One of the first things a collector learns is that condition is king. However, “condition” is not a single, static standard.…
Collection Focus: The Birmingham Union Copper Co. Penny Token (1812)
In the early 19th century, Birmingham was the beating heart of Britain’s industrial and metal‑working world. When official copper coinage…
Collection Focus: The People’s Coin (Elizabeth I Penny)
No collection of English coins is complete without “The First Lizzie”—Elizabeth I. This tiny hammered silver coin represents the day-to-day…
Collection Focus: The Dawn of the Penny (Anglo-Saxon Sceat)
We have traveled from the modern milled coins of the 20th century, past the hammered copper of Charles II, all…
Collection Focus: The Ghost King (1936 East Africa 5 Cents – KN)
To round off this session, I am posting one of the most historically significant pieces in my collection. It represents…
Collection Focus: The Lion and the Mountain (1942 East Africa 50 Cents)
Following the bronze 5-cent piece, I am adding a higher denomination from the same region: the 50 Cents (or Half Shilling) of…
Collection Focus: The Tusks of Empire (1937 East Africa 5 Cents)
Continuing the tour of the Heaton Mint’s global output, my collection lands in British East Africa (a currency union that covered modern-day…
Collection Focus: War on the Nile (1917 Egypt 10 Milliemes)
My collection returns to the output of the Heaton Mint, but this time we are looking at a coin born…
Collection Focus: The “Smasher’s” Ware (Counterfeit 1881 Half Crown)
To finish this update, I am posting something that technically shouldn’t exist. In numismatics, we differentiate between “Modern Fakes” (made…
Collection Focus: The Company Coin (1928 North Borneo 5 Cents)
Having explored the “White Rajah” territory of Sarawak, my collection now moves slightly north to its neighbour: British North Borneo (modern-day Sabah).…
Collection Focus: The Unbeatable Bet (Edward VII Double-Obverse)
Every collection needs a curiosity—something that makes you look twice. At first glance, this looks like a standard penny of…
Collection Focus: The Last Rajah (1930 Sarawak Cent)
Following on from the previous post about Rajah Charles Brooke, we move forward in time to the reign of his…
Collection Focus: The White Rajah (1885 Sarawak Cent)
My collection now takes a journey to the island of Borneo, though the roots of this coin remain firmly planted…