He's buying money.
He's discovered eBay and 'silver joeys'.
We all know what happens to men when they get a bee in their bonnet don't we? A chance acquisition becomes the start of a collection born out of loyalty. A mild case might mean the purchase of every Bob Dylan album ever (even the rubbish ones) or every detective story in a series while extremely fanatical cases might entail collecting franked postage stamps for every day in 1907 (for example). Or it might be tanks, or pistons, stationary engines, steam rollers......or Star Wars. Or worse if that is imagineable. It's the minutiae that seems important, that and the variety. An example of each and every variant is essential. It's just as well then that the G.A.'s current interest is a. fairly innocent and b. won't take up too much space.
It's not that bad yet, but each time the post van draws up another little envelope with silver coins inside drops into the palace's über-kool stainless steel mailbox. Ok, the coins are very sweet and very small and likeable. I don't think the old silver thru'penny bit was in circulation when I was young so my memories of them are of a tiny, archaic and useless coin. (I remember that clunky 12-sided coin with the young Queen Elizabeth's head on one side and the aptly named 'Thrift' plant (Armeria maritima) on the other. Half-crowns, florins, pennies the size of soup-plates... Ah, back in the day coinage was substantial wasn't it?) The Glam Ass, however, seems to have fond memories of them though....tomorrow I shall ask just what he did with his pocket money.
The latest to arrive was minted in the reign of the first Queen Elizabeth. I'm quite impressed by that. It's battered, a little twisted and slightly worn - obviously showing its age but not bad for something around 400 years old. In the manner of an old-fashioned school essay title 'A Day in the Life of a Thru'penny Bit' I try to imagine the insides of pockets and purses it has seen.
I wish though he'd start collecting something more well, immediately spendable. Fivers say - how about 'buy one, get one free'?
11 comments:
Well you could always put them in your christmas pudding I suppose! Or stuff them in the chimney to ward of witches perhaps! Oh Lord!! Just had a horrid thought! You don't think it might be he is worried about inflation and wants to make very sure he has enough pennies to pay the ferry man when the time comes for the river stykes do you!!
H at H beat me to the punch line!!
On the other hand, I'd check under the bed if I were you - who knows what socks full of savings he's hoarded.
I would go for the Christmas pudding rather than the ferryman - that sounds a bit grim!
I had a little bracelet made out of silver threepennies when I was little . I shouldn't have lost it . I could have sold it on eBay !
But when you discover the Buy One Get One Free fiver shop , do let us all know !
Don't let him collect boats, that's all I can say - you will need all of that hoard and more!
It could be worse....
My husband was a stamp collector, which I thought was bad enough, but he would tell me tales of people who did really specialised collecting, eg by gum type. Yes, by stamp GUM type!
Word verification is tedia - yes, very apt; that wasn't an exciting memory....
Christmas pudding for def :-) Now go and check out my blog...I've left you a challenge there :-)
A x
The old coin looks lovely - I could fiddle with that for a while myself and imagine where it's been. Is he just collecting English coins? I quite like the old wild west ones from here - with buffalo and native Americans on them.
YOu are so right about the relentless obsessive nature of male collecting. No doubt this is what has made them masters of the universe, that particular passion for doing it all.
Coins is not a bad version. I have a feeling my husband is collecting tools which take up way more room.
As I was looking at the photos of all those coins, I began to wonder about my chromosome count. They really did look so beautiful, and I could just about imagine want to have one of each of them myself.
Wait, there's more. My mom has always been a coin collector, and I have no idea of how many old dimes (10 cent coins,) quarters (25 cent coins,) and other denominations just might be squirreled away in her home. (This comments jumps across other comments to that about the hoarding habits of U.K. jays.)
I won't ask if those jays are male or female.
Are my vintage tea cups suspect?
xo
I'm sure that when I was tiny I read a story about a coin and all the adventures it had seen. Wouldn't that be fascinating.
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