Genuine Billy & Charley (Billy's & Charley's) Roman Coin

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A genuine (as confirmed by the British Museum) Billy & Charley bronze roman (!!!) coins in excellent condition. As per photo the coin is 5cm (2") wide and over 1cm thick and weights just over 100 grams (1/4 lb) During the middle of the 19th century the London archaeological community was disrupted by a controversy over the authenticity of a large number of supposedly medieval leaden objects that appeared for sale. They eventually proved to be forgeries and have since been called "Billys and Charleys" after their manufacturers. William Smith (Billy) and Charles Eaton (Charley), the eponymous forgers, are shadowy figures. It is even uncertain if Billy's name really was William Smith. But some biographical information can be found in writings on their forgeries. Charley was born in about 1834; Billy was probably born a few years earlier. Most of their life was spent in the neighbourhood of Rosemary Lane (now called Royal Mint Street) in Tower Hamlets. They were mudlarks who searched the Thames for items of value. William Edwards, a London antique dealer, made Billy's acquaintance around about 1845, and he met Charley some years later. He paid them for items of interest that they found, thinking of them as "his boys" 1. Billy and Charley earned money from this until 1857, when they decided to counterfeit antiquities. They cast objects read more

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