Item 1984/2 - Seven letters from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart

7 items, paper

Seven letters from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart:
(a) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 15 June 1984, saying that he would welcome a visit from IS and his family in August and making some preliminary arrangements. He encloses a draft of a short paper "on the York dies and lead pieces, asking IS for his views, saying that he hasn't yet sent it to Stewart [Lyon] and noting that York has agreed to him publishing on the subject.
(b) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 21 June 1984, thanking IS for his helpful comments on the section with which he agrees entirely and saying that he is sending a revised draft to Stewart [Lyon] "in the hope that he will too". He thanks IS for the photograph of the Edgar [coin of the moneyer] Wiferth, noting that they now have "most of that moneyer 'under wraps' though the odd one may still elude [them]". He says that he is pleased about IS getting "the anon[ymous] fragment from SNC [i.e. Spink's Numismatic Circular] 3575" and describes it as "a jolly rare coin – probably ex Walters 1932, 41". He also notes the Ceolnoth coin 3576, which "looks generally rather similar to Hunter 401 and that group". [NB: Ceolnoth was Archbishop of Canterbury, d. 870.] He says that he just received from Sandy Campbell [?] a fascinating Eadred HT1 by [the moneyer] Herewig that he just acquired.
(c) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 11 September 1984, congratulating IS on the outcome of the [recent cabinet] reshuffle, which shows that his efforts are appreciated. He refers to Stewart Lyon's letter and list of moneyers, whiich he describes as very helpful.
(d) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 5 October 1984, thanking IS for his postcard from Scotland and observing how it is that "Glasgow has at last woken up to the importance of the Burnell collection", which he looks forward to seeing. He says that his arm is slowly progressing and that he is spending his "enforced houseboundness [sic] of CTCE [i.e. Coinage in Tenth-Century England] and [has] got the chapters on HT for Eadmund and Eadred into [...] final shape". He is starting Edwig, he says. He also refers to "the Garrett catalogue", which he describes as "the size of the telephone directory", and adds that "really it is outrageous when a man loans a splendid collection to a place of higher learning like the Johns Hopkins University – and they pop it".
(e) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 2 November 1984, reporting useful progress of CTCE, notably a visit from "Halsey [?] and a technical man from OUP" to go through the typescript and the "rather frightening tables of moneyers – which however failed to frighten them at all". He thinks they are not far from having the complete text. He refers to a Mercian solidus from the in which the BM is interested, but he has learned from Patrick Finn that an "investor collector" is also interested specifically in the Anglo-Saxon series.
(f) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 14 November 1984, referring to a "pretty problem" on which he would like to know IS's opinion. He explains the Spinks has an Edgar BC penny by the moneyer BOGE in the typical East Anglian style and gives a transcription of the reverse legend: BOGEMONETANEAT. The coin is said to have been found near Neatishead in Norfolk, which may suggest a new mint there, but he thinks it is a highly unlikely place for a mint and in any case is near Norwich. CEB spends the rest of letter discussing the coins, ultimately suggesting that he will go for it only if the BM drops out.
(g) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 4 December 1984, telling IS that he has passed his BEH Memorial paper to Philip [Grierson]. He sends IS a a coin to keep, as he acquired a better example from the Spink's Numismatic Circular September 1984.