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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;BRandM, post: 1285497, member: 22729&quot;][ATTACH]143215.vB[/ATTACH]. [ATTACH]143216.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]143217.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]143218.vB[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I recently bought a set of 10 counterstamped English coins bearing the names of the IRA / INLA prisoners who died as a result of a hunger strike that ran between March and October, 1981. These men were prisoners in the Maze Prison (Long Kesh) H-Block ( near Belfast) who were imprisoned for illegal activities related to the Troubles of the 1970&#039;s. The purpose was to regain the &quot;political status&quot; they had been granted previously, but was subsequently denied by decree in March, 1976 by the British government. This status allowed for more freedom than the general prisoner population enjoyed, and included the freedom to unlimited access to other prisoners, a ban on wearing typical prison garb, no hard labor, and several other prohibitions.</p><p><br /></p><p>These coins were pulled from circulation in the early 1980&#039;s by the seller&#039;s late father, a coin collector and member of the Irish Numismatic Society. The seller presently lives in Belfast and requested that I don&#039;t use his name, or his father&#039;s, in any research I do in regard to these pieces. I will of course honor that request. As a matter of fact, he wouldn&#039;t even disclose his father&#039;s name to me. Apparently there&#039;s still a real fear of retribution to those who are too obvious in their support of either side (his father was a strong IRA supporter).</p><p>It&#039;s not clear who struck these pieces but, apparently, they were placed in circulation during the 7 month duration of the hunger strike to commeorate those who died as well as for propoganda purposes. These counterstamps are probably quite rare, as they were withdrawn from circulation and destroyed as they surfaced at banks and post offices. An interesting fact about these particular coins is that the seller&#039;s father made notes as to where and when he acquired them. For example, the Patsy O&#039;Hara / INLA coin was recovered at the site of a riot near the Springfield Rd. in West Belfast. These recollections provide an invaluable historical insight into these troubled times. As always, comments are most welcomed. Thanks for looking.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bruce[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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