MEETINGS REVIEW
MAY 12TH 2022. Three members and a visitor settled round a table in the bar area for a general chat. The previous weekend saw some of our group members attending the one-day medallion Congress at Warwick (M40/Junction 15 hotel), for a full Saturday program of interesting medallion topics, followed by an evening meal and bourse. The Sunday afterwards also coincided with a Midland monthly coin fair at the motorcycle museum, near the NEC Birmingham.
APRIL 14TH 2022. Timetabled as a casual meeting, it seems the Easter break put paid to this one, since only two members turned up. Another casual gathering has therefore been proposed for the May 12th meeting, hopefully clear of "holidays". Between now and then there will be a medallion Congress at Warwick, so something to look forward to.
MARCH 10TH 2022. Our first meeting of the new year, attended by six members. To start, a short talk by Ian on Thomas Bushell, mining prospector and Mint-Master during the reigns of Charles I and Charles II. This was followed by Adrian's computer-display and talk on Bristol Market Retailers' checks; covering some fifty to sixty images. The Adams families featured strongly in the listings, as fruit and potato merchants.
DECEMBER 2ND 2021. Unlike last year, the society was able to hold its Christmas meeting, attended by eight members, for a Christmas-style evening meal at The Globe Inn. On this occasion we did not use our usual meeting room but ate in the equally comfortable dining area. Our next "formal" meeting will not be until March, no subject has been decided for this, since there is still too much uncertainty over whether we'll be able to actually meet up; therefore best to leave things flexible.
NOVEMBER 11TH 2021. The society needed to elect a treasurer to cover for Mike Shaw. It was agreed to combine this with the secretary's post, considering that the meetings would be reducing to once a quarter for the time being and therefore be easier to manage. It was also proposed (seconded by A. Derrick) that Mark Manning would chair the meetings until Ivor's return.
The evening continued with members' five minute talks, and these covered a variety of subjects, including Charles II coinage, Lundy puffin coins, an unusual and possibly unique royal visit medallion and a selection of crown coins. We also welcomed a new member.
OCTOBER 14TH 2021. The society held a long-delayed AGM for the first part of the evening. The second half was spent listening to an excellent talk by Dr Clive Selwood about his book "Rhondda Valley Public Houses", covering their history and the issuing of a variety of public house tokens, as well as the Valley's social history.
SEPTEMBER 7TH 2021. After many long months of lockdown and uncertainty, the society decided to book a meeting at The Globe Inn, inform members and see how many were able to come along. The five attendees spent the evening in casual chat mode, catching up on news. Adrian took along his laptop with various coin images, primarily to show to any new people who might come in. During the evening, it was felt that we should go ahead and just book the meetings for future months, it being impossible to predict changes in the state of the nation. The Globe Inn landlord was happy to have us back and we can but hope that, despite any future hiccups, we have re-cemented the group's presence there.