NUMISMATICS
156
NUMISMATICS
Orient. Mohammedan coinage appears only about as tlic Muria-Tcicsiin tulrr, nml bearing the date
the year 700; these roins, because the Koran forbids 17S0, is even now the most important commercial cur-
pictorial represent al ions, bear only texts from the reney in Central Africa, the Sudan, Tripoli, and Ara-
Koran and,!iencTall.\-, precise statements concerninp; bia. The high degree of perfection which had been
the ruler, tiic mint-master, and the date of coinage. attained during the last decades in the technique of
D. Modern Coins.— With the beginning of modern coining gave rise, on the one hand, to a number of ex-
times, partly as the result of the discovery of America periments with coinage (coins made of aluminum,
and the exploitation of its silver deposits, large silver Russian coins of platinum, Belgian pierced coins, Kng-
pieces appear everywhere in great numbers. As a lish coins of two metals) most of which, however, had
natural consequence of this, we find greater care be- no decisive success. On the other hand, it became
stowed ui)()n the execution of the work, more legible possible to pay greater attention to the artisstic side
characters in the inscriptions, and increased attention of coining, as is evidenced by the latest issues of the
to the pictorial representations (portraits and coatis- French and Italian mints.
of-arms). Several of t he Renaissance issues, particu- II. Medals. — The term medal (medallia in Flor-
larly the papal coins, are reckoned among the foremost ence = ^ denier) is applied to pieces of metal, usually
works of art of that time. In the course of the last circular, which, though issued by a mint, are not in-
few centuries, countries which had not come under
the influence of the civilization of the Middle Ages
enter into numismatic relations with the others, e. g.,
Russia and the Far East, China having coins of the
most extraordinary shapes, some perforated, some in
the form of tuning-forks, sabres, etc.; Siam, lumps of
twisted silver wire.
\\'hile during the earlier centuries the monetary sys- tems of the older civilized countries of Europe gener- ally devel()[)ed along the lines estabhshed in the course of the Middle Ages, the great political and economic revolu- tions of the nineteenth century brought into being new forces which had their effect on the monetary systems. While the changed relations of the German- speaking peoples resulted in a variation of their currencies (the mark in Germany, krone in Austria, gulden in Holland, and franc in Switzerland), the uni- fication of Italy, on the other hand, resulted in a uni
tended as a medium of payment. Their material,
form, mode of manufacture, and history prove that
they were originally coins, though altered conditions
and needs, both artistic and cultiu'al, have made them
independent. Their purpose is to commemorate im-
portant events in the history of a nation, so nnieh so
that attempts have been made to write histories based
upon and illustrated by the series of medals of some
individual or of a whole country. Occasions for the
issue of medals are found in an accession to the throne,
a declaration of war, the conclu-
sion of a peace, or an alliance,
the completion of a public build-
ing; it has also been very ex-
tensively used by sovereigns for
presentation to persons whom
they wished to honour, and in
such cases was often a veritable
gem of the goldsmith's art. On
the other hand, a medal has
often been presented by sub-
jects to their sovereign on such
occasions as his marriage, in token of homage. But
form Italian monetary system (lira). But ecomomic as an expression of the culture of a people the pri-
conditions have produced even more lasting results
than poHtical. On the 23rd of December, 1865,
France, Italy, Belgium, and Switzerland formed the
Latin Union, which was joined in 1868 by Greece,
agreeing upon a uniform regulation of the coinage of
these states on the basis of the French monetary sys-
tem. This system has now been adopted by a large
number of states, which have not themselves joined
the Latin monetary Union — Rumania, Bulgaria,
vate medal possesses much greater interest, and in
this field the German medal of the Renaissance and
the following centuries furnishes the most numerous
examples. Portrait medals played the part now taken
by photography. Medals stamped with coats-of-
arms also serve to represent private individuals, and
are sometimes put to practical use as tokens, buttons
for liveries, etc. They are used to commemorate
betrothals, or marriages, silver or golden weddings.
Servia, Finlantl, Spain, and, at least nominally, many births and baptisms, and there are a large number of
of the Central and South American republics, which sponsors' christening gifts in the shape of coins or
were formerly Si)anish colonies, and furthermore a medals (Patenpfennige) made expressly for the pur-
number of smaller European states. Austria-Hungary pose and inscribed with the names of the infant and
and Russia are also approximating to this system, the godparent, the place and date of baptism, and
Another monetary union was formed in 1873 and in- generally a pious maxim. These Patcnpffnrwiv were
cluiles Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, the monetary often put into rich settings to be worn as ornaments,
union being the Scandinavian krone. The Portuguese and were handed down as heirlooms from generation
monetary system is still in force in Brazil, its former
colony. Even without any formal convention, a coin
may gain currency in foreign lands. Thus the Mexi-
can dollar, which in name and value is an offshoot of
the German monetary system, is current coin on the
farther shore of the Pacific Ocean, in the maritime
to generation. Not only the entrance into life but
also death is recorded in medals; and many such
pieces contain detailed biographical notices.
Very often the medal serves a religious purpose; in Kremnitz and especially in Joachimstal extensive se- ries of such religious coinages were struck. Typo-
provinces of China, in Japan, Siam, and part of the logical representations found great favour, the one
Malay Archipelago; it influences Central America and
even many of the African maritime provinces. The
Indian rupee, too, has gained currency on the shore of
the ocean opposite the land of its origin, on the coasts
of East Africa, Southern Arabia, and the Malay pen-
insula. A good example of the crossing of economic
and political interests is furnished by Canada, where
side showing the Old-Testament type, the other the
New-Testament antitype. The Reforniation pro-
duced many medals embellished with Biblical phrases.
A favourite subject on religious ined.ils u:is t lie head
of Christ: the city of Vienna has for centuries used
medals bearing this design as public marks of distinc-
tion. At Easter medals with the Paschal Lamb, at
the English sovereign is legal tender, although Cana- Christmas others with the Infant Jesus, were given
dian currency follows the standard of the United as presents. Of the saints, St. George was most fre-
States. While the coins now in circulation in Austria quently represented, on the Georgstaler and Georgs-
and Hungary are valid as currency in Liechtenstein ducnt, and a superstition prevailed that the wearing
and Nlontenegro and vice versa, an Austrian coin long of a medal with the image of St. George was a pro-
Bince put out of circulation in Austria itself, known tection against wounds. A similar superstition was
