600ème ANNIVERSAIRE DES FRANCHISES ACCORDÉES A LA VILLE de WINTERTHUR PAR RODOLPHE DE HABSBOURG. 1864.

Médaille par Aberli. Droit. Légende: + S'. COMIT'. RUD'. D'. HABESB'. LATGRAVII. ALSATIE + Le comte Rodolphe chevauchant. A l'exergue: A.

R. Légende sur onze lignes JUS FORI | AGRUM PUBLICUM | CETERA INSTRUMENTA LIBERTATIS ATQUE OPUM | ANTE HOS SEXCENTOS ANNOS A BENEVOLO COMITE PER MAIORUM VIRTUTEM IMPETRATA | LAE RECORDANTUR | CIVES VITODURANI | ANTE d. X. KAL. JULIAS | MDCCCLXIV.

Argent, bronze et étain. Module : 0.045.

FÊTE FÉDÉRALE DE CHANT

Médaille par Aberli. Droit. L'écusson fédéral posé sur deux drapeaux, surmonté d'une lyre et accosté des écussons de Zurich, Berne, Bale, Thurgovie, Lucerne, Schaffhouse et Argovie..

BL EIDGEN : SÄNGERFEST - IN WINTERTHUR | XVI – | XVII JULI | MDCCCLIV. A Vue de la halle de fête. Argent, bronze et étain. Module : 0.039.

Médaille.

EXPOSITION CULINAIRE

Argent, bronze et étain.

Il existe aussi des tirages unifaces en bronze et en étain.

DIE ALTESTEN MÜNZEN DER STADT THORN (1250-1492) Die von den Ordensrittern im Jahre 1231 am rechten Weichselufer gegründete Stadt Thorn wurde bald darauf (1235) eine Meile oberhalb des Flusses verlegt, weil ihr ursprünglicher Anlageort den Ueberschwemmungen der Weichsel zu häufig ausgesetzt war.

Es wird in der Thorner Chronik berichtet, dass die erste Ansiedlung ein um einen grossen Eichbaum herum angelegter hölzerner Wacht- oder Beobachtungsturm gewesen sei. Zur Beglaubigung dieser Erzählung wird noch heute auf dem Rathsarchiv ein seit Jahrhunderten dort befindliches, angeblich aus dem alten Eichbaum ausgeschnittenes Stück Holz aufbewahrt und den Besuchern des Archivs vorgezeigt. Bezüglich der Namengebung der Stadt spielt die genannte Sage keine unwichtige Rolle.

Der Name der Stadt lautet Thorunium oder Thorunia (das Adjectiv findet sich in den Formen Torunensis, Thorunensis, Thrunensis, Thounensis), und wird auf die verschiedenste, zum Teil des Namens von den vielen « Thoren » (portae) der Stadt (die noch ganz absurde, Weise erklärt. Ganz abzuweisen sind die Deutungen gar nicht angelegt war !!) Ebenso lächerlich ist es, Thorn mit dem Worte « Thor » ( = brutus) in Verbindung zu bringen. Man sucht diese Erklärung durch Anführung folgender Sage zu stützen: Bei der Gründung der Stadt soll ein Baumeister warnend gesagt haben: << Ihr Thoren, dieser Platz ist schlecht gewählt!» und darnach soll die Stadt später genannt worden sein.

Es bleiben nur zwei Erklärungen übrig, welche der Beachtung wert sind Erstens die Ableitung des Städtenamens von einem fast gleichlautenden Castell Toronum, südöstlich von Tyrus, im Lande Galiläa, gelegen, das die Ordensritter gelegentlich der Kreuzzüge kennen lernten und dessen Namen sie zur Erinnerung an frühere Erlebnisse auf die Neugründung im fernen Preussenlande übertrugen. Eine andre ebenfalls annehmbare Erklärung des Namens ist die von dem mittelhochdeutschen Appellativ torn (== Turm, vergl. den Landesnamen Thurn), da ja laut der Chronik die erste Ansiedlung ein hölzerner Turm gewesen sein soll. Für letztere Erklärung spricht das Wappen Thorns, wie man es auf einer der ältesten Münzen Thorns findet, sowie das älteste Siegel Thorns, welches ein zweitürmiges Portal aufweist.

intitulée « Genève et les projets monétaires du gouvernement de Neuchâtel en 1722,» raconte l'insuccès de l'émission projetée cette année-là et qui aurait lancé dans la circulation pour 112,000 livres tournois de pièces de 5 batz, d'un batz et de demi-batz '.

Elle avait été rendue impossible par le décri anticipé des pièces nouvelles de 21 sols (soit de 5 batz), par arrêt du Conseil des DeuxCents de Genève, rendu le 3 juillet 1722. L'entrepreneur de la fabrication, le sieur Patry, de Genève, comptait débiter l'émission nouvelle dans cette ville; aussi la prohibition des pièces projetées eut-elle pour effet de faire rompre le traité Patry.

Avers: Ein dreifach betürmtes Thor in einem Schilde;
der linke Thorflügel ist geöffnet.
MONETT OVαлVS PRVαIE.
Revers: Der westpreussische links blickende Adler,
mit Krone auf dem Halse.

KASIMIRVS O. REX POL'OE:.

Es sind drei Varianten dieser Münze bekannt:

L'opposition des Deux-Cents, qui avaient du reste généralisé la défense du billon pour n'offenser personne et spécialement pour ménager la susceptibilité du roi de Prusse, souverain protestant et ami des cantons suisses, n'était point pour déplaire à ce prince, qui avait recommandé à réitérées fois au Conseil d'État l'entente avec Berne et Genève pour l'émission projetée. Aussi voyons-nous la Cour résister longtemps aux sollicitations répétées du Conseil d'État de Neuchâtel de procéder à une nouvelle fabrication.

a) Der Adler im Revers nicht vom Ordensschild eingeschlossen, das geöffnete Thor des Averses leer.

b) Der Adler des Reverses in einem Ordensschilde; der geöffnete Thorflügel des Averses lässt ein einem ähnliches Gitter sehen; über dem Schild des Averses ein O.

Cette longue attente a constitué dans notre histoire monétaire ce que nous appelons « la grande lacune », époque qui s'étend de 1714 à 1789, et pendant laquelle on ne battit plus monnaie sur les rives du Seyon.

Cependant, vers 1775, la cour de Berlin s'étant montrée disposée à reprendre l'exercice de cet attribut de la souveraineté, le Conseil d'État s'occupa avec beaucoup de zèle de la reprise du monnayage pendant les années 1775 à 1779. Malheureusement les travaux et les peines de la Commission des Monnaies ne devaient, cette fois encore, pas être couronnés de succès, puisque à la date du 6 mars de cette dernière année le chancelier Jérôme Boyve annonçait au capitaine Muller, de Fribourg, dont le fils serait devenu maître de monnaie à Neuchâtel, que le roi, par une résolution du 10 février, renvoyait l'émission aux calendes grecques.

Es giebt hiervon sehr viele Varianten, auch Zwittermünzen, wo beiderseits der Name des Königs oder beiderseits der Name der Stadt erscheint; derselbe wird auf diesen Schillingen häufiger ohne h geschrieben.

Das Thorner Wappen, wie es noch heute in Geltung ist, findet sich also ziemlich genau schon auf den westpreussischen Schillingen Casimirs, mit dem geringen Unterschiede, dass auf dem heutigen Wappen der rechte Thorflügel geöffnet ist und als Schildhalter noch ein Engel mit dem Schlüssel in der Rechten erscheint. Jedesfalls ist der Ursprung dieses Wappens kein deutscher, wenn gleich auch viele deutsche Städte das dreifach betürmte Thor gewählt haben. Es ist vielmehr da das Thorner Wappen mit seinen drei Türmen zuerst in polnischer Zeit auftritt, eine Nachahmung des Krakauer dreifach betürmten Thores anzusetzen, indem ja Krakau als damalige Hauptstadt des Königreiches Polen den Provinzialstädten in mancher Hinsicht zum Vorbilde gedient haben mag. Thorn.

LA «

NADROWSKI.

GRANDE LACUNE » DANS LE MONNAYAGE DE NEUCHATEL DE 1714 A 1789

Le Musée neuchâtelois a publié en 1885 un fragment de l'histoire monétaire de Neuchâtel. Cette étude, sortie de la plume de M. Eugène Demole, conservateur du Cabinet des médailles de Genève, et

Mais les travaux de la Commission avaient été trop complets pour l'Hôtel des Monnaies ne retentît pas bientôt du bruit des coups que de balanciers. Trente maisons de commerce de Neuchâtel pétitionnent le 20 décembre 1786 pour obtenir une émission de petite monnaie pour cette principauté. La cour paraît disposée à frapper pour Neuchâtel, mais à Berlin. Le Conseil d'État n'entre point dans cette manière de voir. Alors on songe à faire battre à Fribourg; enfin le prince, par rescrit du 22 juillet 1787, accorde que la monnaie de Neuchâtel se frappera dans cette ville, et le 27 novembre de la même année le Conseil d'État ordonne le commencement des travaux de la Monnaie. Ce n'est cependant qu'au commencement de 1789 que le monnayeur Varnod battit de nouvelles pièces neuchâteloises, après soixante-quatorze ans de fermeture de l'atelier neuchâtelois.

Notre désir serait de raconter brièvement les longues tractations. qui eurent lieu à cette occasion, la prudence, le sérieux et la persistance que les conseillers d'État et les membres de la Commission des Monnaies apportèrent alors à mener à bien la reprise du monnayage; heureux si, dans ces recherches un peu ardues, nous rencontrons quelque trait de moeurs, quelque détail piquant, qui fassent revivre sous nos yeux ces magistrats d'autrefois, et à côté

1. Pour 100,000 livres de 5 batz; 6,000 livres de 1 batz; 6,000 livres de demibatz.

d'eux des combourgeois d'outre-lac, comme le capitaine Muller, qui savait apprécier à sa juste valeur le vin rouge de nos coteaux. (To be continued.)

A COUNTERMARKED HALFPENNY

Some time ago I received among some copper change a countermarked half-penny, and I cannot bring myself to suppose that the mark is a trivial one wantonly impressed; and I am not without hope that some one of your very numerous readers may be able to afford me some information regarding it. The punch used for making the mark had been sunk die-like so that the impression stands out in relief: it appears on the neck of the queen's bust a little to the left of the centre of the coin. The device consists of a V surmounted by a crown. The half-penny bears the date of 1861, and the coin and the countermark have been about equally affected by wear.

Dear Sir,

CORRESPONDENCE

James SCOTSON.

Sedbergh, R. S. O. (Yorks) 2nd Feb. 1894.

RR

Lead

I enclose sketch of a "token" or something of the kind, which was found last Saturday in the Sedbergh Cemetery.

I am unable to identify it, and I shall be pleased if you will kindly say to what branch of Numismatics it belongs, and also decipher the initials R.R. The rev: appears to be a crude outline of a tree. The obv has a great resemblance to the earlier Presbyterian Communion Tokens, but this cannot be one, as there has been no Church of that denomination in this district. The rev: also puts an end to this supposition.

:

The "token" is in lead, and of very crude workmanship. Should you be unable to identify it, and if it is of sufficient interest, perhaps you would insert a cut in the "Monthly Circular” with the view of ascertaining what it is.

NECROLOGY

Yours truly,
Edw. F. HERDMAN.

Jeudi dernier, la Société de numismatique de Londres a adopté à l'unanimité une résolution par laquelle elle exprimait sa sympathie pour Mme Waddington et les regrets que lui inspire la mort de M. Waddington, qui est une perte pour la science de la numismatique. Cette résolution avait été proposée par sir John Evans, le président, et appuyée par M. Barclay Head, du Musée Britannique, le secrétaire.

A ce sujet, il n'est pas sans intérêt de dire que M. Waddington laisse inachevé un travail considérable sur les Monnaies de l'Asie Mineure. Dans l'esprit de son auteur, ce travail devait comprendre deux volumes, dont le premier aurait contenu la description des monnaies, et le second, un commentaire très détaillé. J'ai lieu de croire que le premier volume, c'est-à-dire la description, est terminé et que M. Waddington était à la veille de l'envoyer à l'imprimeur. Quant au second volume, il est à craindre qu'il ne soit pas, à beaucoup près, aussi avancé, et il serait à désirer qu'il se trouvât, parmi les savants collègues de M. Waddington, un numismate et un épigraphiste qui pût achever et mener à bien la tâche qu'avait entreprise notre ancien ambassadeur et qu'il se proposait de finir quand la mort l'a frappé. (Journal des Débats, du 24 janvier 1894.)

NEW BOOKS, CATALOGUES, etc.

X. Verzeichniss von Münzen und Medaillen mit beigefügten Verkaufspreisen Otto Helbing. Münich, 1894.

Katalog Numismatów. Nr. 3. Ksiegarni Antykwarskiej. B. Bolcewicza. Warszawa, 1893.

Numismatischer Verkehr, Januar 1894. No 1 & 2. C. G. Thieme, Leipsig. Numismatischer Offerten-Blatt, Februar 1894. E. Rappaport, Berlin. Monnaies françaises, Médailles, Sceaux, Livres de numismatique. Collection de M. de Cisternes. Février 1894. Raymon Serrure et Cie.

Catalogue of English Coins in the British Museum Anglo-Saxon Series vol. II. Wessex and England to the Norman Conquest. By Herbert A. Grueber F. S. A. and Charles F. Keary, M. A., F. S. A.

Second Notice.

Continuing our reference to this interesting volume we note that Mr. Keary does not go deeply into the question yet to be finally settled whether Ethelbald really issued any coins of his own. A coin bearing this King's name was referred to long ago both by Ruding and Hawkins, but unfortunately that piece, if it really existed, has disappeared.

This is the more to be regretted now that three specimens, all of the same moneyer, have at different intervals during the past few years come to light, for it would be highly interesting, and would doubtless settle the vexed question for good, were Ruding's coin and these later ones to be compared together.

The genuineness of these rare pieces has been ably championed both by Mr. H. Montagu (N. C., 1887, p. 132) and M. L. A. Lawrence (N. C., 1893, p. 40), and it is to be regretted that the British Museum authorities have not seen their way to secure a specimen for their collection.

The singular fact is pointed out by Mr. Lawrence, in his paper on the subject, that Ethelwulf's moneyer TORHTVLF the moneyer of the three coins before alluded to with the apparent idea of saving himself trouble, has skilfully altered the BALD of AEƉELBALD into VVLF for AEDELVVLF. This course, as Mr. Lawrence has also pointed out, is by no means an unknown procedure on the part of some of the old moneyers : in fact the official altering of certain letters or figures in dies was more or less practised, at any rate at the London mint, until the reign of George I or even later. All this is very strong evidence in favour of the coins being really those of Æthelbald, especially when it is borne in mind that a forger would naturally turn a common coin into one that is rarer. In the case in question the opposite has occurred, for it is well known that Æthelwulf's pennies are by no means rare. Further, it may be observed that a forger would not have cominand of the dies, and he would therefore be under the necessity of making new dies (which in the case before us is clearly impossible) or of skilfully altering the four letters we have named by hand, a process we may dismiss at once as being both absurd and impracticable.

It has been established that Ethelwulf and Æthelbald reigned concurrently for some time, why then should not the latter, who held the chief Kingdom, not be it remembered through the usual way of inheritance, but on account of his rebellion and his father's magnanimity, exercise the kingly prerogative of coining money? Æthelbald's character is known to have been lacking in more ways than one, and from what is known of him it is reasonable to suppose that he would not scruple to issue coins bearing his effigy and name even during the lifetime of his father. The great scarcity too of his money seems to indicate a coinage rather in the nature of an experiment which his father may have very distinctly objected to; the singular fact, before alluded to, of TORHTVLF'S altering the dies of the coin so that it should serve for Ethelwulf instead of (as would rather be supposed) vice verså for Æthelbald leads to the conclusion that an effort was made to get rid of what appears to be only an attempt at a coinage by the younger King. Passing by the ebbs and flows of the many invasions during all this period by the Vikings, which gradually changed from mere piratical excursions on a scale more or less vast to what may be termed migratory hordes bent upon settlement in a new country less inclement than their own, we come to the very remarkable "Victory" type pennies of Ceolwulf II, Halfden and Ælfred - our readers will recollect the publication in this magazine of that of Elfred, in December 1892 -which are, we think, on account of their evident connection with the well known Roman coins of similar design, the most interesting, as they are certainly the most uncommon, of all the types to be found upon the early Saxon and English coinages. Here too, unfortunately, our Museum has a gap to be filled as all the coins we allude to are in the cabinets of private collectors. At this date (A. D. 874) the Frankish device of a monogram appears to have been inaugurated by the aforesaid Halfden, and upon which Mr. Keary remarks And not only is it prima facie probable that the Vikings would be more familiar than the English with the Frankish currency of this date (so much of which had been paid as ransom into their pockets); but we have evidence in the Cuerdale coins (Vol. I, pp. XXIX95, 204 sqq.) that the Vikings, in the earliest coins which they struck for their own use, were disposed to imitate the coinage of the Franks" And in a foot-note he further adds: "The Frankish King whose coins may be taken to have suggested the London and Lincoln monogram-types is Louis le Bègue (A. D. 861-879). Compare Gariel, Monnaies royales de France sous la race Carlovingienue, pl. 38.

The first coin which bears this new (for England) monogram-type, we may point out, is entirely foreign in type; it is therefore in every way a remarkable piece and may be attributed to Halfden with some degree of certainty seeing that that prince could have but little predilection for English types, and on account of his roving proclivities may be assumed to have been more or less acquainted with the Frankish coinage upon which the monogram-type was at that period so largely employed.

By Ethelstan's reign the power of the Vikings was at least temporarily broken, the building of the Burgs during the reign of Edweard the work, it is said, of Ethelflæd his sister-gradually serving to overawe these turbulent settlers and tending to keep them within reasonable bounds, so that Æthelstan was enabled to assume the title of "Rex Totius Britanniæ " both upon his charters and his coins, and his power was acknowledged by, and his sisters contracted marriages with, some of the most notable of the Christian princes of Western Europe.

It is a singular fact that in spite of the really enormous amounts (48.000 pounds

of silver alone in the year 1010) that the Danes exacted from Æthelred II, the country must have been growing in wealth and prosperity, for, as Mr. Keary remarks," there were in this reign more minting places than there ever were before and a much greater number of people employed in striking coins" though doubtless much of this activity was due to the large demand for coins with which to satisfy the rapacious Danes. It will be, then, understood that such vast quantities of English coins as were imported into the Scandinavian Kingdoms of the North were not without very considerable influence as regards type; and on this subject the author remarks. The wealth of England made a great impression upon the Scandinavian states of the north. And the effect of the English wealth and the English currencies was more felt during Æthelred's reign than any other.

It is for this reason that in the history of the Numismatics of Northern Europe, Ethelred's reign is the most important of all during the period over which our inquiry extends.

Owing to the fact of his heavy payments to the Norse and Danish invaders, Ethelred's coinage became known over the whole Scandinavian world, and evidently constituted a regular currency among the Norsemen in Ireland; to a somewhat less extent among the Norsemen of the Scottish islands and of Man; to a greater extent again in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. And as in the early years of the eleventh century, the kings of these three last countries began to bethink them of issuing coinages of their own, they one and all modelled them upon the types of Ethelred's coins. Or, to speak with greater accuracy, in almost every instance they modelled their first issues upon one or two types of Æthelred. These types are our nos iii and iv. The earliest Scandinavian coins struck in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway respectively were issued by Svend, by Olaf Skötkonung, and by Earl Hakon Ériksson.

It is curious that in this way we find the coinage of Ethelred II symbolizing, after a certain fashion, the wide empire which was enjoyed by his successor on the English throne, Cnut the Great. And this fact, the fact of the contrast presented by the wide spread of Æthelred's coins among the Northern people, with the strict limitation of his power of which these very people were the instruments, should be a warning to us as to what conclusions we draw from the study of coins". As we have already seen, in spite of the changes and revolutions which were the outcome of the Danish invasions the country seemed to have steadily grown both in population and wealth, and Mr Keary notices that the double cross on the reverse of the coins first became common under Æthelred II "This type, he says, has a certain fiscal significance; for the double cross was made to facilitate the cutting up of the coin into halfpence and farthings. This type of reverse becomes still more usual under Cnut and his immediate successors. It was not afterwards abandoned; and, as we should see if we continued our inquiries into the later English coinage, it long curvived the Norman Conquest. The whole appearance of the coinage of Athelred II, as compared with that of the previous reign signifies an increase in fiscality, that is to say, in the use of a circulating medium, consistent with what was said above of the possibly increased wealth and trade of the country, even during the severest days of Danish invasion. Unquestionably the whole history of our Anglo-Saxon coinage points to the fact that if our Northern conquerors were great despoilers, they were likewise great founders of trade and commerce. In all these features the coinage of the kings of the Danish line is but a continuation of that of Ethelred II."

It would appear that the influence of the Carling coinage, once so noticeable upon the Saxon coins had by this time quite disappeared and the German types which were of course Frankish in origin seemed to have furnished ideas to the Scandinavian sovereigns of England so that the crowned bust of Cnut seems directly attributable to that influence. This is in such complete accord with the political history of England at this moment that there does not seem to be any valid reason for doubting that Cnut, who framed his Scandinavian empire so much upon the pattern of the empire of the German emperors, who had his earls of Norway, of Denmark, of Northumbria, of Mercia, of East Anglia, and of Wessex, as the German emperors had their dukes of Saxony, of Lotharingia, of Franconia, of Swabia, and so forth, deliberately adopted the crowned bust of the German emperors.

Passing on now to Mr Keary's most interesting elucidations on the subject of Moneyers and their errors, want of space forbids us to take more than a glance at them. It appears that there is no available information as to the way in which the various mints throughout the country were supplied with dies for striking the coins, though from the general similarity so often to be observed in coins of the same type, though of different mints, it might almost be inferred that some masterhand directed their preparation and distribution. But be that as it may it is evident (the author considers) the actual cutting of the dies was performed by the hands of unlettered people who were capable of almost any kind of mistake in copying an inscription placed before them it follows therefore that the first class of errors in the proper names would arise from the mistakes which the engravers made in copying the inscriptions, through mere ignorance of the phonetic value of the signs set before them". Mr Keary shows how easy it would have been for the ignorant die-sinker to have used his tools wrongly or carelessly, so that what he intended to stand for one letter might very well be cut to look like another, such as the letters B. and P. or R. and F., &c. Here too the Runic H (N) and the Roman Ŋ were constantly confused together as numismatists are well aware The varieties too of these moneyers' letters are endless, so that the hundred alphabetic forms used in the volume before us are insufficient to meet all the requirements these variously shaped letters require this will readily be believed when we remind the numismatic student for example of the variety of slopes used for the middle of the letter N. As to the exact status of the moneyers there seems to be no precise information, but Mr Keary considers it probable that about the end of the period under consideration the right of coining was farmed out to the moneyers "This at least is implied in one or two passages in 'Domesday'. It appears from these (and other entries referred to in vol I) that the moneyers received dies, and it is implied in most that they had to go somewhere (generally to London) to get them".

As to the term MONETA (or abbreviations of it) so constantly seen on English coins, we are inclined to agree with Mr Keary's theory, that though at first it

was merely a contraction of MONETARIVS yet it finally stood to mean 'Money' 'coin'; thus TORHTVLF MONETA would signify Torhtulf's money or coin; this interpretation being much strengthened by the fact that under Eadmund, Eadred, and Eadwig several of their moneyers' names are put in the possessive case, such as (e. g.) Sigares, Agtardes, Dunnes. And this would further imply that the monetarius' or person who signs the coin, was the issuer thereof, in the same sense, that is, that Lord Harrington was the issuer of the copper token coinage in the reign of James I".

As regards the Types of the Coinage for the period embraced by this volume, the author points out that they are of less interest on the whole than those presented by the coins referred to in the former Catalogue, though the workmanship of some is decidedly artistic, and portraiture was attempted with some degree of success on the coins issued by Ælfred, Eadweard the Elder, Æthelstan, Eadmund and Eadgar. With few exceptions the coinage exhibits an independence of that of the Continent; so much so, that where (Mr Keary remarks) "we find an approach between the coinage of England and that of any continental people, it is an instance of copying from England, and not of the reverse process".

The compilers of this Catalogue have done good service in giving a summary of the mints where it is known coins were struck, together with historical notes of interest about them, which cannot fail to be of use to the numismatist and collector. Some of these mint-places must have been very small and insignificant,_being probably used for the purpose to supply pressing needs at the moment. This is almost proved by the very short time that they existed and by the great scarcity of the coins of some of them.

We notice a slight error to the description of no 219, a penny of Cnut. It is stated there to have before the head. This should be an as a specimen we have seen (doubtless with the special mark better defined) proves.

It only remains for us to add that there is an excellent map illustrating the Anglo-Saxon mints, and that the plates and indexes leave nothing to be desired. We trust that Messrs Grueber and Keary will proceed with their valuable catalogues, and ere long favour the numismatic world with a third volume, which we venture to assert will not be less welcome than the one we have had the pleasure of bringing before the notice of our readers.

The Currencies of the Hindu States of Rájputána, by William Wilfrid Webb M. B.-Royal 8vo. 136 pp. Illustrated by a Map and by twelve Plates of Coins after drawings made by the author from specimens in his collection Westminster. Archibald Constable & Co. 1893. Price: 16/. nett.

No one could have been in a better position to write a work on the Currencies of the Hindu States of Rajputana than Surgeon Captain W. W. Webb, who spent several years on duty at the courts of Udaipur and Bikaner and formed during his stay there a fine collection of representative coins of these Native States. We therefore welcome the book as an important addition to the valuable catalogues of the British Museum treating of the Indian series, and we feel assured it will prove of great help to collectors. This laboriously and carefully compiled volume is illustrated with twelve lithographed plates of coins from the author's own collection and drawn by himself. To those unacquainted with the native languages, the illustrations, which come out very clearly, will remove a great difficulty in attributing their specimens, and altogether the book is most comprehensive and interesting.

The subject is divided into sixteen chapters, comprising the various currencies of Mewár, Partábgarh, Dúngárpúr, Bánswára, Márwár, Bikaner, Kishangarh, Jaipur, Búndi, Kotah, Jháláwár, Jaisalmer, Alwar, Karauli, Bhartpur, Dholpur and their feudatory states respectively.

"The amount of local coin circulating in the Rajput States is very large, and is, in most cases, the collection of a century or longer..... In many States coins of great age are still accepted in payment.

"The coins of the Native States are fashioned in a rude way with the hammer and anvil, and have plain, unmilled edges. Stamping is carried out in a similarly rough manner, one workman holding the piece of metal between the two dies, whilst a second, with a blow from a heavy hammer, completes the coin. With very few exceptions the coins bear only portions of the inscriptions carried by the dies.

Amongst other rarities in Surgeon Captain Webb's collection, we notice a rupee of the Khebri State, feudatory to Jaipur, struck in the name of Muhammad Shah 'A'lam, introduced into circulation between the years 1759 and 1786, and described as follows:

Sanah 38 julús maimanat nianus zarab (Khetri?). "Struck at (Khetri?) in the 38th year of his fortunate reign." Symbols. above the b of the word zarab and by the side of the 3 of the 38. This mark in the curl of the s of julús.”

A very useful map showing the mint towns of Rajputana completes the wề, and renders it of so much greater value not only to collectors but also to t historian and geographer and any person interested in our great Dependency

India.

REVIEWS

Tiudschrift van het Nederlandsch genootschap voor Munt- en penningkunde. 1o Aflevering, Amsterdam, 1894.

Méreau

De stempelsnijders van 's Rijks Munt te Utrecht in de laatste so jaren, door Mr. L. W. A. Besier. - Lettre de M. A. de Belfort à M. Joh. W. Stephanik, au sujet des tiers de sol d'or avec la légende Triectum. Nog niet teruggevonden Gouden leeuw van Karel den Stoute voor Gelderland, door Th. M. Roest. des pompiers (brandspuitpenning) d'Eindhoven (Brabant septentrional), par M. le chevalier M. A. Snoeck. Trois médailles relatives au miracle du très Saint-Sang, à Boxtel (Brabant septentrional), par M le chevalier M. A. Snoeck (avec planche). Muntvondst te Bunschoten, door Th. M. Roest. In memoriam. J. A. Smits van Nieuwerkerk, door mejuffrouw Marie de Man. Inhoudsopgave der Tijdschriften die het Genootschap in ruiling ontvangt.

Berliner Münzblätter, November 1893.

Menadier, Ein Pfennig der Abtei Thorn aus dem elften Jahrhundert. Schowelpenninge. - M. Bahrfeldt, Die Silbergroschen und kleineren Münzen Herzogs Christian von Braunschweig-Lüneburg aus unbekannten Münzstätten. Arturo Pedrals y Moliné. Catálogo de la Colección de monedas y medallas de Manuel Vidal Quadras y Ramon. December 1893.

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Menadier, Schowelpenninge. Der Fund von Hehlingen.

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Arturo Pedrals y Moline. Catálogo de la colección de monedas y medallas de Manuel Vidal Quadras y Ramon.

Januar 1894. Menadier, Der Fund von Hehlingen. Arturo Pedrals Moline. Catálogo de la y colección de monedas y medallas de Manuel Vidal Quadras y Ramon. Numismatische Correspondenz, No 123-124, 1893. Der Münsfund von Muchocin. Verkäufliche Munzen. Numismatisch-Sphragistischer Anzeiger, I, 31. Januar 1894. F. Tewes, Ein schöner Thaler der Stadt Hannover von 1630. - F. Tewes, Die Schwaren (?) o. J. des Dom-Kapitels Verden. Die Siegel der Stadt Braunschweig. Verzeichniss der numismatischen Zeitschriften.

Numismatisches Literatur-Blatt, Januar 1894.

Blätter für Munzfreunde, No 192.

O. F.

cats'

NUMISMATIC SOCIETIES EXHIBITIONS, &c. Numismatic Society of London. - Jan. 18. Sir J. Evans, President in the chair. Messrs. H. Goodacre, J. Ward, and M. P. C. Stroehlin were elected Members. The President exhibited a specimen, thickly gilt, of the magnificent French medal cast at Lyons in honour of Louis XII. and his wife Anne de Bretagne. Though no examples in gold of the original issue of this medal are preserved, the present specimen is an early and finely executed cast in copper. Its only defect is that a small portion of it has been broken off, which, however, has been replaced by a reproduction of the corresponding part from the specimen in the British Museum. Dr. F. P. Weber exhibited some small agates, cut so as to show the eye or eyes upon them, and commonly known as Indian "eye stones". These Dr. Weber was inclined to identify with the stones which are referred to by Nicolo Conti in his account of Travel in India', in the fifteenth century, as eyes", and which he says were used as money in some parts of India. The stones now known as "cats' eyes" are quite different. If the so-called "eye stones" are in reality identical with the stones mentioned by Conti, they are, next to the "cowries", the commonest specimens now extant of an old non-metallic currency. Mr. Hoblyn exhibited a penny of Edward the Confessor, struck at Hastings by the Moneyer Theodred; also a testoon and a shilling of Edward VI., countermarked with the portcullis. Mr. Prevost exhibited specimens of Swiss jetons d'escompte representing values of 5, 10, 20, and 50 centimes. Sir J. Evans read a paper on a small hoad of Anglo-Saxon sceattas, found near Cambridge, both inscribed and uninscribed. The writer was of opinion that some of them might belong to East Anglia rather than to Mercia. The uninscribed specimens bore much resemblance to certain coins of Eadberht and Alchred of Northumbria and might probably be attributed for the most part to the earlier half of the eighth century, a much later date than that which has hitherto been usually assigned to them.

"Athenæum."

5ojähriges Jubiläum der Numismatischen Gesellschaft zu Berlin. Die Numismatische Gesellschaft zu Berlin beging am 4. Dezember d. J. die Jubelfeier ihres fünfzigjährigen Bestehens. In der Festsitzung, an der sich eine grössere Anzahl von gegenwärtigen und früheren Mitgliedern beteiligte, wurde zunächst der bisherige Vorsitzende, Landgerichtsrat Dannenberg, der der Gesellschaft seit ihrer Begründung als Mitglied angehört, jetzt aber aus Gesundheitsrücksichten sein Amt niedergelegt hat, zum Ehrenvorsitzenden ernannt. Der nunmehrige Vorsitzende, Regierungsrat Friedensburg, gab dazu ein Lebensbild Dannenbergs, wobei er dessen grosse Verdienste um die Münzkunde und die numismatische Gesellschaft beleuchtete, und legte alsdann die von der Gesellschaft gestiftete, von v. Brakenhausen modellirte goldene Medaille mit dem Bilde Dannenbergs vor, die dem Gefeierten mit einer Adresse übersandt wird. Darauf hielt F. einen Vortrag über die Geschichte. der Numismatischen Gesellschaft, der ältesten Deutschlands. Gegründet am 22. Dezember 1843, zählte sie gleich beim Entstehen 36 Mitglieder, Schriftsteller und Sammler auf dem Felde der Numismatik, Archäologen, Geschichtsforscher u. s. w. Besonders gedachte der Vorsitzende der Beziehungen der Gesellschaft zum königlichen Münzkabinet und zur königlichen Münze fast alle Beamten der ersteren und eine grosse Anzahl von solchen der letzteren sind Mitglieder der Gesellschaft gewesen oder sind es noch. So hat man sich denn von Anfang an vor Einseitigkeit gehütet, kein Gebiet der Münzwissenschaft ist den Mitgliedern fremd oder gleichgiltig geblieben. Nicht minder hat man sich vor einer bei gelehrten Gesellschaften leicht eintretenden Ueberhebung zu wahren gewusst auch der Anfänger, der Liebhaber ohne umfassende Kenntnisse haben von jeher für ihre Bestrebungen Theilnahme und Förderung gefunden. Vorgelegt wurden die sämmtlichen Schriften, welche die Gesellschaft herausgegeben hat: der erste Jahresbericht von 1845, ein Programın zum Eckhelfeste von demselben Jahre, drei Hefte" Mittheilungen" von 1846, 1850 und 1857, sowie die Jahresberichte seit 1879, an welche sich die zur Feier des Tages erschienene Festschrift, enthaltend dreizehn Aufsätze von Mitgliedern der Gesellschaft, würdig anreiht. Alsdann hielt Dr. Weil einen Vortrag über "die Entwickelung des Studiums der antiken Numismatik ". Die Anfänge dieses Studiums fallen bekanntlich in die Zeit des Wiederauflebens der klassischen Studien überhaupt italienische Humanisten waren die ersten, die auch Münzen in den Kreis ihrer Forschungen zogen, italienische Fürsten die ersten, welche grössere Sammlungen anlegten. Auf dem Wege über Frankreich und Holland pflanzte sich die Beschäftigung mit der Numismatik nach Deutschland fort, im 16. Jahrhundert gab es hier bereits Hunderte von Sammlern, es gehörte zum guten Ton, wenigstens einige Stücke dieser Art zu besitzen. Der Vortrag gipfelte in einer eingehenden Schilderung der Literatur bis zu Anfang unseres Jahrunderts unter Würdigung ihrer hauptsächlichsten Vertreter, namentlich eines Hubert Goltz, Spanheim, Beger und Eckhel. An die Vorträge schloss sich ein Festmahl.

Die oben gennante "Festschrift zur Feier des fünfzigjährigen Bestehens der numismatischen Gesellschaft zu Berlin ", , ausgestattet mit 4 Lichtdrucktafeln und mehreren Abbildungen im Texte, enthält folgende Aufsätze von Mitgliedern: H. Dannenberg, Die numismatische Gesellschaft zu Berlin i. d. Jahren 1843-1893; R. Weil, Studien auf dem Gebiete des antiken Münzrechts; A. v. d. Heyden, Ein Kleinod des Kurfürsten Johann Sigismund v. Brandenburg; H. Dannenberg, Unedirte Mittelaltermünzen; F. v. Brakenhausen, Meine Medaillentechnik; F. Friedensburg, Die Mittelaltermünzen der Lausitz; Paul Bratring, Von den Münzen der pommerschen Herzöge von Bogislaus X. bis zum Ende des 16. Derselbe, Vinkenaugen. Eine numismatische Studie; A. v. Sallet, Jahrhunderts; Emil Bahrfeldt, Die märkischen Engelgroschen; Berlin; H. Nützel, Embleme und Wappen auf muhammedanischen Alexandrinische Kaisermünzen des Königlichen Münzkabinets zu Münzen; M. Bahrfeldt, Römische Inedita. Eine kritische Betrachtung u. K. Pieper, Die " Mauger-Medaillen " Louis XIV, ein Beitrag zur französischen "histoire métallique ".

Der neue Vorstand der Numismatischen Gesellschaft besteht aus den Herren Friedensburg, Dr. Bahrfeldt, Dr. Weil u. v. d. Heyden. (Numismatich-Sphragistischer Anzeiger).