Coins check by a 'real treasure'

Submitted by PaulM on Thursday, 08 January 2004 Page Views: 1636

One of the oldest and rarest collections of coins in the country has had its most thorough check-up in more than 2,200 years. Coin enthusiast Grenville Chamberlain has just completed two years of measuring and identifying 684 pieces from the early Roman Republic - before the Roman emperors or the invasion of Britain. Some were minted about 280BC, weigh more than half-a-pound, and feature classical images of dolphins, scallop shells and thunderbolts.

They were excavated in 1885 from ruins of the Temple of Diana at Nemi, on the outskirts of Rome, by Lord Savile of Rufford Abbey when he was the British ambassador to Rome. After returning, he donated the find to Nottingham Castle, to boost its antiquities collection, where it has remained.

Speaking about Mr Chamberlain, Ann Inscker, manager of Nottingham Museums and Galleries' history and archaeology team, said: "He's an absolute wonder and has really put his heart and soul into this project. He calls himself an amateur but he really knows his stuff and he's a real treasure."

She said that the collection was very rare. "The Romans hadn't even infiltrated Britain by then. They're also rare because they were cast, not hammered. I'm sure the British Museum have some similar coins - but not a collection like this."

Museum staff hope to be able to put the hoard - which attracts archaeological scholars from abroad - on display soon, although some are already on show in the Castle.
And there are also fresh excavations planned for the site where they were found.

Mrs Inscker said: "Representatives of the British School in Rome and Professor Coarelli of the University of Perugia, Italy, are currently researching the site and will commence excavations in June.

"Links have already been made with the collections at Nottingham City Museums and Galleries - and it is hoped that a joint exhibition may be one outcome of this work in the future."

Mr Chamberlain, who is also a museum volunteer and secretary of the Numismatic Society of Nottingham, said of the coin collection: "I remember seeing the collection in the museum as a child but I never thought I would get the chance to handle any of them.

"Some of the large coins weigh over a pound and they cover the whole of the palm of your hand, about three inches across."

Mr Chamberlain has enjoyed working at the museum so much he has started work on another collection. He said: "I'm sorting out a hoard of coins from Newstead Abbey.

"I feel that these coins belong to the city of Nottingham and I feel that they need to be looked after." The collector

When Sir John Savile - later Lord Savile - made his discovery, he was serving as a diplomat in Italy. He entered the Foreign Office in 1841 and served as British envoy at Dresden and at Berne. In 1883, after 42 years service, he became Ambassador to Rome. In 1887 he retired from foreign service and became the 1st Baron Savile - able to use the title of Lord. Sir John inherited Rufford Abbey the same year, after the death of his younger brother. At the abbey he converted the Bath House into a Winter Garden to display some of his collection of fine sculptures. He died at Rufford on November 28, 1896.

The earliest money recovered from the site is not officially classed as coinage; it is heavy shapeless cast pieces of copper alloy, known as aes rude. The sizes and designs on these coins changed frequently, enabling scholars to accurately establish a dating sequence.

Source: The Evening Post 08/01/2004.

Contributor Bio for PaulM: Based in Macclesfield, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Hordron Edge. Occupation: Something in waste and recycling.

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