The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 24, June 17, 2007, Article 16

WAYNE'S LONDON DIARY 17 JUNE, 2007

So what did I do numismatically this week?  Not a lot, unfortunately.
I'm still working to schedule visits with John Andrew and Ted Buttrey,
and work demands have made it tough to visit other dealers and places
like The Bank of England museum which are only open weekdays.

On Friday morning though, I received a nice email from Caroline Holmes
of Baldwin's - we had been corresponding about an ad for her firm on
the NBS web site.  A regular E-Sylum reader, Caroline added "I hope
you enjoyed your trip to London."    I replied that I did enjoy my trip,
and was already back again.  I took a minute to look up Baldwin's
address and saw that it was in walking distance of my office.  So I
rang her up and arranged to visit over the lunch hour.

Using my handy pocket map to navigate the crooked streets of London,
I wended my way along in search of 11 Adelphi Terrace.  I found a
street sign but was unclear where no. 11 was.  After walking down a
set of steps and returning empty handed, I took a closer look and
realized that the street sign I'd seen was right next to Baldwin's
door.  So I walked in and went down a flight of stairs to a lobby
with a locked door and buzzer.  Through a glass window I could see
the Baldwin showroom and offices.  I rang the bell and asked for
Caroline.  Soon we met and I was whisked inside.

Knowing my love of books she showed me a couple of storage areas
filled with numismatic literature.  The firm plans to renew their
efforts to sell their long-neglected stock of numismatic books, and
has enlisted the assistance of Douglas Saville.  I welcomed Caroline
to keep us posted with announcements of price lists and auctions in
The E-Sylum.   I couldn't stay long, but we made plans to talk
further at lunch next week.  It was great to finally put a face to
another name from the E-Sylum mailing list.

On the way back to the office I saw a sign on Bedford Street for a
shop selling coin and stamp supplies.  I had seen the sign before
but this time I walked in.  Down a set of stairs was a large basement
shop filled with storage racks.  I asked for coin albums and was shown
to an aisle.  "Someone will be with you shortly."  What I saw were
binders of plastic pages for holding coins, but what I was hoping to
buy were "Whitman-style" folders for collecting British coins.  I've
been saving a lot of British coins during my visit and was hoping to
give my kids albums to put them in.

When the clerk returned I explained what I was looking for, only to
be told that no one manufactures Whitman-style folders for the U.K.
The types of pages I saw were the only coin albums to be had.   This
was a real disappointment, but it won't stop me from collecting the coins.

The shop was started in 1969 by Vera Trinder (now Mrs. Vera Webster)
as a dealer in philatelic supplies "in the heart of London's stamp
quarter."  The shop bills itself as "London's Oldest Stamp Supply
Dealer."  Today it deals in banknote and coin supplies as well as
stamp supplies from its shop and web site (veratrinder.com ).

Resuming my journey back to the office I was distracted yet again by
the sight of St. Paul's Church.  I wandered into the churchyard, where
dozens of people enjoyed their lunches on benches lining the walk.  I
stepped inside to view the beautiful interior of the church.  Built
in 1633, the graveyard holds the remains of many victims of the Great
Plague of 1665.

The name of the Church caught my eye because of something I had seen
at the London Coin Fair last week.  It was a framed broadside at the
table of Alan Cherry of Dorset (phone 0 120 241 7064).  Although not
numismatic, its content was fascinatingly gruesome.  Titled "An Account
of the Digging Up of the Quarters of William Stayley Lately Executed
for High Treason for that His Relations Abused the Kings Mercy", the
"quarters" weren't pocket change.  Think "quarters" as in "drawn and
quartered".

"On Thursday the 21 day of November 1678 received then his sentence
to be drawn on a Sledge to the place of execution, then to be hanged
by the Neck, cut down alive, his Quarters to be severed and disposed
of as the King should think fit, and his bowels burnt and his quarters
were brought back and left at Newgate in order to their being set up
on the Gates of the City of London and his head on London Bridge."

Stayley's family had begged the King to be given his remains, and
the King granted this wish.  However...

"there was made a great and pompous funeral. Many people following
the corps (sic) to the Church of Saint Paul's Covent Garden where
his Majesty hearing of was justly displeased"

So the King had Stayley's remains dug up and displayed publicly as
originally planned.  Somehow I managed to still crave lunch, so I
grabbed a sandwich from a nearby shop and headed back to the office.
On Saturday I rested, numismatically speaking.

This afternoon (Sunday) I took another long walk in Hyde Park and
encountered a temporary structure next to the Albert Memorial housing
the 2007 Royal Collage of Art Summer Show.  Admission was free, and I
went in for a browse.  Some of the works were quite impressive,
encompassing several genres and media.  One artist displayed (among
many other items) some wearable money art.  See the link below to
view Mette Klarskiv Larsen's "Money Knickers" (my term).

Next I took the helpful advice of Patrick McMahon of the Museum of
Fine Arts who wrote: "You should add the Apsley House to your itinerary
if you get the time. It is the house of the Duke of Wellington and
the museum portion of it is really wonderful. It is filled with
amazing things that were given to him by grateful monarchs all over
Europe when he defeated Napoleon.

"If you go don't miss Correggio's 'Agony in the Garden'. It is as
beautiful and moving as it is cracked up to be and supposedly it
was Wellington's favorite, kept in a locked frame and dusted only
by himself. The Portuguese Egyptian-style silver table setting and
garniture in the dining room is mind boggling--so much silver.

"There are also a handful of numismatic pieces in the basement--some
medals of Pistrucci & Wyon production relating to Wellington and
Napoleon. They are in a pretty dark case so a pocket flashlight
would be your friend here. I wish I had had one when I was there--
but I don't know if the guards would scold you for using one or not.
I have been to London many times and for whatever reason long-ignored
this place. Now that I have finally gone I really don't know why I
didn't visit it sooner. It is easily overlooked with all that
London has to offer!"

[I did find and view Correggio's 'Agony in the Garden', and many,
many other paintings.  As luck would have it, this was "Waterloo
Weekend", the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.  To celebrate,
admission to Apsley House was free and costumed actors performed for
tour groups.  We were treated to a lively one-man re-creation of the
Battle of Waterloo with vegetables on the carpet of the grand ballroom.
Yes, vegetables - a cucumber, a stalk of broccoli, onions, radishes
etc. represented Wellington, Napoleon, their soldiers, artillery, cavalry
and allies.  It was a bizarre yet surprisingly entertaining and
informative presentation that one couldn't help but smile at.

I did find my way to the basement gallery to view a Pistrucci Waterloo
medal and many other medals and decorations.  But as Patrick warned,
it was quite dim and difficult to see the objects.   That was the end
of this week's numismatic activity unless you count putting the final
touches on tonight's E-Sylum back in my hotel room.

I've received a number of nice compliments on my London diaries, so I
hope you've found this week's installments of interest as well.  All
this writing is keeping me from my own reading, but it's been quite
fun to pen these accounts.  -Editor]

To view Mette Klarskiv Larsen's Money Knickers, see: Money Knickers (closeup) 
Money Knickers (complete view)

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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