THE COIN CRAZE.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 248, 18 October 1924, Page 13

THE COIN CRAZE.

STILL THEY COME. \ MONEY OVER 2000 YEARS OLD. i A NOBLE OF EDWARD 111. There is no diminution in the procession of people calling at the "Star" office -with old and rare coins for expert inspection. To-day there were shown coins which were minted 300 years before Christ, veritable antiquities these, ] compared with which the mintage of even Queen Elizabeth appears to be' modern. The extreme age of 2225 years I is claimed for three of these—brass coins of Ptolemy Soter, who was an ancient King of Egypt, and whose brass coins are fairly common among collectors. The three mentioned are the property of Mr. VV. Pulham of 03, Omahu Road,Scmuera, who also showed the following specimens: Coin of Constantine the Great (337 A.D. ). Claudius (54 A.D.), Probus (252 A.D.), a small medal of Constantine the Great, struck at the building of Constantinople, showing Romulus and Remus suckling the wolf, on the reverse; Egyptian small brass coinage, of the reijrn of Diocletian, the Roman Emperor who so persecuted the Christians when Egypt was a Roman province (the Romans struck some money there, with Greek inscriptions) ; small brass of Constantine the Great, much worn. Mr. Pulham exhibited also a much worn half-crown oi the reign of Queen Elizabeth; a large gold coin, beautifully cast, but without date, of one of the early Edwards; a William the Third •shilling, dated 1099; a Queen Ann shilling; a Georjre II sixpence, dated 1758; a George 111 10d, dated 1805; a 3d of the same currency; a 2d (silver) of George 111, dated 1800; a Victorian hall-farthing; and half a dozen tiny silver co'.ns struck in commemoration of the births of the first six children of Victoria. In regard to the gold coin ol Edward TIL, it has now been ascertained that it is a noble of that king's reign. It was then worth 6/8, but )f course that sum would represent very much moro to-day. The noble was probably the most beautiful coin ever minted in Britain. The gold of which the nobles were made was singularly beautiful in colour. The coin is as beautiful a.s it is rare. Nobles were at one time in great demand for the ransom of kings and princes. Around their rims were a Saxon supplication for protection against thieves. In the Days of "Good Queen Bess." A half-crown of the reign of Elizabeth, dated 1560, was shown by Miss Piper, of Takapuna. Although minted within the first three years of the reign of Elizabeth (nearly 50Q years ago), this coin is excellently preserved, the head of the "Virgin Queen" being clearly delineated. Miss Piper has also a great piece of the reign of Edward 111. Mrs. Dacrc. of Devonport, submitted a small Roman coin, excellently preserved, but of evident great age. It is of about the size of a half a farthing, and bears an excellently engraved head o£ a woman. Judging from the hair, the woman of to-day ("buster" and "shingle" excepted) have reverted to the Roman style of hairdressing, the lady on the coin having a regular "marcel" wave, with a neat knot behind. The inscription on the coin is in Roman characters, but not clearly legible, and the date could only be guessed at. Mr. J. N. Sutherland, of 54, Bassett Road, Remuera, brought a perfectly preserved Spanish silver piece, the size of an English half-crown, of the reign of Charles 111 of Spain. The date is 1768. Mr. G. H. Lethaby, of the Strand Arcade, exhibited a" two-guinea, piece of the reign of William and Mary, dated 1693. This piece is older than the one previously mentioned, but strangely enough, the owners of both reside in the same street—Ardmore Road, Ponsonby. These coins are very rare, William and "Mary reigning for but five years. Mrs. E. Kovento, of 5, Howe Street, Auckland, caled with a half-guinea of the mintage of George 111, dated 1701----and also showed two old penny-piece trade tokens, one from Tasmania. A beautifully preserved two-guinea piece of the reign of George 11, was brought in by Mr. J. C. Pelham, the date of coinage being 1738. Old Auckland Trade Tokens. Mr. E. Archer, among many other copper coins, showed two interesting trade tokens—one issued by the Licensed Victuallers' Association in 1871, one by Milner and Thompson (Christchurch), undated, and a handsome coin which formerly had currency as a penny-piece, showing an armed and tattooed Maori warrior on the obverse, and on the Tcverse a Maori, standing, mere in hand, beneath a palm tree, with a mountain in the background. An old resident of Auckland who called at the office of the "Star" this morning said: "My lot is worth £200, so I do not want my name published, lest thieves break through and steal." There -were two well preserved George H 5/- pieces dated 1673, and 1690, but perhaps of greater interest was a small cartwheel of copper, English value threepence, and dated 1797. There was also a two penny piece in copper of the same date, as well as sovereigns and half sovereigns in good condition, George 11. and in., one dated 1793. Another half sovereign bore the date of 1677. A fine specimen of a sovereign, George IV., 1825, was also shown. There were also a few tokens of early Auckland. One was a Mark Sonnnerville penny. This dates back to the time when a grocer's shop was on the site now occupied by the South British Insurance Company at the corner of Queen and Shortland Streets. In the early days there were milestones erected, each measuring from Sommerville's corner. Another token had been issued by S. Hague Smith, and a third which had on it a battery building and poppet head, was issued by George McC'aul, of Thames.