A Scion Society of The Baker Street Irregulars
Numismatists Do Not Fear Change
“You will challenge him …” – The Sign of The Four (SIGN) During the past year, we have published several items about challenge coins being issued with a Sherlock Holmes theme. In this post we’ll share two challenge coins that have a borderline or fringe attachment to Sherlockiana. First, almost a year ago, Robert Downey, Jr.… Continue Reading
“… unless she is a most consummate actress …” – The Adventure of The Cardboard Box (CARD) Carol Dempster was a silent film actress who appeared in 19 movies between 1915 and 1926. All but one of her films were directed by D. W. Griffith, who she was romantically engaged with during the 1920’s. The other… Continue Reading
“… he took two tickets for the theatre …” – The Adventure of the Bruce Partington Plans (BRUC) Today was the day that the film Mr. Holmes opened in the United States and your faithful editor attended a matinee to view the film. I admit that I have not read Mitch Cullin’s A Slight Trick of the Mind, the… Continue Reading
“This fortress – built by nature for herself; This blessed plot, this Earth, this realm, this England!” – Sherlock Holmes and The Secret Weapon Phillip St. John Basil Rathbone was born on this date in 1892. To many Sherlockians, including your author, he is the personification of Sherlock Holmes. In this post, we will discuss… Continue Reading
“The stage lost a fine actor…” – A Scandal In Bohemia (SCAN) Sir Christopher Lee died, earlier this week, at the age of 93. Lee would be involved in 5 Holmesian films, playing 3 different characters. In the 1959 film, Hound of the Baskervilles, Lee would play Sir Henry Baskerville. Three years later, Lee would play… Continue Reading
“… the actor in some strange drama …” – The Adventure of the Yellow Stain (YELL) With the release of the most recent trailer for this summer’s upcoming Mr. Holmes film, it reminded us that we need to revisit Ian McKellen and discuss his decorations. We had earlier discussed the many coins that featured McKellen from his… Continue Reading
“If you have a fancy to see your name in the next honours list…” – The Adventures of the Bruce Partington Plans (BRUC) In the 1988 British comedy film Without a Clue, we have Michael Caine portraying Sherlock Holmes and Ben Kingsley as Dr. Watson. Noted film critic Roger Ebert offered up this review of the… Continue Reading
“And now, your Grace, I’ll trouble you for that cheque.” – The Adventure of the Priory School (PRIO) Check collecting is another aspect of numismatics for a few collectors. For Sherlockians, this field allows us to find checks from banks mentioned in stories from the Canon or from actors and actresses from the various dramatic… Continue Reading
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 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