Medals. 7i 



I became acquainted with Mr. Doubleday, who is an American by 

 birlh, and a very ingenious and intelligent man ; we visited, together, 

 the cabinet of coins and gems in the British museum, and I found that 

 be is permitted to copy any thing he may desire in that great collection, 

 valued, I was informed at about a million of pounds sterling. He 

 also visits, now and then, the collection in the Bibliotheque Royale at 

 Paris, where also he is allowed the privilege of copying. He colors 

 his sulphur, and the copies are often so well done, that it is impossi- 

 ble, by the sight alone, to distinguish them from the originals. The 

 splendid Bonaparte medals by Denon, are here copied, so as to have 

 all the boldness and extreme delicacy for which these rivals of the 

 antique are distinguished. The London University has supplied itself 

 entirely from Mr. Doubleday's collection of copies; the professors told 

 him that they would answer all the purposes of study as well as the 

 originals, while a vast saving of expense would be effected. He al- 

 so has large orders from country gentlemen and Lyceums, in all parts 

 of England. He also copies silver coins in white metal, but although 

 the copies are as accurate as those in sulphur, the metal has the color 

 rather of tin than of silver, and I did not like them so well ; still they 

 are very fair imitations of the originals. Jt is his custom, when copy- 

 ing silver and gold coins in sulphur, to distinguish them by different 

 colors, making the gold a deep red, he. — he also labels them. To 

 my question, what variety he could readily furnish and at what (the 

 lowest) price — he replied that he had casts for 6000 Greek coins, 

 1050 Roman large Bronze, 1000 medium do.; Roman gold 500, 

 do. silver 1000 — all these for 4(/.* each; — Roman medallions 300 

 6d. each, copies in metal from \s. to 2s. 6d. each. — The charge for 

 the Madrassis is 5*. thence down to the uncia from 1*. to 4d. ; the high 

 price of the ]\Iadrassis, arising from the difficulty of making a cast 

 endure for more than one copy. He has also, copies of a suit of medals 

 of the English Sovereigns, from the Conqueror to George II. 34 in all, 

 struck by Dassiers, in the reign of the latter king ; from Richard the 

 III. down, they are said to offer correct likenesses ; the charge for 

 these is 6d. each. 



From what I have seen of Mr. Doubleday's establishment, I have 

 no hesitation in recommending it to the attention of our colleges; 

 to the amateur collector, it also offers the means of providing at a 

 trifling expense, fac-similes of medals not to be had, or if so, at ex- 



• The penny in London is worth exactly two cents in our currency. 



