The Heaton Mint

[mrbadexample]

Hello. 

A thread I've been thinking about for a while. 

I recently finished reading James O. Sweeny's "A Numismatic History of the Birmingham Mint". A fascinating read; they produced a lot more world coinage than I was aware of. Some of it was mint-marked, some was not. They used a number of different mint marks.

Icknield Street, the site of their mint in Birmingham, is less than 10 miles from where I live so there's a bit of local interest for me too.

I would like, in this thread, to collect examples of the various coins produced by, and differing mint marks used by, Ralph Heaton and Sons. I'll start with probably the most well known: a Heaton penny, mint mark H.

Lets see what you've got...
Cheers,
MBE

[mrbadexample]

Penny token, Annand Smith & Co, Melbourne, Australia. The first and only use of the mint mark H&S for Heaton & Sons.

[mrbadexample]

Before I had the above token in hand I hadn't noticed the misplaced S under the mintmark.

Mal, I'm guessing you might be more familiar with these than me? Can you tell me if that is common to all?

[mrbadexample]

Penny token, Annand Smith & Co, Melbourne, Australia. The first and only use of the mint mark H&S for Heaton & Sons.

Correction: the first and only use of the H&S mintmark was on these and the similar Iredale tokens.

Earlier issues of the Annand Smith & Co. tokens were produced at Matthew Boulton's Soho mint in 1849 (15 400), followed by a further 30 103 sent in January 1850. These do not bear a mintmark. Ralph Heaton purchased the Soho mint equipment later that year. His issues used the reverse dies from the 1806/7 Soho pennies, with the word SOHO replaced by the mintmark. The token shown would likely have been minted in 1850 or 1851; the first order completed by Heatons, and the first to bear their mark.

[malj1]

I shall look up the Heaton & Son mintmark in my books later today.

[capnbirdseye]

I probably have a number of foreign coins struck at Heatons,  I have several Singapore type Merchants tokens & I've seen references to various other coins struck there but without viewing a list I'm not sure what I have.

Icknield street is close to me also as I live near Redditch

[capnbirdseye]

Look at these amazing photo's of the newly abandoned mint with coins scattered everywhere    here


Right at the bottom of the thread there are more links to other threads with photo's

[malj1]

I would love to have had a poke through that lot, I am sure there are more than few of great interest even if they are only rejects. 

[capnbirdseye]

I would love to have had a poke through that lot, I am sure there are more than few of great interest even if they are only rejects. 

What appears to have been order or accounts books would be of great interest, I wonder who now has those?

[malj1]

The books I mentioned were not of any great help, however I have scanned the relevant paragraph [OCR] about H&S from Dr Andrews famous work Australasian Tokens & Coins publ. 1921

Quote:
Heaton and Sons, the well-known firm, engaged in the production of the British bronze issue with many other Imperial and Colonial pieces, were responsible for some of the best designed and executed Australasian Tokens. Their Mint mark, a minute H&S, only appears twice in the whole series. In both cases it is to be found beneath the shield of Britannia. It is on one variety of each issuer only, viz., the Annand, Smith & Co. penny with twelve leaves on the olive branch (No. 18), and Iredale & Co. (No. 291). The figure of Britannia on the second variety of Annand, Smith & Cp. is so similar that there can be no doubt of a common origin. Then, reverting to the Iredale series, the obverses of the eight varieties are so uniform that they may unhesitatingly be ascribed to the same press, and thus enable us to identify the source of the design of the reverses. Though, as mentioned above, No. 291 has Britannia on the reverse, the other seven Iredale pieces have what is generally described as a “ standing figure of Justice, blindfolded, with scales borne by the right hand, while the left rests on the upturned point of a cornucopia, with sea and a ship in the background.’ ’ This reverse does not occur on any piece bearing a medallist’s name, nor with any obverse known to belong to another maker. Therefore, all issues having this reverse are now ascribed to this firm, an opinion strongly supported by a careful examination of the workmanship and general characteristics of the pieces. It appears on the issues of sixteen firms or individuals, viz. .—Battle and Weight, James Campbell, Smith, Peate & Co., and Weight and Johnson, of New South Wales; Moubray, Lush & Co., R. Parker, W. Bateman (junr.), and W. Jamieson & Co., of Victoria; R. A. Mather, of Hobart; John Martin, Martin and Sach, and Alfred Taylor, of South Australia; T. H..Jones, of Queensland; H. Ashton (pence, 1862-3), J. W. Merrington, and D. Anderson, of New Zealand.

And from eBay an image of the Iredale token, this doesn't appear to have the S doubled this time but unable to be sure.

[Figleaf]

Got to the Icknield street site too late. Everything was boarded up. Tried to find the Soho manufacture site and failed. Makes sense, as it is now used for housing. However, there is an episode of the BBC series "Time Team", where they do a dig and actually find the remains of the Soho manufacture (series 4, episode 3). FWIW, the closest address today is 11 Saint Michael's Hill, Birmingham.

Peter

[malj1]

Annand Smith & Co, Melbourne, Australia token also from eBay

I am unable to see if the S is doubled on this one but I don't believe it is.

[mrbadexample]

I think I've seen another similar double S on eBay - the most expensive one, but again difficult to be sure
I'd have another look but am currently struggling with some fairly dodgy hotel WiFi.

[Figleaf]

Advice from an experienced hotel guest: work in the lobby. That's always where the WiFi is best and the coffee near at hand.

Peter

[mrbadexample]

I probably have a number of foreign coins struck at Heatons,  I have several Singapore type Merchants tokens & I've seen references to various other coins struck there but without viewing a list I'm not sure what I have.

Icknield street is close to me also as I live near Redditch

Thanks, I'll see if I can compile a list of some sort.