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English Petition Crown.

Started by Figleaf, June 09, 2007, 04:27:21 PM

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Figleaf

Coins of the civil war (Americans also have a war they call THE civil war) are a source of fascination since they are full of heads that were sooner or later separated from their bodies with a sharp object. ANA cleverly uses fascination and decapitation:their latest expo includes a death mask of Oliver Cromwell.

I see a few ouches already. British history is confused with world history and Jean Roettiers was not "a Dutch minter" but a Flemish (accomplished) engraver. It may seem trivial, but it makes him catholic and that is of the utmost importance between 1642 and 1651 in western Europe. Also, a minter is a lowly laborer at a Mint, while an engraver is one of its top officials. Let's hope these are the journalist's mistakes and ANA has avoided such pitfalls

Source: Colorado Springs Independent

Peter

Mint conditions

Cromwell's England under the scope in Money Museum exhibit

by Steve Kline

Most people see coins as an annoying necessity. They noisily weigh down your pockets, make the vacuum cleaner emit terrifying noises and give the old lady in front of you at the market the means to hold you up when all you need is a quart of milk. Let's face it: A change purse has as much street cred as a fanny pack or Segway.
But a new exhibit at the American Numismatic Association Money Museum will have people staring at a coin with reverence. Coins, Crown and Conflict, which opens today, will feature several genuine articles from Oliver Cromwell's 17th-century England.

A central exhibit, "The Petition Crown," is one of the most sought-after chunks of change among collectors. Worth $5 million, the coin contains a plea along its rim from its maker, Thomas Simon, to King Charles II, asking the king to reconsider his choice of a Dutch minter's coin design over his, in 1663.

However, the show isn't just to make a few collectors drool ? it's for the public.

"It's really a historical exhibit," says Andrew Dickes, the exhibit's marketing and volunteer coordinator. "It's about what was going on mid-century. The years between 1642 and 1651 were turbulent for Western history. You can see what image each leader was trying to put forth during this time."

The death mask of Cromwell ? a major historical figure who was actually exhumed in order to be formally executed ? will also be on display. Gauntlets (the gloves, not video games), penny Bibles and apparel will also show the public what life was like well before people thought of loud money as a nuisance.

CAPSULE
Coins, Crown and Conflict: An Exploration of Cromwell?s England
American Numismatic Association Money Museum, 818 N. Cascade Ave.
Runs through November 2008; opening reception, 5-7 p.m., Thursday, June 7 Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m., Sunday.
Free; call 632-COIN (2646) or visit money.org for more.
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

BC Numismatics


Figleaf

#2
Good site, Aidan. It avoids some of the normal pitfalls, such as describing the Roettiers family as "Dutch" (which would have made them protestant, while they were Flemish and Catholic).

However, there are still mistakes. John was not the eldest of the (3) Roettiers boys but the father. At times, all three worked in England, but only John stayed long enough to be buried there. Also, there is reasonable speculation that John lent money to the king in exile, but no hard evidence. There is evidence that Charles II, while in exile, ordered medals from Jean (John) Roettiers. In London, Simon (a protestant, who had worked for Cromwell) was retained as engraver-general, while Jean got the title engraver, albeit at the same salary. It was only when Simon did not produce any dies at all and blamed "an argument bewixt him and the Dutch" that the exasperated king called for a trial piece from both parties. The Roettiers came up with a good enough piece, Simon handed in nothing. Jean now got the title engraver-general (at the same salary) and was ordered to come up with dies, which he did. Simon's petition crown came too late to change the king's mind, but Simon was not stripped of his title and retained to work on the smaller dies and some medals and decorations.

In British numismatic history, Simon is commonly portrayed as a genius who was fired for his religion by a biased king. The Roettiers are considered interlopers whose work was inferior to that of Thomas Simon. In reality, the king was patient and fair and while the Roettiers could not match Simon in art, their work was perfectly acceptable and they were far more reliable. This was important, as the coinage had been a shambles since the civil war and new coins were badly needed to sanitize the currency.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

tonyclayton

Quote from: Figleaf on June 29, 2007, 11:19:58 PM
The Roettiers are considered interlopers whose work was inferior to that of the Roettiers.
Now you have me confused with that statement!

translateltd

Quote from: tonyclayton on September 03, 2008, 10:55:00 PM
Now you have me confused with that statement!

Internecine warfare?  :-)


Figleaf

Dog eats dog. Amended as requested.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.