Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-06-14


r. A. Mcclure a number of ancient
! pieces and several American coins, all
very difficult to obtain and valuable,
! from the numiSmatiStS point of view
| The museum has been further en-
! riched by the introduction of a new
| case containing a collection Of the cur
! rent moneys of the world, which lacks
but a few specimens to be perfect
! These additions go far towards max
ing the Philadelphia museum one of
the most complete, if not the most ex-
| tensiVe, to be found anywhere.
The great United States has pro-
| vided, for the acquisition of rare and
valuable coins for the museum at the
! Philadelphia mint, the munificent an
nual appropriation of $500 Every year
! this widows mite of $500 is doled out
to Curator Mcclure for expenditure ac-
! cOrding to his utmost caution and his
! best judgment.
Curator Mcclure went to the worlds
! fair last July, the governments coin
exhibit In his charge and the govern
ment's niggardly $500 burning a hole
! eral trays of coins he one day deserted
a grave and dignifed Turk They ex-
! changed names, the Turks appellatiOn
sounding like a yolley from a Calling
gun-Dikrau G. Kelekian. The Turk
showed Mr.. Mcclure the contents Of
! his trays, which were sufficiently I'm
profitable. Perceiving his customer
! 1lyv lon
! his safe and produced several rarer
coins. At sight of them Mr. Nc
, Clure'S little $500 moved uneasily in
his pocket and tried to jump out. But
he assumed the countenance of Syl-
| vain POnS before the fan of Nine. de
| POmpadOur, and looked contempt At
: that the Turk became eloquent and
! unimpreSSed. The Turk offered his
treasures at a humping price and
detained. Lowered the price and e,e-
waited his voice. Failed to make an
impression, and dropped another 10
per cent. Begged and pleaded, and
threw off dollar after dollar until he
swore he was ruined. Then Mr.. Nc
.
eighth of their value and departed.
feeling he had served his government
and had taught his impetuouS $500 a
lesson in caution. SO effective was his
cheapening that he secured couple
of very rare specimens of Greek art
for Sc apiece.
/ OF these gems, now formally in
stalled in the collection at the mint,
! one of the choicest is very rare but
much worn medallion, in silver, dating
from the days when warlike Antony
lay enervate in the embrace of Egypt's
queen. 1t contains 215 II grains of
silver, and it's denomination is eQuiva-
lent to something less than two dou-
BILE denarii-about 80 cents. The piece
probably served as current coin, and
may have been part of the money
! Cleopatra bought for the pay of her
lovers army when he lay awaiting
her at the Fort of White Hair, be-
tween Berytus and Sidon, after his ex-
petition against the Parthians.
On the diverse of the medallion is
the head of Cleopatra, fairly accurate
in the die, but worn in passage from
the rough hand of the legionary to
: the itching palm of the publican, to
! his wife, to her sandal-maker, to the
rival publican, to some sailor who
fought at Actium, to his slayer who
! clutched the purse from his belt and
spat upon the fair silver face in re
. sentiment for the wrongs Of discarded
Octavia-and so down the ages, nimble
= by the hour here, dormant for centur-
; les there, until at last it comes to be
{ wondered at and gazed upon by faces
fairer far than the royal one it has
| borne since Caesars rival cried. This,
! Eros, was greatly done,' and plunged
into his vitals the sword on which the
! servant had found death.
For, indeed, the countenance stamped
upon the disc by the winters heavy
| mallet is far more beautiful. The
eyes, that looked deceitful love, and
the lips that won the dagger from the
murderous hand Of Haggard's royal
HarmachiS, could not have compared
! for sweetness and tenderness with
those of humble Chairman. And eau
tiers Meiamoun, the son of MandOus-
chopsch, of the land Of Kemi, must
have been dazzled by the light that
beats around a throne when he Owed
through the vaulted arch Of the canal
| leading to her bath, that he might
play Actaeon to her Diana and twelve
short hours hereafter be dead and
spurned by her Roman lover, rushing
to her arms.
Nor does Antony'S head, on the re
verse of the coin, appear to better ad
vantage. And yet, Antony's is the
| more interesting countenance, for it
has character in it.
Strangely enough, another rare coin
that enters the collection now, that
has been cheek by jowl with the i'm
perious visage of the self-styled de-
scendant Of Hercules, and has pressed
stern, metallic lips against the harsher
lips of Egypt's royal courtesan, all
IN the vest pocket of complacent
nineteenth century curator, is medal
lion Of that Augustus Caesar who, as
ter's recreant spouse, and supplied
food for discussion among diligent his
torians as to whether Octavia's de-
tested rival escaped the conqueror's
grasp by poison of man or Of serpent.
The piece is a medallion, the size of
1876 grains Of silver. It is fine speed