The Grit-advocate., 1900-07-20
COINS OF ENGLAND.
BEAUTIFUL ONES MADE IN
EARLY DAYS IN BRITAIN.
The EnEush Preserved the Standard Of
Their Coinage Better Than Any Of the
continental Peoples of Europe-Coins
0f the United States.

Probably no 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
b9ric have permitted their metal
money to remain so wholly without
the CLEAN Of beauty. There is no
reason for 1t except national indiffer-
ence. 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 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. 1t would
appear that we resemble, SO far as our
money Is concerned, the mere glutton
who did not care what kind of food
1t was SO long as it was food-our
money is still money, however hide
ous
A recent book, fully illustrated, is
called the Handbook Of the Coins OF
Great Britain and Ireland in the Brit
1sh 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, 1t is still sufficiently full to en-
able the reader to gain thorough
knowledge Of the period which show
the present appearance of the more
ancient coins will enable an American
to institute further comparison be-
tween the coins 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 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 mints was fairer to look upon,
but nothing on the continent OF Eu-
rope could successfully compare with
It, and 1t is certainly superior in many
OF its issues to the best Americans
are permitted to do thousand years
later. King Offa had some beautiful
silver pennies struck, with his head
in profile, and the works under the
elder Edward. Athelstane and Edgar
are 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 overthrown at Sen
lac, or Hastings, in 1866, 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
execution until the time Of Henry VIII
The situation is doubtless explanatory
in some degree of the present situation
in America, the Normans we're 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 conti-
mental peoples Of Europe, but con-
trived to degrade it nevertheless dur