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Roman treasure—Part I
The story behind the Arras Hoard
Feminine portraits
The women on Emperor Hadrian’s coins
The year in question—1876
Examining the reports of a less than momentous year for the RM
Currencies of Europe
Close up on Euro useage
For the love of coins...
John Andrew talks to John Porteous
The dating game III
Swotting up on some ancient history
Jersey and its banknote issues
From the “Reign of rags” to the present day
Notgeld and Dr Arnold Keller
Spotlighting Notgeld collecting and its unsung hero
Essay Competition winners
Runner up in the Open Section
Francis Edmunds shares his story
Regular Features:
Editor’s Comment
Coin news & views
Catalogue corner
Around the World
New issues coin update
Royal Mint Bulletin
Market Scene
Price Guide to half sovereigns
Coin Clinic
Coinex Feature
Lexicon
Coin Classroom
Spotlight on the Sovereign
Banknote News
New issues banknote update
Price Guide - Jersey
Letters to the Editor
Dealers’ lists
Fair diary
Auction diary
Societies diary
Semi-display adverts
The Web Page
Classified advertising
Advertisers Index
Coin News
September 2008
Volume 45 No. 9
The Arras hoard revisited
Keeping it real
HARD as it is to believe we’re already in the autumn of 2008 (where did the year go?), and with the autumn comes the “new season”—kicked off with the BNTA’s Coinex extravaganza at Earl’s Court on September 26—27. Despite a few venue problems in recent years, and grumblings from some traditionalists who want to see a return to the Marriott, the Earl’s Court venue seems popular enough and we are looking forward once again to a successful show. It’s going to be a bit awkward for us this year as our other big annual event: the Orders and Medals Research Society Convention, where we launch the much acclaimed MEDAL YEARBOOK, is being held on the Saturday of Coinex, not ideal as we’ll have to “split forces”—but we’ll be at both, never fear.
Of course, a few years ago there was a real feeling that shows like Coinex and the OMRS had had their day—the advent of the internet, and the auction sites in particular, had the doomsayers predicting the death of the coin fair, and sure enough there was a point when attendances began to fall... why bother getting up and going out to buy coins when you can purchase them all from the comfort of your armchair? What the doomsayers had failed to note though was that, in fact, collectors had been buying from the comfort of their armchairs for years: dealers’ lists and listing adverts in COIN NEWS have always been immensely popular and have allowed numismatists to expand their collections immeasurably whilst never having to leave home —and yet coin shows still thrived! True, the advent of “Web 2.0” and the chat rooms, forums, etc., have added an extra dimension to armchair collecting and the sheer accessibility of the internet, along with the international aspect of it, has allowed far more people to start buying from home. Nevertheless,
