Roger Gale - Cornelius Little - 1743-12-03

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Roger Gale, Scruton

Roger Gale - Cornelius Little - 1743-12-03
FINA IDUnique ID of the page  14276
InstitutionName of Institution.
InventoryInventory number.
AuthorAuthor of the document. Roger Gale
RecipientRecipient of the correspondence. Cornelius Little
Correspondence dateDate when the correspondence was written: day - month - year . December 3, 1743
PlacePlace of publication of the book, composition of the document or institution. Scruton 54° 19' 16.04" N, 1° 32' 18.70" W
Associated personsNames of Persons who are mentioned in the annotation. John Collins
LiteratureReference to literature. Lukis 1882-1887, vol. 1 pp. 471-21, Burnett 2020b, pp. 396, 13082
KeywordNumismatic Keywords  Augustus , Marius , Triumviri Monetales , Otho , Nero , Forgeries , Coin Price , Bronze Coins , Denarius , Roman Republican , Roman Imperial , Rarity , Catalogue
LanguageLanguage of the correspondence English
External LinkLink to external information, e.g. Wikpedia 
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Grand documentOriginal passage from the "Grand document".

'As for the Augustus with Caius Marius on the reverse that I had from, & returned it to you by Mr. Collins, it is not a medal of the great Caius Marius, but struck by his grandson, Caius Marius Trogus, one of the mint masters under Augustus. The Otho that came with it was plainly a coin of Nero, altered by some artist into an Otho, & the reverse of it purposely defaced to prevent the discovery of the fraud, as farr as he could do it, by obliterating a type that would have made it too evident. Mr. Collins was mistaken if he told you that I valued the former at two guineas, it being not worth more than half a guinea, & I have a very fair one of that sort which cost me much lesse. I wish you had sent me the reverse of the other Otho that you have since gott; I could then have made some guessc at the truth of it. It is now generally agreed by the most & best judges that all the coins in copper of that short lived Emperor, which have any other type on their reverse except SC in a garland, are counterfeits, as they are allso if they want a laurel about the head, as I have one of undoubted antiquity, & the silver one of Marius. I have no occasion to purchase either of them myself, neither do I know any one in these parts that has a tast for such curiositys. London is the only market for such things, & if what you have are genuin, they will not long want a chapman there. I am sorry that I cannot gratifye you in your request to send you some Roman Denarii; the beauty of my stock consists chiefly in the Consular, not but that I have a good show of Imperial, which are all brought into exact order ; & though I have a great many, I cannot call them duplicates of the same Emperor, because they have different reverses, which makes every one of them a different medal, & to take any out of them would falsifye & deform the catalogue that I have taken great pains to compile of them. Many of those you desire are very scarce, & such as I never yet could make myself master of, & therefore hope you will excuse'

(Lukis 1882-1887, vol. 1 pp. 471-2; Burnett 2020b, pp. 396, 1308)

References

  1. ^  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.
  2. ^  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.