John Clerk - Roger Gale - 1732-09-22

John Clerk, Edinburgh

John Clerk - Roger Gale - 1732-09-22

FINA IDUnique ID of the page ^ᵖ	15433
InstitutionName of Institution.
InventoryInventory number.
AuthorAuthor of the document.	John Clerk
RecipientRecipient of the correspondence.	Roger Gale
Correspondence dateDate when the correspondence was written: day - month - year .	September 22, 1732
PlacePlace of publication of the book, composition of the document or institution.	Edinburgh ^{55° 57' 12.04" N, 3° 11' 18.15" W}
Associated personsNames of Persons who are mentioned in the annotation.
LiteratureReference to literature.	Nichols 1781-1790, pp. 300-11, Lukis 1882-1887, vol. 1, pp. 458-92, Burnett 2020b, pp. 397, 8063
KeywordNumismatic Keywords ^ᵖ	Hybrid , Faustina , Trajan , Marcus Aurelius
LanguageLanguage of the correspondence	English
External LinkLink to external information, e.g. Wikpedia ^ᵖ

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Grand documentOriginal passage from the "Grand document".

'Your coin is exceeding curious; I never saw any such before though I believe it to be antique. My notion about it is, that it has been struck, or rather cast, in Britain. The head of Faustina & epigraphe is from another coin of the same size. She affected to be called Filia Augusti Pii, in severall inscriptions, chiefly because it carryed an insinuation, that the empire was hers more than her husband's. As to the reverse, it is very singular : S : P : Q : R : OPTIMO : PRINC : as it comes to be applyed to a woman, but otherways it is very common. You will find it or severall coins, but on none of this size, except one of Licinius.
Possibly it may be a sarcasm upon an imperious woman & perhaps onely a kindly blunder, the head being intended as i compliment to her, & the reverse to Marcus Aurelius [sic]. The figure is a woman, with a modius cum spicis in her right hand to denote plenty : in her left is a horse's head, which probably has been an ornament above the rostrum of a ship. Such kind of decorations were common, & hence, if I mistake not, Virgil, lib. x° [209] says: —

Hunc vehit immanis Triton, et caerula concha
[Exterrens freta :]

The Spaniards about Cadiz, in ancient times, used to call some sorts of ships they made use of Equi, & such, 'tis probable, parryed the figure of a horse on their prow, & if this was fact your coin might have been of Spanish original, though I am willing rather to think it British ; but I take my leave, & am, dear Sir,
Your most faithfull humble servant,
J. Clerk.

The legends upon this medal are as underneath : —

FAVSTINA : AVG : Pil : AVG : FIL :
COS : V : P : P : SPQR : OPTIMO : PRIN :

This medall is but of the II. copper.'

(Nichols 1781-1790, pp. 300-1; Lukis 1882-1887, vol. 1, pp. 458-9; Burnett 2020b, p. 397)

References

^ Nichols, John (ed.), Reliquiae Galeanae, in Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica II.1 (London, 1781), II.2 (London, 1781), III (London, 1790).
^ Lukis, W.C. (ed.)(1882-87) The Family Memoirs of the Rev. William Stukeley and the Correspondence of William Stukeley, Roger & Samuel Gale, Etc., 3 Vols, Publications of the Surtees Society Vols. 73, 76, 80, London.
^ Burnett, Andrew M. (2020), The Hidden Treasures of this Happy Land. A History of Numismatics in Britain from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, BNS Special Publ. No 14 = RNS Special Publ. No 58, London, Spink & Son.