Next club meeting Monday 2nd February 2015.

 

Notices

·         Please bring your Auction lots for March along to the next meeting and give them to James or another committee member.

 

January Meeting

January’s meeting was given over to Short Talks from Members. There were three talks.

 

Graham talked on “Reflections from 2014”.

Starting from a little known reference work on Roman coins and a Bovril War Diary (“Bovril is British to the Backbone”), the latter a present from a friend for a “senior moment”, Graham guided us through the additions to his collections from last year. A “must have” brass pay or tool cheque sold to a customer, because it matched his car number plate led to a discussion of other “must haves” including a Wesleyan Gold Medallion and the desirability of the chunky Ancient Greek coins where the visually impaired can feel the designs, even if they can’t see them.

 

 

There then followed a selection of interesting Greek, Roman, Persian and even Celtic coinage.

A silver stater from Metapontion, with Demeter on the obverse and an ear of corn on the reverse.

 

An ear of corn was a symbol of agricultural wealth.

A stater from Tarsos which became the chief mint of the Persian Satraps where most of the silver to finance the re-conquering of Egypt was struck.

A Diabol, a small denomination from Thrace.

A silver denarius with scenes from the mythical “Rape of the Sabine Women”.

A denarius with Hercules strangling the Nemean lion.

A Celtic gold Stater, British B ‘Chute’ type.

A scarce silver Unit.

 

 all rounded off nicely by three more Wesleyan Medallions and a nice quote -

“The Budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome will become bankrupt. People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance.” (Cicero 55BC). As Graham pointed out “evidently we’ve learned sod all over the past 2069 years”.

Graham’s final contribution was a poem entitled “Ode on a Carausius of Gold Found in a Crazy Pavement”

 

Peter talked on the Roman emporer Phillip 1st. He was born in El-Leja in south-western Syria in about AD 204 into family embarked on self-improvement in the Roman administrative system. As Marcus Julius Philipus he rose to the position of Praetorian Prefect under emperor Gordian III in 243 and accompanied Gordian on his Sasanian Campaign in Persia. Gordian was ‘murdered’ in mysterious circumstances in early 244 in Zaitha, on the Euphrates, and Philip was made emperor by his troops on the spot.

 

Early historians are quick to blame Philip for the death of Gordian, noting that Marcia Otacilia Severa, his wife, made a lengthy confession on return. This is interesting because the early church regards her as a Christian – and possibly Philip also – although his willingness to comply with state pagan rituals puts this into doubt.

 

To secure his position, Philip needed the Senate in Rome to ratify his appointment. He concluded a hasty peace treaty with Shapur, the Sasanian ruler, and arrived in Rome in mid 244. He received the Senate’s blessing. Coins reflect both these events.

 

Philip I

Everlasting peace with Persis

Acceptance by the Senate

 

He associated Otacilia Severa and his son, Marcus Julius Philipus, in emperor-ship - Philip (junior) was made Caesar in 244 and Augustus in 247.

 

They celebrated 1,000 anniversary of the founding of Rome in 248 and issued a series of coins commemorating the event. But troubles in Syria and the Danube resulted in local disquiet and a number of usurpers had to be dealt with during 249. After one such event, the general sent to deal with Pacatian in Upper Moesia, Caius Messius Traianus Decius, was appointed emperor by his troops, and Philip was killed in a battle near Verona in 249.

 

Otacilia in 248

1,000 years, the Saecular Games

Successor, Trajan Decius

 

Traianus Decius’s short rule (249-251) is infamous for his persecution of Christians, including Pope Fabian, Bishop of Rome. He was defeated and killed in late 251 in battle with the Goths at Abrittus (Razdad in Bulgaria).

 

John gave more of a “tweet” than a talk, entitled “The Tale  of  the  Queen’s  Acne and The  Death  of  a  Die”. John pointed out that even though he had originally started hunting in his change for rare and valuable pieces, having spectacularly failed to find any, he resorted to keeping anything that looked even remotely interesting! The talk was therefore  illustrated with modern coins found in change that had plating errors, filled dies, cracked blanks etc. . Perhaps the most interesting was a series of errors on 20ps including two stages of the breakup of a die found at different times  in different places (locally and in North London).

 

The member's vote was for Peter to receive the Marc Myhill memorial shield.

 

 

Answers to Gavin’s Quiz

1.      Which coin is presumed to be the biblical Tribute Penny? Denarius of Tiberius

2.      The first coins of Henry II are known as what? “Tealby” or “cross-and-crosslet”

3.      In whose reign was the Troy pound adopted by the Royal Mint? Reign of Henry VIII – 1526

4.      HK are the initials of a prolific jetton manufacturer – where and in which century? Nuremberg, 16th century

5.      Where in the 17th century was the normal token denomination a penny? Ireland (or North Wales)

6.      What were minted in Tokenhouse Yard? Harington farthings

7.      What is “Tree Money”? Massachusetts coins of 1652

8.      French colonial 2 sous countermarked T were issued where? Tortola

9.      Who engraved the dies for the coins of James II? John Roettier

10.  Name three private mints in Birmingham. Ralph Heaton, Soho Mint (Boulton & Watt), James Watt & Co, J R Gaunt & Sons, Kings Norton Metal Co.

11.  When was the first New Zealand penny coin issued? 1940

12.  Where were Santa Tereza Leper Colony tokens issued? Brazil

13.  Who issued 1933 pennies other than UK? Australia, South Africa, Jersey, British West Africa, Eire.

14.  What do the initials VOC on coins represent? Dutch United East India Company.

15.  What is the most common denomination in the 18th century token series? Halfpenny

16.  Where is the largest private mint in the world today? Franklin Mint, Philadelphia

17.  Where, other than the UK, were coins issued in the name of Edward VIII? British West Africa, East Africa, New Guinea

18.  Which coin issuing British monarch belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha? Edward VII

19.  Where was a 3,000 shilling proof coin issued? Kenya 1979

20.  Where and when in the 20th century were Alfred monogram pennies issued? Wembley, British Empire Exhibition 1924

 

Future Events.

Past Events

·         In 1975 Peter Seaby gave a talk covering saints on coins from the medieval period to the 18th century.

·         30 years ago we had a well-illustrated talk on Byzantine coins from Simon Bendall.

·         Since then the January meeting has been given over to short talks from members.

Club Secretary.