A Scion Society of The Baker Street Irregulars
Numismatists Do Not Fear Change
“What do you think of such a commission as that?” – The Advenuture of the Engineer’s Thumb (ENGR) A rather famous Sherlockian (more noted for his previous career) was recently appointed to fill a vacancy on the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). From the U.S.Mint’s January 19, 2017 press release: The United States Mint is pleased… Continue Reading
“More puzzled than ever…” – The Adventure of The Empty House (EMPT) The title of this post is slightly misleading. The coin I am about to write about has been listed in the Standard Catalog of World Coins for several years, having been assigned the catalog number of KM-574. But this particular coin was not mentioned… Continue Reading
“I went boldly up to the house …” – A Study In Scarlet (STUD) “To boldly go where no man has gone before …” – Star Trek For nearly 50 years, there has been a strong connection between Sherlock Holmes and the various incarnations of Star Trek. Many Sherlockians are also members of the… Continue Reading
“… relics of the French Emperor.” – The Adventure of the Six Napoleons (SIXN) It seems only appropriate that we discuss the numismatic items featuring Napoleon Bonaparte as we celebrate all things Six Napoleons this month. Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica on August 15, 1769. An artillery officer in the French army at the outbreak… Continue Reading
“… looking as delighted as a child with a new toy.” – A Study in Scarlet (STUD) The government of the Cook Islands announced in late July that they would be striking two coins to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Detective Conan. In 1994, a Japanese detective manga series called Detective Conan was launched and since that time over… Continue Reading
“… such a dear, kind old clergyman.” – A Scandal in Bohemia (SCAN) In the November 1989 edition of Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press, Peter E. Blau published this nugget: Jan. 6 (appropriately) will be the publication date of Ben Wood’s new THE PHILATELIC & NUMISMATIC HOLMES (40 pp., $5.00 postpaid pre-publication and $6.00 afterward). The following month, Blau would… Continue Reading
“Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!” – The Hound of the Baskervilles (HOUN) Since we having recently been talking about a mystery involving a giant hound, let’s turn our focus onto a giant hound that helps solves mysteries. In 1969, the animation studios of Hanna-Barbera produced the first episodes of Scooby-Doo,… 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
“… the derelict Marie Celeste …” – J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement Almost four years before the name Sherlock Holmes was seen in print, Arthur Conan Doyle had published J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement in the January 1884 issue of The Cornhill Magazine. Doyle was one of the first to publish a fictionalized version of the mystery of the ship Mary Celeste, which… 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