Collectible Coins - Francesco Gnecchi And Roman Medallions

Gnecchi Francesco was born in 1847 in the heart of a wealthy family of textile manufacturers specialized in the production of silk. He studied law at the University of Pavia, but after getting his degree, began to address the family business, an activity that combined with painting, producing mainly works of a landscape. Gnecchi began collecting Roman coins from 1870 and in a few years, his collection grew to become a basis for his studies, a series of pamphlets published in conjunction with his brother Ercole Gnecchi. Along with the latter and other enthusiasts, Francesco 1888 participated in the founding of the Rivista Italiana di Numismatica, initially led by Solon Ambrosoli and, later, by him and his brother. In its pages published important contributions to many fields of Roman numismatics. This magazine keeps appearing on continuously since that year and is now one of the most prestigious in this field. In 1892, Gnecchi was also one of the founders of the Italian Numismatic Society which still has its headquarters in Milan and carries forward the issue of the magazine.

 The rigor and quality of the work of Francesco earned him rapid international recognition and in 1906 was awarded the medal of the Royal Numismatic Society of London. His great contribution is the study of Roman medallions. Early on, Gnecchi became interested in particularly Roman medallions which concentrated its efforts as a collector and numismatist. Result of this interest, appeared in 1912 his most important work,

I Medaglioni Romani, in three volumes (the second and third with two parts each). Despite having already served a century, this work remains a source of reference and essential reference for these pieces.

Unfortunately, although it is in the public domain for decades, it is not available online in full as its only two parts have been digitized at the site including archive.org. Francesco died in 1919 and he continued to buy collectible coins (http://www.americancointreasures.com/Coin_Collections_Gifts_s/222.htm)until his last days coming to gather some 20,000 pieces in total of all periods of Roman history, but especially rich in medallions. One of his most notable was the magnificent ‘Senigallia Medallion’ which was discovered in 1894 and bought by Gnecchi. Fortunately, the unique value of the collection was recognized and the Italian state purchased it to their heirs in 1923.

Spectacular Discovery Of A Mysterious Treasure Byzantine Jerusalem

The researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced Monday the discovery in archaeological excavations carried out in this city of a rare treasure of gold and silver artifacts and coins from the Byzantine era, the most impressive of which is a solid gold medallion 10 inches adorned with a menorah and other Jewish iconography.

The treasure was found in a Byzantine house in the area adjacent to the southern wall of the Temple Mount and dates from the early seventh century AD, most probably, during the brief Persian conquest of Jerusalem.

The discoverers speculate that the medallion decorated with the menorah would have been used as decoration for a Torah scroll. He himself had been hidden under the floor of the house along with 36 gold coins minted by several late Roman and Byzantine emperors from Constantine II and Mauritius. The treasure also includes some gold bracelets, earrings, silver bullion and gold hexagonal prism. What is surprising is that the coins found covered, despite their small number, a period of over 250 years. I think the only explanation for this phenomenon is that it was the savings accumulated by the same family through the several generations.

The coins have always been an interesting subject for the coin collectors and they are always in search to find the antique coins like old Indian head penny because they add in the treasure of their own with more collectible coins.


 
The finding puts the treasure medallion clearly in a Jewish context, so that the discoverers speculate that the same stuff belongs to the period after the Persian conquest of it in 614 AD, in which the conquistadors gave to community the control over Jews who had collaborated with taking it. Subsequently, with the weakening of the Persian power, the Jews were expelled from the city. It is likely that the wealthy members of the community hid their wealth before leaving and never had a chance to recover.

Trajan Decius And The Series Of The "Divi" Honoring Deified Emperors & The Evolution Of Coins

Decio Budalia born near Sirmium (now Serbia); it would be, therefore, the first in a long line of the emperors that ruled in the Roman world. However, unlike the soldier-emperors of the last third of the third century AD, before reaching the throne, Decius had reached the highest levels of imperial society, having been consul and prefect of the city of Rome and having joined by traditional marriage with the senatorial aristocracy.

The versions that have come down to us on his accession contain, no doubt, some later elaborations as Decio trying to exculpate its liability in usurping against King Philip. Having been sent by him to Illyria to quell the revolt of Pacatiano, finished in May or June of 249, was proclaimed emperor by his troops, allegedly against his will. Decius had by then about 60 years old.

The Number of Divisions

In general, Decio policy was clearly conservative answer, apparently, to a diagnosis that adjudicated the problems of the empire to a distancing from traditional values and this was especially true in the field of religion. Decius issued an edict requiring all citizens of the empire to take part in the traditional sacrifices to the gods for the safety of the empire. The authorities would issue a certificate to each person once it had complied with the order. The refusal of Christians to participate initiated the first major systematic persecution of the church.

The reverence for the past of Rome and the insistence on the need to recover the old virtues that had brought her to greatness as the only remedy for the problems of the time is also one of the themes of the coins of Decius. This is particularly clear in the famous series of antoniniani Decio minted in Rome in honor of the "divine", eleven emperors of the past who were deified after his death, although, mysteriously, is included Alexander Severus, who had never been officially elevated to the rank of God. The other ten are commemorated emperors Augustus, Vespasian, Titus, Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus Comfortable.

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Reproduced pictures minted coins of each of these carried emperors, but, of course, provided the crown ray indicating that it is antoniniani. Only two reverse coin in this series, an altar from which rises a flame and an eagle with open wings. The obverse legend always contains some version of the name of each emperor accompanied the epithet "divo" while on the back bearing the word only consecratio, referring to the official deification process conducted by the Senate.

It is very interesting that the emperors honored in this series are not what would be expected according to the views of the past imperial senatorial historiography presents. In particular, the inclusion of a figure like Commodus (the literary sources that convey a negative unanimously) is particularly eloquent in this regard. In my opinion, this is because the antoniniani were aimed at a wide audience and included those deified rulers of the oral tradition of the people of the empire retained a positive image. Hence, the presence of the son of Marcus Aurelius, who was recalled by the Roman people as a host of wonderful shows. On the other hand, it is striking that the list of those who deified emperors Decius omitted from the series: Julius Caesar, Claudius, Lucius Verus, Pertinax and Caracalla. Consider it likely that the first was set aside because it was not considered an emperor while the other four were judged as sufficiently relevant figures.

Despite its conservative propaganda and his tribute to the virtues of the past, the reign of Decius involved no break in the deterioration of Roman coins. While paying tribute to the emperors of the past, the few that were circulating imperial denarii were simply reacuñados as antoniniani. That is, doubling its value without modifying their metal content. The introduction of a "double sestertius" by Decius appears that the price increases had reached a level that had become obsolete sestertius, a coin that more than two centuries and a half had been one of the centerpieces of the Roman monetary system.