Item 1983/1 - Three letters from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, one with an attachment, and two letters from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt

6 items, paper

Three letters from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, one with an attachment, and two letters from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt:
(a) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, single page, dated from Ramsbury on 17 February 1983, writing that he has just learned from MMA [i.e. Marion Archibald] that the alleged [gold] thrymsa in the Spink sale is indeed a forgery. He notes that it had already been submitted to the BM with two sceattas but condemned. Attached (see item (b) below) is a page excised from a numismatic sales catalogue.
(b) attachment to letter from from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart of 17 April 1983 (see item (a) above) consisting in a folio excised from the plates of a numismatic sales catalogue, undated and unidentified but presumably closing soon after the date of the latter to which it is attached, possibly Spink (UK) auction 27, 16 March 1983. The piece in question appears to be lot 193.
(c) letter from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Baldwin Crescent, London SE5, on 13 March 1983, thanking CEB for allowing him to borrow his Offa card index and wondering whether he ever thought to publish a list of specimens "like the one for Coenwulf" that they did for their joint work [with Stewart Lyon] in the BNJ on Southern England, 796-840. He notes that he has been working on a piece on the London mint under Offa for the MD [i.e. Michael Dolley] festschrift. He further notes that Edward Baldwin photographed his anonymous Viking sword/hammer fragment and reduced the enlargement of the Dunmore specimen, and he encloses a spare print of the latter for CEB's card index. He asks whether there is any more news about the Lough Ennell find and then refers to Michael Dolley's poor state, expressing sympathy for his wife Mary.
(d) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 19 March 1983, informing IS that the Regnald proofs have arrived and noting that he has marked a few points [for correction], listing them below, while complimenting the OUP and [Michael] Metcalf [as editor]. He says that DMM has deleted the reference to Michael Dolley's reply, which leads him to suspect that MD "is near the end of the road as far as any scholarly work is concerned". He relates how MD's wife Mary has said that she cannot take it any longer and that MD will need to go to a home, something that the doctors have said was eventually inevitable. He refers to MD's trip to Dublin to receive his doctorate, which he has undertaken despite being "quite unfit to travel", and notes that Mary and their daughter Mary will be stopping at Ramsbury during Holy Week on their way from London to Teignmouth. CEB thanks IS for his letter about Offa and the photograph and says that he never really thought about publishing a list of the Offa coins but is happy for anyone to use his card index towards that end. He nevertheless states that he would be interested in publishing a corpus of the coins of [king] Berhtnulf [of Mercia].
(e) letter from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Baldwin Crescent, London SE5, on 27 March 1983, writing that "we have been thinking of so much this week-end after the sad news of Anthony". He turns to the coins, agreeing that "[Michael] Metcalf and the OUP [...] have made a marvellous job of [their] difficult text" and noting that he is returning [the proofs] with their points marked but wishes to add a footnote at the very end in reference to his paper on the circumscription-sword and Si[h]tric in the BNJ. There are further comments about the clipped down Regnald hand coin, CEB's Heriger note and the Eadred in "Martin's latest list".
(f) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 4 April 1983, thanking IS for writing about Anthony. He says that he went to the BM for Robert Carson's farewell party and talked with David Wilson about his successor. He learned that DW "had deliberately not sought to fill the post until [John] Kent had had a chance to show his metal", adding that "he clearly has some doubts about him". CEB also says that he will attend Michael Dolley's funeral on Wednesday and explain to MD's wife Mary why IS cannot be there.