1890 S MORGAN SILVER DOLLAR

Tiberius (AD 14-37). Denarius reverse die from the Lugdunum mint. Case-hardened bronze, with a silver denarius of Tiberius ("Tribute Penny" type) stuck in place, obverse showing. Overall dimensions: diameter: 31.5 mm, height 37 mm, weight 161.16 grams. In custom wood and glass presentation case.

From the Rubicon Collection. Ex Stack's Saint Ludovico Collection sale, 22 April 2009, originally from a European collection in Poule-les-Echarmaux, France.

While a number of forger's dies have survived from Roman times, only a handful of "official" coin dies are currently known to exist. French numismatists Jean-Baptist Giard and J. Lafaurie have surveyed surviving examples and determined that 12 coin dies can be confirmed as official mint products; interestingly, 11 of these are from the important imperial mint of Lugdunum (modern Lyon) in France. Six dies were unearthed in Auxerre in 1799, four of which are now in the Bibliotech Nationale coin cabinet; the other two reside at the Musee de la Monnaie in Paris. Four more were found in 1863 at Paray-le-Monial and also now reside in museums. One was found at Vertault; our specimen comes from an old collection in Poule-les-Echarmaux, in the same area. The die is of identical fabric and metal composition to the other known examples, confirming that it is an official die. The presence of a silver denarius in the obverse indicates that during the course of striking, a denarius became lodged in the reverse die and caused the striking of an indeterminate number of brockages (a mint error in which the obverse or reverse of a coin is repeated, in relief and incuse, on both sides of the coin). The flattening around the edges of the denarius indicates that a fair number of brockages were struck in this fashion, driving the coin ever deeper into the reverse die. When attempts to dislodge the coin failed (indicated by gouges before the portrait), the die was discarded and possibly secretly removed by a mint worker as a souvenir. Thus we have an exceedingly rare opportunity to acquire an official Roman coin die, while at the same time demonstrating how brockages were produced in ancient times! Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000. Sold for 23,000 Educational Use Only-From web member

The history of the Shirehampton mud-uppers dates back to at least the early 14th century when early records mention a group of families who claimed exclusive rights to the shellfish that were found along the banks of the Avon around Shirehampton in the mud between the high and low watermarks. The families appear to have joined together to jointly enforce their claimed rights and there are many records of rough justice being meted out to those unfortunate enough to have been found infringing them. It is believed that this is how nearby Hung Road came by its macabre name. The rights of the mud-uppers were formalised in 1689 by William of Orange in recognition of the assistance given to him by the mud –uppers on his journey from Brixham. This set down the rights by charter and used the term ”mud-upper” for the first time, presumably derived from the title of the keepers of the royal swans. An interesting footnote is that this charter inadvertently prohibited the use of machinery in harvesting the “bountie of the River Avon by theyre own hande” and even today, the traditions are upheld and the harvest continues manually. Another tradition from that time survives and the modern day mud-uppers will still happily dance the traditional Shirehampton mud jig for tourists and passers by in return for the traditional silver coin. Today’s mud-uppers are descended from the original families, the right passing from father to oldest son. An interesting development is that nowadays, instead of surviving on the meagre harvest of shellfish, the mud-uppers harvest the mud itself which they sell to exclusive health spas and beauty therapists around the world because of its reputed rejuvenative qualities. The traditional mud-upping ceremonies are performed on most Saturday mornings throughout the year and visitors are welcome to watch and learn about these quaint local customs. To find these ceremonies, take Station Road from the Portway and follow it to its end by the Lamplighters public house. Opposite, there is a historic cobbled slipway where the ceremonies are held

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