Item 1971/2 - Two letters from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart and three letters from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt

5 items, paper

One letter 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 7 July 1971, thanking CEB for some sale catalogues and commenting on an enjoyable weekend. In a postscript, he says that CEB's gift has made him owner of a Grantley catalogue, which had enabled him to see that his coin of Offa is not Grantley 822 as he had thought but a die-duplicate.
(b) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio, dated 12 July 1971, wondering whether IS's supposed die-duplicate of the Offa coin (= Grantley 822) may be the one he saw at Baldwin's in 1957, which later came into "the collection of a man called C.A. Childers of Sheltisham" [?], who he says sold some of his coins. He notes that it doe-links with other coins, including one that Lawrence described as coming from false dies, but CEB regards IS's example as genuine and says that it is a very nice addition to his collection. CEB says that he has written [Patrick] Finn [at Spink] about an Athelstan coin and there follows discussion of the price being asked for it. He says that there is no word from Michael [Dolley] since 6 June, despite having sent him letters that call for an answer, and asks IS to let him know if he hears anything.
(c) letter from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt, manuscript, two folios (recto & verso), dated from St George's Road, London SE1, on 18 July 1971, enclosing a paper for BNJ vol. 40, which he thinks will be his only contribution. He says that CEB's information adds to what he knows about the Offa coin, noting that that "the Lawrence 'forgery' was new to [him]". He asks about Metcalf's reference to the "Astronomer 84" coin, noting that "it could be RCL 347 ex PCB or BMC 9". He refers to an enclosure the notes "Ealred coins by dies" and, in closing, is "glad to hear that MD is communicado again". There is a lengthy postscript, occupying the better part of one full folio, that deals with "WJA's Reading theories about the Stefanus R die" – in reference to W.J. Andrew (1859-1934), who was writing 1903-1934 and published several articles touching upon the coinage of Stephen during that time – and IS's preparations of the illustrations and references for his Stefanus R article in the Numismatic Chronicle. The attached note, in manuscript in pencil, is entitled "Offa's coins of Ealred", undated, with diagrams that show or suggest the progression of four obverse and five reverse types.
(d) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio, dated 4 August 1971, thanking IS for his paper at the BNS. He
says that, according to his notes, "Astronomer 84 = PWCB 1602 = Lockett 347, now Ashmolean". The Astronmer sale, he adds, was in 1906. He warns IS about "a nasty forgery floating around if Alfred BMC IX moneyer Ælfstan", promises to make arrangements for a cast to be made of his X/IX mule at the British Museum and encloses his copy of the Dolley-Goddard paper in PRIA [i.e. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy], which IS had asked to borrow. He also says that he "got the two Athelstans" and, in a postscript, notes that "correspondence with Ireland still strangely one-sided".
(e) letter from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from St George's Road, London SE1, on 8 August 1971, enclosing "the Bristol plate with [his] ideas about sub-calasses pencilled in". He also thanks CEB for the information about Astronomer and the Alfred forgeries, and for arranging the cast of his mule at the BM. He asks to keep the PRIA paper for a little while, notes that he has sent MD [i.e. Michael Dolley] a draft on Hiberno-Norse for comment and wonders when he will hear from him. He expresses his disappointment that his paper for the BNJ on Victorian bronze coins was "relegated to Miscellanea". He hopes to see [Michael] Metcalf in Oxford when he goes Ewelme and remarks on CEB's acquisition of the Athelstans. In a postscript, he notes an enclosure of another instalment of the Naxos hoard with two Londe Civitas.