• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

John Green`s Penny.

A

Anonymous

Guest
Hope this query belongs here....but it`s a mystery to me, and maybe someone can have a guess...

Attached is an image of an old one penny piece.... the front, with the head on, is clearer and shows a king with a beard....post Victoria, and pre-Edward?

Anyway...you will see the name `J.GREEN` is stamped neatly into the metal.
Why should this have been done?
Used as a name tag on a sailors bag?
Token from a mine?
Two answers previously suggested, but no other similar examples are known.

It was found by the shore high up on the cliff rocks, and may have come from the sea, the sand...or an old track eroding away on top of ther cliff. The area has nautical, mining, and agricultural connections.

Any ideas, anyone?

Hagrid.
 
Have you tried a metal detectorist's forum? They know about things like this.
 
Excellent suggestion, Marion. Thank you, I`ll do just that.

Hagrid. :yeay:
 
There was a great shortage of coins during the early days of the
Industrial Revolution and many Iron Masters and early factory owners
had their own tokens minted. Often they bore the images of the
Masters, minor Kings in their way. The tokens could be exchanged
for goods and services within the area.

I have some references somewhere but I'm sure the suggestion to try
metal-detector sites is a good one. :)
 
A few questions...

- Where was the coin found?

- Were any other artifacts (pottery, bone, etc) also found?

- Why do you think it's Victorian/Edwardian?

- What does the "flip" side of the coin look like?

- How large is its diameter, in cm or inches?


As James W said, it is probably a token from a "factory town" and interesting in its own right, but I would suggest sending it to the British Museum for more formal analysis.

Let us know the outcome!

Jane.
 
Thank you for your comments and interest, Mejane and James.

I am certain it is a one penny...it is the same size, and the shield of Britannia, as well as the line by the date, are just visible by eye. Attached is a photo of the reverse side..which looks clearly to me like the head of a King on an old One Penny.

This is what makes it a mystery, in some ways..though I admit a rather banal one! Because I understand that defacing coin was somewhat frowned upon, the penny has no hole so was not used like a locket or necklace...and I understand, as James suggests, industrial tokens were factory stamped.

So there is no easy explanation. Mejane, it was found in Mid Wales, on the shoreline, but high on rocks..so may have come from the sea and been thrown up in high seas, or more likely fell from a path above on the cliffs.
Industrially, there was mining in the region, and in the next bay a lime kiln, where farmers would collect lime treated on the shore after unloading from boats further down the coast.
So..farming, mining, sea..even tourism..the original source could be anywhere.
Thank you all for comments..I know this is not really a mystery, but you guys were certainly the right forum to make such good suggestions.
Ta again..I`ll post again if ever I learn more!

Hagrid.
 
Any coin buffs reading this thread could help me with a not unconnected mystery.

A few years ago I rescued a pile of old coins that an ancient aunt of mine was about to throw out. (Old farming stock. If you can’t milk it, shoot it or build a shed with it you torch it. Fucking barbarians).

Most of the coins are so worn as to be unidentifiable. The two I am interested in both appear to be Georgian. One is about 37mm in diameter and someone has stamped the letters SPACE (there might be a dot between the S and the P and the E could possibly be an F) on the reverse. The second coin is about 30mm diameter and has the word STOLEN stamped on the reverse. Yeah, I know the latter seems more logical at first sight but it’s beyond me why someone would want to advertise the fact.

Any ideas?
 
You're most welcome, Hagrid :)

Thinking about it, it's probably better to take it to your local historical society or anthropology museum as they may have seen similar coins.

Even if it doesn't turn out to be the first evidence of fluffy time travellers from Alpha Centuri (;) ), it is still an interesting piece of local history.

Jane.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top