It is interesting to note that on some of the most ancient of the Greek coins, notably those of Arcadia with the head of Hera, there is a sprig of three olive leaves in the space below the chin of the goddess, which is strikingly suggestive of the similar sprig on our first Cent, and it may give an additional interest to these pieces if we mention that the helmet of the goddess Athene, as shown on the Athenian coins, was crowned with a wreath of olive, her sacred plant, after the battle of Marathon which did so much to establish the freedom of Greece; and the helmet bore this wreath for more than two centuries, or until the head of the statue by Phidias which stood in the Parthenon was substituted for the earlier type,' at which time the olive wreath, enlarged and formed of two stems bearing leaves and berries, tied or bound at the base and open at the top, was placed on the reverse. This, I believe, is one of the earliest instances of the use of a wreath as a type on Greek coins. Whether these devices suggested the design on the dies for our early Cents, or have any bearing on the question whether the wreath on those Cents is olive or laurel, I shall not discuss at length. But it is a singular coincidence, to say the least, to find the spray of olive leaves and the wreath of two olive branches on the first issues of our National Mint and upon these ancient Greek coins.

It must be admitted that this device is more artistic than the chain, which was ridiculed at once as incongruous with Liberty, but which was doubtless adopted as symbolizing the Union, and which had been used on the Fugios of 1787; and since the work of Droz on French medals bearing the head of Louis XVI, and on others struck under Napoleon, shows him to have been possessed of superior ability, whether or not he was "the first artist in Europe," as claimed by Mitchell, may it not be possible, as the collections of ancient coins were more readily accessible to him than to American engravers, that he suggested, if he did not design the devices for the Cents of Class 2, (the olive sprig beneath the head and the wreath), drawing his inspiration. from the old Greek coins?

As further tending to show that the wreath was originally intended to represent olive, and not laurel, it is to be observed that the wreath on the second issue of the Dollar of 1795 represents in the branch on the left the olive, which resembles the branches on the reverse of the Liberty-cap Cents, while that on the right has more elongated, narrow and sharply pointed leaves and no berries, evidently designed to represent a branch of palm.

Obverse 5, with reverses D and E. This is the obverse already referred to as having been first known as the "Clover leaf" Cent, but which I think may properly be called the Cotton leaf Cent, and is the greatest rarity of its I See Journal for January, 1896, pp. 72 and 74.

2 There are several coins of Delphos which bear laurel wreaths, struck in the fourth century, B. C.

class, only three specimens being known to collectors, one having reverse D and two, reverse E. It bears upon a stem rising from near the angle of the 7, three trefoil leaves and a blossom, or boll of cotton. The legend and date are in small characters, the R larger and higher than the other letters and placed over the hair, close above the forehead. The date is less than two millimeters from the hair at the left, and more than four from the point of the bust, which is longer and more rounded at its tip than in any other known die. The double curl under the neck is rather heavy. It is difficult to account for the scarcity of specimens from this die, as it appears to have been thought worthy of two reverse dies, neither it, or either of its reverses showing any signs of deterioration, and neither reverse being known to have been used with any other obverse. It is hoped that better specimens of these may yet be discovered.

[To be continued.]

COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL, ANCIENT AND HONORABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY.

ONE of the pleasant things connected with the recent visit of the "Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts," to London, an event which attracted so much notice last summer, was the presentation in that city of a medal to those members of the Company who participated. The visit was in return for one made by the parent company, the "Honourable Artillery" of London, of which H. R. H. the Prince of Wales is the commander, and which was represented at the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Boston Company (1888) by a fine delegation of the London corps, among whom was Major Woolmer Williams, the donor of the medal under notice.

On the obverse there is a bust of the Prince, slightly turned to the left; he wears the uniform of his command, and on his breast are various decorations and Orders. Legend, at the left, H. R. H. ALBERT EDWARD and on the right, behind the bust, PRINCE OF WALES. Below the bust, in exergue, in two lines, FIELD MARSHAL KG. KT. KP. &C. Reverse, On a circular field with horizontal lines (azure) are the arms of the State of Massachusetts, an Indian, proper, on a field or, etc.; 16 at the left, and 38 at the right, (the date of foundation of the corps); this field is surrounded by two concentric circles; on the inner one is the legend ANCIENT AND HONORABLE ARTILLERY co. above, and beneath, completing the circle, MASSACHUSETTS The outer circle has, above, LONDON 1896 and below, PRESENTED BY MAJOR WOOLMER WILLIAMS The medal is bronze, size 44, American scale, and is a cast, slightly tooled.

SPANISH AMERICAN COINAGE, MEXICO.

BY J. W. BASTOW, M. D.

As a continuation of, or addition to, the articles in the Journal, Vol. XXIX, No. 4, and Vol. XXX, No. 1, as promised in the latter article, I offer the following from my collection of coins from other mints than that of the city of Mexico (M); confining the issues as begun by Mr. Samuel Smith, Jr., in Vol. XXIX, to those of the bust type.

I. 1811. Zacatecas, Eight-reals. Obverse, Laureated bust to right in an ancient cuirass, over which is a mantle fastened above the right shoulder; beneath the opening of the drapery is seen the armor; the wreath is tied with a ribbon having a double bow, whose ends flow downwards and outwards beyond the shoulder; the top of the head extends to midway between outer and inner circle of legend; the breast reaches almost to outer circle of legend; the head and bust are more massive than any I have seen from the M° or other mints; nose prominent but not arched. Legend, FERDIN VII. 8R (head) DEI GRATIA (breast) | 1811 below. Reverse, Crowned arms of Spain between two pillars, each entwined with a ribbon, one bearing the word PLUS, the other ULTRA. Legend, MONEDA PROVISIONAL (de) ZACATECAS. Edge plain. ÆR. Size, 38 mlm.

By "circle of legend" is meant the imaginary line bounding the tops or bases of the letters thereof.

2. 18—. Zacatecas, Eight-reals. Type similar to 1. Legend, FERDIN VII. (head) DEI G(ratia) | 18(?). Counterstamped with a circular depression below chin and encroaching on breast and date, with (J) ML, diagonally transversed with an arrow-headed staff bearing a flag, upon which is a Latin cross; the depression is 14 mlm. There is another counterstamp, within a truncated cone depression, of VTIL enclosed within lines parallel to the outer ones; between these lines runs a continuous line of leaves, or arrow heads, from right to left; the depression is 12 x 8 x 5 mlm. Reverse, Similar to No. 1. Here it is counterstamped, within a circular depression, with an eagle displayed over the word ENSAIE; beneath the word is a sling; the whole is encircled by a continuous branch of laurel leaves running from right to left; depression 15 mlm. Edge plain. Size, 39 mlm.

The first counterstamp was JML, the initials of José Maria Liceaga, who entered Zacatecas on April 15, 1811, as second in command under the Licentiate Rayon. He was prominent among the leaders of the insurgents. The next counterstamp was Ensaie, which should read Ensaye, or assay, a proof that the alloy was up to the legal standard. The last, Vtil, or Util, for useful or expedient (the latter word being the most applicable). From the crude workmanship of these coins, counterfeiting could easily be accomplished by almost any tyro in the art; as a check to such abuses these counterstamps were used. As these various counterstamps have very much obliterated the outline of the bust, it is impossible to give a clear description of it. The value is not given on this piece.

3. 1811. Zacatecas, Half-real. Obverse, The description of No. 1 will apply here, except that the bust is within legend, and after VII this has an