https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-68685683
Lot of money to lose...
Interesting. As a chemist I cringed a bit at the phrase 'pure silver pennies' not deliberately adulterated possibly! However, I well remember pennies worn almost smooth as a lad it is something you don't tend to get nowadays but very few coins in circulation are over twenty years old.
Quote from: Ian61 on March 31, 2024, 12:25:55 PMAs a chemist I cringed a bit at the phrase 'pure silver pennies' not deliberately adulterated possibly!
I suspect this is what was intended. Debasing coinage was a real problem in medieval times (though more later the the coins in this hoard).
Quote from: Erpingham on March 31, 2024, 12:32:21 PMQuote from: Ian61 on March 31, 2024, 12:25:55 PMAs a chemist I cringed a bit at the phrase 'pure silver pennies' not deliberately adulterated possibly!
I suspect this is what was intended. Debasing coinage was a real problem in medieval times (though more later the the coins in this hoard).
Indeed, you know your medieval history better than I do. I was aware that Nero started a run of debasements of Roman silver.
DEbasement was less of an issue in England until Henry VIII. It was a big issue elsewhere, especially France. In the period of these coins, the big value problem was clipping - cutting off the edges of coins to harvest the silver, then putting the coin back in circulation at face value. Short cross pennies like those in the hoard were vulnerable to this so the recoinage of 1247 mentioned in the report introduced the long cross penny to make it more difficult.
Quote from: Ian61 on March 31, 2024, 12:25:55 PMInteresting. As a chemist I cringed a bit at the phrase 'pure silver pennies' not deliberately adulterated possibly! However, I well remember pennies worn almost smooth as a lad it is something you don't tend to get nowadays but very few coins in circulation are over twenty years old.
In my pocket I have a 1912 penny which I found when clearing out a shelf in the workshop. My Dad had emptied his pocket into a tobacco tin. Mainly screws but this penny as well.
I do rather miss the fact that at one point you could pull a handful of change out of your pocket and look upon the faces of several monarchs. Even in the 1960s I found Victoria pennies in the change. Well worn but she was still just visible
So when the Numismatists go about worn coins and wear they're speaking to my childhood 8)
I have a handful of pre-decimal coins picked up here and there. Quite recently I took a look at a very worn black coin I took for a halfpenny. It is actually a very thin almost smooth George IV shilling which must have circulated for well over 100 years. Length of circulation is a reason why coins are two edged sword for archaeological dating - condition can provide an estimate how long it had been around before being deposited but it's imprecise.