Introduction: Queen Victoria’s predecessor, William IV, issued a short run of silver threepences (minted in London) for use in the British West Indies, where the British Administration was trying to increase its influence by introducing a strong currency based on ‘good silver’ in British denominations. Silver threepences continued to be minted for the West Indies…
Date: c.1804 Few people had silver or gold coins, and those who did, hoarded them and did not use them unless they really had to. Most of the smaller change in circulation was unofficial, illegal tokens. In short, there was a local currency crisis. The solution was small notes (an IOU) like the one below…
Background: By 1947, towards the end of George VI’s reign, silver British coinage was no more. Silver was just too valuable a commodity to waste on coinage and, with the break up of the British Empire now inevitable, there as no need to ‘pretend’ British sterling was the world’s foremost currency. Many other currencies were…
Background: By the end of George V’s reign the threepence had become unpopular in England because of its small size but it remained popular in Scotland. It was consequently decided to introduce a more substantial ‘thru’penny bit’ which would have a more convenient weight/value ratio than the silver coinage. The silver threepence continued to be…
Introduction: After the Great Recoinage of 1817 the silver threepence was primarily produced for the Maundy Ceremony. It was not until 1845, during the reign of Queen Victoria, that the threepence was struck for general circulation in Great Britain and Ireland. In the interim, a short run of silver threepences were minted in London for…
Background By the end of George V’s reign the threepence had become unpopular in England because of its small size. Although it was still popular in Scotland, the government of the day decided to introduce a more substantial thru’penny bit which would have a more convenient weight/value ratio than the silver coinage. The silver threepence…
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: c. 1547-50? Description: Edward VI (1547-53), coinage in the name of Henry VIII, Threepence, (19mm, 0.99 g, 6h). Struck 1547-circa 1550. / . SCBC 6489. Good Fine, toned, ragged edge. Good Fine (gF) Scarce Obverse: Posthumous old head of Henry VIII coinage, Bust of early London Tower style facing semi right HENRIC’ 8 D’ G’…
Introduction: Edward VI was crowned King of England and Ireland on crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. During Edward’s reign, the realm was governed by a Regency Council because he never reached his majority. The Council was first led by his uncle Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (1547–1549), and then by John Dudley, 1st…
Introduction: Perhaps one of the most dispicable practises of the so-called landlord classes in Ireland (and elsewhere) was the ‘truck’ system whereby employees were sometimes partly paid in ‘Truck’ Tokens, spendable only in the issuer’s own shops, where prices were generally higher than elsewhere. The word truck is derived from the French troquer, meaning to “exchange” or “barter”…
The Old Currency Exchange is a specialist dealer and valuer of Irish & GB coins, tokens and banknotes 