Tag: Elephant

Pidcock’s exhibition – 1800 copper farthing token from Britain

Pidcock's exhibition

This delightful elephant came to me at the coin fair the other week. The token is 21mm and 2.35g. And I googled and found this description on Yale British Art site – it seems my exact one! I’ve requested the photograph. It’s a copper farthing token issued 1800 by Pidcock’s Exeter ‘Change Menagerie and made by Charles  James.  I’ve heard that the engravers didn’t see the actual elephants so they anatomy isn’t quite right. But they’ve created a lively animal, feeding perhaps. On the other side is a bird-of-prey. http://collections.britishart.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3813281 “Undated copper Conder farthing token. The obverse depicts an elephant, with the…

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Julius Caesar Elephant

Julius Caesar elephant

The Julius Caesar Elephant denarius was one of the 5 most common silver coin types at the time of the Claudian invasion of Britain (1). Crawford estimated 750 obverse dies and with each die producing perhaps 10,000 coin obverses we’re looking at  7.5 million Elephants. Or another estimate is 22.5 million elephants – enough to pay 8 legions.(2)   To mint all of these coins, to pay his troops, Caesar simply helped himself  to the vast  silver reserves in the Temple of Saturn in Rome; where it had been held in sacred trust for time immemorial. They are readily available to collectors but the…

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