Durham Miners, Pitch & Toss and the Metal Detectorist

[John Winter]

Never did I think that as the son of a coal miner growing up in a County Durham pit village in the 40s and 50s, the experience and local knowledge gained would help a fellow detectorist over 60 years later.

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Durham Miners, Pitch & Toss and the Detectorist | John Winter

 

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[Frankn]

When I first read this, I was thinking about coin tossing of my youth,40's, 50's. We use to toss pennies at a wall. the closest penny took all the rest. Hay a leaner was impossible to beat!

Then I began to wonder about the Poor English who seemed to be denied so many simple pleasures by law. Horse racing and coin tossing were illegal?
No wonder they knuckle under so easily to restrictions on there freedoms. Hay, just my opinion, nothing personal. Frank

 

[John Winter]

Horse racing wasn't illegal ...

 

[Frankn]

Horse racing wasn't illegal ...

Sorry, went back and reread it. The betting on the horse racing was illegal.
Is coin tossing still illegal? Frank

 

[John Winter]

Sorry, went back and reread it. The betting on the horse racing was illegal.
Is coin tossing still illegal?

Betting on the horses has been legal since 1961.
With the advent of on-line betting, there is no need for Pitch and Toss schools anymore.
There are few miners or coal pits left in the UK.

 

[hvacker]

When I lived in the UK we would get a kick when finding what was called a passion penny. Not going into details.

 

[John Winter]

When I lived in the UK we would get a kick when finding what was called a passion penny. Not going into details.

Thank you - that is the subject of my new blogpost!

The ‘Vulgar’ Penny

I’ve just spent a frantic half hour looking for all the copper pre-decimal UK pennies that I’d ever found … searching for the ‘vulgar’ one.

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The ?Vulgar? Penny | John Winter

 

[John Winter]

Many of you have informed me that bronze pennies minted between 1860 and 1894 were also known as 'Honolulu' pennies due to the position of the trident compared to those of later pre-decimal pennies.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Neat! It seems I can never look at this forum without learning something new!