Collecting Jamestown: Part 3. Irish Coppers Found.

I am having fun, as the new year comes in. I hope you are too.
   It has been a challenge exploring and collecting coins (plus tokens and jetons) similar to those unearthed at Jamestown. This is an endeavor that suits the necromancer -- namely, hunting for relics linked by a dug history.
   In this post, I share my latest discoveries: Two Irish pennies dated 1601 and 1602. These are thin pieces, the width of a thumbnail, meager and fragile. Yet, compared the ha'penny a few weeks ago, they are twice. Still, I find it amazing that these razors were found at all -- even more amazing is that these thin coppers survived the ravages of Mother Nature.
   And found they were. One hundred and thirty-eight Irish coins (17 of them half-pennies) have been excavated from the loamy soil within James Fort. This is more than anywhere else in the world, even Ireland (so says Beverly Straube, one of the chief archaeologists on the site). Why so many? This question has a complicated answer, and not everyone agrees that the answer has been discovered -- but what intrigue there is.

Two Irish pennies similar to those found throughout Jamestown.
Most of them were discovered in a well located in the center of the palisaded
fort where they were buried (tossed away?) during the clean-up in 1610.
These pieces represent some of the earliest coins in Virginia.

   Apparently, the Irish pieces were minted in order to pay occupying English troops in Ireland. It was an expedient coinage meant to be used in Ireland only and traded for British currency when the soldiers returned home. But these copper pieces were not popular, and most were quickly traded or went unused. Straube's conjecture is that these coins were sent to Jamestown to provide a medium of exchange with the same stipulations (as in Ireland) that would allow the coppers to be traded for British money later on.
   Consequently, the large number of Irish pieces -- all dated 1601-02, and authorized by Elizabeth I -- represents a failed experiment. One or two other pieces have been found along the James River in Virginia, but all the rest come from Jamestown.
   Quite a story!
   Most of the pieces (nearly three-quarters) were discovered in sealed contexts within the palisaded fort. Six were found among the soldiers' pits whereas larger groupings were dispersed within the cellars of a few primitive buildings dating before 1610.
   The majority, however, was found in John Smith's well, located in the center of the fort. It has been suggested that the pieces were dumped there after Lord De La Warr ordered that the fort be cleared of debris and rebuilt. Keep in mind that he arrived in June 1610 and discovered the fort to be in ruins. Most of the colonists had died of starvation the previous winter (1609-10) -- a period known as the "starving time."

In collecting them, I decided on one penny of each date. They are scarce but available with persistent hunting. I found one at the Baltimore Coin Expo; the second one came from an UK dealer via EBay. For the colonial collector, these pieces represent some of the first coins present the English colonies (even if they were not paid out or spent).
   I enjoy the ruggedness of these pennies. Battered coins such as these might be shunned by insensitive collectors -- but once you embrace the Jamestown connection, they begin to glow. They represent great relic coins that can be collected in any condition, as the ones from Jamestown ranged from scudzy to less so. I chose less so.
   I feel that the spirits of Jamestown reside within the dotted borders of these pennies even if these particular coins were not dug within the palisades. But, together with the silver ha'penny, I am getting closer to drawing them out.

Significant Coins: Making an Emotional Connection

When I attend the local coin club meetings, I notice that most folks have their Redbooks in hand. It is all about the values. And the mintages. Lists of numbers and letters. Like a code. Many conversations take the same worn path: "I got this VF coin for F money." (Insert some dollar value here.)
   Wait! That's not right. I should have quoted: "I got this MS-63 for MS-60 money." Yes, new and shiny is what it is all about. Just makes the heart flutter, doesn't it? Just knowing you got a deal on a shiny coin is electric. Sort of like getting a new snowman sweater at Walmart for 60% off!
   Sixty Percent!
   Well, I hope that those of you following this blog made some good coin deals in 2015. But I also hope that you discovered something special -- something that you will keep forever. Is a MS-63 purchased at MS-60 money a keeper?
   You notice that I did not say anything about the coin itself. Unfortunately, many folks have little else to say. Oh, maybe they will point out that Ms. Liberty's cheek is free of acne or other scars: "Nice cheeks!" Or perhaps one or two breast feathers are more defined: "Full details!"

This cent was given to me just before my mother passed.
It has a lovely patina with the added benefit of a scabrous
texture that adds depth, stimulates interest, and announces
an authority that only an old cent, once spent, lost, found,
and finally collected, can claim. No mint-state piece comes
close to the relic-ness on an old piece like this one.

   Let's take a moment and sound the trumpets for the smart buyers! HONK! Really, I am trying to be kind here. I want to shout out to those who made the good buys. It takes practice after all. One book likens it to playing a good round of golf. Bravo!

But what about the coin collecting necromancer? What spirits animate a mint-fresh Morgan Dollar that sat in a canvas bag for a century or so? I suppose the artistry is enough. For me however, I want a coin that has some connection to the past other than just being old. Oldness is good, but it is not enough. It has to have been touched, spent, lost, searched for, and so on.
   Have we lost the childlike enthusiasm that we had when we discovered an old coin in the dirt, behind the hutch, in an old drawer? Or even the curious piece found in a junk bin of old coins? I hope not.
   The necromancer cares not so much about value. The necromancer cares about storylines. Yes, coins are mute. But we enliven them. A crusty old piece pulls us to make sense of it. Such "collector coins" wear their storylines on the surface. And the necromancer gets to play a starring role by selecting the piece to be set aside, pondered, and added to the collection. This transformation -- from cull or bullion to something special -- lies at the core of the collecting process. We become attached to the coin. And we give the coin a meaningful role in our collection.
   As I noted several weeks ago, my mother set aside an old large cent when she was a girl. She found it at a dump in Providence, RI, in the 1940s. And now I have it. It is a keepsake. A family heirloom. But its value will not be found in the Redbook.
   For the coin collecting necromancer, there are many similar coins out there just waiting to be discovered. As my upcoming book will point out: it takes some diligent searching to find worn, battered, and/or corroded coins that shout out to be collected.
   So go find your "dump" coin. You do not need to wait for your mother to find it for you.

Old Sails: Cardinal Richelieu's Galleon 1634

One of my favorite ships is this one on a French Jeton dated 1634. It shows a stylized galleon under full sail, colors flying, and gun ports open.
   The obverse (not shown) depicts a bust of Armand Jean de Plessis (1584-1642) known as Cardinal Richelieu. He was a noble statesman who served under Louis XIII. As the chief minister to the king, he sought to consolidate royal power throughout France while building military defenses to confront threats from England and Spain. In particular, he strengthened the French fleet.

   This jeton celebrates his efforts with a beautiful starboard view of a gunship that is ready for battle. The sails (foresail, mainsail, & topsail) are stretched by a gusty wind. Turbulent seas thrash against the hull.
   The rendering of this galleon is elaborate and boastful wherein key elements of the ship are accentuated. The hull is sharply sheered to emphasize the castles fore and aft, while also conforming to curvature of the piece. All cordage is prominent in a show of strength and complexity. The masts and yardarms are stout.
   The five cannon ports are bold as if to shout: This is a gunship at the ready. Indeed, the mariners, too, are posted at the bow and amidships, working the billowy sails in expert fashion, ready to change course.
   The stern castle is an ornate triple-decker, majestic and regal. There are ensigns and pennants whipping from each mast and at the stern in a show of French pride and authority.
   The simple legend says it all: HOC DVCE TVTA. This translates to read: Safety under this Command. All told, this jeton championed Cardinal Richelieu and his efforts to build a strong navy at a time when tensions were high. The reformation was in full swing, the Thirty Years War was raging, and competition in maritime trade was heating up.
   Of note, there are several other Cardinal Richelieu "ship" jetons, but to my eye, this one has the best  galleon of the fleet.

Silver Eagles: Not for the Necromancer

Coin World reported this week that sales of Silver Eagles reached 44.85 million in 2015! Previous sales records were broken. Just like Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, and so on.
   Wow! Can you hear the trumpets blasting?

Woo Hoo! A silver eagle from Santa! Now what?

   What does the necromancer coin collector make of this? Not much. These pieces may be beautiful (even that is debatable), but they have no story to tell. They are just stamped bullion with a recycled design. I don't think Ms. Liberty looks any better than when she first walked across the face of the half-dollar in 1916. In fact, the original design is better. And the eagle? UGH. What do you think?
   You might be surprised to learn that I have a few of these "sad" coins. I get one every year as a Christmas present from the local coin club. We all get one. Yet, I never know what to do with them. I have re-gifted a few pieces. I considered carrying one around in my pocket (but why do that when I can carry the real thing in the form of the aforementioned half-dollar). Maybe I should have sent them off to be graded: If one came back as MS70, then I could have boasted about my numismatic heroism.
   Of course, I could jump on the bandwagon and get a bunch of them -- a mega-box, or whatever -- and place the cache in my underground bunker that I am building in the backyard. When the globe melts or when the bombs start falling, I can buy bread with silver.
   No, I won't do that. I would rather die holding something that actually has a history worth musing about -- a coin filled with spirits. Something that I have transformed into a collectible piece by my own eye. This is the magic of collecting -- namely the transformation of something useful into something symbolic and personal.
   My humble advice is this. Go out and find some really cool coins that have been softened by a thousand fingertips and glazed with the grit of humanity; then, give them to your friends. Oh, and keep one for yourself.
   This is the way of the necromancer.