Yorkshire Numismatic Society

Obituary - Michael Metcalf

Michael Metcalf

It is with great sadness that the Society learned of the death of YNS member Emeritus Professor David Michael Metcalf who died on 25 October 2018. Professor Metcalf was Keeper of the Heberden Coin Room in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford from 1963 and a Professorial Governing Body Fellow of Wolfson from 1982 to 1998 and an Emeritus Fellow from 1998 to 2018.

He was a prolific author and speaker in several numismatic fields including Anglo-Saxon coinage, where his seminal Thrymsas and Sceattas in the Ashmolean Museum Oxford (1993-4) remains a landmark publication, built on a then unparalleled corpus of finds, in a previously largely neglected field.

He was happy to speculate on various aspects of coinage in the hope that discussion would be stimulated, and better arguments would prevail. He gave encouragement and guidance to many collectors and students of numismatics and was a prolific correspondent, typically answering letters by return post.

He was characteristically mild-mannered and perceptive, handling difficult situations, such as Elizabeth Pirie’s deeply controversial arrangement of Northumbrian stycas, with great tact and sensitivity, though he was quite capable of taking a robust approach.

His passing represents a major loss to the world of numismatic and beyond.

More info at

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/nov/19/michael-metcalf-obituary?CMP=share_

Coinage in the Northumbrian Landscape and Economy

Coinage in the Northumbrian Landscape and Economy, c.575–c.867

Tony Abramson

Reviews

‘The data is detailed and comprehensive and its interpretation has the benefit of the author’s expert knowledge of the crucial numismatic material. … The sheer depth and breadth of the chronological and geographical analysis of relevant Northumbrian finds … provides a unique perspective on the role of money in the community at that time.’ Dr Stewart Lyon, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London

‘Abramson’s project offers a combination of scope and detail that is not easily paralleled in existing literature. … As a significant and thorough analysis of monetary production and circulation in the north of England, [it] represents a significant contribution to knowledge.’ Dr Rory Naismith, King’s College London

This book presents the author’s digitization of Pirie’s substantial yet flawed corpus of 9th-century Northumbrian ‘stycas’. This database, enhanced by data from elsewhere, is compared by location with the artefactual database known as VASLE (created at the University of York, 2008) to demonstrate that the co-occurrence of coins and portable artefacts defines monetary evolution in Northumbria. Additionally, the author presents a new periodization and reveals the previously disparaged gold shillings of York to have been issued by Bishop Paulinus, a disruptive finding chronologically, with wider consequences. Northumbria benefited increasingly, both monetarily and fiscally, as the face value of coins fell. Other conclusions include the idea that Northumbrian coin production was erratic; that the Yorkshire Wolds were more highly monetized than the surrounding lowlands, indicating a more enterprising culture; that styca hoards represent episcopal expropriations; and that there were significant changes in settlement and economy in the central lowlands. This work demonstrates that monetization reflected northern independence, innovation and enterprise.

BAR No: B641 | RSP: £49 / €73.50 / US$98 | ISBN: 9781407316536 | Language: English | 229 pages, Illustrated throughout in colour and black and white. 4 tables, 161 figures, 13 graphs, 9 maps, 23 illustrations (10 plates and 13 individual illustrations). With additional information online (databases and datasets).

https://www.barpublishing.com/coinage-in-the-northumbrian-landscape-and-economy-c.575c.867.html

Talk: Portraits of a Lady - The Cult and Iconography of the Goddess Nana.

This paper by Richard Fynes, explores the aspects of the cult of the asiatic goddess Nana, with an emphasis on the numismatic evidence.

The Picture shows the Central Asian goddess Nana (Ardokhsho) seated on her lion mount is likely the source for this small icon from Buddhist Afghanistan. Central and North Asia, 500–1000 A.D.

Date and Time

Fri 20 July 2018
14:30 – 15:30

Location

The Grandstand
York Racecourse
Tadcaster Road
York
YO23 1EX

The Yorkshire Numismatist Added to Newman Portal

The Yorkshire Numismatist Added to Newman Portal

The Yorkshire Numismatic Society (Leeds, UK) has contributed four volumes of the Yorkshire Numismatist for inclusion on Newman Portal. These volumes, periodically published since 1988, gather scholarly articles on ancient, medieval, and modern numismatics with an emphasis on Anglo-Saxon and English material. Volume 4 (2012), for example, contains an article by Adrian Marsden that discusses a hoard of 65 Anglo-Saxon sceattas, unearthed by a metal detectorist in 2010. Frey’s Dictionary (incorporated into the Newman Portal dictionary) provides context on the sceatttas: “Small thick silver coins, varying in weight from about seven to twenty grains, and the earliest productions of the Anglo-Saxon mint, dating from the fifth to the eighth century. They occur with both Runic and Roman inscriptions and on some the name of London may be read.” Marsden’s article catalogs and analyzes the varieties found and provides additional historical background. The Newman Portal is grateful to Yorkshire Numismatic Society president Tony Abramson for facilitating this contribution.

Link to the Yorkshire Numismatist on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/525351

Link to Newman Portal Dictionary: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/dictionary

Image: Sceattas from the Aldborough (Norfolk) hoard.

Small is Beautiful: Medallic Art in Victorian Britain

Small is Beautiful: Medallic Art in Victorian Britain

I am a committee member of the York & East Yorkshire Art Fund and am writing to make you aware of a fund raising event which may be of interest to your members.

Philip Attwood, Keeper of Coins and Medals at the British Museum will give a talk about Victorian commemorative medals, including the work of William Wyon, Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint and his great rival Petrucci.

The talk will take place at York Medical Society Rooms, Stonegate, York on Thursday 22 March at 14.00 and will be followed by afternoon tea, which is included in the ticket price of £20.

Full details can be found on the Art Fund website https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/events/2018/03/22/small-is-beautiful-medallic-art-in-victorian-britain

To book, please contact Lindsay Councell, tel. 01423 330388 or email her at blcouncell@btinternet.com

Kind regards,

Anne McLean

Funds raised will go to the Art Fund which supports museums and galleries by helping them to buy and display works of art. It also provides museums and curators with funding for acquisitions, training and development, and the display of art through tours and exhibitions.