The Killarney Bank This ‘bank’ does not appear to have ever been registered and, if the stories about are anything to go by, its lack of official registration is easily explained. The bank was run by one William Murphy – a saddler in the town of Killarney – and his notes were used as small…
Introduction: In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there were hundreds of small banks issuing their own paper money. Due to the monopoly enjoyed by the Bank of Ireland (a quasi-central bank), they tended to stay small and under-capitalised. Beresford’s Bank, however, grew to be one of the largest and, by 1803, circulated an…
Banking is a risky business. The recent financial crisis of 2007/08 is still fresh in the minds of the Irish public but there is almost three centuries of banking failures in Ireland – some were unfortunate, while others were fraudulent. And like nowadays, some got away with their crimes, while others went bankrupt and some…
2016 Market Values The coinage of George II is reasonably easy to find in the lower grades but a substantial premium is paid for higher grade coins – which are not easy to obtain. Last year, we saw steep price increases at auction for proofs and regular issues in Extremely Fine (EF) and Uncirculated grades.…
In 1530 Catholic Irish owned 100% of the land in Ireland. By 1703 they only owned 14% of the land in Ireland. Whether Gaelic Irish/Old English-owned, or New English-owned, the tenants were mostly subsistence farmers who struggled to pay predatory rents. Since the Elizabethan and various Stuart plantations and, more recently, the Cromwellian and Williamite…
Anne was the Protestant full sister to Mary II, wife of William III, and she was crowned shortly after William’s death on 8 March 1702. Her marriage to Prince George of Denmark & Norway was arranged in the early 1680’s with a view to developing an Anglo-Danish alliance to contain Dutch maritime power. Her uncle (Charles…
Introduction: Sir Isaac Newton is, perhaps, best known as an English physicist and mathematician who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the scientific revolution. His book “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy”, first published in 1687, laid the foundations for classical mechanics Newton made…
Introduction Anne was born in the reign of her uncle Charles II, who had no legitimate children – though it wasn’t for want of trying. Her father, the brother of Charles II and later to become James II, was first in line to the throne. His suspected Roman Catholicism was unpopular in England, and on Charles…
Introduction These coins are contemporary counterfeits and most of them were produced between 1782-1799, although some ‘dates’ are significantly earlier (and there is a good reason for this). They are easily spotted due to their unusual legends – a deliberate ploy in order to “evade” the counterfeiting laws of the time. In 1742, an Act…
Introduction These pieces are nearly all rare, usually worn, and illustrations are hard to find – so, similar to my other Irish token guides, this is a “work in progress” and additional images will be added as and when I find them. They differ from the previous 17th C Tradesmens’ Farthings series insofar are they…
The Old Currency Exchange is a specialist dealer and valuer of Irish & GB coins, tokens and banknotes 