British Copper and Bronze Coins from the Collection formed by the late Hiram Brown

Hiram Brown

Theodore David ‘Hiram’ Brown († June 2017, aged 70), was a well-known coin dealer, having run a coin shop in Edinburgh which first opened its doors in 1977. From Stourbridge in the West Midlands, Hiram was very proud of his Scottish roots; one of his forefathers was from Ayre and moved south to build bridges over the Midlands canals. Scotland was Hiram’s spiritual home; he was a Lamont and, being proud to wear his kilt, took a great interest in all things Scottish.

Hiram’s love of coins started when he was a boy. His main interest was in the ‘bun’ pennies of Queen Victoria, which he collected by die varieties when such things were scarcely considered. Many of the major rarities in his collection were discovered by Hiram long before the publication of the books by Michael Freeman and Michael Gouby on the subject. A close friend of the late Laurie Bamford, whose collection was dispersed by DNW in June 2006, they exchanged information on a regular basis, from early days in London’s Cutler Street market in the 1960s, right up to Laurie’s untimely death.

The coins offered in this and future auctions are the result of many years of careful study, and Hiram’s family hope that collectors who acquire them derive as much pleasure from them as Hiram did.
Garry Charman