WHY 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.
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