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 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 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…
Collection Focus: Samurai Silver (Tenpō Ichibu-gin)
Leaving the round milled coins of Europe behind, we travel East to the isolationist world of Edo-period Japan. For the…
Collection Focus: The Birth of Copper (1675 Charles II Farthing)
My journey backwards through time has landed in the 17th Century, specifically the Restoration period of Charles II. This coin represents…
Collection Focus: The “Old Head” (1754 George II Farthing)
Continuing the journey backwards through time, my collection reaches the reign of George II. This coin represents a significant leap…