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1 Puffin - Martin Coles Harman Pattern Strike
| Issuer | Lundy |
|---|---|
| Year | 1929 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Puffin |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | MARTIN · COLES · HARMAN 1929 |
| Reverse description | A standing Atlantic puffin depicted in full profile facing left, perched upon rocky ground, rendered with fine naturalistic detail including the characteristic large ornate beak. The circular legend LUNDY · ONE · PUFFIN arcs around the upper periphery within a beaded border, with the field left plain below the bird. |
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| Additional information |
Martin Coles Harman purchased Lundy Island in 1925 and almost immediately set about establishing it as a quasi-independent territory, complete with its own currency. The puffin and half-puffin denominations were struck in 1929 and offered for sale to visitors, directly undercutting the legal status of British coinage on the island. Harman was prosecuted under the Coinage Act 1870 and convicted in 1931, fined £5 plus costs — a modest sum that did nothing to dent his enthusiasm for the project.
Pattern strikes differ from the issued pieces in subtle die characteristics that specialists have documented, though attribution without reference examples is unreliable.