Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-04-20
TIE RAREST OF ALL COINS.

Tile RAREST OF ALL COINS.
Here is the true story of the rarest of
coins, and how precious medal came to r
be the great numismatic triumph of the
French collection. One evening in July,
1867, a French gentleman, an expert of
the British Museum, was dining ia 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 should have sent you a
queer kind of fellow, who says he came
from Bokhara, and who pretends that he
has rare coin.'
The numismatist was all attention.
ut was gold coin, so he said, of some
ancient king of India, and would weigh |
as much as 20 sovoreigns, and was huge
as Dig as the palm of my hand"
The numismatist's heart was In his
mouth.
"Sorry you seem 80 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
$4,000 for i'll"
The numismatist thought over it, and,
as an expert, reasoned in this way over
the story: "Forger he may be. Still,
there may be some thing in it. Issuers
of spurious old coin never have brains
enough 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 monstrosity."
''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 forgery"
A hope sprang up in the coin collect
or's heart-an inkling that some great
find was near at hand. Instinctivefy he
rose from the dinner-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 Islington 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, 'sThe man
you wish to see is just going to bed.
know he has been trying to find you.
Shall call him down9"
"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 his
; coin. Then the Bokharan individual
took off his queerly cut coat, next his
embroidered waistcoat, then his waist
band, next his shirt. until there was
nothing on him above the waist but his
undershirt, and from under his arm pit
he drew out with great deliberation a
dirty, sweat-begrimed leather case, which
, he laid slowly on table. Presently the
case was opened, and in an instant the
eyes of the expert were dazzled with that
peculiar soft, yellow sheen which only
antique gold gives forth. It was, indeed
/ prize. One glance alone was sufficient
} to show that it was grand medallion, a
unique coin, the chiefest, the rarest in
: the world. 1t has taken years of study
on the part of the numismatic, trans
l mitted instinct, in fact, through some
generations, for this expert to appreciate
rare coin at a single look.
Knowing that IN dealing with Orientals
an intended purchaser must exhibit nc
anxiety, the expert did not allow mus
, Gle of his face to move.
It was the Bokhara man who took the
i gold coin and placed it in the numisma-
e lists hand. If the recipients hand had
= trembled in the least with excitment
the willy Oriental would have made s
hard bargain. It was supreme effort
for when the piece was touched only by
? the numismatlst's finger something like
q an electric shock tore up his arm.
8 Said the Bokhara man, through the in
f terpreter, ''That coin cost me dear. I
!, has been sweated in mans blood-hi
, hearts blood. Seven of us found tina
piece of gold. We quarrelled OYER it
l That was natural. 1t was worth fight
1 We fell on one another with knives an6
3 daggers. After while, for it was no
. work, five of the men rolled dead in thi
!, dust. Only two of us were left. TIL,
. other man is still at Bokhara. He agreed
that 1 should come to Europe to sell tbi
' 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 al
} say in London, those who have studied
old golden money, that this coin is for
J gerry. I know better. Will you buy it
my lord2"
The expert looked at it again, and sat
isfed himself of its authenticity. It was
an antique. More than that, it was nu.
mismatic prodigy. Its weight was near
ly ounces, or 20 staters, and its value in
, gold about $40. On one side was the
portrait of Eucratides, King of Bactria
| who lived 1856 B. G. The bust of the
monarch was crowned with helmet
, ornamcnted with the horn ano
/ ear OF the bull. peculiar attribute of thu
} kings of Bactria. On the reverse were
3 the Dioscures, Chastor and Pollux
/ galloping on horseback, with the legene
: in Greek, Baseizeus Metannoy, Eykra
] tidoy, (the Great King Eucrutides). There
was defect, something like line run