NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: MARCH 14, 2021

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V24 2021 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 24, Number 11, March 14, 2021, Article 26

Here's a selection of interesting or unusual items I came across in the marketplace this week. Tell us what you think of some of these. -Editor

From spring 1572 to 1574 the Geusen kept a blockade ring around Middelburg. After several attempts to relieve the city, which was loyal to King Philip of Spain, failed, the city surrendered to the Prince of Nassau-Orange on February 19, 1574. During the blockade, two consecutive series of emergency coins were issued, and the city had a third series minted soon after it was taken. On December 20, 1572, the magistrate decided to mint emergency coins from the silver implements made available by the guilds and the council. On January 20, 1574, the city decided to convert the existing golden equipment into emergency money. The last series of those golden and silver cliffs that emerged after the surrender,

Siege coins in gold are quite rare. Here's a 1573 Gold Klippe from the siege of Middelburg. From the Kunker Spring 2021 sale. Google-translated text. -Editor

54.0 mm, 67.0 mm including loop. 1006.4 grains. A spectacular and distinctive example of this 18th century classic, issued locally on the island of St. Vincent to troops engaged in putting down an uprising of the native / creole Caribs in late 1772 and early 1773. The medal was authorized by the Legislative Assembly of the Island of St. Vincent, making this a true West Indian medal rather than an English one. The Carib War engaged the native Caribs, a creole population of indigenous and African descent, against the English in a classic battle between colonizers and the colonized. The population of Saint Vincent exploded after the island's 1762 conquest in the Seven Years (French and Indian) War, and the new arrivals all expected to find land to establish sugar plantations. Their entitlement forced English authorities into traditionally native lands, and the natives fought back. Five months of guerrilla warfare against superior numbers of better outfitted troops ended with a treaty and a promise of "firm and lasting peace and friendship." These words, for those who know the history of North American Anglo-native relations, or the medals attendant to them, may sound familiar.

All known specimens are cast and chased, meaning these were cast from a mould, then hand finished with engraving tools. Those awarded at the time (1773) were wrapped in a rim with a decorative bezel of the type seen here.

From the Stack's Bowers March 2021 auction. -Editor

Sudarshan Shah, VS 1872-1906 (1815-1859) AV Mohur VS 1872 = 1815 Badrinatha These pieces must have been minted on at least two occasions, as they are firstly hand-minted coins with a normal mohur weight of around 10.8 g and secondly as machine-minted coins Coins with the full legend appear at the same weight as the British used for their mohurs after 1835. It is therefore likely that the latter were minted in or after 1835. The Badrinath quoted on the coins is believed to refer to the famous Hindu temple located near the source of the Alakananda River, one of the main arms of the Ganges. Before the conquest of Gorkha, the temple was within the boundaries of the Garhwal Kingdom, but after 1815 it was in the part of Garhwal that was directly ruled by the British. For more information and possible reasons for the minting of these coins, see "The Gold Coins of Sudarshan Shah of Tehri Garhwal" by Nicholas Rhodes in ONS Newsletter 134, splendid specimen on wide flute K.M. A 2 Baldwin 84, lot 1703 10.31 g. very rare, especially in this condition st.

From the Felzmann auction house. Found via Sixbid. Google-translated text. -Editor

To read the complete lot description, see:
Lot 1734. Indien - Füstenstaat Tehri Garhwal (https://www.sixbid.com/en/auktionshaus-felzmann/8241/bersee/6804512/indien-fstenstaat-tehri-garhwal)

As with most dates in the Capped Bust half dollar series, the 1829 is known for its numerous varieties, three of which are listed in the Red Book including the 1829/7 overdate, the Large Letters Reverse, and the normal variety, also known as the Small Letters Reverse. The 1829/7 is the most highlight coveted, though all three types remain incredibly challenging in the finest Mint State grades. As complicated as the American economy was on the cusp of the 1830s, a half dollar remained a lot of money for most people, and nearly all working class Americans would have preferred this coin to 60 or 70 cents in scrip. Therefore, very few were set aside by collectors. The present MS-64+ * (NGC) CAC ranks among the finest known survivors of the O-111 variety, sitting at CC#5 on Herrman's Autumn 2020 census.

From the Richard Jewell Collection; previously in the Eric P. Newman collection. Offered by Stack's Bowers in their March 2021 Rarities Night session. -Editor