Old Roman and Greek coins are found in large quantities every year in tombs and in the ruins of old houses. Messrs. Hunt and Grenfell found two large jars of Roman silver and gold coins in Lower Egypt last winter in which were over 4000 coins in perfect preservation. The latest coins were those of Hadrian (a.d. 138) and Marcus Aurelius (a.d. 161). All over Europe, Asia, and Africa similar finds are frequent. In June, 1833, some boys found a box containing 7000 coins, which were mostly English, of the reigns of William the Conqueror (a.d. 1066) and William Rufus (a.d. 1109). In 1832 the sexton of Hexham Church, while digging a grave, found a brass bucket containing over 8000 coins of the early Saxon Kings of England (about a.d. 800). In High Wycombe a shepherd boy found a large number of British gold coins which had been hidden over 1800 years. In 1831 a chest containing over 200,000 coins of Edward I. and II. (about a.d. 1300) was unearthed at Tutbury, and not far from this find another box was dug up containing over 7000 gold and silver coins, mostly Saxon (about a.d. 850), but containing many foreign coins. It was probably the entire stock of some money-broker who was obliged to flee for his life.
This list of great finds could be continued indefinitely, but enough has been said to show how common old coins are. The old Greek gold coins are scarce, and lately a demand for these has arisen, which has pushed up prices to nearly double what they were a year ago. Ordinary coins remain the same. Now nothing is more interesting than a collection of coins. For instance, specimens of the common coins of all countries and all ages. They are just as interesting as if they were all rare, and can be picked up at small prices with patience and a little going about. Gold coins would, of course, be out of the question, but copper and silver illustrate the different periods just as well. I know a collector who has over 500 coins, no two of the same reign, and representing over one hundred different countries. They give the owner and his friends much pleasure and information, and their entire cost was less than $125.
Philatus.
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