The Theme Is London

"Pattern", as the common definition of the word implies, is usually applied to a new or proposed design not yet approved for general issue. The term for a "coin" struck for collectors by an official government mint using old designs or dies is "restrike". While this term isn't technically correct either since there were no "genuine" 1970 predec coins, it is closer to how these coins actually came to be.

Anyways, more London pieces. Here is a London-minted penny attributed to the reign of John, Class 5c if my reading of Spink and Coincraft are correct. Reverse legend: ADAM ON LVNDE.


Next up, the only London token I have that's in a scannable condition - the other two I own are corroded wrecks. Francis Shackleton, chandler in Suffolk St, Haymarket.


London coins made in modern times almost never have mintmarks - it's the regional and colonial mints that had mintmarks, un-marked coins could be assumed to be London-made. There was one exception, in the Australian series, when London struck coins for us in 1951. The tiny little "PL" mintmark above the date on this sixpence hearkens back to the "pecunia Londinium" or PLON mintmarks seen on many London-made Roman coins, such as bilnic's Constantine II coin posted above.


Here's a recent acquisition of mine, a 1 penny token from the "East London Municipality". I spotted it in a dealer's trays and thought, "I don't have any tokens from London in the late 1800s.". Then I remembered that such tokens were illegal in Britain in 1880. I finally figured out that this token wasn't from the East End, it was from East London, the city of that name in South Africa.


Finally, while we're in the colonies, I have to show a tourist dollar from the city of my birth: London, Ontario, Canada.

Wow- some nice coin scans here. I need to get my scanner going an join in !

1797 "Conder" penny from the London and Westminster series.

Now, this one is a challenge for you, but please, if you know the answer, please don't reply immediately as it would be good to see a few guesses first.

It's an everyday sixpence, it happens to be 1936 but the year and design don't matter. What matters is that it's a sixpence (between 1816 and 1967).

What is the London connection with this ordinary sixpence?






Bill.

EDIT: "between 1816 and 1967" added.
Bill.

Interesting coin, but I can't see any link with "The Theme is London".

Am I missing something?

Bill.

Great, now we have the connection. I was rather expecting to see a reply to the question that I asked!

Bill.

So you give up on the connection between the sixpence and London?

On decimalisation in 1971, the old sixpence was an odd coin with a value of two-and-a-half decimal pence. In itself, it was of little value and was covered by a 2p plus a ½p (and the ½p itself was soon discontinued).

But the old sixpence was used in many machines, mainly for tickets on London Underground, and the old 6d (as 2½p) was retained, following strong representations from London Transport, mainly for this purpose until yet another round of fares increase brought about its demise at the end of June 1980.

Now I've got to find some more 'London' coins - unless you have some that you can post in the meantime.

Remember, THE THEME IS LONDON, but any London, anywhere.

Bill.