Showcase 03

Twelve pennies, one shilling: a small silver reminder of everyday life in wartime Britain. Dated 1915, this coin pairs George V’s portrait with a crowned lion standing upon a royal crown. Above the lion, abbreviated Latin names the king “Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India,” placing the language of monarchy and empire on everyday money. Wear softens the raised details, while grey-brown toning settles around the design. Struck in sterling silver, it belongs to the coinage that preceded Britain’s reduction in silver content in 1920.

A Sphinx beneath a burst of flame brings two chapters of regimental history together. This Lancashire Fusiliers officer’s bronze cap badge combines the regiment’s fusilier identity with an honour inherited from its service in Egypt in 1801. Its warm, matte surface reveals the finely textured flames, laurel wreath and layered title scroll, while two broad attachment blades survive on the reverse. Attributed to the First World War, it represents the more subdued insignia associated with officers’ khaki service dress.

Fifty years after the Gallipoli landings, New Zealand remembered through a view of the shore. This 1965 fourpenny stamp shows Anzac Cove’s narrow beach and steep slopes beneath the name “ANZAC” and the dates “1915” and “1965.” The landscape gives the anniversary a tangible setting: the shore where troops came ashore and the difficult ground beyond. Across this example, a bold partial POST EARLY cancellation adds a trace of everyday use.