Coventina's Fountain, by the Rev. J. C. Bruce, LL.D. 361 



and sharp as when they first issued from the mint, hut others of 

 them bore marks of wear. It is perhaps needless here to remark, 

 that the large brass coins of the higher empire, and some also of 

 the second brass, were made of a compound metal, usually called 

 Corinthian brass, which has much of the appearance of gold. 

 A number of the coins of this "find," which were valueless as 

 coins, from their worn condition, have found their way into the 

 hands of some workers in brass and iron, by whose ingenuity 

 they have been converted into rings and seals of considerable 

 elegance, and having all the appearance of gold. These works 

 of art now adorn the persons of many of our modern belles. 

 The fact that very many of the coins of this find are so much 

 worn by circulation as to have the die-stamp utterly obliterated, 

 both on obverse and reverse, while others are in a nearly perfect 

 state, requires some explanation. Upon the theory that the coins 

 in the fountain were the gradual accumulation of votive offerings, 

 we would expect to find the perfect coins at the bottom, and the 

 upper strata of coins (of the same emperors) becoming less and 

 less distinct as having been longer in circulation. The more 

 perfect were mixed with the less perfect, and with absolutely 

 obliterated ones. This was the case with those which were 

 deposited in the clay ; and these must all have been deposited 

 contemporaneously. The coins at the bottom of the well were 

 perhaps more worn and less easily decipherable, than were the 

 general mass. The fact of the varying condition of the coins 

 may perhaps be explained in the following manner. At a time 

 when coin was the only circulating medium, and when paper 

 money and banks of deposit were unknown, persons possessed of 

 a larger amount of wealth than was necessary for their immediate 

 wants, would probably hoard up their resources. In this way 

 coin might be preserved for two or three generations, and when 

 it was set at liberty by some spendthrift heir, it would mingle 

 with a mass of pieces which had borne the wear and tear of 

 perhaps half a century. How the coins that I have been referring 

 to came to be embedded in clay I cannot conceive. It cannot 

 have been an accidental occurrence ; the clay as I have said had 

 been wrought, and it differed from that by which the masonry of 

 the fountain was backed up. About the middle of the well 

 another important discovery was made. Two vases of red clay 

 and of a highly ornate character were found, lying on their sides. 



