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A Scion Society of The Baker Street Irregulars
Numismatists Do Not Fear Change
“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
“… possible actors in this drama…” – The Adventure of The Second Stain (SECO) For 100 years, Charlie Chaplin has been appearing on various tokens, medals and coins to promote his movies and to honor his legacy. Unfortunately, none honor his role as Billy the page from Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes play. In this post, we’ll take a… 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
” … put your trousers on.” – A Scandal in Belgravia The British Royal Mint has announced the second of their two-ounce silver £100 coins being sold for face value. The 2015 issue in the series features Buckingham Palace. While Buckingham Palace was never mentioned in any of the 60 stories from The Canon, it did feature… Continue Reading
Is it possible for you to own a numismatic library without owning a numismatic reference? Yes, and it’s no mystery how; literature abounds with plots featuring coins, especially in detective stories. So many money-themed Sherlock Holmes tales fill the canon that Holmes-reading numismatists recently formed a club, The Fourth Garrideb. Raymond… Continue Reading
“Several discs of metal – old coins apparently – such as I hold here …” – The Adventure of The Musgrave Ritual (MUSG) For the student of Victoriana one of the most confusing aspects to be sorted out is the money of that era. What is a guinea? How does a sovereign relate to a… Continue Reading