My Coin Collection
Hey guys. For my first birthday Andrew bought me a silver Victorian Crown from 1888 - the year of Jack the Ripper's murders! I'd never thought about coins much. I'd see them from time to time on Andrew's bureaux but us hamsters have never really used currency so they were always a bit of an abstraction. Just another of the many shiny esoteric objects that make up the human world. But there was something about the heft and the history of this crown - the fact so many hands had touched it... perhaps it had even been in Jack the Rippers coin purse! I was instantly hooked and began my own collection. Such a cliche to get into something like this on your first birthday. Classic middle aged hobby!
I have 138 coins now from all sorts of eras although I'm mostly interested in 19th century British coins. Below are a few highlights from my collection.
Victorian Crown 1888 - solid silver
My first coin. A classic crown with jubilee portrait.
Georgian Penny 1804 - copper
A fairly common coin this but mine is in excellent condition for the age and I've always loved the portrait of George III. He looks more like a Roman emperor than British royalty.
Georgian Farthing 1760 - copper
A beautiful example of a George II farthing. From the final year of his reign.
Victorian Half-Crown 1887 - solid silver
This is perhaps my favourite Victorian coin in my collection. Not especially rare or sought after but the mint on this one is especially fine. The embossed portrait of Her Majesty is particularly lifelike. Her strong saxon nose gives the whole coin an air of authority and sense of gravitas.
Tudor Groat 1544 - hammered silver
One of my prize possessions. There is something truly haunting about Henry VIII's fierce and hateful eyes staring out of the coin. Staring across 500 years of history into my humble hamster cage. What was paid for with this groat? What hardships did its last owner face? Every coin is an enigma. A piece of history that cannot be read, only felt.
