COIN FOUND IN THE BELLY OF A COD FISH

Gary Oddie writes:

Recently two notes have appeared on the E-Sylum about coins that have been found in the stomachs of fish. The first referred to an English seventeenth century token found in the stomach of a five-foot shark caught off Galveston, Texas in 1931.(1-4) The token was a farthing issued by Richard Langley of Ramsgate, dated 1657.

The second relates that on June 15, 1842, a shark caught off the Isle of May (in the Firth of Forth) was bought by fishmongers G. Dickson & Co at Edinburgh market. Inside was found a tin box containing various British and foreign coins and tokens with dates ranging from 1671-1811. The tin box must have been water-tight and stomach proof as it also contained an old map of Scotland by Jeffrey and some newspaper cuttings!

To these can be added the following piece.

   

Obv. FOUND•IN•THE•BELLY•OF•A•CODFISH •1773• around 18 MARCH BY T•HENDRY LYNN neatly engraved.

Rev. Peined flat with countermarks FISH and FI (distorted by the peining), with faint traces of AG and R•F of the host coin legend.

Details. Ag, 26.8 mm, 5.218 g, no trace of edge graining showing. 150%.

Notes. Using the remnants of the reverse legend to orientate the piece it is possible to just see the faintest of outline of a bust of in the toning on this William III shilling. [GO, Ex F. Pridmore 1970s, and D. Young 2006].

Known locally as Lynn, King's Lynn is a port and market town in the west of Norfolk. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book as having salt evaporation ponds and was known as Bishop's Lynn until the dissolution of the monasteries when it was given to Henry VIII by the Bishop of Norwich in 1536.

To read the complete article, see:
Fishy Tales from King's Lynn – Gary Oddie (https://britnumsoc.blog/2021/09/19/fishy-tales-from-kings-lynn-gary-oddie/)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
MORE SHARK STOMACH COIN FINDS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n36a07.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web