Peter Alan Rayner facts for kids

Peter Alan Rayner (born December 8, 1924 – died July 29, 2007) was a British author. He wrote many books about numismatics. Numismatics is the study or collection of coins, paper money, and medals. He was often called Alan Rayner to avoid confusion with another famous author named Peter Seaby. Alan joined Seaby's family company when he was 24 years old.

About Alan Rayner

Alan Rayner grew up in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. He went to St George's School, Harpenden. During World War II, he was chosen to work in the mines as a Bevin Boy. This was a special program during the war. Later, he left the mines due to health reasons. He then joined the Intelligence Corps, which gathers important information for the country.

In 1948, Alan started working at B.A. Seaby Limited. This company dealt with coins. He became an assistant in the English Coin Department. He began to focus on silver coins that were made using machines, called "milled" coins.

His First Book

In 1954, Alan wrote a small book. It was called The Designers and Engravers of the English Milled Coinage 1662 - 1953. The book had 26 pages. It was published by Seaby's Numismatic Publications. This book explained who designed and engraved each part of the coins. It covered both the front (obverse) and back (reverse) of each coin.

Helping with Coin Books

In 1957, Alan helped prepare a new edition of an important book. This book was called English Silver Coinage from 1649. Herbert Allen Seaby had written the first version in 1949. Alan helped update it.

This book became very popular. Many updated versions were printed over the years. These include editions in 1967, 1974, 1992, 2015, 2020, and the most recent in 2021. Coin collectors, also known as numismatists, use this book a lot. It helps them identify English silver coins from 1649 up to 1992. Each coin in the book has a special three-letter code (ESC) and a number.

In 1961, Alan wrote another book. It was titled Your Book of Coin Collecting. Faber & Faber in London published it. This book was a full guide for new coin collectors. In 1966, he also wrote Coin Collecting For Amateurs. Frederick Muller Ltd published this one.

Alan Rayner worked at Seaby's until 1974. Then, he joined the English branch of another coin company called Paramount. He quickly became a very important team member. His knowledge of silver coins was outstanding. He also knew a lot about foreign coins, especially those from Germany.

Family Life

Alan Rayner was married to Madeleine, who was from Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Because of her, he learned Schweizerdeutsch, which is Swiss German. They had four children: Christopher, Peter, Hester, and John. He also had eight grandchildren.