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 Replies: 12 / Views: 880 |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
381 Posts |
 Managed to purchase this at a coin fair yesterday. Struck by Matthew Boulton at his Soho mint. Considered by some to be the prototype of his 1799 coinage. Notice the raised rim.
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Valued Member
 United Kingdom
381 Posts |
 This is the obverse... note the die crack at about 5 o'clock, which I'm led to believe got worse and ended up forcing production to stop. |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
381 Posts |
 Here's the die crack. Goes in a little way then turns sharp left! |
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Moderator
 United States
188001 Posts |
Very nice!  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
25059 Posts |
Excellent token, Spyro! But please remove it from the 2X2 for photographs.
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
73900 Posts |
Nice token. Errers and Varietys.
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
381 Posts |
Sorry. I don't understand. What's the "2x2 for photographs"?
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
709 Posts |
A 2x2 is a flat card packet about 2 inches square. It has a clear plastic circular window in which coins can be sealed.
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
381 Posts |
Ah! Silly me! Yes. Should've taken the pics before I put it in the coin holder. Got a bit carried away cos I'd been after one of these for ages! The 2x2 refers to inches doesn't it, and being a retired British carpenter I'm largely metric, which helped confuse things amid my excitement. Excuses, excuses...
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4964 Posts |
That's a great coin I've had on my list for quite a while. I love the Soho mint coins and especially when they have the raised rim with incuse (is that the right term?) legends. Great shape too!
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
381 Posts |
Yes. This token is really the icing on my Soho Mint cake, as it were. Matthew Boulton developed the raised rim with incuse lettering to minimise wear. It did make his coins a bit heavy but they've lasted well! And it may be that he used this token as a prototype to see how the process would work. There's a couple of decent books out there about Soho Mint. His factory and mint no longer exist but his house, with period furnishings etc, is open to the public and in the care of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Check their website for opening times. Got to go out now so I'll upload the book details later.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
709 Posts |
The Soho Mint and the Industrialization of Money
Richard Doty
1998
Boulton sent Eccleston 109,247 of these tokens and billed him £51/17/6 on 25/8/1794, plus 5 guineas for producing dies. Cost of raw copper not included as Eccleston provided it. The bill was never paid.
Edited by Anaximander
02/15/2024 2:03 pm
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
381 Posts |
Spot on! Two useful books are "Matthew Boulton And The Art Of Making Money", eds Richard Clay and Sue Tungate, Brewin Books, ISBN 978-1-85858-450-8, and "Matthew Boulton and the Soho Mint - Copper to Customer", Sue Tungate, Brewin Books, ISBN 978-1-85858-723-3. George Selgin's "Good Money" University of Michigan Press, (2 ISBN numbers!, ISBN-13: 978-0-472-11631-7 and ISBN-10: 0-472-11631-2) is also very good. Happy reading!
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Replies: 12 / Views: 880 |
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Posted 02/12/2024 4:02 pm
