No collection of English coins is complete without “The First Lizzie”—Elizabeth I. This tiny hammered silver coin represents the day-to-day currency of the Elizabethan age. While the rich…
We have traveled from the modern milled coins of the 20th century, past the hammered copper of Charles II, all the way back to the Early Medieval period. This coin…
To round off this session, I am posting one of the most historically significant pieces in my collection. It represents the “Year of Three Kings,” the Abdication Crisis,…
Following the bronze 5-cent piece, I am adding a higher denomination from the same region: the 50 Cents (or Half Shilling) of British East Africa. While the previous coin featured…
Continuing the tour of the Heaton Mint’s global output, my collection lands in British East Africa (a currency union that covered modern-day Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika). This coin is a…
Having explored the “White Rajah” territory of Sarawak, my collection now moves slightly north to its neighbour: British North Borneo (modern-day Sabah). While Sarawak was ruled by the Brooke family,…
Following on from the previous post about Rajah Charles Brooke, we move forward in time to the reign of his son, Charles Vyner Brooke. He ruled from 1917 to 1946,…
My collection now takes a journey to the island of Borneo, though the roots of this coin remain firmly planted in Birmingham. This piece belongs to the fascinating…
Leaving the round milled coins of Europe behind, we travel East to the isolationist world of Edo-period Japan. For the Western collector, Japanese coinage from the 19th century…
My journey backwards through time has landed in the 17th Century, specifically the Restoration period of Charles II. This coin represents the “Genesis” of my copper collection. Before this…
Continuing the journey backwards through time, my collection reaches the reign of George II. This coin represents a significant leap in age compared to the Victorian and William…