Irregular Postings on Coin Collecting & Numismatics - Both Canonical & Conanical

A Scion Society of The Baker Street Irregulars

Numismatists Do Not Fear Change

Author Archives: Greg D. Ruby

Faces of Holmes: Gandalf’s Ian McKellen

Faces of Holmes: Gandalf’s Ian McKellen

In June, we look forward to the release of the movie Mr. Holmes. Based on Mitch Cullin’s A Slight Trick of The Mind, it stars Ian McKellen as a 93 year old Sherlock Holmes. McKellen first played the role of the wizard, Gandalf, in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. In 2004, the New Zealand Royal Mint struck a… Continue Reading

The Tower Of London and Sherlock Holmes

The Tower Of London and Sherlock Holmes

The Tower of London is never mentioned in the original 60 stories of Sherlock Holmes. However, the Tower would play a key role in two subsequent adaptations of the Holmes stories. Most recently, in The Reichenbach Fall episode of BBC’s Sherlock, the character of Jim Moriarty breaks into the case holding the crown jewels at the Tower… Continue Reading

The Sherlock Holmes Centennial Art Medal Collection: An Update

The Sherlock Holmes Centennial Art Medal Collection: An Update

After publishing our January HolmeWork assignment on the Newcastle Mint, we came across this order form for the 12 medal series in the June 1987 issue of The Baker Street Journal (Vol. 37 No. 2 Page 80). It’s interesting to note that they limited one set per subscriber, not a wise decision in hindsight. With this… Continue Reading

TFG Is On Facebook

TFG Is On Facebook

The Fourth Garrideb has created a page on Facebook to help get the word out about us to other Sherlockians and coin collectors. Yours truly has a “love – hate” relationship with Facebook.  Some of you are not on Facebook and that’s fine. Others of you are quite active on Facebook, and if you could… Continue Reading

More Thank Yous!

More Thank Yous!

It’s time for us to again thank a few people for their assistance in getting the word out about us. Once again, we need to thank Wayne Homren, editor of The E-Sylum for the Numismatic Bibliomania Society, for his kind words and reprinting parts of our post on the Scandalous Bohemian medals. Check out the issue here.… Continue Reading

January HolmeWork Assignment: The Sherlock Holmes Centennial Art Medal Collection

January HolmeWork Assignment: The Sherlock Holmes Centennial Art Medal Collection

  In the February 1986 issue of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, the 13th Garrideb, Peter E. Blau, published this nugget: The Newcastle Mint (6512 Belgrave, Garden Grove, CA 92645) has announced “The Sherlock Holmes 100 Year Commemorative Art Medal Collection” 72 art medals, 3 cm. in diameter, minted in pure gold on fine pewter ($20.00 each) or… Continue Reading

Harry S. Truman $1 Coin To Be Available February 5th

Harry S. Truman $1 Coin To Be Available February 5th

  On February 5, 2015, the United States Mint will release the Harry S. Truman Presidential Dollar for sale in bulk (25 coin rolls, 100 coin bags and 250 coin boxes). The coin, like all Presidential dollars issued since 2012, will not be released into general circulation. These coins will be struck at the Philadelphia… Continue Reading

Portrait of Britain 5 Pound Coins and Sherlock Holmes

Portrait of Britain 5 Pound Coins and Sherlock Holmes

“Have you dragged the basin of the Trafalgar Square fountain?” – The Adventure of The Noble Bachelor (NOBL) In 2014, the British Royal Mint issued a 4 coin set called Portrait of Britain honoring four historical sites – Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square and Big Ben. These £5 coins are .925 sterling silver and measures 38.6 mm… Continue Reading

The Scandalous Bohemians of New Jersey Medal

The Scandalous Bohemians of New Jersey Medal

“…the abode of bohemian bachelors.” – The Adventure of The Three Garridebs (3GAR) The Scandalous Bohemians of New Jersey had their charter meeting on February 28, 1969 with eight members in attendance.¹ They would later have a irregular newsletter, The Scandal Sheet. The above medal appears to have been made in 1971. This would make this… Continue Reading

Max Carrados – The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

Max Carrados – The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

“He had no rival?” – The Valley of Fear (VALL) Following up on Simon Monk’s post on the numismatic detective Max Carrados, we have a few related links and comments to share: On December 31, 2014, BBC Radio aired the first episode of The Rivals, a series where Inspector Lestrade works with other contemporary detectives and sleuths… Continue Reading