Fitz's England Trip - The Coin (and other) Highlights

hello all - just got back from England yesterday. Had a great time visiting Cornwall and the south-west (something I haven't really done before, since I lived up in the north). No new purchases sadly, but thought I would share some photos and coins found in a few of the museums I hit. Forgive the photos - I was going to buy a new camera before the trip but life got in the way. Only had my phone to use.

First day in London was lost due to weather and flight cancellations. So second day in London was spent going to Spittlefields market and the south bank walk (both things hold a special meaning to my wife and I). Nothing coin related here, but the London skyline is beginning to turn into something from a Dr. Seuss book... I remember the gurken (round phallis on right) being built and it being the tallest building, and now it's almost lost... The Shard is behind me from where I took this photo, the Tower of London is to the right.


We took a train to Salisbury and hired a car there. Checked out the cathedral (which has an original issue of Magna Carta), but also the museum within the Cathedral Close. This contains local archaeological finds, many of which are related to Stonehenge just a short 20 minute drive north. While they had a few nice Norman coins, they had quite a few hoards from the local Celtic Tribes:

(Tisbury Hoard, over 200 silver and 7 gold Staters from the local Durotriges tribe)


(Bowerchalke Hoard- also from the Durotriges tribe)

Now I have an itching to buy some Celtic coins! I did have my eye on an Iceni coin a while back, but didn't nab it (but I think I've since seen it make an appearance here on CoinTalk...). Next day was the obligatory trip to Stonehenge:


From there we went to Exeter, stopping off at Lyme Regis - apparently a Jane Austen Novel has an event that took place in Lyme Regis. My wife loves Austen so she wanted the diversion there. Well worth it though, because it is a beautiful little town that dates back to before the Conquest. The highlight for me was walking down Sherborne Lane which once contained a manor owned by King Cynewulf in the 8th century:

(The buildings are a bit more modern now, but the street dates back to Saxon times!)

From here we were in Cornwall - not a lot of coin related stops, but the main goal was to hit gardens and little towns. Highlights include:

St. Michael's Mount


The Eden Project


And Tintagel (mythical birthplace of King Arthur)


Okay, next post will contain more coins, I promise...

 

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Very nice. Thank you for sharing and your write-ups and descriptions were wonderful. It made me feel like I was there, if only for a few minutes.

 

I've been to many of these places, but you images and descriptions brought me back to those trips. I'm glad you had a lovely time. I know I did when I went.

 

Okay, after Tintagel we drove back to England and went to Oxford to meet up with some friends. While there, I wanted to stop at the Ashmolean, as I had never been there (it being closed or under renovation every other time I was in Oxford). Primarily I wanted to see the Alfred Jewel, which was absolutely exquisite, but impossible to photograph with my phone! So here's the Ashmolean's photo:

This would have been used to hold a wooden or ivory 'pointer' so a person could keep track of where he was while reading. It was commissioned by Alfred the Great as a part of his promoting literacy.

Anyway, aside from the Alfred a Jewel, the Ashmolean has a wonderful number of coins, and even a 'history of money' section near the gift shop. Unfortunately I felt a little rushed because my wife was with a friend and the didn't seem to care as much, but here are some of the finds I liked:

More Celtic


Here is a gold Roman coin, which I wished had come out clearer. This was in a display in how the Romans depicted the people and places they conquered. This one is Germania mourning over a broken spear and it is absolutely gorgeous!


Some nice depictions of Alexander the Great:


This one is probably one of the highlights for me - they had a mold for Chinese cash, plus a coin tree from which the coins would be removed after being cast


Harold II who died at Hastings - hard to find these guys!


Another rare one - Alfred the Great!


The obligatory Eid Mar


And the Crondall hoard - there was a very nice article about these coins by Michael Shutterly in the May issue of the Numismatist


We had originally planned a second day in Oxford, but since we lost a day in London, we decided to go back there early. That was the one day we had rain! Luckily for me, when it was raining and we were looking for someplace indoors we were near A. H. Baldwin's! It was easy to convince my wife to come in then... Had a look through some of their medieval trays, and of course the one my wife was drawn to was £700... There was a nice French coin I was considering at £180, but even with the favorable exchange rate, I did not feel comfortable spending that much (in front of my wife...) after having spent so much in the vacation itself. Still, well worth it, and had a great time!

 

Looks like a great trip. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

 

Wonderful photos !!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!!

 

Thanks all - it was a good time!

 

I have found that my North Korean inspired "minder" can be quite the kabosh on a potential coin buy. E'en last week I refrained from a moderately priced piece of artwork because of my "minder".

 

Yeah, those minders can be a drag. Unfortunately I had mine along one time when I bought 500 LRBs, (I bought them in the office and brought them out to the car). I had to promise to sell most of them I didn't want, and you know what? She made me KEEP that promise. Absolutely humiliating.

 

Nice photos and write up, I felt like I was with you!

 

Great pics. Looks like it was fun. Thanks for sharing.

 

True, but it is probably good for me. I shouldn't get too carried away when there's the trip, student loans, mortgage, etc...

 

Thanks for the virtual tour!

 

Looks like a fun trip was had. Enjoyed the pics very much, thanks for sharing!

 

Nice trip @FitzNigel ! Fun to connect the historical dots by seeing the coins and other items. I was fortunate to have visited many of the sites you saw. Such a wonderful experience. Thanks for all the reminders!

 

Just realized I did come back with a couple coins - pressed pennies! I used to never see these in the UK, but did come across two - Salisbury Cathedral with King John's Seal for their Magna Carta, and then the Bio domes at the Eden project

 

Great trip! Thanks for sharing, looks like you had a great time!

I usually tell my wife "I´ll be too long here, you will get bored. Go visit some other shop, shoes, anything..I´ll catch you up" ("shoes" is the key word to make them disappear)

 

I found a pressed or rolled penny from Edinburgh Castle a while back with the monogram of HM QEII which I thought was doubly cool since if the SNP have their way she might not be ciphering coins in Scotland much the longer.

 

I'm pleased that you enjoyed your trip here. Maybe the great exchange rate for you hadn't quite dropped by the time you had to trade currency for bargains.

If anyone is planning a trip to Cambridgeshire, I'd be very happy to offer a guided walking tour of my home town of Huntingdon and our Cromwell Museum. Lots of history and small enough to achieve in a few hours.

 

Actually managed to arrive just as the pound dipper to $1.29! I know many of my friends have been worried over Brexit, but it sure ha e us a cheaper vacation! Best exchange rate I've ever seen. Worst days were when I first moved to Britain in 2006 and it was $2 = £1...