silver. It looks as if it might have been an inlay to a box or something. There is no writing on it anywhere but I am increasingly confident the portrait is Queen Anne. I will probably end up guessing a price and putting it out at a coin fair and see what happens!

I think Cumberland is not seen as much a hero to the English these days. The battle was a necessary evil but his treatment of the Scots thereafter was not!

 

Please let me know how you do with the plaque if you sell it. An interesting piece for sure. Do sell on eBay, Paddy? Might get more exposure there

I agree what you say about Cumberland. Perceptions change as time passes.

Bruce

 

Not often on Ebay - I prefer selling face to face where we can discuss the grade and the history of the coin or token. I find Ebay rules tilted too far in favour of the buyers - who are mostly dealers expecting to pay very little for good coins.

Having said that, this one and a few others I have will probably have to be Ebay as there are not enough buyers for this sort of thing wandering around the antiques fairs!

 

I also picked up this the other day. They are a familiar sight over here but for anyone who has not seen them before, they were issued to the families of British servicemen killed during the First World War. Consequently, there are a great many of them around! They were issued without rank or unit so the trick is to be able to find who the person was, and this governs their re-sale value. Obviously those that come with supporting documentation, and even better the guy's medals, command the best prices.
It always seems sad to see these on the market - sometimes it is because no close family remains and sometimes because the current generation puts little store by the sacrifices of our forebears.