Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-04-24

mitted instinct, in fact, through some
generations, for this expert to appreciate
q rare coin at single look.
Knowing that IN dealing with Orientals
an intended purchaser must exhibit no
anxiety, the expert did not allow mus
Gle of his face to move. ;.
It was the Bokhara man who took the
gold coin and placed it in the numisma-
lists hand. If the recipients hand had
trembled in the least with excitment
the willy Oriental would have made a
hard bargain. 1t was supreme effort,
for when the piece was touched only BY
the numismatlst's finger something like
an electric shock tore up his arm.
Said the Bokhara man, through the in
terpreter, "That coin cost me dear. It
has been sweated in mans blood-his
hearts blood. Seven of US found that
piece of gold. We quarrelled over it.
That was natural. 1t was worth a fight.
We fell on one another with knives and
daggers. After while, for it was hot
work. FIVE of the men rolled dead in the
dust. Only two of us were left. The
other man is still at Bokhara. He agreed
that should come to Europe to sell this
bit of gold. Since it was found I have
always carried it under my arm. There
are, I understand, more skillful thieves
in England than in Bokhara. They all
say in London, those who have studied
old golden money, that this coin is for
gerry. l know better. Will you buy it,
my lord9''
The expert looked at it again, and sat-
isied himself of its authenticity. It was
an antique. More than that, it was nu-
mismatic prodigy. Its weight was near
y ounces, or 20 staters, and its value in
gold about $110. On one side was the
rtrait of Eucratides, King of Bactria :,
who lived 1876 B. G. The bust OF the
monarch was crowned with helmet,
ornamcnted with the horn ana
ear OF the bull, peculiar attribute of the
kings of Bactria. On the reverse were
the Dioscures, Chastor and Pollux,
galloping on horseback, with the legend
in Greek, Baseszeus M9annoy, Ey6ra-
tSdoy, (the Great King Eucrutides). There
was defect. something like a line run
ming across the field OF the piece. This
defect was the glory of the coin. This
showed the number of blows which we're
required to strike such big piece. The
die with which that coin had been
stamped must have been broken after
this piece was made. The numismatist
was wild with Joy, for certainly this piece
was unique. 1t was the first, may be the
last, of its kind, and there never would
turn up in this world another piece of
gold like it.
ASK him what he wants for it." in.
quired the expert, with concealed ind1f-
erence. ut IS worth something, of course,
its weight, say, in gold" The Bokhara
mans eyes twinkled-they were black,
snaky eyes. ~ will take $4,000 for it,
my lord, and nothing else,:' said the man,
cody, as he picked up the coin, slipped it
into the bag, and was about putting it
under his arm.
Now come the moment of trial. The
expert lighted a ci garette and smoked to
calm his nerves. Then, blown g the
smoke from his lips, ne said, II tell you
what l will do. I will give you, right
now, my check for $1,000 for the piece
If the coin is not mine in twenty minutes
l shall offer you $500 for it, and so on
until get to $500. If you don't close
with me tonight, tomorrow will not
take it at any price,"
"Twenty minutes passed." said the ex
pert, "like an instant. The Bokhara man
seemed immersed in deep thought. Their
he turned on me suddenly" continued
the expert, "pierced me through with his
black eyes, and put the much-coveteo
coin in my hand, while his long bird-like
fingers we're bent like talons to take the
check. The coin was mine I slept,
said the expert, "with that coin under
my pillow; that is, tried to sleep, bu
so excited was that never closed my
EYES that nj ght."
The num1smatist took the earliest con
veyance across the English Channel
This medal was not for common collec
tons. It was piece for the Frenct
museum. The Emperor Louis Napoleon
heard of it, as did the Minister of Instruc
ton. M. Feuardent considered an offel
of 10000 francs for the medal as an i'm
perative command that the coin shoulC
remain in Franco. So stay it did, though
$4,000 francs, just double what it cost
were offered for it. This coin of tn.
Bactrian Eucratides is now the greatly
priced ornament OF the Cabinet de!
Medailles. To-day it lies in glass case
all by itself. There is a little handle
coming out of the box, which permits thu
public to turn the coin so that both sides
Of it can be seen.
"This," said the expert to the writer
lis the rarest coin i'll the world, and thu
one for which the highest price has beer
paid. Since it cost the lives of five men
1 do not think any thing more was really
paid fol it than it was worth. It ough
to have been saved tor the delectation O.
numismatic amatuers in all times to come
even had fifty or one hundred lives beer
sacrificed"