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The Secret Life of Isaac Newton…
English mathematician, astronomer, and physicist, Sir Isaac Newton is one of the most famous scientists of all time. He is renowned for producing the single most influential book on physics ever written, The Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, but not many people know that discovering why apples fell from trees and changing the way we understand the universe were not the only problems he dealt with…
Newton and the Counterfeiter
The Tower of London – Home of The Royal Mint for 500 years. From 1279 – 1812.
In 1695, The Royal Mint discovered that a large number of the UK’s circulating coins were fake. In fact, 10% of England’s coinage was known to be phony. Unable to keep up with the increasing intelligent counterfeiting methods they turned to England’s ‘brightest mind’ for help.
Sir Isaac Newton was appointed warden of The Royal Mint, with a sole purpose of enforcing laws against counterfeiting.
Most counterfeits were easy targets for Newton, but one man in particular kept eluding his grasp – William Chaloner.
Chaloner was a nail maker by trade but found a more worthwhile application for molten metals. The counterfeiter’s self-made wealth enabled him to pose in a way that matched his intellect.
Newton wanted nothing more than to finish Chaloner. He went into full detective-mode.
Newton undercover
Sir Isaac Newton
Newton constructed a strong case, using his network of informants and spies around London in a systematic way to form a complete representation of Chaloner’s actions. He even went undercover himself to obtain evidence from witnesses at pubs around the city. By the time the trial came, he had gathered eight witnesses.
The treason charge stuck – on March 3rd 1699, William Chaloner was sentenced to hang.
Later that year, Newton was made the Master of the Mint, a position he would hold until his death in 1727.
Master of the Mint
Newton took up his duties with effect from Christmas Day 1699. Immediately his active involvement in the affairs of The Royal Mint became undoubtable, he took the role very seriously before retiring from his duties at Cambridge in 1701.
He survived the political upheavals of those distressing times and in 1705 he was knighted by Queen Anne, making him just the second scientist ever to be knighted.
The first gold standard
During his role as Master of the Mint, Sir Isaac Newton wrote a report to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury, as a result the relationship between gold and silver coins was forever changed by Royal proclamation at the end of 1717. It forbid the exchange of gold Guineas for more than 21 silver shillings. This meant that silver coins were being used to pay for imports, subsequently Britain saw a silver shortage – effectively moving the country from the silver standard to its first gold standard.
His Legacy to our coinage
The UK Sir Isaac Newton 50p
As a result of Newton’s vision, coins struck by The Royal Mint remain unrivalled in their accuracy and purity. He helped to make Britain’s currency one of the most respected and admired in the world. As one of the most famous figures to ever hold the role of Master of the Mint and author of the single most influential book on physics ever written it is entirely appropriate he is celebrated on a UK coin.
If you’re interested…
A brand new UK 50p coin has just been issued by The Royal Mint to commemorate the 375th anniversary of Sir Isaac Newton’s birth and his outstanding legacy.
You can own one today.
All 9 Red Arrow pilots put their names to the ultimate Silver tribute…and we’ve just presented it to them!
Today, we had the honour of meeting all 9 Red Arrows pilots at the Bournemouth Air Festival to present them with a very special gift…
Red Arrows with the official 2017 Red Arrows Display Season Medals
Karen & Alex had the pleasure of personally presenting them with a 5oz of Pure Silver commemorative medal featuring each of their 9 signatures carefully engraved onto it.
The Official 2017 Red Arrows Signature 5oz Silver Medal
Officially licensed and approved by the Royal Air Force and the team who helped us create this superb piece, just 450 have been issued worldwide and we reserved issue number 1 of 450 of these pieces to present to them today (and, so they didn’t have to share, we also presented them with a Red Arrows 2017 Display Season Medal each).
Each signature on the 5oz Silver Medal is meticulously engraved above their team number. Then to complete the piece, each member’s iconic Hawk jet with the RAF roundel at the centre is highlighted in vivid colour, surrounded by an altimeter inspired pattern – the most fitting piece to present to the Reds today. (Details below on how you can own one.)
It’s not the first time The Westminster Collection has had the chance to chat to one of the Red Arrows – in fact you can find out if being a Red Arrow is just like being in Top Gun straight from Red 9 himself in our previous blog here >>
The Official 2017 Red Arrows Signature 5oz Silver Medal
You have the opportunity to own the official Red Arrows Signature 5oz Silver Medal. This is a rare chance to own an item so closely and personally linked to the Red Arrows themselves and we only have a few remaining so you’ll have to act quickly to secure yours. Click here for more information and to order yours now >>
Will these coins bring you luck?
Do you believe in luck? Have you ever owned an item you consider lucky, such as a piece of clothing or perhaps a coin?
Money in general has been considered a source of luck for hundreds of years, such as the lucky penny or the action of throwing money into a fountain to bring fortune. Now let me tell you about a very special ‘lucky’ coin.
The 20 Francs Gold Lucky Angel Coin
The Lucky Angel Coin is one of the most impressive and desirable of all European gold coins, not only due to its beautiful design, but because it is thought to bring such great luck.
The Design:
- The angel depicted on the obverse represents the Spirit of France and is shown writing the French Constitution.
- A rooster appears next to the angel as a symbol of vigilance.
- Behind the angel stands the fasces – previously carried by Roman magistrates as a representation of power.
- On top of this is the Cap of Liberty.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Legend has it that an earlier version of this coin accompanied Napoleon in his rise to power in France and on each heroic campaign, until he arrogantly flung his coin into the river… on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, in which he was defeated and ended his rule as the French Emperor!
This coin was then re-created during the French Revolution and Augustin Dupré was commissioned by King Louis XVI to design it. He was a firm believer in the power of guardian angels and incorporated this theme into his design.
Years later he fell out of favour with the king and was condemned to death. Dupré claimed that the Angel coin saved him from the guillotine because he had it in his pocket. He said a quick prayer as he knelt beneath the deadly blade and rubbed his coin for good luck. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck nearby, causing a panic and halting his execution! Before it could be rescheduled, Dupré was granted a pardon, his life saved.
From that moment on it became known as the ‘Angel Coin’ and many stories were told of the wonders of the coin.
Fishermen never went to sea without it, WWI French pilots never flew without it.
Even pilots from Britain and the United States carried the French coins into battle with them. US pilots continued to put their faith in the coin’s protective powers during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
In fact, the legend of these coins carried such weight that Hermann Goering, the engineer of Hitler’s evil vision, ordered his soldiers to round them up and had them buried in a location that has never been discovered.
The legend continues.
To this day, many pilots, rescue and police heroes proclaim the Angel’s power of luck and protection.
Some blame the coin’s remarkable good fortune on coincidence, others luck, and others a reward for faith. Who knows what these coins actually do, but their legend in itself is enough to want to own one!
If you’re interested…
You have the unique chance to own the world’s luckiest coin… will you be lucky enough to secure one? Click here to find out more