The Journal · Published Quarterly Since 2015
Four times a year, the heads of department write at length on the objects we hold, the methods we use, and the markets we serve. The Journal is distributed in print to certificate holders, museums and university libraries. Selected essays are reproduced here.
Current Issue
Vol. XLVIII · Q2 2026
By Sébastien Marchand
For most of the twentieth century the pattern coin was the curiosity of a thinning audience. In the last eighteen months the market for European patterns has more than doubled — and the reasons are instructive.
The Archive
Vol. XLVII · Q1 2026
By Dr. Reza Shadbakht
A note on the lab's new LIBS instrument, and what it has revealed about a particularly accomplished series of forged sovereigns originating in eastern Europe.
Vol. XLVI · Q4 2025
By Prof. Alistair Beauchamp
After fifteen months of consultation with the ABA and PBFA, the Books Department has revised its policy on restoration. The reasoning is set out in full, with three case studies.
Vol. XLV · Q3 2025
By Dr. Pieter Vanderhoof
The Royal Philatelic Society has, with our assistance, completed the first full census of Plate 11 in twenty-four years. The findings — and the surprises — are reported here.
Vol. XLIV · Q2 2025
By Inès Coelho
On the design of a new sealed-product holder for booster boxes and ETBs, and what we learned from a year of accelerated UV testing.
Vol. XLIII · Q1 2025
By Mara Holmgren
A working note on the documentation we now require for paper currency originating from any jurisdiction subject to OFSI or OFAC restrictions.