A Penny’s Worth By: Marc Bink Since my compatriot Pierre is writing about English coins and the laws surrounding counterfeiting and forgery, I thought I’d throw my “Penny’s Worth” into the fray and describe a story about a little man who wound up convincing a powerful Queen how great he and his newfangled technology were, only to get into trouble with an inert English labour monopoly. This story almost sounds like a product of today’s British labour strife, were it not for the typically medieval way in which it was all handled. So here is the story of Eloye Mestrelle and his little coining … [Read more...]