Slaski in Poland iia\c triod lo summarize in tiicir 

 puijlications the numerous i)ut widely scattered data 

 on coin hoards within their national territories.''' 



Extremely active also in this field arc many oul- 

 standins; scholars such as Nils L. Rasmusson and a 

 group at the Kungl. Myntkaijinettet in Sweden; 

 James D. A. Thompson, Philip Grierson, Michael 

 Dolley, Robert A. G. Carson in England: Jean 

 Lalaurie and a group at the Cabinet dcs Mcdailles in 

 France: J. Lallcmand in Belgium; and Felipe Mateu 

 y Llopis as the leading name in Sjiain. 



Literary information about coin hoards is gi\-en due 

 emphasis in most nmnismatic publications, but 

 attempts to make widely disj)ersed data more easily 

 accessible have brought forth a new kind of biblio- 

 graphical publication such as Sydney P. Noe's Rihli- 



ogrnphy oj Greek Coin Hoards (1925) and Saw'yer 

 Mosser's Bihliogrnphy of Byzantine Coin Hoards (1935). 

 Both arc major attempts to collect all of the biblio- 

 graphical information pertaining to the coin hoard 

 material of a specific period. 



.Similarly, many numismatic monogra|)hs devote 

 special chapters to hoards. An example is Rudi 

 Thomsen's recent study. Early Roman Coinage: A 

 Study oJ the Chronology (1957j, an attempt to review and 

 revise the controversial problem of the dating of the 

 so-called Romano-Campanian and early Roman 

 issues. Mr. Thomsen regards the actual composition 

 of hoards as essential evidence in establishing the 

 chronological sequence of different issues and as a 

 strong clue fur their conclusive dating. 



BEGINNINGS OF COIN COLLECTING 



\Vc probably can assume with safety that coin col- 

 lecting extends as far back into history as coins 

 themsclvTS. The incentive to gather coins as well as 

 any other interesting object is comparable to a re- 

 fined hunting instinct, which can be found at any 

 human age le\el regardless of social or cultural back- 

 ground; only the motive or goal defines the difference 

 among collectors. Coins as expressions of the wealth 

 to he found in gold and platinum, odd coins as curios, 

 old coins as historical mementos, beautiful coins as 

 specimens of art, coins as sentimental souxcnirs of 

 special dates, events, or places — these arc only a few 

 of the motives behind coin collecting. Every histor- 

 ical period or geographical area is characterized by 

 its peculiar interest. Even collecting as a financial 

 investment has emerged as a recent trend — something 

 practically unknown in earlier limes when collecting 

 was determined largely by historical and artistic con- 

 siderations.'" 



Since the days of the Greeks and Romans, the clas- 

 sical authors, such as Pliny or Plutarch, have written 

 about famous art collections. Although not specifi- 

 cally mentioned, these collections probably included 

 many coins famous for their artistic qualities and even 

 signed by well-known artists.-" Such a probability is 



I" Noiiejlova-Pr.4tova, .\alezy mind v. Cechach, na Morale a 

 ve Stezsku (1955-1958); Slaski and Tabaczynski, Wczesno^- 

 redniowieczne skarby srrbrne Wirlkopolski (1959). 



i» As an example, sec Bilinski, Guide lo Coin InveslmenI (1958). 



™ Sec FORER, Xotes sur les signatures de grateurs (1 906) ; TlTiEER, 

 Die Tetradraehnenpragung eon Syrakus (1913). 



supported by the viewpoint that the beauty of ancient 

 coins and the apparent care used in preparing their 

 dies demonstrates the high regard in which the esthet- 

 ically minded Greeks held coins. The issuing of coins 

 often was a subject of national pride, an incentive for 

 competition among cities. Western Greeks, especially 

 in Syracuse, surpassed the rest of the Greek world in 

 the mastery of coin engraving. An example of ob- 

 \ious contemporary appreciation can be seen in a 

 cup of black-glazed terracotta from South Italy, a so- 

 called Calene kylix, of which one is preser\ed in the 

 Boston Fine Arts Museum (fig. 2).-' This bowl uses, 

 as a center medallion, the head of the nymph .\rethusa, 

 reproduced from the already famous .Syracusan deka- 

 clrachtn which had been engraved by Euainetos in 

 the late 5th century B.C.-- 



To collect and even reproduce such paragons of 

 ancient engraving was not an isolated phenomenon 

 in the ancient world. More than likely, among the 

 oljjects of art collected by the royal houses of the 

 Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria, or 

 maintained in the famous collection of King Mith- 

 ridates VI of Pontus, which was brought in triumph 

 to Rome after his defeat by Lucullus and Pompey 

 (65 B.C..), there were rare and beautiful Greek coins. 



2' .Xnotlicr specimen from the Metropolitan Museum is re- 

 produced in RiciiTER, "A Greek .Silver Phialc," p. 386. 



-- Additional information is in Evans, ".Syracusan Medal- 

 lions" (1891), and especially Ricuter, '"Calenian Pottery" 

 (1959) and "Ancient Plaster Casts" (19.58). 



8 



HLLLETl.N 229: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HIS10R\- AND TECHNOLOGY 



