San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-12-17
RARE OLD COINS.
TIE REMARKABLE COLLECTION OF
A CHICAGO NUMlSMATIST.

A Queen Anne Farthing-English Coins
That Bring High Prices-Uncoined Sym.
bols of Value.
'Here,n said Mr. George p Avery, ''are
four silver dollars The date Of one is 1795.
The first silver dollar of the United States
government had only been issued the year
before This is dated 1796 and this s1T99,
and here's one dated 1901.
''If that date were 1904 said Mr.. Avery,
''the coin would be worth $4,000 or more.
And here is Queen Anne farthing"
There was a time when farthings Of Queen
Anne were among the rarest of coins 1t was
the general belief that in the reign Of Queen
Anne there were but three farthings coined,
and that in the coinage Of the third farthing
the die broke. One Of these were preserved
in the kings museum as q great curiosity;
the second was in the British museum; the
third fell into the hands Of an Irish gentle
man named Millar. There are some English
coins which fetch high prices. A gold penny
of Henry III sold in 1859 for $3.50; a quarter
form of Edward III for S710; crown piece
of Henry VIII for $780, Probably the largest
price ever paid for an English coin was IS
piece presented by King Charles I ON the
scaffold to Bishop Juxon, bearing the motto,
"Florent concordia regina" It was pattern
piece" never published. The British museum
having refused it for $500, it passed into tho
hands Of a Mr.. Cobb, at whose sale it was
bought for 81 600 for Longmans, the London
publishers.
"What do you think of this coinp' asks Mr..
Avery.
1t is an old coin, bearing in Greek charac-
tiers the name Of Lysimachus. If it Is gem
uine it is about as ancient as o coin can b.
There is hardly anything known to nurnis-
matists before the silver coins of Alexander
I, king Of Macedon, whose reign extended to
the year 454 B. O. {; and Lysimachus, king Of
Thrace, was one Of the inheritors Of the empire
of Alexander the Great. His are almost the
first coins on which the regal portrait ap-
pears. In Lord Northwick.s collection q to
tradrachm Of Lysimachus sold for $3.50.
RARE OLD ROMAN PIECES,
Sand here" says Mr.. Avery, "are three
Roman pieces; one of Julius Caesar, one Of
Augustus, and one Of Agrippa."
There is no reason to doubt the anthem
ITCHY Of Mr.. Avery's specimens. Concerning
other Roman coins which he has he is more
than doubtful
And from these specimens Of ancient coins
Mr.. Avery passes to his modest collection.
Every country is represented. The United
States, as in honor bound, stands first. Here
is a half dime of 1792. It has upon its OBJ
verse a female bust emblematic Of Liberty.
This is supposed to represent Martha Wash
ington. The coin is said to have been struck
from Washington's private plate. 1t was not
generally circulated, Here is half eagle Of
1900. This is exactly similar to the half eagle
of 1901, which has entirely disappeared. 1t
was in 1901 that the Boy Of Tripoli declared
war against the United States Ships of Al
giers, Tunis, Tripoh and Morocco captured
American vessels and reduced their crews
and passengers to slavery. Capt. Bainbridge
was sent to the Mediterranean to protect
American commerce. His purser was pro-
vided with all the half eagles of that years
coinage. They were never seen again. So
at least, runs the legend.
The dollars Of 1885 and 1888 are both rare.
The former has twenty-six stars in the field,
the twenty-sixth being Michigan, which was
then applying fotsadmission into the Union.
The latter is a ''pattern" piece, and circulated
mostly among members Of congress. The
nickel cent OF 1885 sells at high premium.
"In God We Trust" first appears on q bronze
two cent piece in 1866.
"And this" says Mr.. Avery, ''is a curious
half dollar. The liberty cap is on one side,
the eagle with the words Half doll upon the
other. The mint offered me $40 for it. 1t is
unique.
THAT is Benton Mint Drop as they
were called. This is Franklin penny, with
the motto "A Penny Saved Is Penny
Earned The other is a jackson penny
marked Roman Firmness'; the Constitution
as l understand it, and 4 take the response
bility.'"
UNCoIEED SYMBOLS OF VALUE.
In an adjoining bag lie various uncoined
symbols of value. Here are the silver humps,
bullet shaped, called ''tekal," current in
Siam; and the white cowrie shells used in
Africa; and the rings of gold and silver which
are common currency of Nubia; and the
pieces Of iron, named "Hashhash," like semi
circular knives, used in Kordofan; and bits
of coarse cotton, called "Fredgat," which are
equivalent to sixty pieces of "hashhash"; and
the beads and blocks of salt used in Abyssinia;
and the fish hook money, made of pieces Of
silver wire, still current in China
"Don't overlook this tenpenny bank token,n
says Mr.. Avery. at is Irish"
The Irish coins mostly resemble the En-
glish. Those of Henry VIII have the arms Of
England and the Irish harp crowned between
the initials of Henry and his queens. Then
comes the Ormonde money, having its weight
stamped in Irish numerals. But the most re-
markable Irish coins are the pieces named
'gun money" struck out of cannon melted
down by James II before the last struggle for
his forfeited throne. There is also a crown
in white metal with the king on horseback.
This last is scare, but specimens of the gun
money" are common