DEPAKTMENT OF COINS AND MEDALS. 



97 



and other staters of Philip II. of Macedon and Alexander the 

 Great, together with some rare silver coins of Metapontum, 

 Croton, Paeonia, Macedonia, Crete, &c. ; and in the Roman 

 series some early interesting bronze pieces of the Republic, 

 silver and bronze coins of the Empire, and Byzantine solidi 

 and siliquae, &c. As the collection was very strong in the 

 Mediaeval and Modern series the selection from these portions 

 was very large, numbering 4,520 specimens. Amongst the 

 mediaeval medals are two fine leaden proofs by Pisanello of 

 Piero Candido Decembrio (a.d.'1399-1477), President of the 

 Republic of Milan, and of Vittorino da Feltre (a.d. 1379-1447), 

 distinguished orator, philosopher, and mathematician. There 

 is also a unique lead medal, probably by a German engraver, 

 of Theophrastus Paracelsus (a.d. 1493-1541), the eminent Swiss 

 physician, who in the course of his journeys appears to have 

 visited France, Spain, England, and other European countries. 

 The modern medals are represented by the works of David 

 D' Angers (of which hitherto the British Museum had possessed 

 none), of Roty and ScharfF among others. The selection of 

 British and Colonial coins and medals is of great value, filling 

 many gaps in the Colonial series and adding very largely to 

 that of the modern personal and historical medals. In illus- 

 tration of primitive forms of currency the donation includes a 

 number of specimens of bar and ring-money, such as the silver 

 bars used in mediaeval Russia and bronze rings from Africa ; of 

 the curiously-shaped coins from various countries of the East, 

 such as the hat pieces of Pahang, the boat-money and tikals 

 of Siam, and the fish-hooks of the Persian Gulf. Dr. Parkes 

 Weber made a speciality of collecting tokens and other curious 

 pieces, badges, tickets, counters, Szc, bearing indirectly on 

 the study of numismatics, and also of pieces showing the 

 technique and materials of coinage and medallic work such 

 as dies, wax-models, trial-pieces, patterns, and specimens 

 submitted in public competitions for the designs of coins. 

 From these a large selection was made, and also of specimens 

 representing the methods of forgery and adulteration. 



The following table gives a view of the number of coins 

 and medals selected for the Museum : — 



Class. 



Gold. 



Silver. 



Bro-nze 

 and 

 Brass. 



Lead, 



&c. 



Total. 



Greek 



Koman .... 



Mediaeval and Modern 



British and Colonial - 



Oriental - - ... 



17 

 21 

 42 



25 



122 

 26 

 7U 

 168 

 175 



206 

 147 

 1,845 

 740 

 145 



14 



81 



756 



255 



52 



359 



275 



3,357 



1,163 



397 



Totals - 



105 



1,205 



2,083 



1,158 



5,551 



Grand Total, 5,551 pieces. 

 105. Q 



