18th Century Coin Values

5 posts
I have been reading through the private papers of William Hunter as part of my research for my final year dissertation. Hunter was a physician and an avid coin collector, amassing a huge collection of coins over his lifetime. His papers include price lists of various coins that he had bought or considered buying. I'm going to list a few of them since I think it gives an fascinating insight into 18th century coin collecting.

James VII 10 Shilling coin: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces88220.html
Hunter's price: £1/4/6
current value: for 1687 F-£150 VF-£525 EF-£1,750

James VI 1582 40 Shilling coin: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces90323.html (like this but larger)
Hunter's price: £14/6/6
current value: F-£4,500 VF-£13,500

James II 4d, 3d and 2d: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces12947.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces13114.html
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces17877.html
Hunters price: 11d for all three of them

3 Commonwealth 2 pence coins: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces13056.html
Hunter's price: 2/1 for all three of them
current value: F-£40 VF-£125


I would have noted down more values but time was short and Hunter's handwriting (particularly the £sd values) was difficult to decipher.

William Hunter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hunter_(anatomist)
Has anyone ever seen anything like this before? It'd be interesting to compare old prices.
When I became co-referee for Canadian Colonial Tokens, I purchased "Illustrated History of Coins and Tokens relating to Canada" by P.N. Breton. My thinking being, I wouldn't be much of a referee if I didn't have the manual containing the reference #'s that are still in use today.

Little did I realize that my copy, published in 2005, is simply a reprint of the original which was first published in 1894. I was somewhat disappointed at first as my Charlton Catalogue contains all the pertinent technical data; weight, diameter, composition, etc.

But you know, this book has grown on me. It is simply fascinating when you think about it. A Rarity Index only, no grading to speak of other than a price range. Every coin hand illustrated, both obverse and reverse. And all during a time when the words "Word Processor" did not go together.

Fascinating!!!
It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble.  It's what you know for sure, that just ain't so.  Mark Twain
I've seen a catalogue of 1926 coin prices somewhere before, dunno where.
I've also read the Numismata Scotiæ which was published in 1786. Its fascinating to see how interpretations change. The book misidentifies several coins as belonging to monarchs that never issued coins. It also highlights the rivalries between Numismatists at the time. The author devotes the first page to mocking the illustrations in a slightly older work on Scottish coinage.

The currency of the Great War by Benjamin White is also worth a read. It was written in 1921 when the wounds of WWI were still fresh, this is evident in the way it is written.

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