A THOUSAND GUINEAS Publique Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 6, Number 31, August 3, 2003, Article 9
A THOUSAND GUINEAS
Paul Withers writes: "The new collector of British coins, and
members of the non-collecting public are often confused by
the many brass imitations of the guinea, especially the so-called
'spade' guinea that are to be found. More often than not, they
are quite wrongly convinced that what they have is a genuine
gold coin.Of course, there are so many of these pieces, some of which
are very common, that they can be easily collected, and a
collection of two or three hundred is not difficult to amass for
very little cost. However, to put together a really good
collection - one that has more than say five hundred different
pieces - takes a considerable amount of time and effort, and
more than seven hundred is an difficult challenge for all but
the keenest. Why collect them ? There are many reasons,
not the least of which is that they are there ! Other grounds
are that they make an interesting study of advertising; local
items can be researched, and the manufacturers of these
items traced - all providing hours of innocent pleasure - for
example, discovering that M.C.M.D.S.T.M.S.P.ET.C is
not a meaningless jumble of letters put on the coin to impress,
or fill space, but may be expanded to read : Machine Chain
Maker. Die Sinker. Tool Maker. Stamper. Etc. Machine
chain maker ? That's watch chains, or jewelry, not chains
for restraining prisoners or anchoring boats !Readers who have seen these pieces may be interested to
learn that a new book is about to be born.It is A THOUSAND GUINEAS. A Checklist of Imitation
Guineas and their Fractions, by W Bryce Neilson, with
assistance from David Magnay, David Young and J Gavin
Scott. It provides :€ A checklist and basic guide to the series, listing imitations
of five guineas, guineas and their fractions, including thirds,
double sovereigns, sovereigns, and a half sovereign from
Queen Anne to Victoria.€ Lists 1,000 examples of currency imitations and advertising
types using an expandable numbering system.Details are as follows : Size A4. 70pp with card covers.
UK price £15 or 35 US dollars including postage to the US.This is a book that has been needed for a long time, for
although there are the R N P Hawkins articles in BNJ, they
are restricted mainly to the advertising issues, so the majority
of examples that one turns up are not listed. There was David
Magnay¹s 1997 listing, which whilst useful is neither
comprehensive, nor really widely enough distributed. Then
we heard that David, Bryce, and others, were continuing
working on the subject, but by the time that we heard about it,
they had pooled their efforts and Bryce was viewing collections
and preparing a new listing with detailed descriptions of all
imitations previously recorded or published.The book begins with a concise introduction with very short
notes on the various issues of the original coins, treating them
with as much regard as the collectors of the real gold coins
treat imitations, which the real cognoscenti know are much
more interesting, and cheaper ! There is a page of illustrations
of the main types and brief notes on how to use the checklist.
The imitations covered are Anne guineas and half guineas,
Early George III guineas and half guineas, Commemorative
guineas and halves (referring to royal visits to Cheltenham, etc.)
Spade guineas and halves, In Memory guineas and
halves, Advertising guineas and halves and then a miscellany
section of related pieces including forgeries. The book ends
with brief notes on the makers and issuers and an index.Alas, there are illustrations of only a very few pieces, but in
general, the descriptions are good enough to locate most
pieces with certainty, if not with speed, and one does need
to be a real enthusiast to find one's way around the in
memory series, which is where photos would have helped
considerably. However, the author promises a second
volume which will include an analysis of die links within the
advertising series, details of original boxes and containers,
a valuation guide and illustrations covering both volumes.Useful ? We wouldn't be publishing it if we didn't think so!
We shall be using it, as will most dealers and collectors."- 2003-08-03
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