The Martyn Hardman Green Collection of Coins of the Durham Mint

Martyn Hardman Green

Martyn (definitely with a ‘y’ and not an ‘i’ - he was very proud of the ‘y’), was a man with an insatiable thirst for knowledge.

Qualifying at St Bede in Durham, his original career path was that of a schoolmaster. In mid-life, ill health forced early retirement and from that point on, he had the time and flexibility to pursue his many interests.

He had always had a great interest in philately and, once retired, set up Hardman Green Philatelics in Darlington. This became a popular meeting point for stamp collectors from across the region and Martyn was in his element - often found behind his counter with an audience for his many anecdotes, thoughts and general musings! A wider audience beckoned when he was one of the first to set up and run an eBay shop - technology met tradition!

In his spare time he cast his net wider - interests such as orchids saw him as one of the co-founders of the Darlington Orchid Society and access to the world wide web meant that he could research and expand his knowledge on areas of interest such as the American Civil War, the World Wars and Britain’s involvement in India (where his father had served prior to being ordained) and South Africa.

His initial ties to Durham remained a constant (whilst a student in the city he had conducted Cathedral tours) and when he closed his business, his focus turned to numismatics. Initially having a broad interest this eventually became more focused on the coins of the Durham Mint.

Which brings us to today and his collection - Martyn got a huge amount of pleasure from his collection - finding, identifying, learning and sharing his accumulated knowledge with others.

Although, as a family, we find it sad that the collection will no longer remain as a whole, we take pleasure in the hope that a tiny part of his endeavours will go to complete or enhance the collections of others.

Above all he was a family man - he leaves behind a wife he adored, a daughter to whom he meant the whole world and a son-in-law to whom he was the father he had always hoped for.