Coin Talk

In 1837, Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger proposed a cheaper alternative to the copper Large Cent. The “Feuchtwanger Cent” was made of a metal alloy he called the “Feuchtwanger Composition.” This would have been the first time the US Mint used a nickel-alloy for its circulation coinage. Mint Director, Robert Patterson rejected the proposition, favoring Robert Scot’s design of the Matron Head Large Cent. It’s important to note that Robert Scot also designed the Draped Bust Half Cent, Draped Bust Large Cent, Draped Bust Half Dime, Draped Bust Dime, Draped Bust Quarter, Draped Bust Half Dollar and Draped Bust Silver Dollar (see also: https://www.usacoinbook.com/encyclopedia/coin-designers/robert-scot/). Robert Scott passed away on November 1, 1823, while still serving as the Chief Engraver of the US Mint. These factors likely played a role in Patterson’s decision.



Source:...

Over the last several years more and more of my collecting budget is being used on historical medals from both the United States and around the world. Many of these purchases would be considered impulse buys with little or no research done prior to the transaction. I see it, tell myself, that is both neat and it is within my budget, so let’s get it. Keep in mind that there is no “Red Book” for medals. There isn’t even anything equivalent to the Krause world coin catalogs. I use my gut to guide me on many of these purchases. I have had a few hiccups along the way but haven’t ever really been burned.

One recent purchase is the subject of this article. The “Rescue of Martin Koszta” medal is an impressive 105mm bronze medal. The imagery is very appealing to me. Medalists have a lot more freedom to create beautiful works of art than do the artists that create our circulating coinage.

First, let’s talk about the medal and events that led up to its creation.

Duncan Ingraham was...

No, sorry, this is not just about people with advancing years. After the enjoyment of the Alphabet Game on the Ancients forum, this will be 3 days per Century starting in 500CE to the end of 1500CE. Any coin, commemorative or medal, of any denomination or composition is welcome. There will be examples posted that are unfamiliar to some, so a brief description with the images would be most appreciated.
I am looking forward to seeing some items I have never seen before, so post away
Our starting point, and for 3 days, begins now with 500 CE - 600 CE.

According to Red Book, Mark Newby came to America from Dublin, Ireland in 1681. He brought copper pieces believed to have been struck in Dublin 1663-1672, these are called St. Patrick Coppers. The coinage was made legal tender by the General Assembly of New Jersey in May, 1682. Here is more detailed information from the excellent Notre Dame University website: "Originally minted for use in Ireland, St. Patrick coppers had a long and varied history. An English Quaker merchant in Dublin named Mark Newby (or Newbie) acquired a large supply of these coins which he took with him in 1681 when he emigrated to West New Jersey (New Jersey was divided into separate Eastern and Western colonies from 1676-1702). On May 18, 1682 the General Free Assembly of West New Jersey granted Newby's coppers legal tender status and allowed them to circulate as small change at the rate of a halfpenny, replacing wampum. The only restrictions were that Newby had to put up surety (300 acres of land) that...

How can you find provenance for your ancient coins? It helps to get good at recognizing dies and die matches and knowing what your coins look like.

Brute Force: flipping through large numbers of books and catalogs in paper and electronic libraries. I have tried this unless I was just looking for an image of a coin with a known auction listing.
Example: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/coins-of-parthian-king-phraates-iv

Roman Republican coins - the Schaeffer Roman Republican Die Project is a useful resource http://numismatics.org/archives/ark:/53695/schaefer.rrdp.b04. Examples:

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/fun-provenance-find

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/unencrypting-crawford-rrc

Coins of Roman Egypt : Dattari Savio is an easy place to check with ~10K coins it provides one stop for 100+ years of provenance.

Example:...

Collecting ancient coins is one thing for mere mortals like most of us, but it's a completely different hobby when you can rely on almost unlimited financial resources. Like Louis XIV for example and, to be sincere, I'm a bit jealous...

Louis XIV discovered this hobby when he was a child, thanks to Jean Warin (1607-1672), a die engraver who was head of Paris mint and engraved the official busts of Louis XIII and young Louis XIV struck on gold and silver coins. On this picture painted by an anonymous artist in 1645 (with later additions), Jean Warin is teaching ancient history to the young Louis XIV, aged 7, using coins and medals. Show and tell method. The little kid was fascinated and later became a passionate collector.


(Musée de la Monnaie, Paris)

He was actually a promising child. Two years before, when only 5, he was called by his father Louis XIII on his deathbed. The dying king asked him: "Do you know who you are?" and the...

This 1 Groschen was struck in 1577 in Dresden, Saxony (Saxony) under August I of the Albertine Line.


In 1470, the Saxons found rich, silver ore deposits in Schneeberg. In 1492 (a date many might recognize), another was found in Schreckenberg. Because both of these were in the Ore Mountains of Saxony, they experienced a silver rush, known in German as a Berggeschrei. Many flocked to the region to strike it rich, leading to new developments in mining and metallurgy. August I shepherded Saxony through this age, to whom Georg Bauer addressed his book De re Metallica. The 672-page book cataloged the state-of-the-art mining, refining, and smelting methods. This book remained the authoritative text on mining for almost two centuries and is said to have helped enable the Industrial Revolution. I find the book fascinating and recommend any who might have interest to visit this link...

Did you ever wonder about the origin of something you commonly encounter? The apple, which is the fourth most harvested fruit worldwide (third if we removed tomatoes-we all know they aren’t “true” fruits ), can be traced to the mountains of Central Asia, especially Kazakhstan. Almaty, formerly the capital of Kazakhstan and still the largest city, is home to forests containing the wild apple Malus sieversii. It has been shown to be the ancestor of the domesticated apples many of us consume nowadays. Even the name “Almaty” is derived from the Kazakh word for apple (“алма“). The city and country takes pride in this wonderful fruit with billboards, a fountain, and even a coin.

I recently added the aforementioned coin to my collection. Issued in 2013, the coin has a simple yet striking design. What is even more interesting is that the two sides are almost like halfs of two different coins. One side is a proof with selected gilding of the apples. Meanwhile the other side is more of a...

Dear friends of ancient Mythology!

Here is my last article before Christmas

The Coin:
Akarnania. Oiniadai, 219-211 BC.
AE 22, 6.91g, 22.02mm
Obv.: Laureate head of Zeus r.
Behind thunderbolt, below ΠPI.
Rev.: OINIAΔAN
Head of river god Acheloos as bull with human head n. r.
behind monogram AKAP
Ref.: BCD Akarnania 347; SNG Copenhagen 402
rubbers, otherwise almost VF


Mythology
The name Acheloos probably comes from the old Greek word αχ (= aqua, related to the German Ach, Ache) for water, which is why its name was also used by poets for fresh water in general. In ancient times the river was also called Thoas and Acheloos was king in Aetolia. It is said that the river only received its final name after Acheloos drowned in it in an accident. Others say that the river was originally called Thestios, after the son of Ares and Prisidike.

The parents of Acheloos were Okeanos and Tethys...

With more US Mint Bureau documents becoming available on-line through the Newman Numismatic Portal (NNP), it seems a good time to give those doing numismatic research a little guidance. This will show how various groups of documents are connected and suggest which files to search for letters relating to specific events or persons.

The information will help researchers look through thousands of documents without have to spend weeks at NARA locations thumbing through thick volumes and overstuffed file boxes.

What you will find: Connections between archive files. Transcriptions of some documents.

What you will not find: Transcriptions of everything.

Access: All materials are available for free via NNP to read or download.

Basic files in Record Group 104 U.S. Mint ––


For letters from 1873 to 1900 the overall search flow is:

1. Start with Entry 1. These are in chronological order and many are transcribed. Search by subject or approximate date.

2. Once...