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It was often said if you took all the pieces of the true cross from around the med and you could build a boat out of them

Dead right Paddy. Anything for a quick buck.

I have recently acquired x3 "True Cross" Terracotta Pilgrim Tokens. They are reported to have been commissioned by Emperor Heraclius to commemorate the recovery of the True Cross from the Persians in C630 AD. It has been reported that a small piece of the True Cross was cut off and burnt, and the ash mixed with the Clay. Although this could be a good selling pitch at the time?? The two figures beneath the Cross are supposed to be Constantine and his Mother Helena. Other reports state they are Peter & Paul? The backs are plain. One is 18mm Dia. The other two are 15mm. The two smaller pieces both have an X over both arms of the Cross. All in VGC

Very interesting items! Not something I would collect, but definitely intriguing. I suspect when they were made unscrupulous dealers were rooking credulous pilgrims. Nothing has really changed!

Im pleased to own one of the few that was made in London for 1882! Taken from the RM website: In 1810, we left the Tower of London and moved to a new purpose-built facility at nearby Tower Hill which could better accommodate steam-powered machinery. Eight massive presses stood in the Coining Press Room, each capable of striking about 60 coins a minute. In the 1880s, the factory buildings were reconstructed and smaller, faster and quieter machines replaced the presses. At the turn of the twentieth century, steam power gave way to electrification and master tools were increasingly produced using reducing machines. Instead of engraving by hand, at size in steel, an artist could prepare a larger plaster model. A mould was then taken and electroplated with nickel and copper, yielding a reproduction known as an electrotype that could be mounted on an engraving machine and scanned. These movements were communicated to a rotating cutter, which copied them at coin size into a block of steel.

Nerd indeed! You are paying for the beer Rob. I must admit talking about the die varieties of the 1887 sixpence has often put grandchildren to sleep. There are many unique pieces in the collection including varieties of the 14 pearl sovereign, some patterns by Lauer, and J R Thomas. Plenty of proof varieties that just are not listed anywhere and so many crowns with different rim sizes. OK I will accept slightly off the spectrum but that is what research is all about. This one is unlisted