A Scion Society of The Baker Street Irregulars
Numismatists Do Not Fear Change
“… after his African experiences …” – The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier (BLAN) Sometime in 2017, the west African nation of Ghana contracted the German company of MCI Internationale Munzhandelsgesellschaft mbH (aka MCI Mint) to strike a 2 Cedis coin for sale to collectors. To date, it has been poorly marketed. OBVERSE: … Continue Reading
“You are an early bird …” – The Valley of Fear (VALL) In 1982, two professors at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — Fred Saules and Frank Vacante — organized a group of 18 Sherlockians to form a new BSI scion, Boss McGinty’s Bird Watchers. The group takes its name from the final Sherlock Holmes novel, The… Continue Reading
“Which was it – Afghanistan or Iraq?” – A Study In Pink When the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) premiered their new series of Sherlock in July of 2010, devoted Sherlockians watched to see how the writers would take items from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes stories and update these items to the modern… Continue Reading
“I had observed some newspaper comment at the time, but I was exceedingly preoccupied by that little affair of the Vatican cameos, and in my anxiety to oblige the Pope I lost touch with several interesting English cases.” – The Hound of the Baskervilles (HOUN) In The Hound of the Baskervilles, there is the tantalizing reference… Continue Reading
“Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!” – The Hound of the Baskervilles (HOUN) On May 13, 1997, Great Britain issued a four stamp series with the theme of Tales of Terror. The four stamps features designs of the Hound of the Baskervilles, Dracula, Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Many… Continue Reading
“Somewhere in the vaults of the bank of Cox and Co., at Charing Cross, there is a travel-worn and battered tin dispatch-box with my name, John H. Watson, MD, Late Indian Army, painted upon the lid.” – The Problem of Thor Bridge (THOR) Watson’s Tin Box, a BSI scion that meets in Columbia, Maryland, shares… 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) The canon references a variety of coins and their nicknames, common enough for the Victorian reader, but quite confusing for those in the twenty-first century. Even more perplexing was the… Continue Reading
“I had brought a pack of cards in my pocket …” – The Adventure of the Red-Headed League (REDH) In 2014, noted playing card designer Jackson Robinson came out with a card deck honoring The Hound of the Baskervilles. The cards sold out fairly quickly, but still can be found for sale on several of… Continue Reading
“… besides being an incomparable actor.” – A Study in Scarlet (STUD) On February 12, 1972, the American Broadcasting Company televised a new version of The Hound of The Baskervilles, starring Stewart Granger as Sherlock Holmes and Bernard Fox as Doctor Watson. This was the first version to be filmed in color in the United States. The… Continue Reading
“Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!” – The Hound of the Baskervilles (HOUN) In 2007, the Cook Islands contracted with the Perth Mint of Australia to produce a set of four 1 ounce .999 silver $2 coins. All four coins featured color vignettes from the 1979 – 1986… Continue Reading