Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/551

NUMISMATICS distinct from those of the Eoman empire and its dependencies. For a long time before the establishment of the empire, and even after its beginning, family names and devices were used on the coins of the various parts of the Eoman dominions. These family coins, which are sometimes called consular coins, because the names of most of the consuls appear on them, constitute a very large and important series, containing the names of a great num- ber of the Eoman families, both patrician and plebeian. The imperial coinage is also a superb series, in which are preserved the portraits of the emperors, and many interesting and valu- able records. Numismatists are accustomed to class the gold, silver, and copper or brass coin- age distinctly, dividing the latter into first, second, and third classes, according to size. Another series is that called the imperial Greek, issued by Greek cities subjected to Eome, and which generally bear the portrait of the reign- ing emperor, with his name and titles in Greek. The Eoman colonial coins, the most of which were issued in Spain, also form a distinct class, generally marked by the abbreviation col. for colonia. In the eastern empire the coinage became very rude, and in mediaeval times the art had so declined that the coins of Europe and the East of that period are little better than the earliest form of Ionian coinage. The Chinese are said to have coined the bronze pieces called cash, having a square hole in the centre, about 1120 B. C. ; but according to the best authorities there is no certainty of the existence of any genuine specimens older than 247 B. C. The Hindoo or Indian coinage is of early origin, but the date is unsettled. There are square copper coins with a Pali legend, which are conjectured to be of the 3d century B. C., but the earliest certain dates are about 100 B. 0. The Hebrews had no coin of their own until the time of the Maccabees, when Si- mon, by virtue of the permission in the decree of Antiochus (1 Mace. xv. 6), issued the she- kel and the half shekel, with such inscriptions as "Shekel Israel," "Jerusalem the Holy," and " Simon prince of Israel." This coinage seems not to have been continued after the time of the Maccabees. These, with some small brass coins of the Herods, Archelaus, and Agrippa, and a doubtful coin attributed to Bar-Cokheba, the leader in the last rising against the Eomans, are the only coins of Judea which are extant. The Arabic series of coins begins with the successors of Mohammed in the 7th century. They usually have a sentence from the Koran on the reverse, and the name of the caliph on the obverse, but never a portrait of the caliph. (For the series of British coins, see MONEY ; and for American colonial coins and those of the United States, see COINS.) The issue of medals seems to have been a very early custom. Many of the largest pieces of ancient coin so called are more cor- rectly to be considered as medals, struck for prizes in the games, or in commemoration of NUMMULITE 537 great events. The Eoman series of medals or medallions is very extensive in gold, silver, and brass or copper. The gold medals begin with Constantine, and continue to the fall of the empire ; the silver begin under Gallienus, and continue as long ; the copper from Augustus to Alexander Severus. In more modern times the art of medal making has been brought to great perfection, and most of the principal nations have adopted the plan of preserving their history by these durable monuments. The French series is deserving of special men- tion as the most perfect and complete in the world. It commences under Louis XI. and continues to the present date, illustrating every important event in the history of France. The English series commences under Henry VIII., but as works of art the medals have not high rank. The British battle medals form an admirable series. The Italian and German medals of modern date are very fine ; the me- diaeval are interesting and bold in design, but rude in execution. The papal series, com- mencing with Paul V., are worthy of the col- lector's attention. One of the earliest Amer- ican medals is that presented to Gen. John Armstrong for his successful attack in 1756 on the Indians at Kittanning. Several were pre- sented to officers of the army and navy during the revolution, most of which were struck in France. Those struck since the establishment of the mint have, it is believed, all been made at the mint. This is certainly true of all from the beginning of the war of 1812 to the pres- ent time. Many counterfeit coins and medals exist, of both ancient and modern manufac- ture. The Greek forgers were very skilful, and produced many fine imitations of coins, some of which are still found in as perfect a state as the originals. The Eoman forged money was mostly cast. Among the most skil- ful of modern forgers were Giovanni Cavino and Alessandro Bassiano of Padua, who pro- duced so many false coins that all such are generally termed Paduans. Benvenuto Celli- ni did not disdain this employment. Devrieux and Weber in Florence, Carteron in Holland, Congornier in Lyons, Laroche in Grenoble, and Caprara in Smyrna were among the chief counterfeiters, and their coins command high prices as curiosities. American colonial coins have been very skilfully made in New York, and rare dates are often found carefully altered from common years. See Eckhel's Doc- trina Numorum Veterum (9 vols. 4to, Vien- na, 1792-1826) ; Mionnet's Description des me- dailles antiques grecs et romaines, &c. (18 vols. 8vo, Paris, 1806-'39); and Prime's "Coins, Medals, and Seals," &c. (4to, New York, 1861). NTMITOR. See EOMTJLUS. NUMMULITE, a large, coin-shaped, foraminif- erous protozoan, living in immense numbers in the seas of the eocene tertiary epoch, and constituting strata sometimes several thousand feet thick. The so-called nummulitic lime- stone extends from the London, Paris, and