Collection of British and French coins : Victoria Gully, Gallipoli

Collection of fourteen coins. Thirteen are British coins from the reigns of Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and King George V. The other is a French ten centime coin from the reign of Napoleon III.

Six pennies, dated 1902, 1902, 1890, 1863, 1890 and 1908, are soldered together in a slightly curved row. An office style split pin is soldered to the back of one of the coins.

A further four pennies, dated 1889,1890, 1913 and 1893, with the 10 centime coin, dated 1856, in the centre, are soldered together, with the 'head' of an office split pin soldered to the reverse of one of the coins (the pins are absent).

Two more pennies, dated 1906 and 1914, and a George V half penny (date illegible) are soldered together.

There are extra solder marks on some of the coins, indicating that all 13 coins were originally soldered together in long curved row, with the half penny soldered beneath the row, near the centre. This row subsequently broke into three parts, as shown.

Fourteen coins found in the pocket of a pair of Australian army breeches on the south side of Victoria Gully, near the 1st Brigade Headquarters on 7 February 1919. It was not noted whether the breeches were associated with human remains, or had been left behind by an Australian soldier during the evacuation in December 1915.