Irish Gunmoney and the Emergency Issues of 1689-1691 Corpus & Die Study.
Irish Gunmoney and the Emergency Issues of 1689-1691. A Corpus and Die Study.
P & B R Withers, 2020. Hardback, A4, c. 360 pages. Illustrated
in full colour throughout.
In my humble opinion, the best book on Irish numismatics published since the works of Dr. Philip Nelson in 1903 and 1904, or the works of the late Patrick Finn in 1969, and the recent breakthroughs by Jasper Burns on the small Irish silvers. Immense detail.
I was able to purchase a collection of some 115 pieces of gunmoney that had been stored away some 80 years ago. I was able to quickly identity all the pieces by listed and photographed and detailed die variety, over a period of 3 days, not only attributing the die variety, but also rarity. All the reverses and obverses were in the book, with the exception of one new obverse die, mated with a listed reverse die.
With help from John Rainey and David Greenhalgh, and a chapter on 'Estimating the number of dies used to strike the Gunmoney coinage' by Gary Oddie. Includes brass money, pewter money, and the Hibernia coins of Limerick. Chapters on historical background, mint practices, die making and production errors. Over 1000 different die varieties described and illustrated. All die links noted. Cross-month mules.
This new book has been twelve years in research and preparation. Designed by an educationalist for ease of use, it is large (A4) format, 360+ pages, with literally thousands of high-quality colour and other illustrations and enlargements. It has been written by a husband and wife prize-winning team of numismatic authors, who have been helped by collectors who number between them over two centuries of experience of collecting, one of whom has the best collection of gunmoney in private hands.
This
is a high-quality book that has not been produced in a hurry, for as
well as gunmoney, it covers the emergency coinage of 'Hibernia'
halfpennies produced during the siege of Limerick, the pewter
halfpennies, pennies, pattern groat and crown; the London restrikes,
later copies and forgeries. Expert type-setting and enlargements show
how and where to look for varieties that you might otherwise miss. There
is a general index as well as are indexes of obverse and reverse
legends.
Each book comes with a separate digital set of plates, and a subscription to updates of any new discoveries, and errata.
$150. includes FREE shipping within the U.S.
