When I received the images I sent an email to Phil, asking if they really showed how the coin looked. I thought at first that one of the images had somehow or other been reversed. However, Phil assured me that this is how the coin really looks.

On one side it has the typical appearance of the obverse of an Edward I-II farthing. The other side should have a long cross with three pellets in each angle and a legend reading CIVI TAS LON DON. Instead of having the usual reverse it has another obverse! On the extra obverse the legend appears at first sight to be jumbled up. However, the letters are in the correct order but face in the wrong direction!

Brockage

Weird but perfectly genuine coins occasionally turn up. For example, some year’s back I saw illustrations of a penny of Edward III, which had been struck by two obverse dies. More recently an obverse brockage of a farthing of Edward I-II was sold at auction. A brockage occurs when a coin was struck but was still stuck to the upper die. When the next coin was struck one side would have a concave image of the coin still stuck to the upper die.

Faulty die

Phil’s find isn’t a brockage and neither is it a case of a coin being struck from two obverse dies, as only one is standard and the other has the legend reading in reverse. When a die was being made the lettering would read anti-clockwise and when impressed on a silver disc the lettering would read in the correct manner. The faulty die used to strike one side of Phil’s find had the lettering punched in clockwise; the end result of this was a coin with the legend reading backwards. A die with such a glaring fault should have been destroyed. Perhaps it was scrapped but if so it raises an obvious question: why was it used to strike a coin with a correctly produced obverse die?

Genuine?

Is this oddity genuine? Well, all I can say is that despite the fact that one die has a glaring error it does look genuine. If accepted as such it would certainly be of great interest to specialist collectors.

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This was described to me as a key ring, on which is a ‘Victorian automatic pencil’, an 1843 silver threehalfpence and (best of all) a penny of King Stephen.

The latter is roughly half flat and half Fine. It’s an example of the Watford type and looks to be perfectly genuine. The moneyer’s name, WILLEM, stands out clearly but the mint signature is off the flan. It could have been struck at one of several mints where a moneyer named Willem was an official.

It’s always worth looking in antique shops as you never know what might be on offer. Few people have a good all-round knowledge of coins and this could mean that bargains might be available. This penny of Stephen would have been worth far more had it not been pierced but even with the hole it should still be worth £80-120 to a collector.

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At first sight the coin appears to be a gold half angel. It is of a type that was struck during the first coinage of Henry VIII. If it was genuine then it would be worth at least £2,000 to a collector who could afford such an expensive coin. Sadly, it is a fake.

I’m not sure of the manufacturer but examples are offered for sale in a number of places on the internet. One firm priced then at £5.39 each and another offered them at £4.50.

Similar ‘coins’ are offered for sale by Historic Royal Palaces at £4 with an informative booklet. Presumably, they will be sold at a number of different locations.

The excuse given for the manufacture of many fake coins is that they allow people to buy copies of things that would cost a great deal were they genuine. This is all well and good if they are marked as copies and/or kept in their original packaging. When they are unmarked (very often) or separated from their packaging and fall into other hands they are sometimes thought to be genuine. I call them all fakes and if was up to me I’d ban their manufacture.

The post Fake coins appeared first on Detecting Finds.

Irish halfpenny of George I

The first coin is a type II Irish halfpenny of George I. It is dated 1723 on the reverse but has a queer looking 2 in the date. The coin is in VF condition with attractive surfaces and no flaws show up. In its present condition I would price it at £80 to £100.

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George II halfpenny

Coin number two is a George II halfpenny dated 1753 with the old head of the king on the obverse. The 3 in the date looks somewhat like an inverted 2. This coin would grade good VF to about EF for a copper coin of this period. To a keen collector it would be worth around £150.

If there are any junk shops in your area then do look out for low priced coins. For you might be lucky enough to snap up some real bargains.

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Stephen had his find cleaned and conserved by someone very skilled in this type of work.

The second set of images show how the coin looks now. I cannot remember seeing such an improvement in appearance and whoever managed to achieve this should be heartily congratulated.

Commonwelath

Shortly after Charles I was executed Parliament decreed that the country was now a Commonwealth and Republic. The mint in the Tower of London soon started to strike new coins; the larger ones were nicknamed ‘breeches money’ as the two shields on the reverse looked like a pair of breeches.

In 1653 Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector and when he died in 1658 his son, Richard, gained the same post. However, Richard was not as strong as his father and eventually resigned his position and retired to Europe. After the Restoration in 1660 coins of the Commonwealth are said to have been demonetised but the amount of wear on many extant specimens seems to prove that they continued to circulate long after 1660.

Valuation

There is slight weakness roughly in the centre on both sides and the edge is a bit irregular but the coin is otherwise good VF for the period, with good eye appeal. To a keen collector this 1652 Commonwealth shilling should be worth £500 to £600.

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Would the coins have been purposely hidden in the beam? They would definitely have been placed there, for it would have been impossible to lose them in the same crack. I doubt very much that they were hidden with the intent of retrieving them at a later date. After all, there would be far easier hiding places lower down in the house. So why were they there? Perhaps they were placed there for luck. I’ve heard of cases where strange things – shoes, for instance – have been found in the walls of old houses. These things could have been hidden in order to bring health and/or wealth to whoever lived there, so the two coins might have been hidden for the same reason.

Crown piece of Victoria

The first coin is a silver crown piece of Victoria.

It is dated 1844 on the obverse and had not seen much circulation when it was deposited into the beam. There are two small nicks on the lower obverse and a number of other slight surface nicks but the coin is otherwise in good VF condition.

It’s not a rare coin but its grade of preservation is higher than lots of other examples I have seen. A number of varieties are on record for 1844 crown pieces, some quite common whilst others are rare. In its present condition this specimen (depending on the variety) should be worth at least £250.

Penny of Victoria

The second coin is a copper penny of Victoria, which is dated 1856 on the obverse.

It is the type on which Britannia holds a plain trident and the space between DEF and the colon that follows on is not large.

Halfpence and farthings dated 1856 are fairly common but pennies are very rare. This specimen has a few nicks on both sides but is otherwise in about EF condition. The nicks will reduce its commercial value but to a keen collector this copper penny shouldn’t be worth any less than £450.

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The new king, who had rebelled against his father, knelt only briefly beside Henry’s body before turning to the duties of his realm.

Richard had many faults but his leadership qualities in battle were second to none. In both England and elsewhere he was known by his contemporaries as Coeur de Lion, which is a far more impressive title than many other European kings have had pinned on them. All the Norman kings and Henry II had spent much of their time across the Channel, defending or simply governing over their lands. The people of England might have hoped that Richard I would concentrate more on their country. However, if this was the case then the passing of time would dash their hopes.

The changing face of England

Castles

Immediately after the Norman Conquest castles were erected by the new rulers. Most were fairly simple wooden structures on raised mounds of earth but by the time that Richard I came to the throne stone had replaced wood. Castles were dotted about the country and more would be built in the succeeding years.

Churches and Abbeys

The Normans were great builders but not all their projects were for military purposes. Religion was taken very seriously and the great landowners believed they had a better chance of a contented afterlife if they financed the erection of churches and abbeys. Some of the great abbeys still stand today, albeit mostly in ruins. Then there were the cathedrals, towering up in majesty towards the sky. These buildings still impress us today but in the 12th century those who cast their eyes on them must have been awestruck.

New towns

Between 1066 and 1230 no less than 125 towns were founded in England, including Arundel, Boston, Chelmsford, Kingston-upon-Hull, Lynn, Morpeth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Portsmouth, Reigate, Uxbridge and Watford. The driving force behind this came mostly from wealthy landowners, bishops, abbots and lay nobles. People were encouraged into new towns by the privileges and liberties offered by the founders. For example, burgesses (small landowners) held their property by ‘burgage tenure’, a fully-free title that was very close to absolute ownership.

Over time the towns eventually became free from the control of royal or feudal agents. One historian described them as non-feudal islands in the feudal sea. Some were granted the right to hold fairs and the larger ones at Boston, Winchester, Lynn and Stamford lasted for weeks. Ranulf Granville, the great lawyer-minister of Henry II, wrote that if a serf dwelt unclaimed for a year and a day in any chartered town, and was received into the community or a guild within that town as a citizen, then he would become a free man. The medieval saying “Town air makes you free” stems from this ruling.

Flourishing ecconomy

The wool trade was flourishing and expanding, with a great amount being exported to Europe. Cloth was also exported, as was tin and lead. All in all, by the 1190s the look of England had changed, the economy had expanded and the country had gained the respect of most European countries. However, the ruling class still spoke French, the clergy conversed in Latin, and English was still looked upon as the language of the lower orders.

Coinage of Richard I

The voided short cross coinage, introduced by Henry II, continued through the reign of Richard I. Not only did the design of English coins remain the same but so did the name of the king. On the obverse, instead of RICARDVS, the legend starts with HENRICVS. One theory is that in 1189 English currency had a high reputation in Europe; it was known to be of the sterling standard (.925 parts silver out of each 1000), whilst the currency of some other countries wasn’t.

Therefore, officials of the Exchequer decided to still have coins issued bearing the name of the king who had died in 1189. An example is this find of Tom Burton, sent into the website in 2021.

The main mints were London and Canterbury but to facilitate the swift circulation of currency several provincial mints also stuck coins. By far the rarest mint is Lichfield, where a single moneyer struck pennies during the reign of Richard I.

The only coins bearing the name of Richard I are Anglo-Gallic deniers and oboles struck for Aquitaine, Poitou (Pictaviensis) and Issoudun in France.

Some were struck when Richard was Duke of Aquitaine, others after he became King of England.

The Third Crusade

Saladin

The First Crusade had established a Christian kingdom at Jerusalem, which was defended by the military orders of the Knights Templar and Hospitalers. The fact that it had continued to exist was mainly due to disunity amongst the surrounding Moslem lands. However, a great Moslem leader rose up, in the shape of Saladin. His conquests led to anxiety amongst the Christian community in Jerusalem. The King of Jerusalem, Guy of Lusignan, offered the crown to Philip of France and then to Henry II of England but measures were not taken in time.

Saladin proclaimed a Holy War in 1186, promising his followers adventure and booty. The army sent against him was cut to pieces and those of its leaders still alive were taken prisoner. In October of 1187 Jerusalem surrendered and this left only Tyre, Antioch and Tripoli in Christian hands. Shockwaves spread throughout Europe.

Pope calls for a Crusade

The Pope sent legates to all the main European Courts, seeking support for a war against infidels. Amongst many others who answered the call, the kings of France and England agreed to mount a joint Crusade. The largest army ever brought together headed by various routes from Europe to the Holy Land.

Financing the Crusade

Even though the people of England had hoped that Richard would concentrate on their affairs, most understood the Crusade was a sacred enterprise, which might bring the blessing of God upon them. There were men wiling and able to join the Crusade. However, a great deal of cash was needed to finance it. Taxation demands were heavy and Richard sold and resold every office of State. ‘Scutage’, a money payment in lieu of military service under the feudal system, and ‘carucage’, a tax on every hundred acres of land, provided yet more cash for Richard’s war chest. The government of England was entrusted to William Lonchamp, Bishop of Ely, and Hugh de Puiset, Bishop of Durham, both under the supervision of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard departed late in 1189.

Richard marries

The English and French armies wintered in Sicily. Philip of France wanted Richard to marry his sister, Alice, who might have been the mistress of Henry II. Eleanor of Aquitaine then arrived in Sicily with an alternative bride, Berengaria of Navarre. Furious at this turn of events, Philip and his army sailed direct to Acre. Richard, together with Berengaria, left Sicily in April 1191. He paused in Cyprus, fell out with its ruler, conquered the island and married Berengaria before moving on to the Holy Land.

Holy Land

On 9 June he and his followers arrived at Acre.

Richard led from the front and five weeks after his arrival the two-year siege of Acre ended. Negotiations with Saladin had failed and two thousand Muslim hostages that had been held as guarantee of peace were slaughtered. Richard’s prowess was the talk of all nations.

Guy of Lusignan was in dispute with Conrad of Montferrat for the crown of Jerusalem. Richard backed one and Philip of France the other. After a compromise was reached Philip headed home and so did Duke Leopold of Austria, both of whom were at odds with Richard.

The Crusaders scored a significant victory at Arsuf under the leadership of Richard but the Moslems still held Jerusalem.

A three year truce was eventually negotiated, through which small parties of Crusaders could visit the Holy Sepulchre. The quarrel between Conrad and Guy was settled when the former was murdered by members of a Moslem sect and the latter purchased Cyprus from Richard.

Back to England

Late in 1192, after receiving disturbing news from England, Richard set out for home. After his ship was wrecked in the Adriatic, he decided to head home through Germany in disguise. However, he fell into the hands of the Duke of Austria, with whom he had fallen out whilst on the Crusade. Richard was then given over to the Holy Roman Emperor, who demanded an enormous ransom for his release.

Administration of the realm

William Longchamp

William Longchamp, already Bishop of Ely and a Papal Legate, swiftly side-lined Hugh de Puiset and became Justiciar (chief officer or deputy of the Crown) and Chancellor of England. He moved about the country in great splendour and was at first envied but soon hated by all the great barons.

Prince John tries to seize the throne

Longchamp saw that the chief danger to Richard came from his over-mighty brother, Prince John, who held a vast amount of land, together with the honours of Lancaster, Wallingford, Eye (for this refer to the Norman kings) and Peverel. In these areas he was a law unto himself and gave no account of his revenue to the Royal Exchequer.

In 1191 there was a crisis. A revolt of John’s supporters in the Midlands led to Longchamp marching against them. Around the same time Richard had sent home Walter de Coutances (a Cornishman!), who was Archbishop of Rouen, to watch over his interests. The archbishop fell out with Longchamp, who then fled from the country and Walter de Coutances took over.

With Richard out of the country Philip of France saw an opportunity to drive the English out of France. John was a willing partner in this and agreed to raise a revolt in England whilst Philip mounted an attack on Normandy.

At a moment of extreme danger, early in 1193 news reached England that Richard I was being held prisoner in Europe. John took up arms, announced Richard was dead and claimed the crown. Support for Richard came from many quarters, including the Church, Walter de Coutances and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Preparations to guard against a French invasion were set in motion and John’s forces melted away. When an announcement was made that Richard was alive his brother swiftly departed for France.

The ransom

The ransom demanded for the release of Richard was £100,000, a figure equal to twice the annual revenue of the English Crown. Philip and John offered the same sum for Richard to be delivered into their hands. Fortunately, the emperor believed he was honour bound to reject their offer. The size of the ransom was staggering. The Church donated money and treasure and laymen had to give a quarter of their ‘movables’.

Richard released

John took care to collect every penny that was due from all his holdings and promptly pocketed all the takings. There were three attempts to collect the ransom but the sum scraped together was still short of the £100,000 demanded. However, the Holy Roman Emperor, believing that he had extracted as much as he was likely to get, decided to release his famous captive. Richard took more care on his journey back to England. He avoided France and arrived back in London on 16 March 1194, where the impoverished citizens rejoiced at seeing him.

Hubert Walter

The See of Canterbury was vacant from December of 1191 but in May of 1193 Hubert Walter was appointed as Archbishop.

He was not a particularly religious man but through his administrative skills he became an influential royal advisor. He had served Henry II in his financial affairs, in diplomacy and in judicial innovations. Walter had accompanied Richard I on the Third Crusade and put in a great effort to raise the money demanded for his ransom.

Besides being Archbishop of Canterbury, he replaced Walter de Coutances and became Lord Chancellor and Chief Justiciar until 1198. With Hubert Walter in charge Richard could feel confident that the government of England rested in safe hands.

However, in July of 1198 he resigned his secular posts and Geoffrey Fitz Peter took them over. The resignation might have been demanded by the king because he was dissatisfied with Walter’s efforts at raising taxes, or might simply have been because the archbishop wanted to concentrate more on his spiritual duties.

More conflict

Early in 1194 John was again in open rebellion, having seized castles and raised forces with aid from France. The forces already sent to suppress the revolt were joined by Richard, which led to John fleeing yet again to France. In London Richard was crowned for a second time, in a ceremony even more elaborate than the first time.

Richard’s first priority was to defend his possessions in France, with which England was now at war. More taxation was needed to raise the money for arms and men. When everything was in place Richard left Hubert Walter as his deputy in England then crossed over to France and never set foot in England again.

Every year a truce would be negotiated and every year it would be broken. Until 1197 the war was made up of parlaying and skirmishing but in that year a pitched battle led to a rout of the French army. By 1199 most of Richard’s possessions in France were secure but the financial cost was great.

Borders had been strengthened and new castles had been built, including Chateau Gaillard, which Richard claimed to be the strongest fortress in the world. King Philip said that if its walls were made of iron he could take it; to this Richard is supposed to have said: “It they were of butter I would hold it.”

The war had created a need for endless taxation and the success in France had been extremely costly to England.

Land, class and careers

Land ownership

After 1066 the Anglo-Saxon landowners were gradually dispossessed of their property. By the time that Domesday was compiled in 1086 the king and his family held about 17% of the land in England; archbishops, bishops and abbots about 26%; and the tenants-in-chief and other landowners 54%. Some of these holding were huge, with a dozen leading barons controlling about 25% of England. Most of the landowners were Normans, with a tiny minority of Anglo-Saxons and Danes.

Class system

For some time the baronial class could be defined as a ‘closed shop’, for marriage was restricted to those of the same status. There was the ruling class and ‘the rest’. This is not to say there were no ‘in betweens’, for there were some – such as merchants, lesser knights and those who administered the estates of the landowners.

Additionally there was what could be described as ‘the gentry’ (free men with some wealth), who were compelled to defend the king’s judicial and financial rights in the shires, which is a sign that a middle class had developed and was being put to use.

Law of primogeniture

The law of primogeniture stipulated that when a landowner died then the whole of his estate would be inherited by his eldest son. In this way estates remained intact, rather than being shared out amongst sons and daughters. The downside for second, third and other sons was that they inherited nothing on the death of their father. The upside (for England) was that these second, third and other sons, who had often received a good education, had to look for ways in which to make their fortune. But what was available to these men?

Opportunities for sons of the wealthy

Two main avenues were open to them: the Church and military service. Many younger sons chose the Church, even if they were more worldly than holy, for if they rose up the ranks they could gain power and wealth. For those who chose military service there were wars to fight and tournaments, each of which could lead to fame and fortune. By the 1190s legislative and common law had become more and more complicated and this needed educated men who could understand and interpret the rights and wrongs. So, slowly at first but faster thereafter, another avenue of employment opened up for younger sons – that of the lawyer.

William Marshal

William Marshal (born 1147) was the younger son of a minor nobleman, who held the hereditary title of Marshal to the King – an Office of State to which was attached various duties. When he was aged about 12 he was sent to Normandy, where he began his training as a knight in the household of William de Tancarville. His first experience of battle came during 1167 in a campaign in Upper Normandy, which had been invaded by Flanders. He must have fought well, for he was knighted.

Tournaments

In the same year he attended his first tournament, with which he was very impressed at the opportunities to make money. Henry II had banned tournaments in England but they were held regularly on the Continent and re-introduced into England by Richard I. Besides single combat they could involve melees, where groups of knights fought each other. Severe injury and even death were not unusual but William was extremely skilful and soon started to make a good living from prize money, together with capturing and ransoming opponents, their horses and their equipment. It was not long before his fame spread over the whole of Europe.

Welcomed into the Court of Henry II

In 1185 William returned to England and was welcomed into the Court of Henry II. The king gave him a large estate in Cumbria and the guardianship of Heloise, the heiress of the barony of Lancashire. When in 1188 Philip of France tried to seize Berry, William answered the call to arms of Henry.

Spares Richard’s life

The resulting campaign was a disaster for the English. Henry’s son, Richard, fought on the side of the French. William was in the rearguard, covering the English retreat from Le Mans, when he came face-to-face with Richard and had him at his mercy. However, instead of taking Richard’s life William killed his horse instead – saying “I will not slay you. The Devil may slay you.” To have had Richard Coeur de Lion at his mercy proves that William must have been a formidable warrior.

Marries Isabel de Clare

Shortly before he died Henry II had promised the hand and estates of Isabel de Clare to William. Besides the Earldom of Pembroke, this would give him large estates in England, Wales, Normandy and Ireland. However, the arrangements were not complete at the time when Henry died. Would Richard I bear a grudge for what happened during the retreat from Le Mans? Richard must have realised that a man of William’s stature would be a useful ally, so at the age of 43 he was allowed to marry the 17-year-old Isabel. Over time this union would lead to the birth of five sons and five daughters. From fairly humble beginnings, William was now one of the richest and most powerful men in England.

Treasure!

In 1199, when financing the war in France through taxation on England was becoming extremely difficult, Richard received what seemed like good news. He was told that near the castle of Chaluz, on the land of one of his vassals, a cache of treasure had been unearthed. It was made up of a group of golden images of an emperor, his wife, sons and daughters, all seated around a table, which was also made of gold. As he was the lord paramount, Richard demanded that the treasure be handed over to him. When the lord of Chaluz refused his demand Richard laid siege to the lord’s castle.

Fatal blow

On the third day of the siege, as he rode quite close to the wall of the castle, a crossbow bolt struck Richard in his left shoulder by his neck. Had he taken more care and donned his coat of mail before riding near the castle wall then the arrow might have glanced off him. The deep wound was made worse through the need to cut out the metal head of the bolt.

Gangrene set in and Richard knew that he had not long to live. He made various bequests, to his friends and to charity, and sent for his mother. Richard declared John to be his heir and made all those present to swear fealty to him. He pardoned the archer who had fired the fatal bolt and gave him a gift of money. On 6 April 1199, aged 42, after confessing and receiving the offices of the Church, Richard I, Coeur de Lion, died.

Despite being pardoned by Richard, the crossbow man was flayed (skinned) alive.

Richard I

There can be no doubt that when Richard I died the population of England would have had mixed feelings about him. All would agree that he was fearless, either in single combat or as a leader of men in pitched battle.

Some would have been proud that their king was one of the most outstanding commanders during the Third Crusade and had come close to retaking Jerusalem. Additionally, the ruling elite and most English folk must have smiled at the thought that Richard was feared by the French and other countries in Europe.

Cost of crusade

The fond memories of Richard might have been tainted by the cost of his escapades. For a Christian country a Crusade could be looked upon as something that would bring benefit in their afterlife to those who took part in it. But what of the cost involved? Bringing together and transporting an army to the Holy Land meant that a huge sum had to be raised. This fell mostly on the major landowners but they in turn taxed their tenants, so the overall cost fell on the whole population.

Added to this was the enormous sum raised for the ransom demanded by the Holy Roman Emperor for the release of Richard when he was imprisoned. Once again, the cost fell on the whole population, as the ransom money was raised in a similar way to the funds for the Crusade. More cash was extracted from England to pay for the men and equipment needed to defend Richard’s possessions in France.

Absent ruler

During the whole of his reign Richard was in England for only a few months. The rest of his time was taken up with the Crusade, a spell in captivity and fighting to secure his lands in France. He did take care to leave England in safe hands, with various loyal, capable and trusted men running the country under the overall supervision of Eleanor of Aquitaine.

England survived but it would have prospered had not Richard kept draining it of cash. Therefore, it could be argued that it survived despite him and would have been a much richer country by 1199 had Richard not been such a dashing man of his time.

The post Richard I – His life and coinage appeared first on Detecting Finds.

He was fortunate enough to receive a good education, which set him in good stead for the complex situations he would meet with as the eventual ruler of England and other territories.

Becoming king

Agreement with King Stephen

Henry’s first visit to England was as a child in 1142; later in the 1140s two attempts to gain the throne failed. Another invasion mounted in 1153 could have led to much bloodshed had not a settlement been reached, whereby Stephen would remain as king until his death and then Henry would take the throne.

Marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine

In May of 1152 Henry married Eleanor of Aquitaine, only two months after her marriage to Louis VII of France had been annulled. The couple would eventually have five sons and three daughters: William (died very young), Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Matilda, Eleanor and Joan.

Crowned King of England

On 25 October 1154 Stephen died and on 19 December Henry Plantagenet was crowned as King Henry II of England. In 1150 Henry had become Duke of Normandy. On the death of his father in 1151 he became Count of Anjou and through his marriage to Eleanor in 1152 he gained Aquitaine. This made him the greatest ruler in Western Europe and his charters were issued under the titles of King of the English, Duke of the Normans and Aquitanians, and Count of the Angevins. Through war, luck and marriage he had come to rule over not only England but a huge slice of France.

Early years as king

Resolving problems from the past

Henry’s first task after he ascended the throne was sort out problems left by the reign of Stephen. Many castles that had been built without license were pulled down and royal authority re-established throughout most of the land. These two aims had been achieved by 1158, together with the overlordship of Scotland. In 1157 Northumberland and Cumberland were surrendered by Malcolm IV of Scotland to England and relations between the two countries remained stable for some time afterwards.

Unruly barons

An example of his early problems with unruly barons is Hugh Bigod, who was allowed to inherit the numerous East Anglian estates of his elder brother when he was drowned in 1120, along with Prince William (heir to the throne) and many other nobles. He also gained the lands of his aunt, Albreda, which were situated in Yorkshire and in Normandy.

On the death of Henry I, Hugh initially supported Stephen but proved to be untrustworthy. At one stage he seized the castle at Norwich but was forced to surrender when Stephen laid siege to the city. At the First Battle of Lincoln in 1141 Hugh fought on Stephen’s side but then took him prisoner. This led to Hugh being granted the earldom of Norfolk by the Empress Matilda. He also supported the notorious Geoffrey de Mandeville during his rebellion against Stephen in 1143-44. Henry II spent the first years of his reign restoring order to his kingdom but Hugh remained troublesome. However, he submitted when Henry marched into the eastern counties in 1157.

Wales

When it was believed that England had been subdued some of the Marcher lords who had been granted land on the frontier zones between England and Wales started to expand their territories. Henry himself attacked Wales in 1157, 1158 and 1163, in an attempt to bring the Welsh leaders to heal. However, bad weather and the ‘hit and run’ tactics of the native combatants prevented him from scoring a significant victory.

In a fit of pique Henry II ordered that the noses and ears of the daughters of Welsh princes, at the time being held as hostages, be cut off; this was followed by the blinding and castration of the girls’ brothers. Later, in 1175, Seisyll ap Dyfnwal of Gwent, together with his wife and small son, were among the Welsh victims of a massacre at Abergavenny. Henry then decided to simply let the Marcher lords do much as they pleased in Wales. The push into Wales by these lords would continue and eventually lead to many castles being built.

One commentator wrote: “They [the Normans] vigorously subdued the natives [of Wales], imposed law upon them in the interests of peace and made the land so productive that it could easily have been mistaken for a second England. There can be little doubt that the Welsh would not share this rosy view of their land being invaded.“

Ireland

Soon after Henry II came to the throne he discussed plans for an invasion of Ireland. However, Henry had more pressing problems to solve, so for the time being the plans were shelved.

In 1169 Richard de Clare (full name Richard fitz Gilbert de Clare), who was the second Earl of Pembroke and later known as Strongbow, answered an appeal for help from the King of Leinster. This was the first time that English soldiers entered Ireland in force. Richard would eventually marry the daughter of an Irish king.

Two years later 400 ships transported Henry II and a large army over to Ireland. Henry claimed he had come to stop the Irish killing each other and most of the local kings submitted to him. After keeping the most important ports for himself (Dublin, Wexford and Waterford) he granted estates to his main followers. In the north John de Courcy took a large part of Ulster in 1177 and set himself up as an independent ruler. In the same year Henry made his youngest son, John, King of Ireland, hoping that Pope Alexander III would agree to him being crowned. Consent never arrived but John took up the title of Lord of Ireland and visited the country in 1185.

Nobles in England became the owners of great estates in Ireland, despite the fact that some of them never went there. Some English settlers, together with a few Welsh and Flemish, crossed the Irish Sea to farm, trade or manufacture goods of one kind or another. William of Newburgh, writing in the 1190s, said of the changing face of Ireland: “This marked the end of freedom for the Irish, a people who had been free since time immemorial. They had not been conquered by the Romans, but now they fell into the power of the King of England.”

European affairs

Henry’s Continental possessions would always take up more of his time and during a reign of 34 years; he spent 21 of them across the Channel.

Flanders

Soon after the start of his reign, Henry had expelled from the country all the Flemish mercenaries then in England, for he had heard that some of them were planning to kill him. The Count of Flanders (Thierry of Alsace) had favoured the French king (Louis VII) but he then leaned towards Henry, as the wool trade between England and Flanders (passing through the port at Boulogne) was very profitable to both parties. Relations between these two trading partners became so friendly that when in 1157 Thierry went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem he appointed Henry as the guardian of his eldest son, Philip.

Boulogne and a forced marriage

In 1159 William of Blois, the second son of King Stephen, fell ill and died outside the gates of Toulouse, presumably when he was part of Henry II’s army. This left vacant the lordships of Mortain and Boulogne; the latter included manors in Colchester and London. Henry added Count of Mortain to his long list of titles but wanted to grant Boulogne to Thierry’s son, Matthew. However, William’s sister, Mary, inherited the county and became Countess of Boulogne. Around the year 1150 Mary became a nun and by 1155 she was Abbess of Romney Abbey in Hampshire.

This could have scuppered Henry’s plans in regard to Boulogne but he soon managed to find a way to settle matters to his satisfaction. On Henry’s order Matthew abducted Mary from Romney Abbey and forced her to marry him. This raised up Matthew to be co-ruler of the County of Boulogne and thereafter he was favourable towards England. The marriage between Matthew and Mary was annulled in 1170 and she then became a nun at Montreuil, dying there in July of 1182.   

Toulouse

In 1163 a treaty originally set up during the reign of Henry I was renewed between Henry II and Thierry of Alsace, through which Flanders would provide Henry with knights in exchange for an annual payment.

Henry’s first major campaign on the Continent was against Toulouse, which he claimed should be his by right through his wife’s inheritance. The county was the largest in the kingdom of France and the city of Toulouse was very rich and heavily fortified. Other significant cities included Narbonne, Cahors, Nimes and Carcassonne.

In June of 1159 Henry assembled a large army (one account says the army was led by his Chancellor, Thomas Becket), with contingents from his territories in France, plus English soldiers and added forces from Flanders and Scotland. There can be no doubt that these fighting men hoped to be able to share out the wealth of Toulouse between them. Henry attacked from the north, whilst some of his other supporters opened fronts in different areas.

Cahors was captured together with a number of other castles and the fighting dragged on after Henry left to sort out problems elsewhere in his empire. He was in Toulouse again in 1161 but then left it to his allies to continue the struggle for the county. In 1173 the Count of Toulouse, Raymond V, finally gave up and paid homage to Henry II of England.

Brittany

In 1156 the Duchess of Brittany, Bertha, died. Bertha was the widow of Alan de Bretagne, with whom she had a son, Conan. On the death of his father in 1148 Conan had inherited the title of Earl of Richmond. When his mother died Conan became Duke of Brittany. In 1160 he married Henry’s cousin, Margaret of Scotland. There was a tradition of weak rule in Brittany and discontent amongst the nobles led to a revolt in 1166. This was put down by Henry, who then betrothed his son Geoffrey to the daughter of Conan, who was forced to abdicate in favour of his future son-in-law. This left Henry in control of Brittany, a situation to which many Breton nobles were opposed. This led to invasions of Brittany, which were followed by confiscations of estates of holders, who were replaced by supporters of Henry.

By 1173 Brittany, though not officially part of Henry’s empire, was under the control of men loyal to him. The way that Henry manipulated the affairs of Boulogne, Toulouse and Brittany highlights the method in which he gained influence over territory he did not have direct rule over.

Thomas Becket

Becket’s early life

Thomas Becket was born in 1119 or 1120 in Cheapside, London. Both of his parents were of Norman descent and his father owned property in London. He was influenced by Richer de L’Aigle and visited his estates in Sussex. Becket was fortunate enough to receive a good education but was forced to take up a position as a clerk when his father’s business interests suffered a setback. Later on he gained a position in the household of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury. He represented Theobald on missions to Rome and was then sent to study canon law at Bologna and Auxerre. In 1154 Theobald raised Becket up to Archdeacon of Canterbury and gave him several other ecclesiastical offices.

Beckett and Henry become close friends

He proved to be so efficient that in January of 1155 Henry II appointed him Lord Chancellor of England. Becket and the king soon became close friends. From relatively low beginnings, Becket had risen up to be the holder a secular position second only to the king. It is said that he became famous for his luxurious style of living and that his table was resplendent with gold and silver plate.

Archbishop of Canterbury

Theobald died in 1161 and the See of Canterbury was vacant for more than a year. Early in 1162 Becket was nominated as Archbishop of Canterbury and on 23 May his election was confirmed. Many said he was undeserving of this high ecclesiastical office, for his lifestyle was too extravagant and worldly. No doubt King Henry believed he would be the ideal archbishop, as he would put the government of the realm before that of the Church.

On 3 June 1162 Becket was consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury by Henry of Blois (brother of King Stephen), Bishop of Winchester, together with other subordinate bishops. The king was in for a great surprise, for the consecration of Becket turned him into a different man. He took his position as head of the English Church extremely seriously, even when it meant antagonising the king. Their close friendship was soon forgotten.

Disputes

One of their disputes centred on the way that churchmen who had committed crimes could circumvent the civil law by being tried in an ecclesiastical court. In this way their punishments, if any, were usually far less severe. Henry demanded that miscreant churchmen should be defrocked and handed over to the civil authorities. This was opposed by Becket and in this he received support from other high officials of the Church.

In January of 1164 Henry drew together a council at Clarendon and presented the bishops with a statement of the king’s customary rights over the church; he then demanded from them a promise to observe these customs. After arguing for two days Becket gave in. However, he then changed his mind. Thoroughly exasperated by this, Henry summoned him before the Royal Court to answer trumped-up charges. Becket was found guilty and stripped of all his estates.

Fleeing to France and returning to England

In fear for his life, he fled from England and appealed to Louis VII of France and the Pope for protection. However, by first agreeing to the demands made at Clarendon and then doing an about-turn, he left the English Church in a state of confusion.

In 1169 Henry met Becket (perhaps by appointment) at Touraine in France and this led to the archbishop being recalled to England.

His return on 2 December 1170, amidst a splendid retinue, is said to have been welcomed with great applause.

The final straw

On 14 June 1170 Henry II had his eldest son crowned by the Archbishop of York as King Henry III. This is the first and only time that there have been two kings of England at the same time.

After spending years in exile Henry might have hoped that Becket would be more conciliatory in his dealings with the king. This wasn’t to be. Becket was furious that the Archbishop of York had taken part in the coronation on 14 June and he persuaded the Pope to suspend the archbishop.

It was in a rage after hearing about this that Henry II uttered the words: “Will no-one rid me of this turbulent priest?”

Murder

On 29 December four knights (William de Tracy, Reginad FitzUrse, Hugh de Morville and Richard le Bret) entered Canterbury Cathedral and murdered Thomas Becket. Afterwards they took all the loot they could lay their hands on and then rode off.

This deed shocked the entire Christian world. Henry II did penance for this crime and in record time Pope Alexander III declared Becket to be a saint.

The coinage

It is probable that the last issue of pennies of Stephen (‘Awbridge’, type 7) started to be struck after the king had agreed that Henry would succeed him on the throne of England. They would continue to be struck until 1158, when the first coinage commenced in the name of Henry II. The new king had much work to do at the start of his reign, so the currency of the realm would be left to others.

In 1154 all sorts of official and unofficial coins would be in circulation. The latter would include many baronial coins, which were struck without royal authority under the slack rule of Stephen. In 1158 a new coinage (from 31 mints) commenced: the obverse with a crude portrait of the king and the reverse with crosslets in the angles of a cross pattee.

Tealby coinage

A large hoard of these coins was found at Tealby in Lincolnshire in 1807 and afterwards pennies of this type were named after that hoard.

The weight and fineness of English pennies remained the same. However, the standard of striking of the ‘Tealby’ type was appalling as illustrated here by one of our reader’s finds.

Well-struck specimens are few and far between.

The only exceptions being some of those from the northern mints situated in Carlisle, Durham and Newcastle, as illustrated by this find from Anthony Hopkinson.

Improvement to the coinage

In 1180 the ‘Tealby’ coinage came to an end and was replaced by coins with a voided short cross with a cross pommee in each angle on the reverse. This was a change for the better, for the standard of striking was far superior to pre-1180 coins. For this coinage the number of mints was reduced to only ten; they were spread about the country to facilitate the circulation of coins. Below are examples of this coinage found by readers of this website:

Rhuddlan

From around 1180 until well into the reign of John, there was a mint at Rhuddlan in Wales.

The dies were produced locally and the coins struck from them do not conform to the rest of the short cross series. The example shown here was found by reader, John Lashmar.

Anglo-Gallic coins

The reign of Henry II witnessed the first issue of Anglo-Gallic coins. These would come to be struck not only in the king’s name but also in the names of other members of the royal family. Over time the Anglo-Gallic coinage became larger, more complicated and included gold, silver and base metal issues. The earliest coins (the denominations were deniers and oboles) were struck in the name of Henry II to circulate in Aquitaine. Although meant only to circulate in parts of France, a few Anglo-Gallic coins ended up in England and occasionally turn up as detecting finds. The early coins and some of the later ones are not scarce but the series includes some extreme rarities, which are eagerly sought after by collectors.

Henry II and the laws of England

Curia Regis

During the reign of Henry II there was no House of Commons. There were laws of one kind or another, which the king would swear to uphold at the time of his coronation. The Curia Regis (Court of the King) was the central court, which the king, as supreme feudal lord, held for his tenants-in-chief (both secular and spiritual) and this could be described as a House of Lords. Others who had some kind of special knowledge or influence might also be called to attend the Curia Regis.

Development of the justice system

Henry saw a need to spread royal justice over all his subjects. It has been said of him that one of his greatest achievements was his development of English government and justice. His measures included giving the Curia Regis the exclusive jurisdiction over all serious crime; the establishment of the principal of the ‘King’s Peace’, which meant that a crime was no longer regarded as a wrong against an individual but instead as a wrong against the State. He hastened the demise of the old and unsatisfactory means of trial (ordeal and battle) by developing the system of trial by jury. All this tended to make the English more equal with their rulers. In 1154 lectures on canon and civil started to be held at Oxford.

Feudal system

Amendments were also made to the feudal system, one of which led to an increase in the payments of scutage. The feudal system was based upon reciprocity. At the top end a tenant-in-chief had been granted land in exchange for specific obligations, the main of which was to provide the king with fully equipped fighting men during times of need. The tenants-in-chief themselves could grant land to lesser tenants, who also had obligations, which could include military service. At the bottom end of the feudal triangle were serfs, who were tied to the estate they lived on. They would have to do a specified amount of unpaid work and in return they would be under the protection of whoever ruled over the area in which they worked.

Scutage

The payment of scutage released a person or institution (for example a monastery or abbey) from a certain obligation. Henry was a very wise man and must have speedily realised that when people are paid they will put in more effort than if they are doing something simply because they are obligated to do it under the feudal system. Therefore, when he was in need of an army he often called upon his tenants-in-chief not to provide men and arms but to pay scutage instead. Leading on from this, whilst part of an army might have joined through being obligated to do so, the other part would be there because they were being paid.

Money

The money in circulation greatly increased when the voided short cross coinage was introduced in 1180. Whole pennies become more common, as do cut fractions. This may well be to do with scutage descending down the feudal triangle. Tenants-in-chief and their sub-tenants may have been in the same mind as King Henry, in that they had come to believe that men worked harder and longer for cash. Therefore, even some of the lowest members of society may have been able to pay scutage in order to release them from obligations owing to their immediate superiors.

Family affairs

When there was trouble somewhere within or outside his empire Henry was willing to take up arms when he was challenged. Experience would have taught him that it was impossible to keep everyone content but the challenges of the early 1170s came from an unexpected source: his own family.

The disputes would involve his four surviving sons: Henry, Richard, Geoffrey and John.

Young Henry

In 1170 Henry’s oldest surviving son, Henry, had been crowned as king but was given no land to support his raised status. A couple of years later Richard became Duke of Aquitaine. In 1173 the Young King Henry asked his father if he would grant him part of his inheritance – England, Normandy or Anjou – but Henry refused.

The Young King was so upset by this refusal that he joined Louis VII at the French Court. The younger Henry then joined with Eleanor (his mother) and together with his brothers Richard and Geoffrey revolted against Henry II. Seizing on an opportunity to bring down Henry II, William of Scotland, Count Philip of Flanders, Count Matthew of Boulogne and Count Theobald of Blois joined with them. King Henry put down the revolt and imprisoned his mother.

William of Scotland was captured and held at the Chateau de Falaise in Normandy where he was forced to sign the treaty of Falaise.

Hugh Bigod again

In England one of the main leaders of this revolt was an old enemy of the king, Hugh Bigod. Together with Robert de Beaumont (Earl of Leicester), he besieged and took Hagenet Castle in Suffolk. However, Robert was taken prisoner at the Battle of Fornham (near Bury St. Edmunds) by Richard de Luci and other barons. Robert then turned against Hugh, who was forced to enter into negotiations. The end result was that he had to surrender his castles but he was allowed to keep his land and earldom. Hugh would never again have the strength or will to trouble King Henry II. 

Richard and then John

Louis VII died in 1180 and was succeeded by his son, Philip, who was 15 years old at the time. Henry’s fourth son, Geoffrey, became Duke of Brittany in 1183. Richard’s administration of Aquitaine made him unpopular and in 1183 the younger Henry joined in a revolt to overthrow him. Others involved were Philip of France, Count Raymond V of Toulouse and Hugh III of Burgundy. However, the death of Henry later in 1183 led to Richard holding on to Aquitaine.

The death of the young Henry left Richard as heir apparent to Henry II. Richard refused when he was ordered by Henry to hand over Aquitaine to John. Geoffrey of Brittany fell out with his brother Richard and Philip II hoped to use this to his advantage. However, this plan came to nothing when in 1186 Geoffrey was killed whilst taking part in a tournament.

Soon after this Philip and Richard became allies. Needless to say, this was much to the displeasure of King Henry. In 1188, after paying homage to Philip II for the Continental lands held by his father, Richard and Philip went to war against Henry II. Le Mans, Henry’s place of birth, was captured, Tours fell, and Henry was eventually forced to surrender at Chinon.

Two days later Henry died, some say of a broken heart, after hearing that John, the son who had previously stayed loyal to him, had joined with Philip and Richard.

Henry II’s legacy

Brighter future after the civil war

In 1154 Henry became king of a country whose people had lived through a civil war fought between King Stephen and supporters of the Empress Matilda. Some of the ruling elite might have profited from this but most ordinary folk must have been relieved when the conflict ended, for it allowed them to get on with their everyday lives. Thus, the death of Stephen would have brought a sigh of relief and the crowning of Henry II will have met with cheering and hopes for a brighter future.

Control over the law and finances

With England free from strife Henry could attend to other matters of State. His legislative achievements, merely touched on in this article, were many. The strict control over the Exchequer ensured that money wasn’t wasted or misappropriated by those appointed to collect it. And, all the tenants-in-chief in England bowed to the word and authority of the first king of the Plantagenet dynasty.

Energetic and cunning

Louis VII of France once commented that the King of England seemed to be here, there and everywhere all at the same time. This, of course, would be impossible but when inspecting parts of his empire he did it with great speed. Fortunately for him, he started his reign as a young and fit man, so he would take in his stride the distances covered. Henry had boundless energy, a sharp and educated mind, imagination and vision. However, when the situation demanded it he could be forceful, cunning and manipulative, which, it could be argued, were attributes needed by a 12^th century ruler of both England and lands on the Continent.

Four great lessons

It has been said of Henry II that by the time of his death four great lessons had been instilled into the English people:

One: They had been taught to pay taxes, which is a lesson the French monarchy never succeeded in pressing home;

Two: They had been taught that a crime was an offence against the king’s peace, over which the Curia Regis would have exclusive authority

Three: They had learned that there was one law for whole country, administered by one supreme court, the Curia Regis, with its judges going on circuits throughout the country representing the power of the king; and

Four: they had become aware of the duty of co-operating in various ways in the task of government, either as tenants or citizens, or as jurors for the assessment of taxes, or in the judgement of cases in the county courts.

Over worked

Rather than from a broken heart, the death of Henry II is more likely to have been caused by decades of over-work. All the years of strain and effort involved with governing a complex empire had finally taken their toll.

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Covid

At the start of 2022 Covid was still rampant and in March, after attending a meeting of my detecting club, I caught a dose of it. Half a dozen other members also came down with it and I passed it on to my wife. Our symptoms weren’t of the worst kind and we were free of it after a week and a half but it left us very fatigued. The fatigue was quite severe and it took at least a couple of months to get back to normal. Covid hasn’t gone away but (thankfully) the mass immunisations have checked its progress and at Christmas of 2022 family gatherings will be much safer.

When Covid was at its height detecting was impossible for obvious reasons. When it eased it was possible for club outings and rallies to start up again and many outstanding finds have been reported during 2022. The Treasure Department at the British Museum, which had been closed due to Covid, has now been up and running for some time, with staff doing their best to reduce the backlog that had built up.

Cost of Living

The country seemed to be jogging along quite nicely at the start of the year but dark clouds then built up on the horizon. The cost of gas and electricity shot up, rampant inflation erupted and strikes or the threat of them became commonplace. Boris was removed and we gained a new Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer. The fresh measures that the new pair intended to pursue terrified not only the population of the UK but seemingly the entire world. This led to their removal and a new bunch taking over the reins in England. We still have high inflation, high energy bills and strikes and to those we can now add increased interest rates.

What impact will the increased cost of living have on our hobby? In the short term it could lead to an increase in participants, who hope to make money from the finds they unearth. However, due to the costs involved and the time and effort that need to be put in, many new comers might soon drop out when they realise that very few people manage to make a profit through metal detecting.

Queen Elizabeth II

Many, many people will be like me in that I could never imagine what it would be like without Queen Elizabeth II. She was the only member of the Royal Family that we could always rely on. I remember seeing a report on television about her meeting the new PM on Tuesday but two days later she died. The Queen I had known for my entire life was no longer with us. With millions of others I watched in silence from start to finish her televised funeral. Nowadays there are things we can’t seem to do well but spectacular pageantry most certainly isn’t one of them. We gave Queen Elizabeth II a send-off second to one.

Market for coins

When Covid was really bad many people were unable to do their normal jobs but they benefitted from the furlough scheme. Even though they couldn’t go to work they received an income. I thought this might lead to a drop in the price of ‘collectables’ but it didn’t. Some of those who couldn’t work also couldn’t go to places to spend money so this left them with surplus cash. The market for coins was very strong and during 2020 and 2021 some of the collections that came onto the market achieved spectacular prices.

The position today is markedly different. Now we have high energy bills, inflation, increased interest rates, strikes and the future looks bleak. The price of collectable coins, which has been strong for over 20 years, could now start to decline. If you are in need of cash and have no option but to sell some of your finds, if you take the auction route then make sure you pick a company that issues printed catalogues. Too many auctioneers charge high figures to both vendors and purchasers but have their auctions solely online. This saves them money, which isn’t passed on to vendors or purchasers. So, if the auctioneer you are considering is too tight fisted to issue printed sale catalogues then choose one that does.

Stolen finds in Lancashire and Cumbria

Most detectorists should be aware of the deeply disturbing news in regard to finds that had been handed over in Lancashire and Cumbria. A recent report stated that a large number of items were missing and that all the finders and landowners affected had been contacted and a police investigation was ongoing. I was informed on 20 December that an arrest has been made and stolen finds have been recovered. I’ve no doubt that more information will be available in due course. The arrest and recovery of finds will bring relief to the PAS authorities and the entire detecting world.

Thanks for your support

My thanks go to Paul, my son-in-law, who continues to do all the IT work on the website. As I’ve sad on previous occasions, computers are still a mystery to me and were it not for Paul there would be no website. We both send our thanks to all those who have given us their support throughout 2022. All that remains is for the pair of us to wish you all a very happy Christmas and the best of luck for 2023.

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I know a few detectorists who simply put the nicer coins into a box and when it fills up they start to fill another box. Quite frankly, if a detectorist stores coins in that way then they can’t have much interest in their finds. Therefore, they should stop detecting and start another hobby.

Envelopes

Small plastic and paper envelopes are available and these are ideal for the storage of coins.

These can be individual, in a sheet or in an album, all available relatively cheaply. Details can be written on the envelopes or on sticky labels. Alternatively, just a reference number can be placed upon the envelopes, which matches those on a detailed list of the contents of each one.

Coin trays

Another way to store coins is in trays with divisions for individual specimens.

This enables the unrestricted viewing of several coins in one go. However, care should be taken when handling these trays.

A detectorist recently contacted me to say he had been showing a colleague a couple of trays full of coins when somehow or other both fell to the floor. He ended up with dozens of coins scattered about and he was unable to match them up to his written records.

Photographs

Nowadays most people have telephones that are capable of taking really excellent photographs. These are invaluable for keeping records of finds. Had the chap who dropped the trays photographed them prior to them being dropped it would have been a relatively simple task to replace the coins in their correct order.

Tell your family

Finally, I’ve said this before but it is well worth repeating: do inform your family about your collection of detecting finds, especially about items in it that are valuable. If you do this then your nearest and dearest are less likely to consign your collection to a dustbin when you pass on to greener pastures. I’ve heard of Roman gold and all sorts of other coins and medals being found in a skip and tales about rare coins sold for a pittance at car boot sales. Your collection might be precious to you but not necessarily to your loved ones. Therefore, it is vital that you leave them with instructions as to what to do with it.

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