AN ESSAY
ON
THE ROMAN DENARIUS
AND
ENGLISH SILVER PENNY;
Shewing their Derivation from
THE GREEK DRACHMA OF AEGINA.
TO WHICH IS APPENDED
A LIST OF
ENGLISH AND SCOTCH PENNIES
FROM THE CONQUEST,
TOGETHER WITH THEIR SEVERAL DEGREES OF RARITY;
AN ACCOUNT OF
THE FARTHINGS OF QUEEN ANNE;
A LIST OF BOOKS
NECESSARY TO THE COLLECTORS OF MEDALS;
Transactions of the Numismatic Society,
WITH A LIST OF ITS MEMBERS;
AS WELL AS THAT OF COLLECTORS OF MEDALS IN ENGLAND AND
ON THE CONTINENT; LIKEWISE OF MEDAL ENGRAVERS.
WITH AN ADDENDA, &c.
PUBLISHED BY
WILLm TILL, MEDALLIST,
Member of the Numismatic Society, &c.
17, GREAT RUSSELL STREET, COVENT GARDEN.
“In the absence of our historians, monuments, and inscriptions, Medals
alone would be sufficient to convey to posterity the record of past events.”
LONDON:
1837.
J. DAVY, Printer, 15, Queen-street, Seven-dials.
PREFACE.
WHEN the following essay was commenced, I had no idea of introducing the extraneous matter which has, I fear, been very incongruously put together.
The Numismatic Society at that time had no existence. Nor was it my intention to notice again the farthings of Queen Anne, much less to give an account of the battle of Barnet, and to advert to various localities connected with that town. &&1 If any excuse be required, I apprehend it will be for my officious trespass on the province of the historian; but I found it impossible to resist an impulse that led me thus to digress, enthusiastically attached as I am to the history and antiquities of my own country, and interested as I personally feel in a spot, a small part of which is my own property, and on which one of the most decisive and influential battles has been fought; a battle, on the issue of which the existence and fate of a whole dynasty depended.
Besides, as a voluminous history of England is not accessible to every one, I trust I shall be excused digressing from the subject first treated of, by giving an extract from one of our most celebrated writers on that subject.
TO THE PUBLIC.
INDUCED by the wishes of a few partial, but I fear injudicious, friends to publish this trifle, I expose myself to censure, in common with others who write without due pretentions to authorship; and feeling likewise that I am but an imperfect scholar in the science of Numismatics, I may expect on many points the animadversions of those who, with a more perfect knowledge of coins, unite the advantage of possessing sound classical erudition. Such animadversions, however, will be received by me with respectful deference, and I shall feel grateful for any remarks that may tend to render a future publication more correct, and more worthy of perusal.
Some excuse for defects may, perhaps, be allowed, in consideration of the repeated interruptions I experience. In short, my business requires my mind to be volatile, and to pass from coin to coin, in compliance with the various tastes of the parties who do me the honour of inspecting my cabinets; thus the very encouragements I meet with, as a dealer in medals, have a tendency to put to flight all my ideas on the particular subject on which I am writing.
I therefore bow with submission to the judgment of Numismatists more competent than myself, and shall willingly receive from them whatever they may condescend to offer, either for the amendment of what is wrong, or the improvement of what is right.
If time be spared me, it is my intention to publish a volume on Greek, Roman, Saxon, and English coins, &c. giving a brief account of their several degrees of rarity; and to the Roman, the price of each, taken from actual practice; adapted to those collectors who have not opportunities of referring to the voluminous and expensive works of learned writers.
WILLM TILL.
26th June, 1837.
17, Great Russell Street,
Covent Garden.
CONTENTS.
Page
Description of the plate . . . . . . . 5
Essay on the denarius . . . . . . . . 25
Portraits on the denarius described . . . . . 32
The aureus, bearing the likeness of the Saviour,
described . . . . . . . . . 39
The Roman denarius relating to Britain . . . . . 41
Roman triumphs recorded on the Denarius . . . . . 42
A note relative to the Hebrew Shekel . . . . . 43
Different countries figuratively represented on the
denarius . . . . . . . . . 47
On the Saxon Penny . . . . . . . . 51
Ancient Irish coins described. . . . . . . 53
List of English pennies, with their different degrees
of rarity. . . . . . . . . . 55
Note on the pennies of Stephen and Henry I. discovered
near Watford . . . . . . . . . 57
Ancient baronial coins described . . . . . . 61
Errors in Speed, Rapin, and Snelling . . . . . 63
Anglo-Gallic coins noticed . . . . . . . 64
Note respecting the portraits on the early English
pennies . . . . . . . . . . 67
Note on the pennies discovered at Tutbury. . . . . 68
Counterfeit sterlings described . . . . . . 70
Early Scotch pennies, with their different degrees of
rarity . . . . . . . . . . 73
The word Billon explained, as connected with coinage . . . 77
Edward IV.'s emblem, the sun, as relating to the
battle of Barnet . . . . . . . . 83
Note on milled coins being first issued . . . . . 92
Note on the un-English practice of permitting a
foreigner to be at the head of the engraving department
in our national Mint . . . . . . . . 96
On the ridiculous portraits given to George III. on
his crowns and half crowns . . . . . . . 97
Note on the error half-pence of George II. . . . . 98
Note on the production of hammered and milled
money, with the distinction between them . . . . 99
On the Coronation medal of George IV., and the
beauty of its reverse . . . . . . . 104
Weight of the Roman denarius, and the Saxon and
English penny . . . . . . . . . 105
Note descriptive of the ceremony of the presentation
of the Maundy money . . . . . . . . 107
On the disgraceful state in which our coins are issued
from the Mint . . . . . . . . . 110
A list of coin books necessary to the collector. . . . 114
Description and plate of the farthings of Queen Anne . . . 133
The rarity and value of the farthings of Queen Anne . . . 137
On the brass tokens frequently taken for Queen
Anne's farthings . . . . . . . . 138
On the pattern half-pence of the same Sovereign. . . . 139
Account of the preparatory meeting of the
Numismatic Society . . . . . . . . 141
List of the members of the Numismatic Society . . . . 142
First ordinary meeting of the above Society . . . . 147
The second meeting of the Society . . . . . . 151
Dollar of Henry Lord Darnley and Mary of Scotland
described . . . . . . . . . 153
Note on the flattery used by the engravers of the
Roman Mint . . . . . . . . . 154
Anecdotes of the unfortunate Queen of Denmark,
and others . . . . . . . . . 157
Third meeting of the Numismatic Society . . . . . 160
A paper on British coins presented to the Society . . . 161
Unique gold medal of Charles I. described. . . . . 166
Fourth meeting of the Numismatic Society . . . . . 169
Letter on a curious Burmese coin . . . . . . 170
First part of a lecture by Mr. J. Williams . . . . 173
Fifth meeting of the Numismatic Society . . . . . 174
Mr. Williams's lecture continued . . . . . . 174
On the Roman Contorniati and As . . . . . . 175
The Roman large brass coins (so called) being
sometimes of copper, described . . . . . . 179
On the double Sestertii, termed medallions . . . . 180
Sixth meeting of the Numismatic Society . . . . . 182
A Letter on the Chinese knife coins . . . . . 184
Description of other coins of China. . . . . . 187
Remarks on coin moulds presented to the Society. . . . 191
The places named where the coin moulds were
discovered . . . . . . . . . 192
List of the chief coin and medal collectors in London. . . 195
Ditto ditto in the country, &c. . . . . . 197
Names of a few collectors possessing fine cabinets
of medals . . . . . . . . . . 199
Medal collectors of Vienna a Paris . . . . . . 205
Medal engravers . . . . . . . . . 207
ADDENDA.
The battle of Barnet . . . . . . . . 213
Note on the discovery of the body of Edward IV. at
Windsor . . . . . . . . . . 219
Hadley Church, and its localities . . . . . . 221
Sale list of coins and medals, &c. . . . . . . 227
Footnotes:
1 See the Addenda at the end.
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