The Worthington advance., 1879-04-24
TIRE RAREST OF ALL COINS.

Here is the true story Of the rarest of
coins, and how precious medal came to
be the great numismatic triumph of the
French collection. One evening in Julv,
1867, French gentleman, an expert of
the British Museum, was dining in Lon.
don with General Fox, the son of Lord
Holland. In the midst of the dinner
table talk, the numismatic enthusiast was
addressed as follows by a gentlemen
present: II am sorry you were not in
town to-day, for I should have sent YOU q
queer kind of q fellow, who says he came
from Bokhara, and who pretends that he
has rare coiD."
The numismatist was all attention.
ut was a gold coin, so he said, of some
ancient king of India, and would weigh
a. much as 20. sovorcigns, and was huge
AS big as the palm of my hand"
The numismatist's heart WAS In his
mouth. I
"Sorry you seem so excited about it. It
is my belief that the whole thing is a
forgery. Just think of it The shabby
looking fellow who was hawking the coin
around had the impertinence to ask
e5 900 for it!'
The numismatist thought over it, and,
as an expert, reasoned in this way over
the story: "Forger be may be. s,iu,
there may be some thing in it. Issuers
of spurious old coin never have brains
enough b to invent new forms; they always
vamp up representations of certain we'll
known coins. Anyhow, it may be worth
while for me to look it up as numismat-
ical monstrcsity."
''The fellow" continued the informant,
seemed very much down on his luck.
He told me that wherever he had been
to show or sell his coin, the experts had
kicked him out, declaring that his piece
Of money was a forgery"
A hope ., ,'raHg up in the coin collect
or's heart-an inkling that some great
find was near at hand. Instinctivelv he
rose from the djnner-table, determined to
set out at once in search of the coin.
General Fox, the host, being himself the
most enthusiastic of collectors, under
standing what it is to have fit of nu-
mismatia, excused him, and he posted as
quick as cab could take him to Isling-
ton, for at 1slington he knew an Oriental
whe kept up communication With those
| curious waits from the East, who only
turn up in the greatest city Of the world
A trail was discovered in Islington itself
and soon the miserable lodgings of the
man from Bokhara were found. The
landlord of the house said, The man
You wish to seeis just going to bed.
know he has been trying to find you
Shall l call him DOWN.
"Yes, at Once," cried the expert,
In few minutes down came the man
who had been kicked out by every coin
collector in London. With the, help of
the Oriental, who acted as an Interpreter.
the Bokhara man was told to show bis
com. Then: the .Bokharan individual
took off his queerly-cut coat; next hin
embroidered waistcoat, then his waist.
band, next his shirt, until there was
nothing on him above the waist but! l,ihs
undershirt, and from, under his armLp pit
he drew: out with great deliberation q
dirty, sweat-begrimed leather case, which
he laid slowly on table:i Presently the
case was opened, and in an instant the
eyes of the expert we're dazzled with that
peculiar soft, yellow sheen which only
antique gold gives firth. q: 1t was: indeed,
= prize. One glance alone was sufficient
to show that it was grand medallion, a
unique coin, the chiefest, the raress in
the world. It has taken years of study
on the part OF the numismatic, trans