Numismatic

Conclusions about the duration of participation in the circulation of the
coins from the 6th–7th centuries are presented by analysing the coin composition of the collective finds from the studied period. The results show that the life span of specimens from this period is 60–80 years, even up to 100 years, as other researchers have also concluded. However, it was established that the coins minted between 527 and 602 AD circulated for half this time (i.e. 30–60 years) and dropped out of circulation within the same period (ca. 602 to ca. 629 AD). This time coincides with some administrative reforms in the organisation of the
production of coins, but also with the production and distribution of an extremely large number of newly minted coins of gold, silver and bronze. These observations allow us to argue that, after 602 AD, a new monetary policy was formed in Byzantium, which had two main goals. Firstly, to increase the revenues from the production of coins and their subsequent
distribution (by increasing the volume of coins produced and putting them in circulation, which necessitated the withdrawal from circulation of the ‘old’ coins). And, secondly, to optimise the production costs (by overstriking old coins, reducing the volume of bronze coinage, closing of mints and concentrating the production in Constantinople).

Published in the Proceedings of the International Numismatic Congress, it is based on a presentation at the INC in Taormino in 2015, a draft of which was posted on academia.edu in advance. The question of how die charts relate to the production of ancient coinage is still unclear and the paper attempts to specifically address the logic of interpreting non-planar charts.

General overview of the main stages and monetary systems in the history of Puerto Rico (1586-1900), including early colonization, the "situado mejicano", early paper money, cob coins, counterstamps, plantation tokens, and provincial silver coinage of 1895-1896.

The catalogue shows a brought spectrum of the history of money. From Paper money issues, Orders and badges, Medals, coins and tokens.

For more informations:
https://www.leipziger-muenzhandlung.de/auktionen/
https://www.leipziger-muenzhandlung.de/en/auctions/

Until recently the aggregate number of Celtic coins found within Poland’s borders, including items constituting parts of hoards, was ca. 100 coins from 26 sites. At present it exceeds 440 coins from at least 60 sites. Most of the new finds (at least 245), including Greek coins and gold bars, come from a settlement in Nowa Cerekwia. In Silesia we register at least 289 Celtic coins from 13 sites, or a little bit over 65% of all the relevant finds from Poland’s territory. As many as 286 items, or some 99% of all the Silesian finds, are Boii coins. Other Celtic issues are represented by a mere 1 or 2 coins. The history of the local minting production and money circulation can be divided into two stages: the first one, from the end of the 4th c. B.C. until ca. 130–120 B.C. At that time finds of Celtic coins took place predominantly in the south of Poland, in territories with dense Celtic settlement. Such concentrations are registered also in Upper and Lower Silesia. In the 2nd half of the 2nd c. B.C. Central European Celtic settlements underwent major changes, most probably related to the wandering of the Cimbri and the Teutons. They coincided with the onset of the second stage of the history of Celtic money, also in Silesia. In relative chronology of Boii coinage it covers the period from B through D and the newly indicated E period (since ca. 130–120 B.C. until the first decades A.D.). The geography of finds of Celtic coins in Polish territories changes completely at that time. They no longer take place in Upper Silesia and their number in Lower Silesia is greatly reduced in comparison to the preceding period. Probably only 2 finds from this territory may be products by a local workshop or workshops run by small groups of Celts.

The first working scientist to publish a science fiction story, John Leonard Riddel served as chief melter of the New Orleans Mint. While teaching chemistry at the Louisiana Medical College (now Tulane University), he invented the binocular microscope. Riddel made two exploratory expeditions into Texas surveying the geography, geology, and botany of the region.

The subject of this study are gold coins, formerly attributed to the coinage of the Menapii, which in the seventies of the 20th century Karel Castelin referred to as staters of the Cracovian type, struck by Celts near Kraków. When the latest publications connected with them appeared, the number of known specimens of the type amounted to seven, and currently it has increased to seventeen. The aim of this study is to use the new possibilities of modification of the former findings concerning staters of the Cracovian type. The present study has discussed the problems concerning the definition of this type, its origin and changes it has undergone with the passage of time — both in respect of iconography and metrology. This is connected with a suggestion as to a new typological division of the discussed coins. Also the issues concerning their circulation and data were not omitted, as the finds from recent years throw a new light on them. The summary includes reflection of historical nature, including an attempt to connect the Cracovian type with Lugii.

Au cours de la première modernité, des cabinets de curiosités se constituent dans une partie de l’Europe occidentale, répondant au désir de connaissance des populations locales. Cette étude présente les expériences et les pratiques liées à la collecte et à la conservation d’objets au sein de la ville de Lyon, cadre dans lequel elles prennent place. Ce phénomène inhérent au collectionnisme est appréhendé sur le temps long, au-delà de l’échelle d’une vie humaine, afin d’écrire une histoire des hommes et des objets à l’âge classique.

Presentation and description of a recovered coin : the "écu d'or au soleil" of Louis XII minted in Tournai, the last French gold coin manufactured by the city. This coin is also the only gold coin of this sovereign known to this day for Tournai.
Présentation et description d'une monnaie retrouvée : l'écu d'or au soleil de Louis XII frappé à Tournai, dernière monnaie d'or française fabriquée par la cité. Cet écu est également l'unique monnaie d'or de ce souverain connue à ce jour pour Tournai.

The royal collection formed by Vittorio Emanuele III (1869-1947) was published in the twenty volumes of the "Corpus Nummorum Italicorum", between 1910 and 1943, but not fully. This volume aims at presenting, for the first time,  the Arabic coins from the royal Italian collection, in the Museo Nazionale Romano (Rome).
The book got an honourable mention from the association of Italian Professional Numismatists (NIP) and the Samir Shamma Prize 2018 from the Royal Numismatic Society (London)
For a review see: http://www.coinsweekly.com/en/News/Numismatics-The-royal-discipline/4?&id=5217&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CoinsWeekly+01.03.2018&newsletter=CoinsWeekly+01.03.2018

The subject of this study is a stater found in Masłów (Lower Silesia) in 1704: the oldest documented find of a Celtic coin from the area of the present-day Poland. The coin, which has been regarded as missing until recently, was successfully identified with a high degree of likelihood in the collection of the Staatliche Museen in Berlin. The present study has carried out an analysis of the unit and the records concerning it, particularly emphasising the issues related to iconography, examined against a broad comparative background. The summary includes conclusions concerning the place of striking and dating of this unique coin.

The book attempts to present –for the first time in the international bibliography– a detailed description of the historical life of Abydos (Άβυδος) of Hellespont (Ελλήσποντος, Δαρδανέλλια); the latter was an important ancient and medieval Greek city, situated on the Asiatic shore of Dardanelles, at the once narrowest part of the local Straits (usually named "Stenon of Abydos") and in the surrounding area of the promontory of Nara (an Ottoman and modern Turkish naval base, where free access is prohibited). The monograph also detects the  relations between Abydos and other known settlements in the wider region of northwestern Asia Minor (Troad, Hellespont, Mysia, Hellespontine Phrygia).

Αbydos was founded predominantly as a colony of Miletus (ca. 680-650 BC) and had a continuous historical life that lasted about 2.000 years (mid. 7th c. BC - early 14th c. AD). The prosperous ancient city minted various coins between 6th c. BC - 3rd c. AD. Its lively port was used for centuries as a key point for the passage from Europe to Asia and the cruise from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea (and vice versa) as well as a major customs station ("telonion Abydou" during the Roman imperial years, "demosion teloneion" or "kommerkion" or "dekateuterion Abydou" during the medieval period of the city). Byzantine Abydos was also an important administrative center, a military and naval base and an ecclesiastical seat (bishopric and later metropolis).

However, the long and turbulent history of Abydos and its region is virtually unknown in modern years, despite the fact that the city's reputation was particularly widespread during ancient and medieval times in the Mediterranean world. Moreover, for many reasons noted in the book, the settlement does not exist archaeologically in the last two centuries. In short, Abydos constitutes a very interesting case of a virtually lost city during the modern times.

For various reasons, also described in the book, the importance of Abydos had declined during the 13th c. AD and the city was finally abandoned by its population in the early 14th c. AD., mainly because of the Turkish threat in the area. From mid. 15th c. AD the new city of Çanakkale was established gradually (initially named as Kale-i Sultaniye) 5-6 km to the south of Abydos. The ruins of the abandoned urban area of ​​the latter have been systematically pillaged -mainly for construction and other purposes- between the 14th - early 19th c. AD.

For the reconstruction of  the long historical life of Abydos (mid. 7th c. BC - early 14th c. AD) and an in-depth analysis of its numerous and largely unknown institutions, the study relies though on the information providing by the written (ancient and medieval) texts but also on the scarce and dispersed epigraphic and the much richer numismatic (the city minted coins between 6th c. BC - 3rd c. AD) and sigillographic data and other archaeological findings regarding (or deriving from) the city. It also takes into account all the contemporary related publications.

[VANIAS publications,  Thessaloniki 2017,  752 pages,  ISBN: 978-960-288-342-6,  text in Greek language with an English summary]

Kilikia şehirlerinin sadece alış verişi kolaylaştırmak amacıyla basit sikkeler basmadığını, aksine sikkelerde kullandıkları konuların zenginliği, günümüze ulaştırdıkları sayısız mesajları ve sikkeler yapılırken uygulanan sanatla, uygar dünyanın ilgisini çekecek son derece önemli arkeolojik belgeler olduklarını görüyoruz. Hatta sadece bu sikkelerin yardımıyla her dönemde şehirlerdeki günlük yaşam, inançlar, tapınılan tanrı ve tanrıçalar, tapınaklar, şehirlerde yapılan festivaller, spor karşılaşmaları ve neticesinde verilen ödüller, şehirlerde inşa edilen köprü, su yolu, liman, deniz feneri gibi yapılar, deniz ulaşım araçları - savaş gemileri, mitolojik hikâyeler, kutsal kabul edilen hayvanlar, yaratıklar ve kahramanlar, şehre yapılan yardımlar, şehri ziyaret eden imparatorlar gibi yüzlerce konuda kesin ve doğru bilgiler ediniyoruz. Bu çalışmada amaç sadece Kilikia sikkelerini tanıtmak değil, dağınık bilgileri bir araya getirerek, antik Kilikia bikkeleri ile ilgili mümkün oldukça geniş bilgi verilmesi amaçlanmıştır.

In this article, the author will review the minting of coins in the Jerusalem coin, first in the Persian period, when the tiny silver coins with the inscription paleo Hebrew were minted in the city. After the conquest of the country by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, the Hellenistic period began. There will be a reference to the minting of the coins of Alexander the Great in general and the "YHD" coins in particular, as the minting of the Hellenistic period. In the days of Ptolemy II, ruler of Egypt, tiny autonomous silver coins continued to be minted in Jerusalem, some with the paleo Hebrew inscription "Yhdh". The coins from this period, the author will review below .

A case is made in recent books by Lascelles and Crowe that Homer’s Trojan War setting was not at Schleimann’s Hisarlik site of King Priam’s Ilium, but at Pergamon. We review their case, the places frequented by Homer as possible clues, and the Iliad’s revision as compiled and promoted by Athens and followed by Alexander the Great and the Romans. We then focus on numismatic evidence in the alternative regions of Northwest Anatolia (NWA) and Central West Anatolia (CWA). NWA includes the regions known as Troas, North Mysia, Hellespontic Thrace with nearby islands, and Bithynia. CWA regions include South Mysia with nearby islands, Aeolis, Ionia, Lydia, and Phrygia, as well as Cilician expatriate lands. We find that NWA coins are rich in early Iliadic mythology, indicating that Ilium was a Trojan War setting. However, we also find indications that the war was more extensive than commonly envisioned. It was led in CWA by King Telephus, who spearheaded an East versus West world war whose campaigns ended at Ilium.

The portuguese hammered coinage, mainly in the last years, has been haunted by the dangers of tooling. The correct identification of epigraphic patterns that can lead to the solution of chronological issues is in danger when leading with tooled coins. In this paper, a guide to identify traces of tooling in portuguese hammered coins is presented. Ilustrated with images, and showing "before and after" photographs of some pieces.

This thesis analyses medals issued between 1560 and 1792 in Sweden and studies the practices and roles related to these objects. It aims to contribute to the understanding of the varying uses and functions of early modern medals by applying a long-term perspective that connects Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical medals. The study asks why are medals commissioned, how the intention is reflected in the visual design and materiality of the medal, how medals were used during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, which continuities and changes the practices show over time, and what cultural significance medals have in early modern Swedish society. Theoretically, the thesis applies an art anthropological approach to the medium, focusing on its materiality, meaning and use. By drawing on visual and archival sources materials and examining material from a Northern European context, the thesis provides an unprecedented wide-ranging study of the functions and meanings of early modern medals.

Parallel to Sweden’s historical and cultural development, the analysis follows medal art chronologically and thematically in five chapters. The study addresses the transformation from being a royal gift to prize medals and rewards and from limited use to being available at an open market. It examines how the medal was viewed, handled, circulated, and used plus what significance people ascribed to it. The medium aided the sitter’s commemoration, self-fashioning, and legitimisation while being used as a gift, worn as a jewel, collected, discussed, or viewed as an artefact with antiquarian purposes. The medal was appreciated for its potential to express various themes on a small surface, its exclusive material and practical size. However, much of its meaning was connected to the sensory experience of touching the medal. The medium’s materiality was an essential element of how the medal was used, the way its visual design communicated with the beholder, and the importance that the object conveyed. By its broad and exhaustive timeline, the thesis presents a comprehensive case study on the phenomenon of medal art and aids in understanding how early modern art and visual culture was used and how these uses changed over time.

Актуальні проблеми нумізматики у системі спеціальних галузей
історичної науки: тези доповідей ІV міжнародної науково-практичної
конференції, 22–23 червня 2016 р. – Кіровоград – Київ – Переяслав-
Хмельницький, 2016. – 132 с.

До збірника включено тези доповідей учасників ІV міжнародної науково-
практичної конференції з проблем нумізматики та історії грошового обігу.
Тези, що увійшли до випуску, можуть бути корисними фахівцям у
галузі спеціальних знань історичної науки, архівним, бібліотечним, музейним
працівникам, науковцям, викладачам, аспірантам, студентам ВНЗ гуманітарного
профілю.