 |
|
           |
|
|
||||
Guide to Coin CollectingWHY COLLECT COINS?(click on thumbnails to view larger images)Coin collecting is one of the most multi-faceted pursuits you will encounter. Not only are coins a tangible link with the past - every coin tells a story and a nation’s coinage tells its history - but they are also an aesthetically pleasing art form. But they are much more than this. Get interested in coins and before long you will find yourself delving into such matters as heraldry, lettering, economics, costume, politics, theology, engineering, metallurgy, architecture and for world coins, also language and geography. And this is only scratching the surface. Having an interest in coins is like opening a door that leads to a voyage of discovery. It is also like having a magic carpet that will not only fly you around the globe, but will transport you through the mists of time to bygone ages. Coins are an art form………  Coins
may be viewed as miniature sculptures, pictures in metal or as objets
d’art. It is generally considered that the masterpieces of the coin
world were produced in the Greek colony of Sicily in the fifth and fourth
centuries BC. Here is a silver decadrachm struck in Syracuse in circa
400 BC. The work of Euainetos, its obverse features a fast quadriga driven
by a female charioteer. The sense of speed is achieved by two of the horses
slightly rearing and the hooves – all of which are above the ground
– forming a jagged broken pattern. The reverse bears the head of
Arethusa with four dolphins around. Many other mints in the Greek world
imitated this design. ………that are a tangible link with the past………  ‘Show
me the money in which the tax is paid.’ They handed him a silver
piece. Jesus asked, ‘Whose head is this, and whose inscription?’
‘Caesar’s' , they replied. He said to them, ‘Then pay
to Caesar what is due to Caesar, and pay God what is due to God.’The New English Bible Matthew, Chapter 22, verses 19-21 The above passage is one of the earliest references in literature to a specific coin, which has become known as the ‘Tribute Penny’. The Roman Emperor during the period of Christ’s Ministry was Tiberius. He reigned from 14 to 37 AD. Traditionally, the coin that Christ was holding is believed to be a silver denarius of his reign. Although nearly two thousand years old, not only is it possible to secure an example today, but, furthermore, its acquisition would cost far less than you may expect – from £80 for a piece that had seen average circulation. Of course, there will be no guarantee that it is the actual coin Christ held. ………with a story to tell………  One
of the most remarkable and evocative coins ever made is the silver denarius
struck at Rome in 43-42 BC, recording one of the most infamous acts in
history – the assassination of Julius Caesar by Brutus. Its obverse
bears the portrait of Brutus and the reverse the Roman cap of Liberty
between two daggers with the words EID MARS – the Ides of March
below. Therefore the coin shows the reason for murder (the cap of Liberty);
the means (two daggers); the time and unlike a good detective story, is
quite up-front at the start as to the identity of the murderer. ………there’s more to simple designs than you’d imagine………  The
long cross on the reverse of this Henry III silver penny is a medieval
security device. During the first half of Henry’s reign, clipping
was rife. This was the illegal removal of part of the edge of the coin
by the criminal fraternity. They would clip coins that passed through
their hands, retaining the metal they had removed at the expense of the
Treasury. This was an easy task in the days when coins were hand hammered,
as they were thin and were not perfectly round. Until 1247 there was a
short cross on the reverse of pennies. However, in that year the long
cross was introduced. This extended to the edge of the coin. Pennies ceased
to be legal tender if more than one end of the arms of the cross was missing.
Needless to say, this rather crude device did not stop clipping.
………some coins had political designs………  Henry
VII (1485-1509) was the first of the Tudor monarchs. In 1489 he decided
to issue the largest gold coin that England had ever seen. The coin was
to be known as a double ryal, but it became known as the sovereign as its
obverse features the enthroned monarch wearing an imperial crown and holding
the symbols of regality. The new coin was modelled upon similar coin designs
issued in continental Europe. However, this was not a case of keeping up
with the European royals. Its issue was a status symbol for the new English
ruling dynasty had just received international recognition. By the Treaty
of Medina del Campo, Henry’s infant heir Prince Arthur was to marry
Katherine, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. The coin was proof
that the Tudors had arrived. The example shown here was struck four to six
years later. Look closely and you see fleurs de lys scattered around the
enthroned Henry and also on the reverse around the Tudor rose. Featuring
the badge of the kings of France was an indication of Henry’s political
designs to recover France. Despite taking an army to lay siege to Boulogne,
Henry had no intention to engage in a prolonged war and he was bought-off
by a generous 50,000 gold pieces a year from the French.………beauty does not have to be an image………  Because
the religion of Islam forbade the representation of living creatures in
art or architecture, the Moslem coin designers confined themselves to inscriptions
professing their faith to Allah and his prophet Mohammed. The best artists
were usually employed to design the Islamic coins of the Near and Middle
East. With a few exceptions, these feature verses from the Koran. The coins
may be viewed as true miniature works of art that contribute to the history
of Arabic calligraphy. They provide evidence of the artistic and cultural
achievement of every region of the Islamic world. In addition, they are
an invaluable historical record. Rulers had their own names and those of
their father inscribed on their coins, chose legends corresponding to their
religious beliefs, had mints in each of their major cities and every coin
was dated and its place of minting stated. ………some make engineering fascinating………  This
is an example of one of England’s first machine-made coins: a 1561
Elizabeth I sixpence. In the 1540s machines for coin making were perfected
at Augsburg in Germany and were subsequently demonstrated at the European
courts. During 1551, Henri II of France established a mechanised mint in
Paris. It was equipped with a rolling mill powered by the waters of the
Seine for turning the ingots into sheets of metal, a cutter for making the
blanks and a screw-press for striking the coins. Despite the fact that a
considerable amount of manpower was required to operate the machines, the
traditional moneyers continued to protest and the experiment was abandoned
in 1562. However, in about 1560, Eloye Mestrelle, either an unhappy or discharged
employee of the Paris mint, arrived in London. He persuaded the Master of
the Mint to allow him to introduce machinery to the mint so that he could
demonstrate the superiority of machine to hand hammered coins. This he duly
did, but the traditional moneyers, fearing the loss of employment protested
and Mestrelle was dismissed in 1572. He fell on hard times and became a
counterfeiter. He was executed by hanging on 14 April 1578 for his crimes.
Machinery did not finally replace traditional moneyers in London until 1662.
(Illustration: Standard Catalogue p244 coin 2593)………new coinages have even caused artistic rivalry………  With
the Restoration of Charles II following the Civil War and rule of the usurper
Oliver Cromwell, it was decided to replace the English hammered coinage
with a machine made one. The engraving of the dies should have been the
responsibility of Thomas Simon, the greatest of the country’s medallists
and coin engravers, who had worked at the mint since 1633. However, the
King felt indebted to the Flemish medallist Jan Roettier, who had assisted
him during his exile. The two rivals competed for the design. The King chose
the work of Roettier - the decision has long been regarded as favouritism
rather than being based on merit. In 1663 Simon struck a few crowns as a
final and eloquent appeal to the King. Apart from being a magnificent example
of a master engraver’s work, the edge bears a two-line petition comprising
34 words in minute lettering: THOMAS SIMON MOST HVMBLY PRAYS YOUR MAJESTY TO COMPARE THIS HIS TRYALL PIECE WITH THE DVTCH AND IF MORE TRVLY DRAWN & EMBOSS’D MORE GRACEFVLLY ORDER’D AND MORELY ACCURATELY ENGRAVEN TO RELIEVE HIM From this astounding achievement, the pattern is known as the Petition Crown.
………and a few were even regarded as having special properties………
This is a silver osella, which is a Venetian presentation coin. These were issued at the New Year from 1521 to 1796. The name of the coin is derived from the Italian ucella – a bird – as the traditional New Year’s gift had earlier been a wildfowl. The osellas featured a wide range of subjects upon their reverses. This one was issued in 1576 when Alvise Mocenigo was the Doge, which is the highest official of the Republic of Venice. The title means Duke in English. The obverse of the piece shows Alvise kneeling before Saint Mark. Note the Lion of Venice behind the Doge. Saint Mark is the city’s patron saint and his attribute of a winged lion became the official symbol of the Venetian Republic. Its reverse features the façade of Il Redentore, which translates from the Italian as the Church of the Redeemer. This imposing place of worship was designed by Palladio and erected on the Venetian island of La Giudecca by order of the Senate as a votive offering for preservation from the virulent plague of 1576. Andrea Palladio was the greatest architect of 16th-century northern Italy and one of the most influential figures in Western architecture. The church was completed in 1592, so clearly the die engraver was working from Palladio’s plans for the church. Given the reason for the building of the church, it is not surprising that this coin was regarded as an amulet for protection against the plague. Indeed, the coins were worn as a charm. This piece has a small solder spot at the top from which a small suspension loop was attached so that the coin could be suspended from a chain for wearing round the neck.
|
||||
|
© Spink 2008. All rights reserved
Tel: +44 (0)20 7563 4000
|
||||
