Numismatic Society of Ireland
Northern Branch
Est. 1963
Exploring Two and a Half Millennia of World and Irish Coinages
PROGRAMME 2026-27
ABSTRACTS
4th September 2026
REVISITING IRELAND'S CLIPPED COINAGE
Dr Alexey Shitvov
The Numismatic Society of Ireland Northern Branch
Coinage abuse by clipping is not peculiar to Ireland and can be found in many places and historical periods. Nonetheless, there is a compact group of so-called sheared and double-sheared hammered coins predominantly found in Ireland, notably, by metal-detectorists. First singled out by Michael Dolley and Wilfred Seaby, both the founding members of the Society, since 1967 sheared groats, commonly and carelessly referred to as ‘O’Reilly’s money’, have not been studied in great detail. In this talk, we will revisit popular conjectures and recent finds that may shed new light on this obscure topic in Irish numismatics.
2nd October 2026
TEN CENTURIES - TEN COINS
Desmond Rainey
The Numismatic Society of Ireland Northern Branch
This is a selection of ten British coins commencing with a hammered penny of William the Conqueror and ending with an Edward VII florin featuring the iconic figure of the standing Britannia. In between are examples of coins from the reigns of monarchs such as Edward III, Henry VIII, Charles I and Queen Victoria, to name but a few - one coin spanning each century from the 11th to the 20th.
THE ROMAN OCCUPATION OF BRITAIN: SOME EMPERORS AND SOME COINS
Randal Scott
The Numismatic Society of Ireland Northern Branch
The Roman invasion of Britain by the emperor Claudius in 43AD heralded the beginning of Britain as a Roman province. This presentation will consider 250 years or so of Roman occupation, looking at some of the emperors who intervened in British affairs. Coins and maps are used for illustration. Emperors range from Nero and the Boudician revolt through to the end of the third century and the breakaway of Britain from the Roman Empire by Carausius. This usurpation was brought to an end by the reforming emperor Diocletian, bringing Britain back unto the Empire - until its eventual fall.
6th November 2026
THE INCUSE COINAGE OF SOUTHERN ITALY
Keith Mawhinney
The Numismatic Society of Ireland Northern Branch
In the mid-sixth century BC, the Achaian cities of southern Italy began striking coinage unlike anything else in the Greek world: broad, thin flans bearing a relief obverse paired with a matching incuse reverse. The technique appears fully formed, without evolutionary precursors, and vanishes by c. 440 BC. This presentation examines the phenomenon mint by mint, tests the traditional explanations for the technique against the numismatic evidence, and presents new research on border types that suggests the shared fabric may be explained as statement of regional identity.
8th January 2027
RECORDED SPECIMENS AND TREASURE: NMNI’S ROLE IN RECORDING COINS FOUND BY THE PUBLIC
Philip Macdonald
Archaeological Finds Officer
National Museums Northern Ireland
The role of National Museums NI in recording archaeological artefacts and coins found by members of the public and co-ordinating the treasure process on behalf of the Coroners Service of Northern Ireland will be explored. The legal context, its impact upon the relationship between metal detectorists and archaeologists, and the case for reform of the current arrangements will be considered. The talk will conclude with a review of some important and recent coin hoards discovered in Northern Ireland.
5th February 2027
ITUREAN COINAGE IN CONTEXT
Dr Nicholas L. Wright
The Numismatic Society of Ireland Northern Branch
In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the Ituraeans of what is now Lebanon were famous as highland bandits, rebels and brigands. However, the outward expression of Ituraean culture as seen through their coinage (produced between 73 and 20 BC), presents a picture which contrasts with the written history: Hellenisation rather than barbarism, and legitimate rule rather than insurrection. This talk will explore the imagery employed on Ituraean coinage in its political and cultural context and demonstrate that the Ituraeans prized their political autonomy above all else and saw themselves to be the legitimate successors of the Seleukid state.
BANKNOTE OVERPRINTS: HISTORY WRITTEN ON MONEY
Dr Stephen Seawright
The Numismatic Society of Ireland Northern Branch
TBC
5th March 2027
“THE MAGPIE, THE SQUIRREL, THE SHEER JOY OF THE CHASE” - THE COLLECTOR OF MEDALS (AND COINS) GOES ABOUT HIS BUSINESS
Dr Ian d’Alton
Trinity College Dublin
This paper explores the psychology, practice and social dimensions of collecting, using the author's own experience as a collector of coins and French art medals as its central thread. It examines why people collect, drawing on psychological and cultural theories linking collecting to pleasure, curiosity, identity, knowledge, social interaction, competition, historical connection and the desire to impose order on a complex world. It distinguishes systematic collecting from obsessive hoarding, and considers the tension between the apparent pointlessness of accumulating objects and the meaning collectors invest in them.
Tracing his own path from a childhood George IV farthing to collecting art medals of the Société des Amis de la Médaille Française (SAMF), the author uses this journey to frame five stages of collecting: identification, acquisition, ordering and taxonomy, display, and disposal, illustrated by the author's journey through the world of the art medal.
The paper also considers collecting's intellectual and communal dimensions: how study can turn possession into scholarship, and enthusiasm into a kind of "evangelism" promoting an art form and recruiting new collectors and artists. Organisations such as the SAMF and the British Art Medal Society (the author is a Council member) show the value of combining collecting with scholarship, artistic production and community.
Collecting emerges not as mere accumulation but as a complex activity involving memory, identity, knowledge, pleasure, passion and social connection. Individual collectors may begin as "magpies" or "squirrels" chasing the thrill of pursuit, but their shared enthusiasm can build communities that give small, esoteric objects wider cultural significance.
4th June 2027
THE NUMISMATIC LITERATURE IN THE EDWARD WORTH LIBRARY, DUBLIN
David Dunlop
The Numismatic Society of Ireland Northern Branch
Dr Edward Worth (1676-1733) bequeathed his medical library to Dr Steevens' Hospital, Dublin, even making provision for its shelving and cataloguing. Today, almost three hundred years later, it remains, more or less, as he intended. It is reckoned to be the best collection of early modern bookbindings in Ireland. Perhaps surprisingly, it contains a significant percentage of numismatic literature. In this talk we sketch the outline of his life and his bequest. We compare the numismatic literature, bindings and annotations with the details of his life to build a picture of the individual and his numismatic interests in the Ireland of his day (including the William Wood's coinage crisis of the 1720s). We conclude by looking at the project which has established the extent of the numismatic literature in the library and examine how 'numismatic literature' is defined in the latest standard reference work of 16th to 18th century numismatic literature.