GB & Ireland copper pennies (1825-60) are very sought after by collectors. They are often found in attic clearances and car boot sales in Ireland. The comparatively soft metal results in few coins surviving in higher grades. Many varieties exist and the main ones have been listed below. George IV Prior to ascension, George IV…
Introduction In 1911, the National Insurance Act, introduced on July 1st, created created an unusually large demand for bronze and silver coins. The Royal Mint could not meet this demand, so some of its production was sub-contracted to a private mint – The Heaton Mint, Birmingham. A massive 16,800,000 pennies were minted here in 1912…
Introduction According to Grace’s Guide – the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain – the King’s Norton Metal Company Limited provided the first competition to the Heaton, or Birmingham Mint when it was also sub-contracted to supply bronze blanks to the Royal Mint in 1912. Unlike the Heaton Mint, it…
A quarter-farthing was issued for use only in Ceylon between 1839 and 1853, and was never legal tender in the UK & Ireland. However, they are usually considered to be part of the UK coin series, as Ceylon used British currency at that time.
Introduction The Sinn Féin Bank, formally the Sinn Féin Co-operative People’s Bank was a co-operative bank in Ireland associated with Sinn Féin movement, which operated from August 1908 to October 1921. The Co-operative Bank was part of Griffith’s plan for national self-sufficiency. It was not a success, though it prepared the way for the later…
Date: 1927 Description: Country: Ireland Category: Irish Free State / Saorstát Éireann Pattern Notes: This is a ‘pattern’ coin entered by the Roman sculptor Publio Morbiducci (1889-1963) for the competition to design Ireland’s new money in 1928. Although unsuccessful, Morbiducci’s designs are considered to be some of the finest in terms of their…
Date: 1927 Description: Country: Ireland Category: Irish Free State / Saorstát Éireann Pattern Notes: This is a ‘pattern’ coin entered by the Roman sculptor Publio Morbiducci (1889-1963) for the competition to design Ireland’s new money in 1928. Although unsuccessful, Morbiducci’s designs are considered to be some of the finest in terms of their classical Italianate…
Two and a half years ago I wrote an article designed to generate discussion on whether (or not) Irish metal-detectorists were saints or sinners. I had hoped to get more opinions from the professionals involved in Irish archaeology – from both sides of the border – but they have remained quiet. An uneasy three-way ‘stand-off’…
Date: 1601-02 Description: Country: Ireland Category: Anglo-Irish House of Tudor Elizabeth I Third Irish Coinage (debased silver & copper pennies/halfpennies) Tower of London Mint Hammered Notes: The coins are known as Irish pennies. The English minted them in 1601 and 1602 and tried to introduce them as currency in Ireland, however the Irish rejected…
Date: 1927 Description: Sales History: Dixon Noonan & Webb, London Auction: Coins, Paper Money, Tokens and Historical Medals Date: 12 December 2016 Estimate: £4,000-5,000 Hammer Price: ? Country: Ireland Category: Irish Free State / Saorstát Éireann Pattern Notes: This is a ‘pattern’ coin entered by the Roman sculptor Publio Morbiducci (1889-1963) for the competition to…
The Old Currency Exchange is a specialist dealer and valuer of Irish & GB coins, tokens and banknotes 