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A Scion Society of The Baker Street Irregulars
Numismatists Do Not Fear Change
“He unfolded it, and disclosed a golden pince-nez …” – The Adventure of The Golden Pince-Nez (GOLD) Your editor freely admits he never heard the term “pince-nez” until he read the Sherlock Holmes Canon. The term “spectacles” was the wording I had always heard used to describe this style of eyewear. Probably the first “person” I… Continue Reading
“… a space not larger than a sixpence.” – The Problem of Thor Bridge (THOR) We recently reprinted the article More Mysterious Money Matters by John Hall. That article refers to the March 11, 1946 Mutual Broadcasting System’s broadcast of The Adventure of the Living Doll, part of the New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. During the story, a dying… Continue Reading
“You shall not have a farthing from me …” – The Adventure of The Beryl Coronet (BERY) I have been following the various contributions on British coinage in your recent issues and felt that you would, perhaps, find the following useful: The 1/8 of a penny copper coin referred to by Len Haffenden is probably… Continue Reading
“… as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be.” – A Study In Scarlet (STUD) Our Sherlockian friend, Len Haffenden, kindly took the time to comment on the articles which we ran in previous issues of The Sherlockian Times about British monies. Mr. Haffenden, currently a… Continue Reading
“Three bob and a tanner for tickets.” – The Sign of The Four (SIGN) In response to our previous discourse concerning the intricacies of Victorian currency (“So, how much is a Quid, a Crown, and a Bob?; The Sherlockian Times: Fall 1993) we received a welcomed epistle from that most erudite Northern Musgraver Mr. John Hall… Continue Reading
“Give up a hundred thousand quid?” – The Adventure of The Mazarin Stone (MAZA) We, as modern American readers, have always had some problem in translating the British monetary system of the Victorian era into something more tangible, such as purchasing power. One who is not completely familiar with the monetary system of the time… Continue Reading
“A sovereign if the lid comes off in a minute!“ – The Adventure of Lady Frances Carfax (LADY) Many Sherlockians covet a gold sovereign for their collections of Sherlockiana. Our group, The Fourth Garrideb, used the design of a gold sovereign as the reverse of our first club medal. The British Royal Mint has just… Continue Reading
“Since I ran down that coiner by the zinc and copper filings in the seam of his cuff …” – The Adventures of Shoscombe Old Place (SHOS) From the Topics Of The Times column from the December 19, 1930 issue of The New York Times. Taking Their Dust Master minds in detective fiction have long been able… Continue Reading
” … You should add this …” – The Adventure of The Musgrave Ritual (MUSG) It’s surprising to realize that it has been nearly 45 years since Great Britain switched over to a decimalized coinage. If you saw the figure 7s3d and wanted to add 4s11d, would you know how to add those two numbers?… Continue Reading
“… for he can speak several languages …” – The Adventure of The Musgrave Ritual (MUSG) The names of British coins are largely derived from the many ethnic groups that have invaded and colonized Britain down the centuries. In fact, the nomenclature of British money actually forms a mini-history of Britain. PENCE: In the 6th century,… Continue Reading