News & Blog

Jolly good show THIS year saw the 40th Anniversary of the British Numismatic Trade Association’s (BNTA) flagship coin show, Coinex. In recent years the event has been held at the Millennium Hotel, Grosvenor Square, in the heart of Mayfair but this year that hotel is being refurbished and so a...

The medal not the man? IN last month’s “News and Views” we announced that Worcestershire Medal Services had recently won the contract to produce the UK’s medals. What was particularly interesting about that story was the contract includes the production of historical medals too, not just the...

Cashless Society? So what? As we go to press in early September so yet another “story” breaks about how cash is being over taken by credit and debit cards. As is the way of things these days so the story (picked up by a number of media outlets) happily tells us that cash is on its way out, how...

Our BRAND NEW guide to decimal circulating coins (and a few others!) is available NOW. On sale in Tesco and W H Smith Travel from September 6 and in W H Smith High Street from Sptember 12 this brand new book is the essential guide to the coins in your purse or pocket. Is that Peter Rabbit 50p...

Convention Call HAVING recently returned from Denver and the annual Orders and Medals Society of America (OMSA) Convention, I would like to use this month’s comment as an appeal. To be honest OMSA was not a great success this year. It was wonderful to see so many old friends and the social...

Of bunnies and bears A RATHER interesting phenomenon was witnessed on the second day of the recent York Coin Fair in July—lots of people in on day two! Those of you who have ever attended the second day of a two day fair will know that it isn’t the hotbed of activity you might find at 9.30am on...

Rule Britannia! FOR some of you the news that the Britannia Medal Fair has been taken over by auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb will be greeted with much delight. The event has become something of an institution in the medal world and knowing that its future is now secure will have been as welcomed as...

Always learning THE discovery of a hitherto unknown variety of 1806 halfpence (see “Discoveries” this month on page 30) begs a rather important question: Are there any more out there like this and if so how many? The ha’penny, discovered in Scotland, has the reverse with a 120° die axis...

A coin for Brexit? AS we go to press we learn of a call from some MPs for the Royal Mint to strike a “Brexit” coin to commemorate our leaving the European Union next year (this assuming we do, let’s not get into that right now…). Following what is being called by some as a “demand” for the...

We have been informed of the theft of the medals of a former member of the R.E.M.E. The theft took place in Derby from his home in May 2018, Afghanistan medal medal issued to 30062968 Cpl A. Bloomer R.E.M.E and his UN Cyprus medal and other related items. Any information please contact PC Paul...

Why do they matter? THE recent call by Lord Guthrie and assorted others for there to be yet another look at the case for a Bomber Command Medal (see News & Views) shows that this matter really will not go away any time soon. One would imagine that the Bomber Command Veterans feel that if they...

Modern thinking THE striking of a commemorative £5 crown to celebrate the marriage of one Henry Windsor and Ms Rachel Markle on May 19 is notable for a couple of reasons. Firstly the subject is relatively far down the Royal “pecking order” (as it were) with previous Royals to grace coinage being...

Happy birthday to us! I MAKE no apologies this month in using this “Comment” as an unabashed self-congratulations (although I will apologise to readers of COIN NEWS who will have seen a version of this already!) for as I write this in early April Token Publishing Ltd is about to celebrate its 35th...

Backwards facing THIS month’s News and Views features the story of Chips, the husky-crossbreed awarded the latest Dickin Medal by the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA). The “Animal VC” (yes we know it’s not actuallythe same as a Victoria Cross but it is the highest award for gallantry...

When is a coin not a coin? OK, let’s put this to bed once and for all—COIN NEWS will not be covering Bitcoin in any depth . . . these days it is one of the questions that seems to be on everybody’s lips when I mention coins—they immediately ask whether I know anything about cryptocurrency. I’ve...

Stolen from a home in West Norwood early in the New Year: Diamond Jubilee Medal and Afghanistan Medal named to LT RP Fielden RA Crime ref: 1238372/17 Information to the Metropolitan Police Brixton via 101 or the MEDAL NEWS office

Thinking ahead SINCE last month’s Editorial “Comment” I have received a number of (not for publication) letters and emails explaining the reason why you, the readers, collect coins and I was quite surprised at how many of you admit to collecting as some kind of investment. You see coins both as a...

Looking ahead AFTER much fevered speculation (OK, it wasn’t that fevered but questions were being asked) the Orders and Medals Research Society (OMRS) have announced that the 2018 Convention will take place in the East Midlands City of Nottingham. Convention moved out of London in 2016 and has...

Just because AT A RECENT local social gathering I was asked, as one often is, what my interests were —when I replied “coin collecting” I expected one of three usual responses: either the glazed-over eyes accompanied by the fixed smile, a “that’s interesting” and a quick subject change; the “oh, I...