Money for £2 at Scarborough

THANKS to Pink Floyd, we all love the sound of money, and the currency both official and unofficial, is the focus of the next Collections Close-up at Scarborough Art Gallery on Tuesday, April 7.

Scarborough Museums Trust chief executive Debbie Seymour will take a look at some highlights of the trust’s coin collection, including a superb set of Roman gold coins. She will also examine unofficial coinage including a set of uncut pairs of copper farthings, dating from the reign of Charles I, found in the well at Scarborough Castle, "Scarborough shillings" from the time of the Napoleonic wars, and Victorian tokens for Freers’s Cocoa House at 76 Castle Road and the Bow Street Coffee House, which stood opposite All Saint’s Church, off Falsgrave Road.

“Our coin collection gives a fascinating insight into the lives of ordinary people through the centuries. Not only do we have a range of official coins from all over the world, and dating from the Roman period to the twentieth century, we also have an intriguing selection of unofficial tokens. They give a glimpse of the shops, pubs, and other trades that filled our towns and issued their own money when official small change was in short supply,” says Seymour.

Collections Close-ups take place on the first Tuesday of each month. Each takes around an hour, and participants are asked to meet at Scarborough Art Gallery at 2.30pm.

Places on the event are £2 each and booking is recommended. To book 01723-374753.

Viv Hardwick