|
Date: |
|
Description: | FINDSPOTHarlaston, Staffordshire, find (2007 T627)I have examined an item found at Harlaston, Staffordshire. It is a silver coin of Venice, specifically a soldino of Doge Leonardo Loredano (1501-21), which has been converted into an item of jewellery by the addition of a decorative and shaped face covering one side - the side which, presumably, was intended to be on view, with the actual coin face not visible. The most likely interpretation is that it has been made into a button, or maybe some other type of dress fastening.The soldini of early 16th century Venice, especially those of Leonardo Loredano, were present in English currency in very large numbers. Known as 'galley-halfpence', they functioned as unofficial halfpenny substitutes, since official small change was in short supply. As English coin finds, such soldini are probably more common than the contemporary English issues of halfpennies. Their silver content was high - about 95% being the standard of the Venetian silver coinage. Despite their ubiquity, the English government opposed the use of soldini and launched a campaign to prohibit their import and chase them out of currency, with apparent success in the 1520s.The main question would be when the coin was converted into an item of jewellery, since, in principle, this could have happened at any time between the 16th and 18th centuries, since there seem to be no parallels that permit a more precise dating of the ornamental addition. However, cautiously, it may seem likely that the conversion would have occurred reasonably close to the coin's period of English currency and could even have come about as a consequence of the official campaign against its use. Thus a date in the early decades of the 16th century would seem probable.Since the item found at Harlaston is substantially of good silver and can be regarded as an item of jewellery, probably from the 16th century, I would therefore regard it as fulfilling the criteria of Treasure according to the terms of the Act.Dr Barrie J. CookCurator of Medieval and Early Modern CoinageDepartment of Coins and MedalsBritish Museum31 January 2008
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
|
More Like this...
-
COIN
A Medieval silver Venetian coin;…
-
COIN
A very worn early 16th-century…
-
Coin
A very worn early 16th-century…
-
Coin
Silver soldino of Doge of…
-
coin
Silver soldino of Leonardo Loredano,…
-
COIN
Silver soldino of Leonardo Loredano,…
-
COIN
Silver soldino of Doge of…
-
COIN
Silver soldino of Leonardo Loredano,…
-
Coin
A soldino of Leonardo Loredano,…
-
COIN
A soldino of Leonardo Loredano,…
|