The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1900-07-21
COINS OF ENGLAND.
BEAUTIFUL ONES MADE IN
EARLY DAYS IN BRITAIN,

BEAUTIFUL ONES MADE IN
EARLY DAYS IN BRITAIN,
b English Preserved the standard Of
Their Coinage Better Than Any Of the
Continental Peoples of Europe-ColDs
of tho United States.
Probably nc modern nation has
coins so inartistic and generally de-
void Of taste as the United States, and
certainly few nations in the past
which were not more than half bar
barrie have permitted their metal
money to remain so wholly without
the CLEAN of beauty. There is n o
reason for 1t except national indiffer-
nee What the American can do is
abundantly shown in the beautiful
medal designed by Daniel Chester
French in honor of the victory at Ma
Mia, and a moments comparison of
this with the gold double eagle and
the silver dollar will convince the
most %incredulous of the gap which lies
between good work and bad. It would
appear that we resemble, so far as our
money is concerned, the mere glutton
who did not care what kind of food
it was so long as it was food-our
money is still money, however hide
ousl
Al recent book, fully illustrated, is
called the Handbook of the Coins of
Great Britain and Ireland in the Brit
ish Museum" 1t has been prepared
with great care by the assistant keeper
of coins, Herbert A. Crueber. With
out going into the minute details
which often embarrass a work of this
sort, lit is still sufficiently full to en-
able the reader to gain a thorough
knowledge Of the period which show
the present appearance of the more
ancient coins will enable an American
to institute a further comparison be-
tween the ceins made in England from
A. D. $50 to 1000 and the present coins
Of the United States.
1t is not too much to say that dur
ing this period of the Anglo-Saxon
kings, of more or less historical fame,
and in many cases with kingdoms
smaller than many a county in Texas,
that the coins were by far the hand
soonest done in all Europe. In the
countries Of the orient, as India and
Persia, the gold and silver from the
royal minis vas fairer to look upon,
but nothing or the continent Of Eu-
rope could successfully compare with
it, and it is certainly superior in many
of its issues to the best Americans
are permitted to do a thousand years
later. King Ofa had some beautiful
silver pennies struck, with his head
in profile. and the works under the
elder Edward, Athelstane and Edgar
IN very beautiful indeed. When times
were troublous the style deteriorated,
as with Coenwulf and Egbert. Alfred
the Great, who died 1000 years ago
next October, succeeded in turning out
almost the worst-looking Of any Of the
early monarchs, in spite Of his skill
in other directions.
It is worth noting that Harold the
Saxon, who was overthrow at Sen
lac. or Hastings, in 1865. had issued
vastly more beautiful coins than his
conqueror, the first William, or any of
his royal successors down to Henry
III. Nor did the later coins of Eng
land equal those Of Anglo-Saxon days
in breadth Of design and beauty OF
ovoo,,&}o~ ,,r&i1 Tho &iuoo ~ Harry VIII
The situation is doubtless explanatory
in some degree of the present situation
in America, the Normans were too
busy bringing the kingdom into order
to pay much attention to other things.
Another curious observation is to
be made from the fact that the English
preserved the standard of their coin
age better than any Of the CONT
mental peoples of Europe, but con-
trived to degrade it nevertheless dur
ing the reigns of Henry VIII. and Ed
ward VI, when added beauty was
given by clever craftsmanship. 1t shows
that some things are more essential
than art in a metallic coinage, and
that the one important point is that
q coin shall be worth what 1t asserts
to be worth. No matter what trou-
bles the English people got them
selves into during more than a thou
sand years Of history they never at
tempted to cheat themselves with de-
based metallic money. with the. two
exceptions noted. But many OF the
kings were able to have honest money
and beautiful money as we'll, and that
does not seem to be too much for
America to aspire to in the present
day, when our silver coins are not
worth any like the amounts they pro-
Tess to be and are still worth less as
works Of art. It is the more striking
because Of the reform effected in GER
tain issues Of American paper money
recently.
Coin collecting, like every other
form OF collecting worth the while, is
expensive. But it is exceedingly In
structive, having In this respect all the
advantage of postage stamps at the
present time and with all antiquity to
work in. It is possible to obtain an
excellent collection Of copper coins.
40 A. ~nL- |