.INIEDLEVAL ANTI _MODERN COINS. There is no sharp line of demarcation ancient and hers coins, but the Byzantine series, which continues the mintages of the Eastern Roman Empire, is a natural link. Byzantine coins are: in gold, the solidus, with its half and third; in silver, the siliqua, with its half and quarter; in copper, the small unit, without sign of value, the nomisnia (marked E = 5), ccu1en.ionnlis (marked 1 = 101, dennrins (marked K = 20), and the follis (marked M = 40), The work manship is generally crude. After the tenth century the portrait of the Emperor is supported by some patron saint. The reverse has such types as Victory with a cross, afterwards a rep resentation of the Saviour or the Virgin. Latin is gradually superseded by Greek in the inscrip tions. and wholly disappears by the time of Alexius I. (1081-1118). The series continues until the overthrow of Constantinus XIV. Pa brologns by the Turks in 1453.
Consult Sabatier, .1Ionnairs byzantines (2 vole., Paris, 1862).
In the West the coins of the barbarian States founded on the ruins of the Boman Empire re tained the form and style of the late ROIlla 11 coins, though becoming always more degraded in art and fabric. Latin is the universal language. The principal coins in circulation in the early middle ages were the silver and its half, the oho/. It will he possible here to treat the development of coinage in modern times only in a very summary way. With the rise of barba rian kingdoms in Italy, Spain, and Africa, we have coins in silver and copper (rarely gold) of the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, and Vandals. The Visigothic coinage in Spain extends from Leovi gildus (573-586) to the overthrow of Roderio by the Arabs in 711. A _Moorish coinage now begins in with the peculiarity of Arabic on one side and Latin on the other, and bearing dates both according to the Hegira and according to the old Roman indictional system. These coins are numerous in the eighth century. Con sult Codera y Zaidin, Tratado rlc numismatica arabigo-espanola.
In England the coinage begins in the seventh century, and though also a devel opment of the late Roman coins, it shows little resemblance to them. The two chief coins are the silver skeatta and the copper slyea. The little gold coin of Pada, or Peada, King of Mer ein (655-656), is notable as having runic letters along with the Latin. The coins of 01Ta, King of Mereia (757-796), and of Alfred the Great (871-901) are especially characteristic. The Merovingian kings in Gaul begin to strike coins under Theodebert I. (534-538). There are gold solidi and irienirs. A fine gold piece of Dagobert (622-638) is perhaps the best of the series. The Carolingian coins begin with Pepin (752-768). and arc most common in the gold tdiens and silver dotal-ins. Of Clmrlemagne (768-814) the coins are numerous, and often have a good like ness. On Merovingian coins consult: 1)e Bel fort, Description yene'rale des monnaies nu'rorin giennes (Paris, 1892). On Carolingian coins: Oa riel, Les monnaics myrtles Jr France sous la race carolingicnne (Strassburg, 1883-85). in Italy the coinage of the Lomhards begins during the Merovingian period in France. with numerous issues in Milan, Benevento, and Salerno, always with the flat flans and crude fabric of the period. For the coins of the early Middle Ages in Europe, consult: Engel et Ser rure, Trait( de num ismat lane, vol. i.. Paris. 1892. Papal coins, a long and interesting series. begin with Hadrian I. (772-785) and extend to Pins IX. Consult: Cinagli, Le monele rlci Papi (Fe rino, 1848). The coins of the German rulers of this period often have on the reverse the name and emblems of a bishop. To the lenth century belongs the earliest coin with a German inscrip tion, a (!matins struck at Gittelde, near Bruns wick, marling "hit strid le biseop" (bier sieht der Hisehof), with portrait, and lithis pen icy" (Pf(nniy of Gittehie). The word peniny was now the general name in Ger manic countries for dennrins, whence English (I. = penny. On medhrval German coins. con sult: Cappe. Die .1Iiin:en der dentschen kaiser nod kiMige des Ilittelalters (Dresden. 1848-57). In Norway and Sweden in the eleventh century we have dcaarii or pennies, with inscriptions in runic or Latin letters, and in Swedish or Latin. or Loth together. The coins of the Danish kings in England, Cunt for instance. have purely lish legends, as do also those of contemporary Irish princes, as Sitrie III., King of Dublin (989 1029). On the Continent, in the twelfth and thir teenth centuries, the dcnurii were struck on a broad Han, so thin that even with low relief it was impossible to stamp them on both sides. Such coins are known as bracteates, from Latin bractea, a thin, flat piece of metal, and were commonly struck by the German princes, of whom the first was Conrad 111. ( 1138-52). Those of
Frederick Barbarossa are very numerous and often beautiful of their kind. Polish coinage be gins with the introduetion of Christ Mnity under 1\liecislas 1. (c.965-992). The style and fabric is like the German coins of the same epoch. but the inscription is often in Bussian letters. Russian coins begin under Vladimir, who died in 1015. Consult: Tolstoy, La numismatique russe arena Pierre lc Grand (Saint Petersburg, 1884). The coinages of the thirteenth century are notable for the large number of gold pieces. Here begins the splendid series of gold florins of Florence and sequins (or ducats) of Venice, which show an advance in style that rapidly spread to other parts of Europe. The doges' coins extend with little change from Giovanni Dandolo (1279-89) to Ludovico Alanin (1797). For Italian coins, consult: Promis, Tavole sinottiche dell' monete battute in Italia (Turin. 1869). in the fourteenth century the coinage in gold and silver is vastly improved. the broad, flat pieces being very rich in ornamentation, the French silver tournois and gold MOO Olt , the German silver groschrn, and the English gold noble, or rose noble. The fifteenth century continues the gulden, florins, and ducats of the previous epoch. The braeteates are still found. hut small and poor. A new type of money is now introduced at Joa chinisthal in Bohemia, a broad, fiat silver coin, which quickly spread ()vet. all Germany and re ceived from its first place of Mintage the name Joachinistlialer, soon abbreviated to Dialer (the origin of um- American name doth/r). The curliest dated /hales is that of Duke Sigismund of Tyrol, 1484. The broad thalcrs of the fif teenth and sixteenth centuries are real medal lions of art, and this is true also of ninny of the contemporary coins of Italy, which are the work of artists of the Iirst rank, as Francesco Franck' of Bologna and Benvenuto Cellini. With the dating of coins the n.ally modern period now begins: portrait. are especially fine, and values are placed on the various pieces. The types are limited in variety and the historic value of coins is largely transferred to medals. Oriental wins have an origin quite independent of the European series. In China. some kind of coinage is said to have existed in the third millennium B.C. The earliest coins known are of brass. and have the form of 'trousers.' 'razors; or square:. A peen. liarity of later Chinese brass coins (`cash') is the Spin IT hole in the centre, for ease in carrying on strings. Consult Terrien de Lacouperie and Poole, of Chinese Coins (British Mu scum) (London, 1892). In Japan, in the seventeenth century. there were the oval gold hobang with mint-stamps. the oblong gold and silver itz-rhu, and the oval brass tempo, the latter hav ing the square hole for stringing, like the Chinese Ran 1hg8.inpHT. Besides the numismatic works mentioned above, the following may be consulted: For England. 111Hding. ,Innals of the ruin aye of real Britain (fmndon, 184n); Thorhurn, Guide to thr I'oIns of Grant Britain and Ireland fib., 1884) ; Poole, British Museum, Catalogue of Eng lish Coins (ib., 18S7) ; Hawkins, Coins of England (ib., 1876) ; Kenyon, Gold Coins of Eng land (ib., 1884) ; Batty, Deseriptirc Catalogue of the Copper Coinage of Great Britain and Colonies (:\lanchester, 1876). For Scotland, Cochran, Records of the Coinage of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1876) ; Robertson, Handbook of the Coinage of Scotian(' (London, 1878). For Germany, Schutt bess-Rechberg. Thaler-Kabinett (Vienna. 1840) ; Schwalbach, Die deutsche)! ity Thalergrasse nor Einfiihrung des Reichsgeldes (Leipzig. 1879). For France, Berry, Etudes et rccherches historiques sun les inonna CR de Franco (Paris, 1852-53) ; Hoffmann, Les mummies rog ales de (ib., 1878). For Italy, Bazzi e Sant oni, Fudemecum (lel rareoglitorc di mon ete italiane( Ca merino, 1886). For Portugal. Teixeira de Aragrto, Description des monnaies et ati'dailles de l'histoirc portugaise (Paris, 1867). For Switz erland, Coraggioni, Nun:gen/tic/lie der .`ehtcei.3 (Geneva, 1896). Among the excellent manuals are Lenormant, Jtonnaies et medai//es (Paris, 1833) ; Von Sallet, Miinzen vnd iledaillen (Ber lin, 1898) Ambrosoli, Manuals di sumismatica ( 1895) ; Stiickelberg, Dcr (Zurich, 1899). Collectors may find interest iu Humphrey, Coin Collector's Manual (London, 1853 ); Prime, Coins, _Ueda's, and Seals (New York, 1861) ; 'Mathews. Coinages of the World (i1)., 1876) Ilazlitt, Coinages of the European Continent (London, 1893) : Dye, Coin Encyclumc dia (Philadelphia. 1883).