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TREVOR WILKIN COLLECTION OF SIEGE NOTESThe Trevor Wilkin Collection of Siege Notes will be offered at an auction by Noonans in London on May 30. Here's the Foreword by the catalogers. -Editor
Siege notes are a niche but popular subsidiary of military banknote collecting. All of the notes in this catalogue were produced during incredibly turbulent periods of human history. Most are printed on poor- quality paper never intended for this use, using cheap inks and jury rigged printing machines. The majority were produced and hand signed by men, very often soldiers, who certainly never imagined they would be issuing money simply to keep a town or fortification running during weeks, sometimes months, of desperation. Perhaps most humbling is the fact that many of those who signed the notes did not live to see beyond these sieges. I have a keen interest in military history and, by extension, military banknotes. Researching and cataloguing this remarkable collection has therefore been one of the highlights of my career. It is extremely unlikely I will ever see many of these items ever again. Several of them are unique, certainly outside of institutions, and handling them is a privilege I will not soon forget. Of all the notes in his collection, Trevor was most proud of his incredible 1 Piastre from the Siege of Khartoum. This small and unassuming note is believed to be the only example in private hands, and bore witness to one of the most dramatic events in colonial African history. We do hope you enjoy this special catalogue. Our hope is that it is a fitting testament to both Trevor and his collection, and that it will find a place in numismatic libraries for years to come. Here are some lots that caught my eye. Great notes! -Editor 
LOT 1004 Siege of Mayence, coins for 1, 2 and 5 Sols, 1793, used in the city before being shipped back to France and replaced with paper money, sold as seen, no returns, some edge damage to the 5 Sols (3 coins) £80-£100
To read the complete lot description, see:
LOT ? 1050 Siege of Colberg, 8 Groschen, first issue, 1807, serial number 1256, six manuscript signatures, red and black ink, remains of stamp hinge on reverse, marginally scuffed but an exceptional example of the highest denomination for this issue, about uncirculated and rare Pick S1453 £400-£500
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LOT ? 1054 Siege of Palmanova, unissued 5 Lire, 1814, no serial number, three manuscript signatures, entirely hand-written on laid paper, one hand stamp, very fine and incredibly rare Pick S234 £1,200-£1,600
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LOT ? 1060 Siege of Osoppo, 6 Lire, ND (1848), serial number 634, several manuscript signatures, hand-written with three hand stamps, very fine, incredibly rare Pick S241 £1,000-£1,500
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LOT ? 1132 Siege of Mafeking, £1, March 1900, serial number 386, light mounting traces on reverse, a few bends but no folds or creases, about uncirculated and a superb example of a scarce and iconic type Pick S655, Ineson 144 £1,200-£1,600
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LOT ? 1136 Siege of Kimberley, soup ticket for 3 pints at Town Hall depot, type 2, ND (1899-1900), red card, extremely fine, rare Ineson 311 £150-£200
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For more information, or to bid, see:
Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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