Coins
The coin collections form the bulk of the numismatics at The Wilson and include examples ranging from ancient Greek and Roman issues right up to the new British one pound coin issued in 2017. The collection is particularly strong in Roman and medieval coins, although there is also a variety of modern and foreign coins in the collection.
1930.69.132
The reverse side of a farthing of George IV, 1823
Hoards
Two local hoards feature in collections, the Willersey Hoard and the Winchcombe Hoard.  The Willersey hoard was discovered in 1968 and is made up of 56 late Roman silver coins dating to around AD 350-363. It was found with a silver ring and near two graves. The hoard is mainly composed of siliqua although one miliarense was present.  The Winchcombe Hoard was discovered in 1997 and is made up of 251 late medieval silver coins. The hoard was found in a ceramic jar and the coins date from 1547 to 1644. It contains sixpence, shillings and half crowns and was buried during the English Civil War.
1999.31-Edward-shilling
The obverse side of a shilling minted during the reign of Edward VI (1547–1553)
Tokens
In addition to coins, the Wilson also holds a variety of 17th century and later tokens from Gloucestershire and some surrounding counties. These range from tokens commemorating local or national events to local tokens that circulated as money. A particular highlight of these collections is the commemorative token for the visit of George III in 1788.
1955.788-rev
The reverse side of a token commemorating the visit of George III in 1788
Medals
The Wilson has a small but significant collection of medals. The main part of the collection consists of military medals awarded to members of the Whinyates family, who lived in Cheltenham during the 19th century. These cover a period in England’s history when the country was almost permanently at war. The remainder of much of the collection is made up of medals awarded to other local people for many of the major conflicts of the past 200 years but also features non military medals created to mark special events.
1967.198.83
The Naval general service medal, issued in 1848
Bank notes
Bank notes form a small but important part of the numismatics collection and the Wilson holds examples ranging from 1812 to the 1980’s. These include local issues from the Cheltenham & Gloucestershire Bank, the Winchcombe Bank and the Gloucester City Old Bank.
1936.84.2
A £1 note from the Cheltenham and Gloucestershire Bank, dated 1820
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