The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 17, April 25, 2004, Article 9

NEW BOOK ON IRISH SMALL SILVER

  Paul Withers writes: "I have great pleasure in announcing the
  publication, on the birthday of the Bard of Avon, the latest
  monograph in our Small Change series.

  Irish Small Silver - John - Edward VI.  Identifying Irish
  Farthings and Halfpennies, 1172 - 1553.   It also includes
  the three-farthings coin of Edward VI, which was struck
  with the name and portrait of Henry VIII.  Details follow :

  56 pages.  A5 2004.  Price, including postage 13 GBP or
  USA $27.  Available from the authors  Paul and Bente Withers.
  Galata Print Ltd., Market Street, LLANFYLLIN, Powys
  SY22 5BX.  UK.  US cheques to be made payable to
  'Paul Withers'.

  This is an easy to use guide, with lots of enlarged photographs
  and line drawings, and every type is also illustrated natural size
  as well, so as to show what the real thing looks like in all its
  tiny glory. All legends, so far as they are known, are shown
  in full. All the known mints, Dublin, Waterford, Limerick, Cork,
  Killkenny, Downpatrick, and Carrickfergus, are represented,
  and whilst there are no major new varieties for the coins of
  John as Prince, most of the known specimens of which come
  from two already published hoards, we have managed to find
  several new legends and small varieties which were not known,
  or noted by O'Sullivan.  The main importance of the book is
  for the coins of John as king, and Edward I, where there are
  some major varieties - new types, or denominations for the mint,
  and legend varieties listed for the first time, as well as this being

  the first real study of the small coins of Edward I for Ireland !
  No keyhole stuff here though, as we show these tiny coins
  twice as large as life !

  There is an historical introduction, largely on the earliest of the
  people involved, because unless one is irish, one tends not to
  know very much about what, why and when the events
  happened - and they are different from english history, even
  though some of the characters involved appear in both countries.
  Indeed, it does even throw some light upon the conquest of
  England by the normans, who show up, by and large, as a
  load of really nasty folk, intent upon the good life for themselves,
  whilst they pillaged and practised ethnic cleansing on others, but
  just to show that they were even-handed, they did kill each other
  too. The indigenous inhabitants of the Emerald Isle were not that
  pleasant either; but we get some of them in, including the dreadful
  Dermot MacMurrough who started the whole thing off by inviting
  the normans to his country, so that he could reclaim his kingdom.

  Mother Church also comes into the picture, appearing as a
  greedy, growing pan-european monarchy, with many of its the top
  posts sinecure rewards for faithful civil servants.  What did the
  Church get from it?  Honest holiness, piety, charity?  Nah, in
  yer dreams man; this was the middle ages!  They wanted to get
  Peter's pence!   Are we biased?  No, not really.  What we
  present is a personally-selected  series of chronological events,
  chosen to encourage the reader to read more widely for himself.
  If it seems to be sensationalist and limited, so what ?   Pursue the
  truth, whatever that might be, yourself.  This book is intended to
  encourage you not only to collect old bits of worn, clipped metal
  (irish coins are a bit like that), but to read.  Do I need to preach
  the joys and virtues of reading here? Probably not, but even the
  most ardent of numismatic bibliophiles need prodding from time
  to time, to make them realise that there are other viewpoints and
  books about different subjects worth reading in the pursuit of
  information about your coins - that¹s where all the fun lies

  Please note our new e-mail address:  Paul at galata.co.uk
  Visit our website:  galata.co.uk"

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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