The E-Sylum:  Volume 5, Number 40, October 6, 2002, Article 13

MONETIFORM AND PRURIENT INTERESTS

  Regarding last week's mention of the word "monetiform,"
  Bill Murray writes:

  "Monetiform, from the context I suspect, as I presume you
  and others have suspected as well, that it means in a money
  like form.

  I find no definitions for it in any of my five English language
  dictionaries, including the Oxford, nor in any of my six
  numismatic encyclopedias/dictonaries or in several numismatic
  glossaries.  However, Stack's used the term in their February
  2001 Coin Galleries sale catalog in Lot 983 in the description
  of a medal, thusly, "Monetiform, reeded edge..."

  I suspect also it must derive from moneta.  I quote from Albert
  Frey's Dictionary of Numismatic Names: "The surname was
  bestowed upon Juno... In B. C. 268 the Roman mint was
  established in ... the temple of Juno Moneta."

  Following the above entry are 12 entries initiated with the word
  moneta, for example:  "Moneta Abatuda is money clipped or
  diminished... Moneta Falsa. The Italian equivalent of counterfeit...
  Moneta Nova.  A common expression on European continental
  coins, to denote new coinage."

  Jess Gaylor writes:  "The two sources below do not define
  monetiform per se, you can see the word has been used
  previously and is slightly defined in the first source.  These
  tokens would be altered like the infamous Clinton Quarter
  of last year.    Hope this helps as I like trying to solve this type
  of numismatic research.  The research was accomplished in
  English, French, Italian, and Latin with all languages not
  having a definition.

  From the Ancient History Bulletin 1987:
  "In general, we should note that the whole spintriae nexus is
  highly suspect.  It probably arose from prurient imaginings
  about Tiberius' seclusion on Capri in combination with an
  extraordinary series of monetiform tokens, struck
  (anonymously) between about A.D. 22-37, depicting on the
  obverse scenes of copulation or fellation and bearing on the
  reverse a Roman numeral from I to XVI; through these
  numerals the obscene tokens, known to numismatics as
  spintriae, are die-linked to another series of tokens, bearing
  obverse portraits of various members of the imperial family,
  including Augustus, Livia and Tiberius.  In a recent study of
  these tokens T.V. Buttrey concludes that they are the very
  source of Suetonius' libels.  That may go too far, but they
  could well have given rise to some of the nastier Flavian
  propaganda of A.D. 69."

  [And here is a more complete version of the Stack's lot
   983 listing. -Editor]

  "Lot# 983 OSNABRUCK. Sede Vacante Medal, 1761.
  Silver, 45mm, 31.6 grams. Amsterdam Mint. Zepernick
  236. Choice Extremely Fine. Obv. Bust of St. Peter in circle
  of former Bishops' Arms. Rev. Charlemagne bust in similar
  circle. Monetiform, reeded edge with a few minor rim nicks."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization 
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor 
at this address: whomren@coinlibrary.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum