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Vol. 9, No. 9 September, 2010
"British Domestic Coin - For Other Places" "The Coinage of Pontius Pilate"
Above: Indian fur trade item. Hollow brass turtle pendant, 45mm x 32mm. Stamped "IS", believed to be the mark of the maker, Jonas Schindler of Quebec , who operated 1763-7. The Mid-Island Coin Club, Dues: $12 per year Mailing Address: Mid-Island Coin Club, c/o West Coast Stamp & Coin, Executive Officers: President: Felix Stawski
The August meeting was attended by 23 members and guests. Not bad for a summer meeting but we hope that now cooler days are with us, it will be even larger. The main event for the September meeting will be the bestowal of the Bill Potts Memorial Trophy on the worthy recipient of 2010/11, balloting having been conducted at last meeting. Until Phil Harris, last year's winner, presents it, the name remains secret. Late August also saw the annual participation of Mid-Island in the Vancouver Island Exhibition via the manning of a booth. Indications are that traffic was quite good this year, the picking of a free coin from a bowl by each child present being, as usual, something of a hit. Lest the infotainment part of our general meetings be overlooked, members are asked for suggestions as to speakers - or even to schedule talks themselves. After all, the fall season is upon us. They needn't be long; a half hour max is OK; maybe with a few exhibit samples to liven it. Note : Members of the Mid-Island Coin Club executive are called to a meeting scheduled to be held roughly an hour before the general meeting. Let's say 6:00 p.m. ************************************************************************
British Domestic Coin - For Other Places.
The coin of any colonial power was in frequent use throughout its possessions; that is always true. However, there times when "home coin" can be attributed to the exclusive use of some of these colonies. They fall into two categories: (a) regular metropolitan coin that had all or a major part of given mintages used in a given colony, and (2) coin which saw little use in the home country, usually being of odd denominations, which were intended for exclusive use in a given colony. They are not always easy to pick out, particularly Category (a). For instance, American and Canadian collectors for years have been aware of the fact that British halfpennies and farthings dated 1749 are much more common than their British mintage would indicate. Canadians sometimes surmised that this was because this copper coin accompanied the 2000 colonists and their military escort when Halifax was founded in that year. Perhaps they are at least partly right; there would have been a "Military Chest" sent along and the small copper denominations are most useful for soldiers' pay. But there certainly was another aspect of this same mintage. Having funded (mostly with paper money) the successful capture of Fort Louisbourg in 1745, Massachusetts was incensed at the return to France of this resident danger in the subsequent peace treaty. Things got so hot that the British asked Massachusetts to tot up the bill for reimbursement; it came to £183,649 2s 7 ½ d. In 1749, Britain sent out this amount in cash, mostly in the form of Spanish dollars and half-dollars, - but also including £1699 10s 8d in new halfpennies (815,776 pieces) and £441 14s 0d in new farthings (424,032 pieces).
The British mintage of copper coin in 1749 is reasonably large - roughly 50% more than its immediate mintage years - but it would seem that it is so only because of the documented large shipment to Massachusetts and possible smaller shipment to Halifax . As collectors we can't call them a " Massachusetts " or " Halifax " issue - just that they were a part (perhaps even a large part) of the general issue.
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Somewhat more farfetched is the case of the New Brunswick coppers. In 1841, the province petitioned Britain for £3000 in copper coin - but a special coinage, struck on the lighter Halifax standards. What they received was £3000 sterling in regular British copper halfpennies and pennies, which was quite unacceptable since the coin could only be circulated at " Halifax rates", entailing a loss of 1/9th. We're not sure of the breakdown now, but it seems that it would have been half-and-half value, equal to 360,000 pennies and 720,000 halfpennies - an amount equal to 38% of Britain 's total output of copper coin that year. But the New Brunswickers only circulated about £150 of the coin, shipping the rest back to Britain and using it to pay for the New Brunswick 1d and ½ d "tokens" of 1843. Illegally, we might add. So the 1841s really don't count.
* * * * * Under the second category, we have a number of British coins - some of which were never meant for British use. Ceylon . On 23 March 1825 , an Order-in-Council directed that henceforth, public accounts were to be kept in sterling, even though until that time, Ceylon was using a "rix-dollar" rated at 1s6d sterling, with its subsidiary being the "fanam", rated at 1 ½ d sterling. It was the very smallest denominations in sterling that had to be addressed. Consequently, during the years 1839, 1851, 1852 and 1853 a tiny "Quarter Farthing" was struck at the Royal Mint exclusively for use in Ceylon , even though that country's name does not appear on the coins. As part of this set, "Half Farthings" were also struck in 1828, 1830, 1837 and 1839 exclusively for Ceylon 's use. Beginning in 1842, this denomination was used in both Ceylon and Britain . The denomination ceased to be struck after 1856.
Britain . Quarter-Farthing, 1851 Britain . Half-Farthing, 1844 During the period 1834-62, a tiny "Maundy-like" silver 1½d piece was also coined. Equal in value to the old "fanam", this coin was also used in Ceylon - but not exclusively there. It was a sort of pan-British Empire denomination that found particular favour in the British West Indies as well as Ceylon .
Malta . Another odd denomination was the copper "One-Third Farthing" struck exclusively for Malta beginning in 1827 as the counterpart for the old "Grano". Of the odd copper denominations, this one had the longest life, the final such issue struck in 1913. The coin had its origin in 1825 when Britain decreed the use of imperial coin only throughout its empire. In Malta , the crown was made the equivalent of 3 old silver "scudis" or 720 copper "granis". With the farthing equal to 3 granis, it was thought convenient to have 1/3-farthings struck. The British 3d of 1840, to an amount of £300, was also struck exclusively for Malta .
British Guiana . For many years, British Guiana used a currency standard based on guilders, a holdover from the days of Dutch rule. Even the ubiquitous Spanish silver was computed in its guilder value. After the British proclamation ordering the use of sterling coin in its colonies, the most useful British silver piece proved to be the 4d piece (or "groat"). Since the guilder was rated at 1s4d (or 16d) sterling, the quarter-guilder - commonly termed the "bitt" - worked out to an even 4d. Britain had been striking 4d silver pieces for many years (but highly limited numbers per year) as part of the Maundy sets. The Maundy coin featured a crowned 4 on its reverse and this design continued. Joining it was another 4d silver piece, this time with Britannia seated on the reverse, first appearing under William IV in 1836 and continuing until 1855 under Victoria . This coin was legal tender in Britain but large quantities of it was exported to British Guiana from nearly every mintage. None of these mintages 1836-56 can be identified as " British Guiana " only .
But another can. After some thirty years, the 4d pieces in British Guiana were becoming scarcer and worn, prompting a request for an additional supply. This was granted in 1888 when a special coinage of 120,000 was sent out. This coin was again of a design separate from the Maundy: the older "Veiled Effigy" of Victoria with the Seated Britannia reverse, 1888 below. This is a " British Guiana only" issue. Shortly thereafter, British Guiana was supplied with their own 4d pieces, inscribed "British Guiana and West Indies " since they were used in a relatively large area. British Guiana and West Indies general. Both the 2d and 3d silver Maundy coins were occasionally struck in quantity for use in this area (as well as serving its limited-numbers Maundy role). We have the larger mintages for the 2d piece (which never served as a circulation coin in Britain ) for the following years: 1838 ( 1,045,000); 1843 (903,000); 1848 (261,000). The 3d pieces, circulating as legal tender in Britain as well as the West Indies , had the same design as the Maundy coins struck in the same years until 1927. Until the end of the reign of George V, we have no way to tell them apart. But, with the accession of George VI in 1937, the "thrup'ny bit" became a 12-sided tombac coin in Britain herself while in silver, the 3d continued to be struck for use in the general West Indies, the last of which appeared in 1944 (Note: There was an issue in 1945 but all except one were melted before release). The George VI silver 3d pieces were of a different design from the Maundy pieces, featuring the cross of St. George on a large rose
. Cyprus . This eastern Mediterranean colony was taken by Britain from the Ottoman Empire in 1878 and for this reason, its currency was expressed in "piastres". Copper coins were struck for Cyprus in its own name almost at once at the rate of 180 such copper "piastres" to the gold sovereign but until 1901, British silver was used there. As it happened, a Cypriot 9-piastre silver piece was equivalent to a British shilling, and vice versa. Therefore, some British silver 4d (3 piastres), 6d (4 ½ piastres), shillings (9 piastres), florins (18 piastres) and even crowns (45 piastres) found there way there, none of which can be designated wholly "Cypriot". Except perhaps one. Research by Fred Pridmore indicated that the entire issue of Great Britain sixpence of 1878 carrying the error DRITANNIAR instead of BRITANNIAR (believed to have been 10,188 pieces) were part of a Cyprus shipment. A year later, 6,130 of them were withdrawn and melted but the survivors - usually in no more than Fine condition - can be called a " Cyprus only" issue. In recent decades, many of the former British colonies have become independent but even those that have not, have been granted the right to their own coinage. This has usually been exercised, if for no other reason than to cash in on the collectors' market. Even so, for many years, numbers of the small colonies - such as the Falkland Islands - used British coin exclusively, preference being given to those denominations of most use in the local economy.
Machin's 1965 Effigy.
Model of Machin's Effigy
The Charlton catalogue states (under the listing for the One Cent): "In 1964 the British government decided to introduce a more mature portrait of Queen Elizabeth for domestic and Commonwealth coinages. The new portrait model, by Arnold Machin, features the Queen wearing a tiara instead of a laurel wreath. A copy of the model was forwarded to Canada and was incorporated into the obverses for 1965." The British government certainly put this project under way, even to commissioning the new model. Why, then, did no one save Canada follow suit? Our coinage of 1965 saw the very first continuing use of the Machin effigy. The next worldwide introduction was that of the Bahamas in 1966; in 1967 it appeared on the Gibraltar crown and the new decimal coinage of New Zealand . Britain herself did not use the Machin portrait until the introduction of her new decimal coinage in 1971. It seems strange that a legislated change would have been so slow in adoption. Canada excepted. Fortunately for us, 1965 was a year in which great interest was shown in our coinage. ( Unfortunately , it was also the year of the bursting of the Great Coin Bubble). But only because collectors were paying such close attention to current coin do we have any information of worth concerning our regular coinage. By 1965, the Mint Reports were becoming increasingly of little use for research, a situation that has since deteriorated even further. Of an official nature, we have only the following: (1) From the 1964 Mint Report (Appendix B, p.23): "Now Know Ye that by and with the advice of our Privy Council for Canada We do hereby authorize and prescribe that effective the 2nd day of January, 1965 the design for the obverse impression on coins of all denominations to be made under the provisions of the said Act (i.e., Section 8 of the "Currency, Mint and Exchange Fund Act", chapter 315 of the Revised Statutes of Canada, 1952) shall be the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, recently designed by Mr. Arnold Machin, R.A., and approved by Her Majesty for this purpose, together with the inscription "ELIZABETH II D.G. REGINA". (Dated at Ottawa, 4 August 1964) (and 2) From the 1965 Mint Report: (a) a notation from the Engineering Division that three shifts per day had been necessary for much of the year caused in part by "a change of Obverse die design" and (b) under "General" ... "The plate at the end of the Report depicts the new effigy of Her Majesty which was used on the Obverse of all 1965 coinage." The plate, incidentally, is not the same as that shown above; the illustration in the Mint Report includes the prescribed legend. Both the effigies shown in the Mint Report and that above also includes the beading and it's fairly obvious that this was not the case with the original model - or , if it was, the Mint did not reproduce them on their own master dies but rather added their own. Even though the Mint Report is silent on the subject, it was found necessary to manufacture two obverse master dies for the Cent, two for the 5-Cent and three for the silver dollar, all of which can be identified by the different size and location of the beading. We are fortunate that at the time, collectors were closely examining their current coin so that the resulting varieties did not slip by unnoticed. We are also fortunate in that a few numismatists made it their business to inquire of Mint staff as to why this was so.
Cent.The First Obverse manufactured featured small beads noticeably away from the rim. It may be most easily identified by noting that the A of REGINA points between beads. This obverse actually has a flat field and it was found that die wear was unacceptably large so a new master die was manufactured. This Second Obverse had large beads, nearly touching the rim, and can be most easily identified by the same A pointing at (or at least to the right of center) of a bead. This obverse had a concave field, gently sloping up to the rim, and finished out the year. However, it, too, was found to be less than ideal since the beading-rim tended to blend. In 1966, a third Obverse was manufactured, one with small beading again but with a less pronounced concave field - and it continued on for years.
Lt.: Small Beads. Rt: Large Beads. A of REGINA Pointed 5 Blunt 5 But the two Obverses were also mated with two Reverses in all combinations, so that a total of four varieties exist for the 1965 cent. The two Reverses are dependent on the style of the 5 in the date. The first used a "Pointed 5", very sharp at the top and with a "tail" that is of relatively equal thickness. The second used a "Blunt 5", the top nearly square and the "tail" with a notable flare. The sequence of the cent seems to have been: (1) Small Beads / Pointed 5; (2) Small Beads / Blunt 5; (3) Large Beads / Blunt 5. (4) Very late in the year, the last "Large Beads" Obverse somehow became mated with an early "Pointed 5" Reverse to form a mule of moderate scarcity.
5 Cents.Until 1998/9, it was believed that but a single obverse existed for the 1965 5-Cent piece. In 1999, it became known to the numismatic world via Ken Potter's variety column in Canadian Coin News that a second variety had appeared. At that time, the total population seemed to consist of a mere dozen or so specimens, all of which originated in a single roll of (apparently) proof-like coins owned by Jerry Kennison. Oddly, recent catalogues price the new variety only in "business strike" conditions and not "proof-like" - but perhaps in the meantime new information has turned up of which this writer is unaware. If a roll of proof-like coins seems strange, it is not really so. During the great Silver Melt of 1980, all sorts of Canadian silver coins went to the pot and prominent among them would have been the common-date proof-like sets such as 1965. With silver bullion briefly touching $50 per ounce, the silver coin in such a set would represent as much as $55.50 melt. Consequently, the silver pieces of such common sets were frequently broken out for their bullion, the residue proof-like cents and nickels simply rolled and sold for what they would bring. For this reason, common pre-1967 base-metal proof-like coins can, and do, exist as rolls. The newly discovered variety came to be known as the "Large Beads" Obverse. Not only do the large beads nearly touch the rim, there are more of them - 138 - in comparison to the common "Small Beads", of which only 119 of them are further from the rim and spaced further apart. In addition, the "Large Beads" seems to always possess a "detached jewel" behind the Queen's head - although the Charlton catalogue says that the Large Beads obverse comes with as well as without jewel attachment.
"Small Beads" Obverse (Common) "Large Beads" Obverse (Rare) Since the jewel, attached or not, seems not to be definitive, and the counting of beads a chore, the illustrations above show the differences in some key legend letters in their relationship to the border beads. The I in REGINA is especially noticeable.
10-Cent, 25-Cent and 50-Cent.
So far as we know, each 1965 denomination consists of a single variety. There is one slightly strange dog in the lot, however: a 1965 25-Cent with an "upset" or "coin" reverse ( hi ) . Only a single example is known ("Back-door" Mint job?)
Silver Dollar.The introduction of the Machin portrait silver dollar in 1965 required no fewer than three master dies be created. The first attempt was the Obverse with "Small Beads" which were, nevertheless, relatively close to the rim and located further apart. This Obverse may be most easily identified by the left leg of the N in REGINA pointing directly at a bead and the A directly between beads. Due to the flat fields, there was poor die-life wearing qualities and the obverse was changed after a considerable number of dollars had been struck. As a "test die", a new Obverse was made with slightly concave fields and larger beads, which became known as the "Medium Beads" variety. It is the scarcest of the lot, but not rare all the same. It may be determined by the word REGINA again, the I and both legs of the N pointing to the left side of a bead while the A points directly between beads. It's a characteristic of this Obverse that the tiara jewel behind the Queen's head is always weakly or semi-detached. (On the other two, they're firmly fixed). The test proved successful and yet a third Obverse was made which became the standard. The beads are even slightly larger than on the "Middle Beads" and have become known as the "Large Beads" obverse. On this Obverse, the I and left leg of N point to the right side of a bead while the A points to the left side of a bead.
Small Beads Medium Beads Large Beads
Pointed 5 Blunt 5 Along with the three Obverses, there are two Reverses which are characterized by the type of 5 in the date: (1) the "Blunt 5" whereby the bottom point of the figure is rounded and extends to a line described by the left upright of the figure and (2) the "Pointed 5" whose bottom point ends sharply and which does not extend to the same line. These three Obverses and two types of 5 combine to form a total of five varieties, which are listed in the order that they were discovered by collectors in 1965. They are: (1) Small beads / Pointed 5; (2) Small Beads / Blunt 5 (four specimens are known with upset reverses of this variety); (3) Large Beads / Blunt 5; (4) Large Beads / Pointed 5; and (5) Medium Beads / Pointed 5. [The order in which they were produced at the Mint, rather than order of release, was (1)-(2)-(5)-(3)-(4).] Somehow, an early Small Beads Obverse became muled with a 1966 reverse. It is a very rare coin. The general assumption is that they were originally produced only for inclusion in proof-like sets (much like the 1954 "No Shoulderfold" Cents) since at least one is known in Proof-like. Then, again, they may have been yet another "unofficial" back-door job at the Mint. Once in place, the Machin effigy of the Queen remained on Canadian coins until superceded by the "Royal Diademed Portrait" of Dora de P é dery-Hunt in 1990.
The Coinage of Pontius Pilate.
Had it not been for the part he played in the Crucifixion of Jesus and its extensive coverage in the Bible, we might have never heard of Pontius Pilate (or cared). At the time, " Palestine " - comprised of presentday Isreal as well as parts of Lebanon , Syria and western Jordan - was a Roman colony. Confusingly, the Romans tended to call the whole place "Judea", even though Judea was actually only the southern third. Back in B.C.37, one Herod managed to make himself "King of the Jews" under Roman rule and with their backing. The Bible doesn't paint a very pretty picture of him but, for the time and place, his rule was good enough to earn him the title "Herod the Great". Upon his death in 4 B.C., all three of his sons (all Herod something-or-others), rushed to Rome to secure their father's title for the whole of Palestine but the Romans decided to partition it into three, "Judea" in the south, containing Jerusalem and Bethlehem, being given into the care of Herod Archelaus. But he proved so inept at the job that he was replaced in 6 A.D. by a system of Roman procurators (called "governors" in the Bible), of which Pilate was the fifth in succession, ruling A.D. 26 - 36. The position of procurator of Judea was not all that prestigious. It was held by the lowest level of aristocracy: equistrian class (of which Pilate was a member), or even freedmen. Pilate's job was to oversee the emperor's fiscus , or civil affairs, of the colony. He collected the imperial taxes, paid the local army and kept the peace. Probably hoping for a better appointment, Pilate did his best to ensure an efficient, quiet rule. Most of his time was spent in the palace at Caesarea where the sea breezes were much preferable to the heat and dust of Jerusalem . But at Passover, practically every Jew journeyed to Jerusalem to take part in the high religious festivities at the Temple and to pay the ecclesiastical tax (never light: a minumum of 10% - and payable by law). Because of the crowds and possibility of insurrection, Pilate beefed up the local garrison with more troops and oversaw the events in person. It was during such a time that the Crucifixion took place. For the most part, the Romans firmly kept the issue of gold and silver in their own hands, nearly all of which was minted in Rome. At Jerusalem , an odd situation pertained: the temple dues were payable only in the silver shekels - and their fractions - of Tyre . This was at the insistence of the Temple who realized an extra profit out of their moneychanging from Roman / local into this coin. Oddly, the Tyrian shekels displayed the head of the city god, Melkarth, which should have made it anathema to the Jewish priesthood who forbade graven images. The coinage was made an exception by the Romans simply because Tyre had surrendered to them so easily decades before - and because it was a sort of universal currency in the eastern Mediterranean area. Copper coin was something else. Although sestertii, dupondii and the like - all struck in Rome by authority of the Senate - had currency throughout the empire, local copper issues might also be issued, particularly if local and imperial currency did not easily exchange. Such was the case in Judea , which saw the issuance of small copper "leptons", called the "widow's mites" in the Bible. Generally speaking, these little coppers filled the need for coin which did not show a graven image. None of them show portraiture, just very simple designs. Coined in Caesarea , Pilate issued a total of two types in four different dates of these coins. Those shown below are enlarged approximately 3x; the originals are 13-15mm.
Copper lepton. Pontius Pilate. Obv: Simpulum within border of dots. Date:
Copper lepton. Pontius Pilate. Obv: Auger's wand within border of dots. Rev: Wreath enclosing date (which may be
It will be noted that on none of these is Pilate's name mentioned, nor any portrait shown. The Year is dated from the accession of the current emperor, Tiberius, who ruled A.D. 14 - 37. Year 1 would be that of his ascension to the throne, A.D. 14/15.
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Sept 2010"British Domestic Coin - For Other Places" "The Coinage of Pontius Pilate"
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(= Year 16 or A.D. 29/30. Rev: Three ears of corn bound together within border of dots. 
[Year 16 or A.D. 29/30]; LIZ [Year 17]; or LIH [Year 18].