Geoff T

William, you've no doubt already realised that we musicians tend to become linguists by default because we're dealing all the time with something which isn't language-specific. Italian and French will prove useful, but if you get the chance to do German, go for it. It's probably the most useful foreign language for any musician - as I tell RNCM students virtually every day Geoff

...and Canadian "silver" dollars are cupro-nickel from 1969 onwards. Geoff

"You'll remember the day you did this" said Colin Cooke as he took the envelope marked, with characteristic understatement, "more difficult date" out of the box. I've handled original manuscripts and letters by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Elgar and several others, but there I was holding THE 1952 half crown. He was more than happy to show it to me. I think I was expecting a fanfare of trumpets and a velvet cushion, but it was the real McCoy nevertheless. Colin told me that in all the twenty or so years he's owned it the number of visitors who have seen it in the flesh was barely in double figures, but that was only because most feel they daren't ask! I felt more than honoured. It felt very strange buying the latest Coin News afterwards, seeing in the price guide to half crowns "1952 - only one known" and knowing that only half an hour earlier it had been in my hands. Yours from Cloud 9...

The exchange rate with the Canadian dollar is quite high at the moment - around 2.4 to the pound, but even that makes 2p worth only about four and a half cents. Sorry to disappoint you but happy to help. BTW - I see you now have a new effigy of the Queen on your coins, which looks like the Rank-Broadley head we have but was designed by a Canadian artist. Must get back over there and try and complete my run of 1999 quarters! Geoff

There's quite a bit about its history on his website www.colincooke.com Geoff

What Oli has illustrated is actually a gothic crown - it can't be a florin with the date 1847. Still something to drool over though. (Just found it on eBay and, yes, it's a crown). Geoff

William, I work at the RNCM in the Library. We've probably met several times already. I'm the guy with the beard. Small world! Geoff

...and I see he's a fellow musician and a fellow native of Merseyside too. Can't be bad

It must take some doing to get a feedback of minus 2!

After D-day on 15 February 1971 there was a period of grace during which all pre-decimal coins, excluding those already demonetised, could still be used. This lasted until the end of August after which a royal proclamation by letters patent came into effect and which also redefined the status of the existing "silver" coins". This stated, as quoted in ESC "Cupro-nickel or silver coins issued by our Mint before the fifteenth day of February 1971...being coins of the denominations: 5s; 4s; 2s; 1s and 6d shall...be treated as coins of the new currency and as as being of the denominations...25p; 20p; 10p; 5p; and 2 1/2p." The sixpence, shilling and florin were all eventually demonetised. The crown, which was largely commemorative anyway, metamorphosed into the commemorative 25p, although the above wording suggests that pre-decimal crowns are still legal tender at face value. The interesting one is the reference to coins of 4/- . In 1971 we'd had no coins to that value since the short-lived double florins of 1887-90. The decimal 20p was only introduced in 1982. Taken as written then, the proclamation also suggests that these double florins were not only still legal tender in 1971 but remained so at least until 1982. If that were really the case, was the double florin formally demonetised then, or has it remained legal tender through the failure to close a loophole akin to the one which has had Berwick on Tweed at war with Russia since the mid-19th century? Can anyone shed any light on this? Geoff

Colin claims he's never exhibited at a coin fair.

Colin is just a few miles down the road from me and we were at a meeting of the South Manchester Numismatic Society. The theme was "bring a coin with a story" and Colin brought about 10 rare 18th and 19th century farthings which he said were about to go on his website. I said it was a shame he didn't bring the 1952 half crown and he replied he once did - and nobody spotted anything untoward! I'm going to his shop on Saturday so who knows - I might get a private viewing

I decided to consult the oracle on this one. There was I, there was Colin Cooke, so "right" I thought "carpe diem". He agreed that, if double florins weren't demonetised in 1890, then they were technically legal tender in 1971, as the letters patent suggest, and should still be if not finally demonetised in 1982 (not that anyone would be rash enough to try and spend one). He did issue a caveat that just because something was legal tender it didn't follow that banks would accept it. He gave the example of many banks refusing to accept decimal 25p crowns on that grounds that, since they have no denomination, too many people were assuming they were the same as £5 coins. Geoff

Sounds like a colonial half farthing to me. These are dealt with in Collectors' Coins if you have a current copy (if not Chris will be delighted to sell you one). Geoff

Coincraft states that the silver threepences are also legal tender still, but since 1971 for three new pence.

I actually laughed out loud. Love the creative use of English too. Geoff

Ouch! Geoff

Was it Dan Quayle or Dubya who said - lingua EX gena - that he wanted to learn Latin to be able to speak to Latin Americans? Geoff

As one who did do Latin, I can see the arguments pro et contra. Latin grammar does encourage a certain mental discipline, but then so do heavlily inflected modern languages like German and Russian. At the same time I think it's a valid argument to say you want to learn something for the sake of learning it, regardless of how useful it is in real terms. I don't regret doing Latin. It's been very useful in a musical context; I'm forever helping students who have to sing in a language they know little about. I think the sensible answer is to say that in an ideal education system the opportunity should at least be there, even if you choose not to take advantage of it. Geoff PS - Thorough grounding in Roman numerals on pain of detention should be compulsory for all those on e-Bay who can't tell their George IV from their George VI...

I've heard the rumour from a number of quarters that Charles might opt to be George VII. Presumably this is so as not to occasion a resurgence of Jacobite claims that there's already been a Charles III. Anyone else heard evidence for this one or is it simply an urban myth? Geoff PS - not only has the heir apparent or presumptive twice been an Arthur, but he's twice been a Frederick too - and if William IV's many children to Mrs. Jordan had been legitimate there could even have been a few Geoffs

I'm largely a half crown man, but I do digress into crowns and double florins. I thank you have to be practical and accept that you can't do everything. Geoff

Maybe I'll do a Bargain Hunt kind of programme, just for teams to buy coins, in the same format as the David Dickinson version. With an auction at the end! ...as long as you don't dress like him! Seriously, for your broadcast you could do something as simple as introduce listeners to the pre-decimal system, as I'm sure many under-40s will be hazy about it. Geoff T

If it was crown size and copper it may well be a modern pattern, the so-called "fantasy crowns" which are fairly common. The only genuine colonial Edward VIII coins which you tend to see are from East and West Africa, and they don't have an image of the King on. Geoff

[nobody will have heard of a little hamlet sixty miles away called mellor!] Hey Oli - is that Mellor as in east of Stockport, Glossop way? If so you're just down the road from me - and a lot nearer to Manchester than 60 miles. Geoff