The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 12, March 21, 2005, Article 13

THE 1922 ARRAS HOARD

Last week, Henry Bergos wrote: "I remember reading about
some French workers finding Roman Medallions. They were
told that they were counterfeiting them and would land in
prison if they didn't stop. The workers MELTED them!!!
They were gold and from the first 1/3 of the fourth century.
As I remember it this happened in 1924 as they were
building a subway in Paris."

Bob Lyall writes: "I heard that story 30 or more years ago,
possibly from one of the most respected and knowledgeable
UK coin dealers. If more data is desired, then I could ask
him (he is retired) or someone with a command of French
could try asking the Bibliotech Nationale in Paris."

Bob Leonard writes: "This is the Arras hoard, one of the
most famous hoards of Roman coins. "Found in Arras in
the suburb of Beaurains in France on the 21st of September
in 1922, the hoard was not the largest in quantity to be found,
only about 200 to 300 coins, but what made it famous were
the 40 Roman gold medallions it had." The story of many
huge medallions being melted is, unfortunately, true.

There are many papers about the Arras hoard in the ANS
library catalog."

One of the references Bob mentioned is the ANS' Numismatic
Notes and Monographs No. 28 by Agnes Baldwin Brett:
"Four Medallions from the Arras hoard", 1926.

A web search turned up other references to the hoard:
"Struck in AD 310 at Trier, the nine solidi Arras Medallion
depicts, on the reverse, the personification of London
kneeling before the city gate, which is approached by a
Roman warship. Constantius is portrayed mounted on
horseback in the guise of a triumphant emperor, holding
a spear in one hand and a globe in the other, with the
inscription "restorer of eternal light." Part of a treasure
hoard found in Arras, France in 1922, the medallion
sold at auction for $341,000 in 1996.

Carausius is depicted on the left, Allectus on the right.
Both wear the laurel crown of an emperor."
arras.html

" the 4 aurei struck in AD 305, part of the Arras Hoard
found in 1922 in France and still the only known specimen;
it was listed in the auction catalog at 375,000 Swiss
Francs and was bought by Gunnar Thesen of Oslo
Mynthandel, on behalf of a European client, for 510,000
Swiss Francs, the highest price ever for an antique Roman
coin put on the block in Switzerland."
Full Story

  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