One of the first things a collector learns is that condition is king. However, “condition” is not a single, static standard.…
Collection Focus: Roman Provincial Bronze — Uncertain City, 2nd–3rd Century AD
A tiny Roman provincial bronze, struck somewhere in the eastern Mediterranean during the 2nd or 3rd Century AD. Although heavily…
Collection Focus: Constantius II — AE4 Bronze (FEL TEMP REPARATIO, Fallen Horseman)
This tiny Late Roman bronze belongs to the ubiquitous FEL TEMP REPARATIO series of the mid‑4th century. Although heavily worn,…
Collection Focus: Edward VI (in the name of Henry VIII) — Silver Penny
A transitional Tudor penny struck shortly after the death of Henry VIII, during the early reign of Edward VI. Although…
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).…