Item 1973/2 - Four letters from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart and three letters from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt

7 items, paper

Four letters from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart and three letters from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt:
(a) letter from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from St George's Road, London SE1, on 6 October 1973, congratulating CEB on his receipt of an AMH [?] medal and noting how infrequently it has been awarded to English numismatists. He says that he has just returned from Dublin, where he picked up a copy of the MD [i.e. Michael Dolley] publication on Irish history in the 12th-14th centuries but wasn't able to understand much of it. He also asks CEB about "the irony of MD being unable to read his paper of Edgar's reform at the Michaelmas meeting in 1973".
(b) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 8 October 1973, thanking IS for his congratulations advice, commenting on Michael Dolley's Irish history and conceding that he had not appreciated the significance of the Michaelmas 1973.
(c) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 26 October 1973,
discussing arrangements for exhibits.
(d) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 28 October 1973, thanking IS for reminding him of two references. He expects trouble "with our friend" but feels fortified [by information that IS has passed to him]. He mentions that Lowick has found a kufic coin from the Cuerdale hoard, which encourages him to trace as many of these as he can and record them properly, noting that there are six in Liverpool.
(e) letter from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from St George's Road, London SE1, on 10 November 1973, expressing his support of CEB's suggestion for the exhibits. He reports finding "an Edward small ('blundered inscr.')" that reads +GODRCCONGEPIITI and asks CEB whether he would like to publish it along with his William I [in the BNJ]. He expresses interest in CEB's plans to record the kufic coins from Cuerdale. He also mentions seeing a Flanders sterling of Robert de Bethune with the Scottish type in CEB's [coin] trays and asks whether he may have a cast of the coin. He says that he collating material on the profile/mullet sterling imitations.
(f) letter from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from St George's Road, London SE1, on 21 December 1973, thanking CEB for "such a marvellous Christmas present ... [of] Count Robert's coin", which he says is so close to Bruce's that "it must have been directly inspired". IS also thanks CEB for a copy of his Cuerdale note, comments on the "marvellous run of coins still at Downham", and mentions John Brand's return home "after a painful time". He says that he has acquired "the little (centre of a) Rainalt hand/Karolus ex F.B." and offers to CEB if the type is not already represented in his collection.
(g) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, three pages on two folios (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 27 December 1973, thanking IS for sending the Seaby book with Whitton's articles and discussing some finer points about referencing a particular collection. He recounts the ongoing Christmas holiday at his house and says that he is "still having trouble with Michael [Dolley] over demonetisation". He notes that he is supposed to be reading at the BNS on the Bath hoard next month and plans to add discussion of the Kintbury hoard because it was found within six years of the other hoard and was closed within an even shorter interval. He says that he has now managed to identify some of the coins from Kintbury and has discovered that he even owns one of them.