THE BIRMINGHAM ASSAY OFFICE LIBRARY SALE

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V23 2020 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 23, Number 7, February 16, 2020, Article 2

Antiquarian bookseller Forum Auctions in London is offering the Birmingham Assay Office Library on March 26, 2020. Included are a number of numismatic titles as well as some books from the library of Matthew Boulton. -Editor

The Statute of 1300 allowed the Wardens of the Company of Goldsmiths in London to go out to workshops in the City and assay silver and gold. However, only silver that met the required standard was marked at this time. The mark was the symbol of the leopard’s head which is still the mark of the London Assay Office today. Gradually gold came to be marked in the same way as silver.

Quite some time after, in 1478, the Wardens of Goldsmiths set themselves up in Goldsmiths Hall and paid a salaried assayer to test and mark items submitted to them. This led to the introduction of the date letter in order to make successive assayers accountable for their work.

Birmingham Assay Office was founded by an Act of Parliament in 1773. It had become clear by this time to the silversmiths of Birmingham, especially Matthew Boulton, that their trade would never truly prosper without an Office of their own. Boulton lobbied Parliament vigorously and was finally rewarded by the Hallmarking Act 1773, which founded the Birmingham Assay Office.

For more information on the Birmingham Assay Office, see: THE STORY OF ASSAY OFFICE BIRMINGHAM (https://theassayoffice.com/assay-office-birmingham/the-story-of-assay-office-birmingham)

Here are a few selections from the sale. -Editor

Lot 2 Act to prohibit the Importation of light silver coin

Act (An) to prohibit the Importation of light silver coin of this realm from Foreign Countries into Great Britain or ireland, Charles Eyre and William Strahan, 1774; and 23 others, acts (24)

Act (An) to prohibit the Importation of light silver coin of this realm from Foreign Countries into Great Britain or Ireland, title with woodcut arms, crude tape repairs at head, 20th century calf-backed cloth, Charles Eyre and William Strahan, 1774 § Report from the Select Committee on The Royal Mint, 7 folding lithographed plates, 1837 bound with Report from the Royal Commission on International Coinage, 1868, contemporary half morocco, rubbed; and 22 others, mostly 19th / 20th century acts, v.s. (24)

Boulton (Matthew).- Trial of William Eginton, John Eginton, Thomas Gibbons, & John Fowles : for a burglary, at the Soho, near Birmingham, and stealing therein 150 guineas, & other articles, etc., final f. laid down, 20th century morocco-backed cloth, 8vo, Stafford, J. Drewry, 1801.

Rare, Library Hub lists two other copies only (BL and University of Manchester).

The accused were alleged to have robbed the counting house at Boulton's Soho Manufactory and were found guilty.

Interesting historical episode at Boulton's famous Birmingham operation. -Editor

Lot 95: Memoir of William Wyon

Economics.- [Carlisle (Nicholas)]A Memoir of the Life and Works of William Wyon, Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint, 2 parts in 1, titles in red and black, engraved portrait frontispiece, 2 A.Ls.s. by the author inserted (one mounted, one tipped in), pencil portrait of Carlisle by Leonard Charles Wyon, dated Dec. 16th 1842, stained and mounted on an inserted leaf, and A.L.s. by Thomas Wyon tipped in, some foxing, contemporary half calf, spine gilt, Privately Printed, 1837; and 8 others on the Royal Mint, v.s. (9)

Important biographical source for one of the world's most famous and prolific coin engravers. -Editor

Flaxman (John, sculptor and draughtsman, 1755-1826), Wyon (William, chief engraver at the Royal Mint, between 1830 and 1850, 1795-1851) and others. Original Sketches for Medals, Seals, &c., 151 original drawings, 2 vol., vol. I with 81 drawings and watercolours by various hands [see list below], and vol. II with 65 drawings by various hands [see below], vol. I predominantly with designs for seals, medals, and coins, including over 30 drawings by and attributed to William Wyon, vol. II with medals and 44 original drawings by John Flaxman for cups, candelabra, ornamental friezes and of figural compositions, pen and inks, watercolours, pencil and chalks, all on various contemporary papers, neatly hinged onto thick album leaves, most bearing pencil attributions verso and on mounts, album leaves each approx.. 390 x 290 mm. (15 ¼ x 11 ½ in), one leaf lacking a drawing, otherwise complete, another drawing loose from album leaf, occasional spotting, browning, surface dirt and handling creases, half red morocco, marbled boards, spine gilt, one vol. with inside upper cover coming loose, rubbed and scuffed, folio, [probably compiled circa 1830-1850]

Provenance:
Possibly part ex-collection of William Wyon (1795-1851), or a descendant [for discussion of Wyon's relationship to John Flaxman, see Mark Jones, William Wyon as a Pupil and Follower of Flaxman, from 'Burning Bright: Essays in Honour of David Bindman', pp. 89-97, UCL Press, 2015]

Literature:
Westwood, Arthur [compiled by], Catalogue of the Books in the Library at the Assay Office Birmingham, 1914, p. 301; described as 'Two folio volumes in which are inserted original sketches and designs for coins, medals, etc., by William Wyon, Sir Thomas Lawrence, ... Thomas Stothard ..., and John Flaxman.'

Drawing highlights contained within vol. I include:
- Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) Head of Minerva, design for a seal, pencil, 110 x 48 mm. (4 ¼ x 1 ¾ in)
- Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey (1781-1841) Profile portrait of William IV, design for a coin, pencil, 225 x 190 mm. (8 ¾ x 7 ½ in)
- William Dyce (1806-1864) Six sheets of designs for crown pieces or florins, various sizes
- E. Corbould (1815-1905) Over 30 sheets of coin and medal designs attributed to E. Corbould, possibly [?] Henry Corbould (1787-1844), various sizes
- William Wyon (1795-1851) Over 30 sheets of portraits, some of personal interest to the artist, others designs for coins and medals, various sizes

What an amazing artifact! -Editor

Lot 247: The Knowledge of Medals

Numismatics.- Medals.- Jobert (Louis)The Knowledge of Medals, [translated by Roger Gale], first English edition, contemporary calf, rebacked, later endpapers, [Wing J755], for Williams Rogers, 1697 § Jennings (David) An Introduction to the Knowledge of Medals, second edition, contemporary half calf, rebacked, [cf. Gaskell 28], Birmingham, Sarah Baskerville, 1776 § The Metallick History of the Reigns of King William III. and Queen Mary, 37 engraved plates, upper hinge weak, original boards, rebacked, corners worn, for John and Paul Knapton, 1747; and 10 others, medals, 8vo & folio (13)

Lot 271: Amendment of the Silver Coins

[Lowndes (William)]A Report Containing an Essay for the Amendment of the Silver Coins, only edition, title soiled, later mottled calf, gilt, upper joint rubbed, [Wing L3323; Goldsmiths' 3131; Kress 1909], by Charles Bill, and the Executrix of Thomas Newcomb, 1695 § [Pratt (Samuel)] The Regulating Silver Coin, first edition, [Wing P3184; Goldsmiths' 3331], for Henry Bonwick, 1696; bound with J. (R.) A Letter of Advice to a Friend about the Currency of Clipt-Money, second edition, foxing, [Wing J29A], for Edw. Castle, 1696, together 2 works in 1, contemporary calf, rebacked, rubbed § Some Considerations about the Raising of Coin. In a Second Letter to Mr. Locke, first edition,half-title, final leaf with date "Octob. the 3d. 1696" and advertisements beneath, some foxing, later cloth-backed boards, soiled, [Wing S4481], for A. and J. Churchill, 1696, 8vo (3)

Report of the Committee of the Society of Arts...Relative to the Mode of Preventing the Forgery of Bank Notes, half-title, 6 engraved plates (1 folding), some foxing to plates, a few small stains, [Goldsmith 22503; Kress C.414], 20th century half morocco, spine gilt, 1819; and Ibbetson on an invention to prevent forgery of bank notes, 8vo (2)

An important work on banknote engraving. -Editor

Lot 424: A discourse of coin and coinage

Numismatics.- Coins.- Vaughan (Rice) A discourse of coin and coinage: the first invention, use, matter, forms, proportions and differences, ancient & modern: with the advantages and disadvantages of the rise or fall thereof, in our own or neighbouring nations: and the reasons, first and only edition, woodcut head-pieces and decorative initial, preliminaries lightly browned, trimmed at head, affecting some headlines, occasional spotting, later speckled calf, rebacked, [Wing V131; Goldsmiths 2131; Kress 1394], 12mo, printed by Th. Dawks, for Th. Basset, at the George, near Cliffords-Inn, in Fleet-street, 1675.

'The first historical monograph in English on money' (Palgrave). The lawyer Rice Vaughan held various public offices in Wales before being imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1665 for two years. This work was published posthumously by Henry Vaughan ('the Silurist', 1621-1695), poet and writer of devotional prose.

Lot No. 1 is non-numismatic despite the word "quarters" in the title - it's a grisly tale of the last decapitated head to be displayed on London Bridge.

The entire sale is well worth browsing just for fun. Subjects include alchemy, metallurgy, mining, weights & measures, chemistry, electrotyping, heraldry, jewellery, economics, horology, and science & technology.

But why is this marvelous library being broken up and sold in the first place? That seems an awful shame. A delight for collectors of course, but a loss to the world at large. -Editor