27 years of service to numismatics
Volume 26 Number 10 ISSN: 0197-3088 Price .... Two Dollars
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURES
ABOUT THOSE COUNTERSTAMPS - Spanish Copper Coins and Their
Counterstamps in the 17th Century, by Paul F. L. de Groot --- 240 The Coinage of the Livonian Order, Knights of the Sword
1425-1561, by John S. Davenport 233
DEPARTMENTS
Book News & Reviews Member Notice Page
INSIDE N.I.
Donations Report 231
Librarian's Report 231
Membership Chairman's Report 231
OTHER ITEMS
The Dutch Pope 252
Gold Talari of Ethiopia 251
18th Century Grenada Coinage 232
Numismatic Extracts from Selected Literature 239, 248
Numismatic Gleanings 246
Queen Zauditu 232
QUID 252
249
252
Copyrighted by Numismatics International, P.O. Box 670013, Dallas, Texas USA 75367-0013
OCTOBER 1991
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
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Past-Presidents
APPOINTED
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STAFF
Publicity Chairman Stuart T. Eisen Phone 301-530-5400
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30 Pleasant Street
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230
INSIDE N.l.
MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
October, 1991 Applications for Membership: The following persons have
applied for membership. If no written objections are received by January 1, 1992, their membership will become effective on that date.
2369-MT Gerhard Schon, Postfach 71 09 08, W-8000 Munchen 71, Germany (German Coins 1500-1806, World Coins 1800 to Date)
*****
DONATIONS REPORT
The following donation has been received since the last report:
|
Name |
Donati on |
Preference of Use |
|
HALPERT, Wesley |
$7.00 Cash |
General Operating Fund |
|
***** |
LIBRARIAN'S REPORT
I. Acknowledgement is made below to those who have donated material to the NI Library:
The American Numismatic Society
BD30. Koch : 1990:HCEP KOCH, HEIDMARIE
A Hoard of Coins from Eastern Parthia
Pub. 1990, 64pp, w/plates.
Robert Plemmons
BB97 . CunA : R969 : CASE CUNNINGHAM, ALEXANDER
Coins of Alexander's Successors in the East. (Bactrias Ariana & India.)
1969 reprint of 1884 work, 337pp, w/plates.
WC30.DouT :R968:FMSHE DOUBLEDAY, THOMAS
A financial , monetary and statistical history of England from the revolution of 1688 to the present time.
1968 reprint of 1847 work, 414pp, not illus.
AA40.KeaC:R970:MC KEARY, CHARLES F.
The morphology of coins.
1970 reprint of 1885/6 work, 89pp, w/plates.
231
NI Purchase
J 1 93 . SadJ : 1977 : CMV SADOW, JOSEPH/SARRO, THOMAS, JR.
The coins and medals of the Vatican.
Pub. 1977, 123pp, illus.
II. In addition to the above we would also like to thank John F. M. Ross for his gift of additional numismatic material to the NI Library.
Granvyl G. Hulse, Jr., Book Librarian James D. Haley, Periodical Librarian
********************************************************************* 18th CENTURY GRENADA COINAGE
The Brazilian ^ Joe, or 6400 Reis (or ^ Dobra), of 1773 was used by Grenada. However, a gold plug was added to the coin to bring the weight of the coin up to the standard of this island of the West Indies. The gold plug is counterstamped on the obverse with a JW in script while the reverse has three G's on the plug.
(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher)
************************** *********** ***************** ***************
QUEEN ZAUDITU
The famous 1916 Ethiopian 3h Wark piece is illustrated here. The obverse shows the crowned bust of Queen Zauditu to the left. The reverse has the Lion of Judah to the left. The coin is made of light colored, somewhat base gold, the 1916 2 Wark pieces of this same type are of a high grade of gold.
(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher) 232
THE COINAGE OF THE LIVONIAN ORDER,
KNIGHTS OF THE SWORD 1425-1561
John S. Davenport , Coral Gables , Florida, NI if 6 02 (Continued from August, 1991)
47
HEINRICH von GALEN 1551-1557
TALER 1557
HENRICVS o DE o GALEN 0D0G0M0 LIVONIE.
Master standing behind oval shield dividing 1.5 - 5.7. *- MONETA * - * NOVA * RIGENSIS - *. Great city arms. H-C 10590. S-R 5048. Dav. 9378.
48
TALER 1557
HENRICVS o DE o GALEN + D + G + M + LI VON. As above with Spanish shield dividing 15 - 57 and * - *. MONETA-NOVA-RIGENSI . Great city arms.
F 535. deM 2515.
233
49 TALER 1557
Similar to #47 with garbled legend and oval shield. MONETA. NO - V A arabesque RIGENSIS. Great city arms. deM 2516.
Nos. 50-51
50 10 DUCATS 1557
F 534.
51 1/2 TALER 1557
HINRICVS * DE * GALE * D * G * M * LIVO - NI.
Master standing behind 4 part arms.
* MONETA * N - OVA * RI - GENSIS * 1557. Great city arms. F 536. S-R 5049. Dav. 9379.
52 1/2 MARK 1556, 1557, n.d.
* HINR(I)G:CD(VS)' + DE + GA(LE) * D * G * M*
LIVO - N - (I), Master as above.
M0N(E)TA - NOVA - RIGE(N) (S) ( IS) , divided half or whole date. Great city arms.
H-C 4339,6284-6,9,8365-8, 10591. F 532,37,40. S 211-246.
No. 53
234
53
1/2 MARK 1556
+ HEINRIG. V. GALEN. MEISTER. DES. * 4 part arms * + RITTERLICHEN . D. 0. 3cZlV. LIFcExVuLANDT. Order cross dividing 5 - 6.
H-C 6176-7. F 542. S 32-37. Wenden.
54 FERDING 1556, 1557, n.d.
+ HINRIG. V. GALEN. MES. DES., 4 part arms dividing date, ox MONETA . NOVA. RIGENS(IS), small city arms.
H-C 6287-8. F 533,38,41. S 247-9.
55 FERDING 1553, 1554, 1555, 1556, 1557
& HINR: DE: GALEN: MA: LI(V)$, 4 part arms.
* MO(NE) : NO: REVALIE : date, small city arms. H-C 4472-4,6,7,6438-45,7,8476,10655-63.
F 154,6,8,60,2. S 494-525.
(+) HINRIG. V. GALEN. MES(TER) . DES, 4 part arms dividing 5-6. * RITTERLICHEN. D. 0. 3 Z:V:(T)0 LIVL(AN) , * Order cross *
H-C 6178-9. F 543. S 38-43. Wenden.
No. 57
235
57
SCHILLING 1551, 1552, 1553, 1554, 1555, 1557, n.d.
HINR - RIG: (V) - GAL. M - LIVO(N), family arms on Order cross. (*) MONE * N0( VA)*RIGEN(SIS) , date, small city arms.
H-C 6283. F 526-31,9,41. S 250-1.
58 SCHILLING 1557
HIN -. D - G. - M. LI - VON, 5 arms 7.
MONET A o NOVA o RIGE, small city arms.
S 251.
59
60
61
SCHILLING 1552, 1553, 1554, 1555, 1556, 1557
(:) MA(G) - IS(TRI) - LIVO - NIE, Order cross.
&M0(N)(E) REVALIE’<S, half date, order cross.
H-C 4475,8,6446,8,10645. F 153,5,7,9,61,3. S 526-32.
HIN - RIG - V GA - L(E)N M, family arms on Order cross. + M. D. 0. TO. LIFLAND(T). 56, Order cross.
H-C 6180. F 544-5. S 44-46. Wenden.
jEEj WILHELM von FURSTENBERG 1557-1559
1-1/3 DUCATS 1558, 1559
* WILHELM * VORSTENBERG * D * G * M * LIVONIE,
4 part arms in wreath.
* FI LI VS * SALVS * - * NOSTRA * 1.5. 5. 8., Madonna and child in rays.
F 552. Friedberg p. 265 #6.
236
DUCAT 1559
WILHELM * FVRSTE - N BERG D * G * M * LI *, Master behind 4 part arms dividing * - *.
*. CHRISTVS * SAL - V$ * NOSTRA. 5.9., Madonna and child in rays. F 556. Wenden.
TALER 1557
WILHELM * VORSTENBERG * D * G * M * LIVO *, Master behind 4 part shield dividing 15 - 57.
* - MONETA - *NOVA* - RIGENSI - *, great city arms.
A. With LIVON and oval shield. Dav. 9380.
H-C 6290. S-R 5050. F 546.
TALER 1558, 1559 uni face klippe
Order's and Master's arms stamped on flan with 58, .5.8. or 5.9. above.
F 553, 557. Wenden.
237
65 1/2 TALER 1558, 1559
As above with .5.8. or 5.9. H-C 10555. S-R 5051.
F 554, 558. Wenden.
66
67
68
1/4 TALER 1558 uni face klippe
As above with 58.
F 555. Wenden.
1/2 MARK 1557, 1558, n.d.
WILHELM * VORSTEN *B*D*G*M*L(I), Master behind 4 part arms dividing half date.
MONETA - o NOVA o - RIGENS(IS), great city arms.
H-C 6291-3,8369-70. F 547,49. S 252-68.
FERDING 1557
+ WILHELM o VORS 0D0G0M0LI, arms divide 5-7. * MONETA o NOVA o RIGEN(SIS), city arms.
F 548. S 269. NUM. 622-4.
No. 69
238
69
70
71
72
FERDING 1557, 1558
WILH: FVRST : MAG: LIVO. 4 part arms.
. G>. MO: NO: REVALIE: , date. Order cross. H-C 8477. F 164,6. S 533-40.
SCHILLING 1558
WILH -ELM - V D G - M. L(IV), family arms on Order cross dividing date.
MONETA. NOVA. RIGE o , city arms F 550. S 270-1. NUM 520-1.
SCHILLING 1557, 1558
MAGI- STRI - LIVO - NIE:, Order cross. cS MONET <2 REVALE £> 5.7, Order cross.
F 165,7.
ARTIG n.d.
LIV - II - 0 - M I I, family arms. MON -, city arms.
F 551. RIGA
(To be continued)
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NUMISMATIC EXTRACTS FROM SELECTED LITERATURE
"Twenty years ago Korean money was the cash piece with a hole through it. It took six horses to carry one hundred dollars, and pocket change was out of the question. While the old cash is still seen in some re- mote corners of the land, it has almost entirely vanished into the for- gotten past, its place taken by the nickel, that has been counterfeited and forged and smuggled and made such unlawful use of that its name and character are ruined forever. Money without holes in the middle Koreans call mang-jun (blind money), and so they naturally inquire 'Will a country not go to pieces that uses blind money?' We still use the nickel to a limited degree, but Japanese currency and a new coinage have come into general use--gold, silver, paper."
Taken from Korea in Transition t
by James S. Gale. PI 1 , 12 . (Cincinnati: Jennings & Graham,
1909.)
239
ABOUT THOSE COUNTERSTAMPS
SPANISH COPPER COINS AND THEIR COUNTERSTAMPS IN THE 17th CENTURY
(Continued from August, 1991)
Faul F. L. de Groot, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, NI ft 1786
8. FROM 1658 TO 1660
Meanwhile, the political and economic state of Spain remained disast- rous. Although Rousillon was recovered at great costs, this success was only temporary, and at the end of the decade Spain had to negoti- ate a humiliating peace with its northern neighbor. The income of the Crown stayed low, and four-fifths of the public purse had to be used for the servicing of the national debt. Notwithstanding this, one more attempt was made at sanitizing the monetary situation and to remove the by now unsightly mess of counterstamped pieces from circu- lation. By decree of 24 September 1658 it was ordered that the billon which had been reduced by the decree of June 1652, was to be recalled. New coins were to be substituted. They were to have the weight and value of the corresponding calderilla. And they were to have a com- pletely new design, consisting of on the obverse PHILIPVS in monogram under a crown, and on the reverse the crowned word REX, the value and date, both sides within a circle of arcs and a wreath. Whatever the intention of the government may have been, very few actual new coins were struck with this design, four and two maravedis pieces from the Ingenio. For the rest, many different dies, which more or less fol- lowed the instruction, but substituted the monogram for the word REX, were simply used to overstrike almost any billon or copper coin in cir- culation. The result was a worse looking mess than ever! Figures 19 and 20 give an impression of the variety of these dies for the four maravedis. The two maravedis piece is scarce, and not known for all mints. The only example in my collection is badly struck, and the val- ue looks like a 1 1 1 1 , possibly as the result of interference with an ol der counterstamp or because the die may have been a fake (Fig. 20d).
The counterstamps of 1658-1659 are the last class of marks to be ap- plied to the Castilian copper coins. They do not, however, form the last chapter in its ups and downs. Already on the 6th of May, 1659, the value of the newly "minted" coins was reduced to one-half. But they could still be used at the old valuation for payments to the Treasury that had been incurred before the end of 1658.
It must be mentioned that examples are known of many classes of stamps, which have four or more carefully placed marks on both sides.
It is possible that these were test pieces to try the stamp dies.
9. FROM 1660 TO 1665
240
Finally, on 11 September 1660, a clean break was made with the past. It was ordered that the billon coins valued at two maravedis would be recalled and melted down. From the obtained metal new coins were to be struck to a new weight and design: "...from each marco, which now
holds 34 pieces of two maravedis there must be struck 51 pieces, to
each of which the value of four maravedis shall be given so
that after striking each marco will be worth 204 maravedis instead of the 68 that it is worth at present, more esteemed, it shall have on one the two columns and mark of value." accordance with these instructions
And to make this new coinage side, our effigy, and on the other. The coins that were struck in are rare, because, as will be seen.
only a month and a half later, their striking was ended, and presum- ably most of the already prepared stocks remelted. The surviving coins, all eight maravedis pieces, of most mints show the two columns under one crown; the examples from Madrid have each column crowned
241
separately. The known mints are B (Burgos), S (Sevilla), PL (possibly Linares), a shield with wavy bars (Valladolid) for the first type, and MD for the second. Fig. 21a shows a Valladolid piece.
As mentioned, it did not take long to countermand the fabrication of these pieces. By decree of 29 October 1660 it was decided "...to sus- pend the minting of the simple billon, and instead to strike new money with a silver alloy." These new coins had to show "...on the one side the effigy, and on the other, for the two maravedis a lion, for the piece of four a castle, for the eight maravedis a quartered shield with two castles and two lions, and for the piece of sixteen our full arms...". There are several types and many varieties of these abund- ant coins, which occur with the dates 1660 (Madrid only) to 1664 and were struck, mainly by rollerdie,at many mints. The portrait of Philip, admittedly not a handsome man, is generally most unflattering. Fig. 21b shows a 16 maravedis coin of Cuenca, Fig. 21c an eight mara- vedis piece from Madrid, Fig. 2 Id a four maravedis from Sevilla. In Madrid an auxiliary mint was installed in the Retiro palace, with as mintmark the monogram of Re tiro. The design appears to be so primi- tive that it was easy to make forgeries, and these circulated widely.
By decree of 29 October 1664 the value of these new coins was reduced to half of their face value. At the same time the circulation of the older billon coins and the calderilla was forbidden. Yet I have
242
little doubt that they remained in use.
This was the official end of these issues. The Table and Fig. 22 give a recapitulation of the monetary vicissitudes of the large pieces of this currency.
Philip IV did not survive long enough for the introduction of any more monetary schemes. The deci sive victory in 1665 of the Portuguese over the Spaniards, which paved the way for the final recognition of their independence, hastened the king's death in the same year.
One legacy of this long and turbulent period was the, sometimes of- ficial, distinction of reales de plata (silver) and reales de vellon (billon), that plagued the peninsula for a long time to come.
243
244
Table for Copper Coinage 1597-1664
245
10. POSTSCRIPT AND LITERATURE
The great quantity of monetary measures left its traces in the many often unsightly places that form the subject of this article. Many combinations of stamps, which should exist, have not yet been found. Several coin types are scarce without these marks. As a result I have been unable to illustrate some types in virgin state. Others are still lacking in my collection in any state. Much is yet to be discovered. An example is the heavy 8 maravedis piece struck in 1660 at Valladolid. I found it in a lot of undifferentiated Spanish copper pieces, that I bought unseen at an auction. To the best of my know- ledge it had never appeared in the numismatic literature. Another type that, as far as I know, still has to be found, is the two mara- vedis of 1651 or 1652.
The drawings are all of coins that are or have been in my collection. Though most of these pieces are above the average in legibility of the stamps, they are not of the best quality. Still, they give a reasonable overview of what can be found by a collector with a sharp eye and a bit of luck.
Although I have used information from several, often conflicting, sources, the following numismatic references have been especially useful to me:
BURZIO, Humberto F., 1958, Ddccdonardo de la moneda Hdspanoamerdcana.
FONTECHA Y SANCHEZ, Ramon de, 1955, "La moneda Castellana de cobre en el siglo XVII," in Numardo Hispanioo .
FONTECHA Y SANCHEZ, Ramon de, 1968, La moneda de vellon y cobre de la monarquda Espanola (Anos 1516 a 1931).
FONTECHA Y SANCHEZ, Ramon de, 1971, La moneda de vellon y cobre durante los anos 1602 a 1660. Serde Castellana. Resellos.
HEISS, Aloiss, 1865, Descrdpcdon general de las monedas Hdspano- Crdstdanas desde la dnvasdon Arabe.
RUBIO DE URQUIA, Guadalupe, Dec. 1978-Jan. 1979, "La i nestabi li dad economica y la moneda de vellon en el siglo XVII," in Cuademos de Numdsmatdca.
**********************************************************************
NUMISMATIC GLEANINGS
"This it is which gives zest to the study of the coins of Northern India, -- constant discovery of new coins which throw light on an imperfectly written and little known history of a constantly changing series of dyansties."
-- Charles J. Rodgers, Codn Collectdng dn Northern Inddas (1894), page 128.
(Submitted by David G. Briggs)
246
SLANG TERMS FOR MONEY IN SCOTLAND
(From MacKereth's FURNESS YEAR BOOK, 1900, Ulverston , Scotland)
EMGLICH COINS
247
Around the turn of the century (1900), the following terms were used as slang for money in Scotland:
A JOEY - 4 d. (four pence)
A TANNER - 6 d. (six pence)
A BOB - Is. (one shilling)
Half A BULL - 2 s. 6 d. (2 shillings 6 pence)
A BULL - 5s. (five shillings)
A QUID - £l (one pound)
A PONY - £25 (25 pounds)
A MONKEY - £500 (500 pounds)
A KITE - an accommodation bill
BLUNT - silver or money in general
FILTHY LUCRE - Scottish well -worm £l (1 pound) notes
BROWN - copper or bronze
THE READY - money generally
TIN - money generally
DIBS - money generally
DUST - money generally
RINO - money generally
MOPUSSES - money generally
00S - money generally.
The line drawings of English coins on the previous page came from a school book to teach English to non-English speaking people and to recognize British money at the same time.
D. Chakravarty in the 1979 volume Coins of India refers to the fact that "the 'master dies' for these coins had been executed prior to the King's (Edward VII) coronation, and so a crowned effigy could not be depicted." He ascended to the throne on 22nd January 1901 and his coronation, delayed due to illness, was finally held on 9th August 1902.
*********************************************************************
NUMISMATIC EXTRACTS FROM SELECTED LITERATURE
"SHILLING. (Old English scilling ; which is connected with Old Teu- tonic skel to resound or ring, or skil to divide. The shilling, as such, dates from 1504, and was originally made with a deeply in- dented cross, and could be easily divided into halves and quarters."
Taken from p. 1026, Brewer's
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.
(Submitted by Tuti villus)
248
BOOK NEWS 8l REVIEWS
THE ART AND CRAFT OF COINMAKING; A HISTORY OF MINTING TECH- NOLOGY. By Denis R. Cooper. 272pp., 38 color and 260 b&w illustrations. Fully cased paper covers. 270mm x 210mm. Available from Book Department, Spink & Son Ltd., 5-7 King Street, St. Jame's, London SW1Y 6QS, United Kingdom. Price is £29.50 (plus £2.50 for postage and packing).
Having essayed the production of medieval style coins by the hand hammering method, I find that I now look at medieval coins in my collection in an entirely new light, seeing previously overlooked details that testify about the technology that produced them. Denis Cooper's beautiful book can equip all collectors to discover similar revelations, particularly about machine made coins produced since the Renaissance.
Perhaps "The Industrial Technology of Coinmaking" would be a more descriptive title, for Cooper devotes relatively little attention to "arts" and "craft." Even when he discusses great artists, such as Benevuto Cellini and Benedetto Pistrucci, it is their mechanical innovations (Cellini's screw press, Pistrucci's introduction of die-reducing equipment), rather than their art, that holds center stage.
While "craft" brings to mind the workman's skills of the first two thousand years of coinmaking, half of this book is devoted to the past two hundred years, and another third to the previous three centuries. Rather than artists and craftsmen, Cooper focuses on the too often neglected heroes of the Industrial Revolution, the inventors and engineers, such as James Watt, Mathew Boulton, Jean-Pierre Droz, and Diedrich Ulhom.
Regarding the ancients, Cooper's main contribution to the understanding of this period is a wide ranging discussion of the ancient metal casting techniques used to make planchets and some finished coins. He comments, "[t]he artistic merit of the coins of this earliest period, together with the quality of the skill used in their production, is unsurpassed in the view of many people, and has been well researched and documented by eminent numismatists." The ancient enthusiast will note that Cooper does not claim to share that view, and he is content to let the "eminent numismatists" tell the story of the ancients in detail.
As is natural for a former Chief Engineer of the Royal Mint, Cooper's ideal is that of coins completely struck and finished in all three dimensions, and massed produced-in ever escalating quantities-in perfect uniformity. This standard, independently of the designs used on the coins, is taken for granted by collectors who limit their acquisitions to modem coins (if everything in your collection was machine struck, every hammered coin looks like a "mint error!"). In fact this ideal was visualized at least as early as the Renaissance, but it took nearly four centuries of mechanical development to achieve the ideal economically and put it in the hands of all humanity.
This process of evolution did not follow a single simple course; for two centuries, the screw press had a major rival. Most collectors of seventeenth century coins are familiar with the products of "roller dies," but how many realize that there were two distinct
249
types of roller die mill— the Walzenwerk and the Taschenwerk-or that these machines were capable of producing thalers long before the screw press was capable of producing coins that large?
While most numismatic discussion of coin production typically focuses on the striking of the design onto the blank. Cooper examines the entire process, from smelting the metal, through casting ingots, rolling sheet, punching, rimming, edging and cleaning the blanks, to the final inspection, weighing and counting of the finished coins. Many of these processes leave their mark even on the most modem coins. For example, have you ever noticed that the high rim on some coins has a bevel on the outer edge? Cooper explains how this shape is made by a type of rimming machine with a circular groove in the face of a rotating plate, invented by Meredith Jones at the London Mint around 1 860.
While Cooper's discussion is sufficiently technical to make clear the advantages and disadvantages of each type of machine, and the significance of each major step of development, it is written simply enough that none of it requires any special mechanical knowledge for the general reader to understand it easily and enjoyably. Cooper not only makes good use of clear illustrations, both familiar and obscure, as well as photos of actual machines in museums all over the world, but he also interprets these resources with a sense of how the machines worked— and how well they worked.
On occasion, he goes beyond mechanical principles to give a vivid sense of the experience of using the machines-from the abrupt engagement of the flywheel clutch on an Ulhom knuckle press to the loudly vibrating operation of an eight press gang of Boulton & Watt vacuum driven, steam powered screw presses. More peripheral elements touched on range from medieval moneyers' distinctive costumes to mint facility layouts-from power sources to living quarters.
Cooper's most general thesis is that, being a unique combination of art and mass production of the most demanding standard, the coining technology of any civilization is an accurate measure of the level of industrial development of that culture. It is in this sense that coins are most eloquent as artifacts connecting numismatic science with the whole world of knowledge. This book provides the tools to "read" these artifacts.
The NI Library has recently acquired a copy of The Art and Craft of Coinmaking. I heartily recommend that every member take advantage of this resource. I expect that many who check it out will discover that they need a copy for their own library.
Reviewed by Greg Franck-Weiby.
Nummi Britannici Historia: or An historical account of English Money, from the Conquest to the uniting of the two Kingdoms by King James l and of Great Britain to the Present time. With Particular Descriptions of each Piece, and Illustrated with Cuts of the more Ancient. A WORK hitherto unattempted. Necessary for all those that would have any Knowledge of this useful Part of Antiquity; but particularly calculated for the Benefit of the curious Collector of English Coin. By Stephen Martin Leake.
250
London: Meadows, MDCXXVI [misprint for MDCCXXVI]. Octavo, x + 144 + 6pp. + 4 plates.
Although rightly omitted from Mme. Clain-Stephanelli's Select Numismatic Bibliogra- phy, this book deserves to be remembered as the first extensive work on English coins. Mr. Leake acknowledges his debt to Lowndes' "Essay upon amendment of the coin" and Nicolson's chapter on English coins and medals in the 1699 English Historical Library, but he adds information about rare or unique coins which he has found to exist in various collections. His book, he tells us, is intended principally for the beginner, and with typical British modesty he hopes that "this little Tract shall engage an abler Hand in such an Undertaking."
Leake's name as author was added to the second addition, 1745, which contained nine additional plates and dropped the Latin part of the title. The third edition, 1793, was considerably expanded, containing over 400 pages and including an appendix on the coins of George III. By that time, though, Thomas Snelling's 1762 A View of the silver coins and coinages of England from the Norman conquest to the present time had appeared.
The NI Library has recently acquired a copy of this work and even though the book is now only of antiquarian interest, it may be of interest to NI members.
Reviewed by David Block.
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The famous Talari of 1896 was struck in gold from the dies made for the silver 10 Wark pieces. This Paris striking shows the head of King Menelik of Ethiopia to the left with the inscription around. The reverse shows the Lion of Judah to the right with the inscription around it. Only nine of these most beautiful high relief workmanship coins were struck and all were in an Addia Ababa collection and came on the numismatic market at one time years after their striking.
GOLD TALARI OF ETHIOPIA
(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher)
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MEMBER NOTICE PAGE
Alexandre Lucien IM, P. 0. Box 2019, Jakarta 10020, Indonesia: Seriously needed notes, bonds, cheques, shares, lotteries, scrips, coins, tokens, medals, orders, seals of Indonesia & their history. Also any information containing the names of local/national rulers or administrators (kings, governors, nobles, chiefs, & other heads of regions) all over the world. I need this for encyclopaedic works and documentation. Trade welcomed and reply assured.
Phil Wing, P. 0. Drawer 58204, Cincinnati, OH 45258: British Coins
Wanted -All Hammered silver and gold coins Fine or Better. All sil- ver coins 1660-1760 VF or better. All gold Guineas VF or better.
Will buy for cash or trade for other coins. Please send or write.
NI ATTRIBUTION SERVICE: The NI Attribution Service will accept items
for attribution. Please refer to page 201 of the September, 1990 issue for new rules regarding items sent in, or write to the Chairman of the Attribution Service at the regular Dallas address before send- ing items.
********************************************************************* THE DUTCH POPE
The Vatican struck this silver medal for Adrian VI, the Dutch Pope.
The h dollar size medal has the Pope's bust to the left on the obverse, and St. Peter at the gate to Heaven on the reverse.
(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher)
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"QUID. Slang for a SOVEREIGN (or a pound note). It occurs in Shad- well's Squire of Alsatia (1688), but its origin is unknown."
Taken from 916, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable 1981.
(Submitted by Tuti villus)
252