Collecting Jamestown. Part 22. Bent, Holed, & Folded: Introductory Chapter (1st Half)

Here is an excerpt from the Intro Chapter of the upcoming book entitled:

Bent, Holed, & Folded. Coin Talismans for protection against misfortune and witchcraft in Colonial Jamestown.

*Pictures and Endnotes are not included here. BUT, I did add a very cool picture for this posting; one that has never been seen before.

*The book will be available in early 2018.

Chapter 1. 
A lustrous shilling was valued for the bread and ale that it bought, but a bent penny was revered for the protection it offered. This may seem like an odd assertion. But these were the priorities in seventeenth-century England.

As much as I like to fantasize about traveling back to a time when soldiers wore plate armor and cabassets, I would not have wanted to live then. Life was precarious. Diseases, accidents, and violence were common. People rarely lived past forty, and those that did suffered daily from new and old wounds.

And yet, it was the devil that worried folks the most. Evil lurked in every corner. Witches lived next door. Even nightfall was considered a portent of hell, full of villains. No one – rich or poor – was safe.

This worldview left nothing to chance, as misfortunes were attributed to moral failings. Hence, the press to gain God’s favor while also defending against evil was relentless. Merely saying one’s prayers incorrectly – a word omitted or said out of place – put one at risk. Many folks adopted rituals such as “crossing thy self” as a protective gesture before stepping outside. A common retort in the face of adversity was to ask: “Have you crossed yourself today?”¹  

Here we have a deliberately bent Charles I

penny found in the plow zone.

Several pennies like this one have been

discovered at Jamestown and in early sites

along the James River.

The bending was likely talismanic.  

People armed themselves with protective talismans. Cubeb seeds and ginger were placed about the neck to ward off evil. Bible verses were scribbled on paper and held close at heart. Coins were fashioned for otherworldly use to curry divine favors. These were anxious times. If I were to climb into a time machine, I think an afternoon visit would be enough.

With all these hazards, we can agree that the daily concerns of people living back then were quite removed from our own. I worry about the caffeine in my morning coffee, but I don’t fret too much about witches. Heart disease is today’s evil. This contrast reminds me of the opening lines to L. P. Hartley’s novel, The Go-Between: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”² How true. We simply cannot squeeze our feet into their laced shoes.

Like many historians interested in the English colonies, I overlooked the impact of supernatural beliefs on their actions. Yet, we acknowledge that our spiritual ideas (or lack thereof) shape what we say and do. So it was in colonial times. Unfortunately, few colonists bothered or had the wherewithal to write down what they were thinking while sipping their ale.

But they left their relics.

I stumbled onto this subject after reading about several mutilated coins excavated at Jamestown, Virginia. The coins appeared to have been damaged on purpose. I was intrigued. And so, I set out to find out how these coins – bent, holed, and folded – were used. The archaeologists provided some cursory interpretations in their field notes, but I wanted to know more.

This book recounts my quest to understand how the colonists used these objects to stay safe and prosperous. But I give you fair warning: magic is not easy, as facts and folklore blend together like butter and margarine. You must tolerate ambiguity while embracing the incredulous. And, I hope you enjoy chasing tangents, as my journey meanders like a restless stream folding back on itself.

Along the way, I encountered battered coins that appear no more magical than a rusty nail. But looks can be deceiving. I also learned more about divine providence, dead saints, and witches that I anticipated. But mostly, I was impressed with the ingenuity of common folks who conjured up occult forces when needed.

More to come ... .

            

Collecting Resolutions for 2018

It is 2018!

Let’s celebrate collecting this year! And, let’s be thankful too! We are lucky to have this hobby.

My resolutions:

*Know that all collecting is cool. We share the same kink in the brain, an extra bundle of neurons that keeps us in hunt mode. Put another way, we muse about coins, tokens, and all that is small and round.

I will chase after relics, talismans, ships, and Jamestown pieces. But also, I will be kind to those who love the new and shiny – not everyone is a necromancer!

*Know that all collecting is a creative act. We are erecting skyscrapers. Put another way, we enjoy assembling sets that have our fingerprints all over them.

Quite simply, I will love the unloved.

A site celebrating New Beginnings.
Jamestown: 1608 Church,  Barracks, South Palisade.
And of course, Captain John Smith surveying the James.

*Know that all collecting is about meaning. We cope with a sometimes violent and unpredictable world by appreciating beauty and learning about the past. Put another way, we relish art and knowledge.

I will finish my book: Bent, Holed, & Folded: Coin Talismans for protection against misfortune and witchcraft in Colonial Jamestown. Then, I will start on something new: Old Sails, Talismans, … who knows?

*Know that all collecting is about sharing. Although we are master solitaire players, we dilate when others ask. Put another way, we enjoy the company of our collecting brethren.

This is a tough one for me, as I am such an introvert. Still, I will give at least one presentation this year; and I will attend more local coin club meetings. And of course, I will continue this blog.

I have put up a New Page from the BHF book: It is the Chapter on the Kings Touch Pieces that I profiled in a series of blog posts at the beginning of 2017. Check it out! The book is done but for one last edit and the addition of illustrations. It was 2.5 years of research and writing – whew! Yes, in some ways, I hate for it to be done.

Happy New Year to all that visit this blog.  Keep collecting! 

Old Sails. Dutch Cog Ship is Now Safe in 1577

I relish finding a 16^th century ship coin. 

Post-medieval sails are not easy to find, and this Dutch Cog is certainly an old vessel. The coin – a jetton, actually – is dated 1577, but the ship has old styling.  Cog ships were common in the North Sea from about the 12^th century on – it was a popular design, particularly for cargo vessels, that lasted centuries.

This 1577 Dutch jetton has felt the touch a hundred inquiring fingertips.

The single main sail hoisted on a central mast gives the ship it’s distinct, and medieval, look. Two bold stays keep the mast in place. The aftcastle is multi-decked and towers above the gunwales. I imagine the forecastle to be impressive as well (although smaller); a hint of a heavy bowsprit can be seen through the fog of wear. Note the anchors hanging at both bow and stern.

I suppose one could argue that the ship is an early Carrack, but we need to see more sails for that. The gunwales are arched with a rounded stern, a characteristic that reflects both cogs and carracks. Of course, ship designs evolved slowly, bit by bit.

This ship is on a starboard tact. The legend above the ship – PORT SALV – suggests that the vessel is entering a safe harbor. The translation reads: safe passage or safe carry or safe harbor.

A bit of history is needed to interpret the wording along the edges. The legend – CALCVLI ORDINVM BELGII – translates to: “an establishment of a united group at Belgium.” More concretely, the words mean a “calculation of orders in Belgium.” This phase represents the action of the Estates-General of the Netherlands to unify Ghent against the Spanish, known as the First Union of Brussels.

In January of 1577, seventeen provinces joined together to oppose the Spanish occupation. This unification is celebrated on this jetton.

And, the merchant ships, I suppose, were safer for it.

The obverse (not shown) has the legend: 1577 CVM PIETATE CONCORDIA. The words translate to read: “with dutiful harmony.” Clasped hands, two conjoined hearts, all beneath a crown, make up the design – that pretty much says it all.

This jetton is pictured in Mitchiner (#2412). His example, too, shows a ship shrouded by an early morning fog. Unfortunately, the vessel is the first element to fade away.

But of course, a cool ship like this has invited centuries of inquiring fingertips – I know this because I have touched it too.

Collecting Jamestown: Part 21. French Liard

Jamestown collectors often forget that the settlement lasted beyond the 1620s. The fort period is generally considered to have ended on 24 May 1624 when James I revoked the Virginia Company charter.

Henceforth, Jamestown became a Royal Colony.

 

The palisaded fort fell to ruin. Houses and outbuildings were built over postholes. Horse-drawn plows churned the topsoil.

Several seventeenth century coins have been unearthed that reflect the transition. One of these is a 1656 French liard that was found along a brick foundation of a timber framed structure located in the center of the old fort site.

The house is believed to have belonged to either William Drummond or Richard Lawrence. It was probably built between 1630 and 1650 (but certainly before new building initiatives were established in 1662). The house was destroyed by fire, as the site was filled with ash.

Perhaps the house was razed on 19 September 1676 during Bacon’s Rebellion. Both Drummond and Lawrence burned their homes on this date to show their support for the Rebellion.

The French copper was found in a disturbed builder’s trench. After the fire, the trench was re-dug to salvage the bricks. A brick robber might have dropped it. Or, maybe it was dropped when the building was being built or modified. Other artifacts such as pipe stems, ceramics, pottery, tiles, and other domestic bits suggest a late 1600s TPQ.

The liard was minted in Lyon with D mint mark. The obverse depicts Louis XIV. The coin was valued at about three English pence at the time. They circulated infrequently in English America: This one did!

As such, a liard such as this belongs in every Jamestown collection.

The coin is readily available in the marketplace. I purchased it from a dealer in France (via EBay). The piece is colored in a mosaic of red, brown, and black; a hint of grainy corrosion gives it a delightful grounder vibe that is akin to the one found at Jamestown.

Why not seek out a nicer one you ask? Well, the necromancer eschews the shiny one, reaching instead for a similar piece. A relic should look the part. It is magical for its association to Colonial Virginia. After all, collecting by context does not demand that you chase the nicest one, just a similar piece.

Finally, a note for those who follow this blog: Thank You. My intent going into 2018 is to write every other week. This is how I enjoy the hobby. I strive to write on Sat/Sun mornings, but sometimes (like today), my wife and dogs pull me away ... into the snow!