The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-10
MR.. L|NDON'S TREASURES
Coins That Would GLADDEN. the
Heart of an Antiquarian.
A GENUINE WIDOWS MITE
A Coin That Was Current During the
Time of Christ-A Rare Eliza
bethan Medal-The Actors
Little Tin Box.

For q man who doesn't take any PAL
ticular interest in those matters, Frank
Iindon leading man of SuttonS stock
company, now playing at the Union
theater has one of the finest collections
of rare coins and medals to be found IN
these parts The collection is somewhat
small and Mr.. Lindon easily accommo-
dates his coins in little tin box which
he carries in his pocket.
The first and foremost of the rare
things in Mr.. Lindon's lot is genuine
widows mite, such as is spoken OF IN
the Bible. 1t is about sixteenth OF an
inch thick and is made of copper and
clay. 1t is much battered, but still on
either side may be deciphered the marks
of mintage These look much the same
as IL a Yale lock key had been pressed
into the mixture when it was in pliable
state and then withdrawn, leaving 4
ridge to which four slight projections
are attached. The inscription looks a
great deal like very coarse comb. Mr..
Lindon says that he can produce any
number of afiidavits and sworn state
ments that the coin is a genuine wild
owls mite. 1t was given to him by his
father who was at one time mis-
sionary in the far East. The coin is at
least 1900 years old, and is OF the CHAR
acter used in the time of Christ. lis
value is one-tenth of mill or one-hun-
Gredth part of Il cent.
The next piece of Importance is an
Elizabethan medal. 1t is very rare
specimen and originally, hundreds OF
years ago, came from the monastery or
the Benedictine monks, which is located
Just outside of Jerusalem. 1t is piece
OF great value, and DIR. Dunno OF ROCK
ford, ILL.,, one of the most famous an
tiauarians in the world, has often offered
Mr. Lindon $500 for it. The medal, now
ever belongs to the historical depart
Af
came into Mr.. Lindon's possession by
mere accident.
A Russian five-kopak piece, bearing
date of 1881, is couriosity in its way.
The coin is about an eighth of an incn
thick and larger than an American sill
yer dollar 1t is made of copper and its
weight is something astonishing. The
value of this piece, intrnsically, IS two
and one-half cents, as measured by the
standard Of the United States, although
Mr. Linden has been offered good
round sum for it by collectors. 1t is one
of the very few pieces of its kind still
in existence, and its owner believes that
there are not more than three or four
of them in the entire world.
Eight hundred or 800 years ago is a
pretty long time for piece of money
to be in existence, yet in the actors lit
tie tin box of treasures is an Egyptian
piece that is at least that old. The piece
is nearly quarter of an inch thick and
about three-quarters of an incR in diam
eter It's edges are very irregular and
the coin indicates its crude form OF
mintage. The sides are covered with
Egyptian hieroglyphics, probably desig-
mating its value.
A Swedish copper piece of li45 IS as
big as an American half-dollar: Van
couver island coin dated 1890 and a
Prince Edwards island coin of 1896
stating on its face that ii is a one
aafan l.
cient among the lot, although there are
many others. description of which
would call for too much space.
Then there are some things in the
little box that are valuable and rare IN
other ways than antiquity. There is an
Agnus Del madel Of the 18th century
which Mr.. Lindon himself removed from
a dead sailors neck. The sailor had
been drowned in Mobile bay, and Mr.
Iindon was playing there at the time
and thus secured the treasure. Ar
American haf-cent of 1926 and ar
American cent of 1902 have their owr
little nook, while King George coir
of 1906 also finds a place of refuge In
the box. A George Washington shill-
ing and a Persian gold dollar are also
there.
A Knickerbocker currency one-cent
piece is a coin that is very rare ano
there are very few, II any, now in exist
ence. A spiel marke, a souvenir of Ma.
poleons coronation, is another specimen
that is rarely met with in this country
Then there is a 'un peso dies cen
tayos" and a vicente centavos" of the
modern paper currency of Colombo, ane
they are fine illustrations of the en-
graver's art. A great number of Chi
nese, Sandwich islands, Turkish. Ger
man, Austrian and coins of a number
of other nations help to swell Mr.. Lin
don's private collection to the most re
Spectable proportions It bears