We are offering here and on our site (same terms and prices) an extensive selection of British coins, Conder tokens, and a couple of Betts medals, all chosen for their excellent-quality surfaces, reasonable pricing, considerable historicity, and high quotient of gorgeousitousness. Regular PayPal is fine, or snail-mail checks are fine as well. No sales tax unless you live in Virginia and buy <$1000. Free shipping over $99. No-hassle 7-day returns for any reason. About Us: We at VDBCoins have been around for a long time, in business for decades under the same name. You can be assured of a pleasant, pain-free transaction every time, and we ship next business day via USPS after funds clear. We hope you find something you like, and you can buy here or easily through our website, as you wish. But if nothing else, we hope you enjoy reading our descriptions and admiring some phenomenal, vastly underrated coins. There are many more items for sale on our website. Posts in this forum are limited to 20 images. And we wish you long days and pleasant nights. Kind regards, George / VDBCoins.com Great Britain 1887 Jubilee Head One Florin MS63 PCGS S-3925 Pretty Surfaces! $175 We’ve always liked the 1887 silver coinage with HRH Queen Victoria wearing the short-lived Jubilee Head crown. This Select Mint State one florin (= two shillings) features lovely pastel toning with a few small hits on the portrait that account for the grade, but they blend nicely into the background color palette and are not overt. Background: Queen Victoria celebrated the 50th year of her reign on June 20, 1887, with a banquet to which 50 European kings and queens were invited. The Jubilee Head crown was roundly criticized in contemporary media as being ridiculously small for Victoria’s, ahem, rather zaftig self. The design was replaced in 1893 by the Veiled Head design, symbolizing Victoria’s grief at the death of her beloved Prince Albert. Great Britain 1887 Jubilee Head Double Florin MS65 NGC, Arabic 1, S-3923 Gorgeous Gem! KM-763. $695 A nice complement to the 1887 Jubilee Head one florin we purchased from the same collection. This is a lovely Gem-certified NGC example. The NGC certification number is 3804200-002. NGC Population: 9 in MS65, 1 finer (10/2019). Background: The double florin was equal to four shillings, and both Arabic 1 and Roman 1 (S-3922) varieties were issued in 1887. The 1887 Jubilee Head designs only lasted through 1892. Although the small Jubilee Head crown that Victoria wore received the bitterest criticism, the reverse design was equally unpopular. One wag at the time called it “radiating tea trays and kitchen pokers.” Great Britain One Shilling 1s 1817 Overdate! Gorgeous Toned MS66 PCGS S-3790 var. $950 Laureate head of George III facing right, date below. Rev. crowned shield with garter edge, milled, struck on coin axis. This is a apparently an unrecorded overdate example—although we are unsure whether the underdigit is part of an 8, a 6 (which makes more sense to us), or something else. This was previously in the Heritage September 2012 Long Beach auction in an earlier slab. There it was described as “superlative coin in terms of its preservation, boldly detailed with a crisp portrait and every tiny detail of the shield showing, undisturbed rich satiny luster, and gorgeous pastel silvery magenta-gold and blue iridescent toning. As wonderful as this shilling is visually, its most enchanting feature is what appears to be an uncatalogued overdate, with part of an 8 showing to the right of the 7 in the date. Overdate or not, this is a gorgeous coin! Candidate for a finest known Registry Set?” It is unsurprising but bears mentioning that this beautifully toned coin is also the large Plate Coin for the issue. PCGS Population: 9 in 66, 1 finer in MS67, although we doubt a more beautiful survivor of this issue could exist. Ex: Long Beach Signature (Heritage, 9/2012), lot 24038, which realized $1,028.13. Great Britain 1736 Jernegan Cistern Silver Medal, Betts-169, Eimer-537, AU58 PCGS. $399 39 mm, 20.5 gm. Struck in silver. Obv. Minerva standing between military trophies and emblems of the Arts and Sciences. BOTH HANDS FILL’D FOR BRITAIN around. GEORGE REIGNING in exergue. Rev. Caroline, royally robed, waters a stand of young palm-trees. GROWING ARTS ADORN EMPIRE around, in exergue CAROLINE PROTECTING 1736. Although the Jernegan Cistern medal is listed in the C. Wyllys Betts’ seminal volume American Colonial History as Illustrated by Contemporary Medals, any relation to American history is tangential at best. Some took the palm trees and Caroline to be a reference to the Carolinas, although Betts himself disclaimed any more-direct association with America. (Betts points to the 1863 cataloguing of the Lilliendahl Collection by W.H. Strobridge as a source of the misinterpretation.) The medals were struck as “tickets” for a lottery to win a giant silver urn or cistern made by London goldsmith and banker Henry Jernegan. This example shows beautiful color with trivial field chatter but no more than a light touch of high-point wear on Caroline’s and Minerva’s left breast and arm. Great Britain Scotland 1795 Halfpenny Conder Token, Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Rule Britannia-Let Glasgow Flourish DH-6a MS63BN PCGS. $159 Obv (according to Dalton and Hamer—I would call this the reverse). Arms of Glasgow, LET GLASGOW FLOURISH around. “Rev.” Seated figure of Britannia with shield and spear, RULE BRITANNIA around, date 1795 in exergue. Milled edge. Nice crusty original toning on both sides makes this an attractive piece. The Conder tokens of Scotland in general are more difficult to find than the extensive English series, although this particular Glasgow token is not uncommon. A verse of "Rule, Britannia," anyone? Great Britain 1793 Halfpenny Conder Token, Warwickshire, Birmingham, Child-Hedgehogs DH-50 MS63BN PCGS. $219 Obv. Seminude boy holding a wrench and turning a crank. 1793 in exergue, BIRMINGHAM HALFPENNY around. Rev. Crest with four hedgehogs, a fifth atop. INDUSTRY HAS IT’S SURE REWARDS. (Apparently this aggravating, incorrect possessive has been around for a long time to irritate writers and coin collectors alike.) Edge: CURRENT EVERYWHERE. This example boasts glossy iridescent surfaces with glints of blue, gold, and green, quite appealing. Great Britain 1794 Halfpenny Conder Token, Somersetshire, Bath, Bladud-Urn DH-39 MS64BN PCGS. $279 Obv. Figure of Bladud facing left with bow and quiver, around SUCCESS TO THE BATH WATERS | BLADUD FOUNDER OF BATH. Rev. A tea urn with IRONMONGERY BRAZIERY & CUTLERY, F. HEATH and date 1794 in exergue. Edge: PAYABLE BY F. HEATH BATH. This is an extremely appealing and sharply struck example with bluish-red patina and some muted mint red remaining. PCGS Population: 3 in 64BN, 0 finer (10/2019). Great Britain 1794 Halfpenny Conder Token, Somersetshire, Bridgewater, Holloway Drapers-Bridge Water MS63BN PCGS. $179 Obv. A house front view flanked by POST OFFICE and around, I. HOLLOWAY & SON DRAPERS &c. 1794 in exergue. Rev. Part of a castle and part of a bridge, a visual pun for Bridgewater. Around, B.WATER HALFPENNY * FOR CHANGE NOT FRAUD. Edge: PAYABLE IN LONDON, the rest engrailed. PCGS Population: 1 in 63BN, 0 finer (10/2019). Great Britain 1794 Halfpenny Conder Token, Sussex, Chichester, Queen Elizabeth I-Cathedral DH-15 MS63BN PCGS. $279 Obv. A wonderfully detailed full-facing, formal portrait of a crowned HRH Queen Elizabeth I in a high-ruffed gown with beading and jeweled forehead, holding a scepter, a right regal presentation. QUEEN ELIZABETH around. Rev. Straight-on view of cathedral, CHICHESTER HALFPENNY AROUND. 1794 in exergue. Edge: PAYABLE AT DALLYS CHICHESTER. Despite the toning there is much prooflike luster throughout the fields; one could easily believe this to be a proof or specimen strike although we have no other evidence of that. These pieces were also struck in silver. PCGS Population: 4 in 63 BN, 4 finer (10/2019). Great Britain 1794 Halfpenny Conder Token, Sussex, Chichester, John Howard Philanthropist-Sun and Moon DH-19 MS62BN PCGS. $159 Obv. Left-facing portrait JOHN HOWARD F * R * S * PHILANTHROPIST. Rev. Building surmounted by a half-moon and sun atop, HALF PENNY on sides. Around, CHICHESTER AND PORTSMOUTH, 1794 in exergue. Edge: PAYABLE AT SHARPS PORTSMOUTH AND CALDECOTTS CHICHESTER. A small die crack runs into the left field from the R of WARD. Lovely color, and deserving of a finer grade in our opinion, despite minor planchet roughness above CHICHESTER. PCGS Population: 1 in 62BN, 3 finer (10/2019). Background: John Howard (1726–1790) was a prison reformer who was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1756. Howard spent decades traveling to several hundred prisons and campaigning for better conditions for prisoners. He himself was briefly held captive by the French when the ship on which he was sailing was commandeered in 1755. Great Britain 1794 Halfpenny Conder Token, Warwickshire, Coventry, Lady Godiva DH-249 MS64BN PCGS. $425 Obv. Nude female astride a horse, PRO BONO PUBLICO (“for the public good”) around, 1794 in exergue. Rev. An ancient cross with COV CROSS beneath, COVENTRY HALFPENNY around. Angle of steps points between diagonals of (CO)V. Edge: PAYABLE AT THE WAREHOUSE OF ROBERT REYNOLDS & CO. This piece shows moderate red remaining close to the rims with light brown elsewhere. There is some rim crumbling and a small cud in (B)ONO on the obverse. PCGS Population: 1 in 64BN, 2 finer (10/2019). Background: The Lady Godiva is among the most famous of Conder tokens due to its subject matter. A different reverse is also found with elephant and castle. The story of Lady Godiva is likely a myth, but she herself existed in 11th-century England, as “Godgifu” married to Leofric, Earl of Mercia and Lord of Coventry. She supposedly implored her husband to lessen the onerous taxes levied against the people, to which Leofric replied that he would do so only if she rode nude on horseback through the streets. She is said to have doffed her clothes and taken an equestrian spin, asking the people to avert their eyes. But one man, Tom, was said to have peeped, giving rise to the “Peeping Tom” character. The entire story nonetheless appeared only a century after Godgifu’s death, from a writer who habitually stretched the truth. In life Godgifu founded a Benedictine monastery and was noted for her generosity to the church—but her horseback ride appears to be a later fabrication. Great Britain 1796 Halfpenny Conder Token, Gloucestershire, Badminton, Sheaf-Balance DH-48 MS64BN PCGS. $275 Obv. Wheat sheaf, A below, RELIEF AGAINST MONOPOLY. Rev. Pair of scales, 6-1/2 lb, BREAD FOR 1s APRIL 1796 | GOD BE PRAISED. Lovely blue and green with almond patina. PCGS Population: 2 in 64 BN, 0 finer (10/2019). Background: The Badminton series are not currency tokens and are all fairly scarce, according to the Dalton & Hamer update by Bill McKivor dating from 2015. They commemorate the Duke of Beaufort who lessened the price of wheat during a period of scarcity of corn. Engraved by Willets, made by Kempson. Great Britain 1795 Halfpenny Conder Token, Yorkshire, York Cathedral-Cliffords Tower DH-63 MS64BN PCGS. $279 Obv. Fantastically well-detailed rendering of the Great Cathedral at York, YORK * 1795 in exergue. Rev. Hill showing CLIFFORD’S TOWER, flags flying, soldiers crossing a bridge, AD 1100 in exergue. A gorgeous piece with bluish-brown surfaces, lots of luster, and mint red around the devices. PCGS Population: 4 in 64BN, 3 finer (10/2019). A Token About Coins and Medals: Great Britain 1797 Halfpenny Conder Token, Middlesex, Skidmore’s Aldersgate DH-649 MS64RB PCGS. SOLD Obv. Portrait of Aldersgate (an ancient gate in the wall surrounding the City of London) with Jacobs and BT 1670 in exergue. Rev. PK cipher in the center, 1797 date below, around DEDICATED TO COLLECTORS OF MEDALS & COINS (Skidmore’s Reverse Die No. 2, see Dalton & Hamer 2015 reprint edition, page 165). This piece shows prooflike surfaces with a bulging (convex) central obverse, mostly mint red, and a correspondingly somewhat concave central reverse, blue in the center and a ruddy reddish periphery. Pretty but unusual. PCGS Population: 1 in 64RB, 1 finer (10/2019). Great Britain ND (ca 1790) Halfpenny Conder Token, Suffolk, Bury, Plough Fleece-Commerce DH-26 MS64+BN PCGS. $279 Obv. Shield of arms of Bury St. Edmunds. The wolf’s head is about equidistant from the flanking letters, distinguishing it from the DH-25. SUCCESS TO THE PLOUGH & FLEECE, rosette below shield. Rev. Cipher PD above a crown between palm and laurel branches. THE COMMERCE OF BRITAIN. Edge: PAYABLE AT P. DECKS POST OFFICE BURY . X X .. This coin is a full Gem in our opinion, suffused with fantastic luster, prooflike surfaces, and pastel bluish-rose patina. A great Conder token. PCGS Population: 2 in 64+BN, 0 finer (10/2019). A Token About Books: Great Britain ND (ca 1790) Halfpenny Conder Token, Suffolk, Bury, Abbey Gate-Rackhams Book DH-29 MS63BN PCGS. $249 Obv. An ancient gateway, with ABBEY GATE above (softly struck, it resembles SPYGATE). Rev. An open book in center, PAYABLE AT RACKHAMS above, CIRCULATING * LIBRA(last R absent, Y is higher; poor planning on the engraver’s part) | ANGEL HILL | BURY. Edge: OR AT LEATHERDALE’S . X . HARLESTON NORFOLK. Considerable mint red remaining on the reverse. PCGS Population: 1 in 63BN, 3 finer (10/2019). Background: John Rackham, a printer, had his circulating library opposite the Abbey Gate, Bury. Great Britain ND (ca 1790) Halfpenny Conder Token, Middlesex, Halls, Toucan-Artist DH-319c MS63BN PCGS. $249 Obv. A toucan sitting on a tree branch (although the token is mounted reverse-side-up in the slab). TO THE CURIOUS OBSERVERS OF NATURAL PHENOMENA. Rev. In four lines in the center, THE FIRST ARTIST IN EUROPE. Around in a double circle, T. HALL PRESERVER OF BIRDS BEASTS OR REPTILES CITTY ROAD NEAR FINSBURY SQUARE. Milled edge. The great-beaked toucan on the obverse makes this particular Conder issue perennially popular, just like the Pidcock’s lion and birds (Middlesex DH-414/415). The surfaces on this piece are a lovely mix of bluish-purple and red-orange, with a bold strike through the crucial (and interesting) central details. The planchet was a tad off-center when this piece was struck, so there is more denticulation visible at the upper obverse rim than at the lower. Comes with old-time collector’s envelope from Schwer Coins in Woodbridge, Suffolk. A Token About Buttons: Great Britain ND (ca 1790) Halfpenny Conder Token, Warkwickshire, Birmingham, Free School-Kempson’s DH-200 MS64BN PCGS. $249 Obv. FREE SCHOOL with detailed building. Rev. Kempson’s Die No. 3 (Dalton and Hamer 2015 edition, page 280): Shield of arms, inner circle MAKER OF BUTTONS * MEDALS &c. BIRMINGHAM, upper arc P. KEMPSON. The upright of the last N is re-engraved, if anyone cares. Edge: Plain. Much prooflike billiance on highly lustrous, well-struck surfaces. PCGS Population: 3 in 64BN, 0 finer (10/2019). Background: Peter Kempson (1755–1824) was a prolific issuer of Conder tokens, most notably buildings and bridges, gates etc. in London and Birmingham. (Many of the early makers of Conder tokens, including Matthew Boulton of the Soho (Birmingham) Mint, started out making metallic buttons, which after all was a similar process in many ways to striking coins and medals.) Great Britain ND (ca 1790) Halfpenny Conder Token, Wiltshire, Holt, Herald-Arnot Spa DH-3 MS63BN PCGS. $219 Obv. Winged herald angel blowing horn. HOLT WILSHIRE MINERAL WATERS DISCOVER’D 1688. Rev. In center SOLD | AT THE | SPA HOUSE | BY. D. ARNOT | PROPRIETOR. Around, & BY INO. GRIFFITHS No. 27 ST. ALBAN’S STREET LONDON. Edge: Plain. Ruddy reflective surfaces with a small dark patch upper reverse. PCGS Population: 1 in 63BN, 3 finer (10/2019). Great Britain 1796 One Penny Conder Token, Warwickshire, Wyon (noted as County by PCGS), Bouquet-Obelisk DH-25 MS64BN PCGS. $319 Obv. An obelisk partly covered in ivy within a circle of pellets, around CRESCIT IN IMMENSAM. Rev. Two cartouches, the larger containing a bouquet of flowers, the smaller T.W. cipher (Thomas Wyon). PROMISSORY PENNY around, date 1796 between cartouches. Edge: I PROMISE TO PAY ON DEMAND THE BEARER ONE PENNY. Gorgeous pastel rose and blue patina throughout, and almost certainly struck as a proof. PCGS Population: 2 in 64 BN, 1 finer (10/2019).
