BANS Autumn Weekend 2008

The annual BANS Autumn Weekend was staged at the Lenton & Wortley hall of residence, part of the University of Nottingham campus, over the weekend of 5-7 September.

A total of 36 delegates from all over the British Isles, including several from the local Numismatic Society of Nottinghamshire, enjoyed eight lectures of a universally high calibre on a range of numismatic topics, impeccably organised by Joe Bispham with the valued assistance of Derek Noakes. It made for a relaxed and convivial weekend that was enjoyed by all.

Four of the speakers had not previously addressed an Autumn Weekend, one of whom was Megan Gooch, the newest member of the British Museum Coin & Medal Department. Ms Gooch opened proceedings on Friday evening with a lively exposé of Vikings and their hoards. Saturday began with Dr Mike Saxby, from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham, speaking to ‘With neither Sword nor Spear', while Alan Dawson looked at the background to the discovery of the Tealby hoard in 1807 and gave a short resumé of Henry II's first coinage.

This year's Royal Mint lecturer was BANS Vice-President Kevin Clancy, who gave us a masterly, amusing and extremely topical insight into the necessarily lengthy process behind the introduction of the new reverse designs introduced earlier this year; a process that was begun in 2004 over an agreeable dinner at Beoty's, the London restaurant favoured by several leading numismatists. After dinner on Saturday Philip Mernick exposed the audience to the detailed lead finery of Billies and Charleys (or the Shadwell Sham as he aptly referred to it). Sunday commenced with a masterly overview by Dr Christopher Challis of the influence of the merchant adventurer Stephen Vaughan on Henry VIII's great debasement, while Graham Dyer and Derek Noakes took us to the break with the story behind the lead-up to the 1951 Festival of Britain crown, beginning with the 1950 double-florin trial pieces inspired by Donald Wardley and covering the story of the tribulations in supplying enough crowns for sale at the Mint's pavilion at the Festival in great depth. We finished as we started with another speaker from the British Museum, this time Richard Kelleher, who gave a speedy overview of the different types and quantities of medieval coins recovered from spoil excavated from the Vintry, on the north Thames foreshore.

The Weekend enjoyed financial support from the Royal Mint, the Royal Numismatic Society, Baldwins, Dix Noonan Webb and Spink.