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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Coinsandmedals, post: 26679480, member: 107435&quot;]The Soho Mint was a recognized authority on both gilding and bronzing. In fact, their method was still a topic of interest in communication with other mints even in the late 1820s when Soho’s production of coins, medals, and tokens had come to a meandering crawl. The proofs discussed above and included in my post were all gilt or bronzed at the Soho Mint. However, there are also unofficially gilt pieces floating around, but these are easily discernible by their relatively poor quality.</p><p><br /></p><p>The shells are an interesting piece of Soho Mint history. It is important to note that not all proofs (coins, tokens, or medals) were issued in shells. On the contrary, the evidence suggests that the bulk were not (at least the coins and tokens). For instance, the 1.5 Pice pictured above was almost certainly never paired with shells, as its production likely predates their existence. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Soho Mint is my sole numismatic obsession, and the shells have been an ongoing area of specific interest for years. I’ll include a few relevant examples. All of these pieces, pictured below, are from the James Watt Jr. Collection and are most aptly described as “late Soho” (i.e., they were struck at the Soho Mint sometime after the date they were originally commissioned). A large portion of the Watt Jr collection was preserved in shells and inscribed wrappers. </p><p><br /></p><p>The last picture is of a medal with silvered tin shells. I have several pieces with gilt interior shells, but my camera setup is not equipped to handle pieces so large (63mm). I also have a handful of pieces with what appear to be early “prototype” shells. I could not find my images of these, but I will update this post if/when I do.</p><p><br /></p><p>I should note that John took much better pictures of the Gold Coast set at FUN, but I haven’t had a chance to replace my images with his in the composites. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1702372[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1702371[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1702373[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1702374[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1702375[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1702376[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1702377[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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