The Royal Mint Museum Annual Review 2015 −16 The Royal Mint Museum 200 th Anniversary Conference Below: Staff at the Royal Mint Museum’s 200th Anniversary Conference at the Tower of London on The conference was attended by about 100 delegates and included contributions from Sir Christopher Frayling, 11 February 2016. Back row: Chris Barker, Susie Sandford, Claire Hughes, Kevin Clancy, Graham Dyer. Kevin Clancy, Hugh Pagan, Catherine Eagleton, Graham Dyer, Stephen Raw and Nicholas Mayhew, who each Front row: Lucy-Ann Pickering, Sarah Tyley, Liz Botterill, Abigail Kenvyn. spoke about an aspect of the Museum, its history and how the collection has developed over the last 200 years. 2 The Royal Mint Museum Annual Review | 2015−16 Introduction The last year has been a momentous and hectic time Placing hundreds of items on public display would not for the Royal Mint Museum. In February 2016 the have been possible without the conservation and Museum celebrated its 200th anniversary in appropriate cataloguing work carried out over the last two years. style at the Tower of London with a very well attended Listings of tens of thousands of objects have been conference. A few months later, after years of effort, prepared where none existed previously and the complete work on the Royal Mint Experience (RME) was completed, re-organisation of large parts of the collection has vastly with a major feature being a large exhibition area improved the storage and environmental conditions in displaying hundreds of objects from the collection. which it is kept. The result across all these initiatives has As if this were not enough, three new Museum books been to make the collection more accessible but even with have been published and the many thousands of items a number of demanding projects coming to fruition there making up the coin and medal collections, as well as is, as is always the case, more that can be done. A five-year the Library, have been moved to another location on plan is currently being developed and a guiding principle The Royal Mint site. All in all, 2015-16 was packed in compiling it will be the ambition to transform physical with commitments but it provided me, as the incoming and, in particular, online access so that a much greater Chairman of the Board of Trustees, with an extremely variety of people can enjoy what the Museum has to offer. useful insight into the Museum’s ambitions and its potential. One of the key projects for the future will be how best to make use of the Museum’s new location. Being positioned The RME will transform access to the Museum’s collection, adjacent to the RME, the Museum is now well placed to allowing a wider range of objects to be seen and enjoyed facilitate greater access to the collection and the intention by a larger number of people than has ever been the case will be to adapt the existing building to allow the Museum in the past. Having items of the collection on permanent to achieve this along with its other aims for the years public display is a long-standing ambition for the Museum ahead. Such plans will require the Museum to look outside and our aim must now be to use this as a platform for its existing funding arrangements to attract sponsors and further development. It is already evident that the higher patrons who will share our vision of the potential the public profile is generating an increasing number of collection has to inspire, enlighten and engage. historical enquiries and the Museum is playing a full role in supporting the programme of events being organised I would like to thank Kevin Clancy and the rest of the throughout the year. A space dedicated to delivering Museum’s staff for their hard work and commitment educational workshops forms part of the RME and in what has been a very successful year. the healthy number of bookings from local schools Above: A History of the Sovereign: Chief Coin of the World , the first in a series of Royal Mint Museum books was published in 2015. suggests these sessions will become increasingly popular, Dr Andrew Burnett demonstrating how children can learn about the world Chairman, Royal Mint Museum Trustees Cover: The Royal Mint Museum in 1904 at Tower Hill, from through their coinage. a glass negative in the Museum’s collection. The Royal Mint Museum Annual Review | 2015−16 3 Collections and Conservation The Museum’s 200th anniversary and the opening Work was subsequently carried out on the Queen of the Royal Mint Experience (RME) mark significant Anne cabinet, said to have belonged to Sir Isaac events in the history of the collection. The successful Newton, an engraver’s bench used by Benedetto completion of the Inventory Project is another, having Pistrucci and one of the pistols from The Royal Mint increased accessibility to the collection and improved site on Tower Hill. The Museum’s Janvier reducing storage for the long-term preservation of objects. The machine was also required for the RME. As it had Collections Assistants catalogued almost 100,000 been on open display within The Royal Mint for a objects, from coins, medals and seals to the tooling and number of years, it required a substantial amount of plaster models used in the production process. The restoration. A former member of staff from The Royal original scope of the project was extended and it is Mint Tool Room, Ken Stoat, who had worked with testament to the continued drive and enthusiasm of the these machines for more than 30 years, agreed to Collections Assistants that so much has been achieved. restore the Janvier and trained Museum staff in how to maintain it. To tell the rich and varied history of The Royal Mint in the RME not only the highlights but also some of the A significant addition to the Library came in the form more obscure objects in the Museum’s collection were of the Violet Collection of books from a private library chosen. The exceptional work of the Inventory Project in North America. Thomas Violet, a London Goldsmith, team meant the majority of objects could be located was a prolific author of pamphlets and petitions during with ease. There were, however, a few items that had the 1650s and 1660s. Writing chiefly about currency, not been covered by the project and they provided bullion and trade, his pamphlets touch directly on The more of a challenge to identify and locate. The Royal Mint’s history. He also acted as a public Collections Assistants were invaluable in this process spokesman for the moneyers of the Mint in their as they located, cleaned and conserved many of opposition to Peter Blondeau and his attempt to the larger objects, including a banknote roller mechanise the minting process. Violet’s writings and stamp plates, in readiness for display. therefore provide a valuable insight into the administration of the Mint at a crucial period in its As object lists were developed, conservation history, when mechanisation transformed both the assessments were carried out to determine whether organisation and the coinage. work would be needed prior to display. The Museum’s collection of furniture was assessed by Hugh Meller- Above: Hugh Meller-Haley, Senior Conservator at Phoenix Conservation, Haley, Senior Conservator at Phoenix Conservation. and Sarah Tyley, Collections Manager at the Royal Mint Museum, examine one of the pistols from the Tower of London which were used by the Mint’s Military Guard at the Tower Hill site. 4 The Royal Mint Museum Annual Review | 2015−16 Above: Coin cabinets in the Museum. Above: Ken Stoat restoring the Janvier reducing machine. Ken had been responsible for the operation and maintenance of all the reducing machines at The Royal Mint before his retirement. The Royal Mint Museum Annual Review | 2015−16 5 Research The number of enquiries that the Museum has received The Museum’s national profile has also been helped Opposite: Irish Free State florin and shilling designed by continues to remain high, with around 1,200 answered by various media appearances over the year. Numerous Percy Metcalfe (enlarged). in the financial year 2015-16. We continue to support radio interviews have been conducted for regional and Below: Gun money of James II, issued between 1689 and 1691 a variety of research projects from academics and national stations. There have also been several TV during the war in Ireland. The name ‘gun money’ stems from the researchers, as well as dealing with a diverse range of appearances. The Museum’s Director gave an interview idea that they were minted from melted down guns. However, many queries from interested members of the public. The on the history of The Royal Mint for Escape to the Country other brass objects, such as church bells, were also used (enlarged). year has seen the Museum lend its support to filming for and appeared on Coast to talk about the recovered bullion a project tied in with the anniversary of the Easter Rising shipment from the SS Gairsoppa , some of which was struck in Ireland, through to more numismatic projects on the into silver Britannia coins by The Royal Mint after it was coinage of Iraq and the gun money produced for James II. salvaged from the ship wreck. The Museum’s Assistant Curator has been interviewed on Antiques Road Trip , One service that the Museum provides which is becoming providing an account of Sir Isaac Newton’s time at increasingly popular is examining and authenticating The Royal Mint and his role in dealing with counterfeiters.