Top photograph Illustration by kind permission of Noonan’s Mayfair
P. Nerva, Denarius, c. 113-112, helmeted head of Roma left, spear over shoulder, rev. voting scene within the comitium, 3.27g (Craw. 292/1; BMCRR Italy 526-8; RSC Licinia 7; RCV 169). Light scratch in field before face, otherwise very fine LOT 345 AUCTION 13 OCTOBER 2022 HAMMER PRICE £100
Great excitement! Britain had a General Election on 4th July. Electors choose their representative and the leader of the party that can command a majority in the House of Commons is invited by the King to form a government. All very polite and businesslike. When the next election will be held, no-one knows as the length of parliaments are not fixed. Perhaps an essential difference is in Britain candidates stand for election and in America they run for office. Whatever the similarities and differences, democracy is a right and a privilege that people given their lives for.
The election made me think of numismatics (and why not?). This denarius features a voting scene. Not much technology here and the electorate in Ancient Rome was small, limited to wealthy men, but this coin celebrates voting. Two figures on a bridge or perhaps the same individual before and after an attendant handing the voter a ballot or token to indicate his choice.
The Comitium was the original open-air public meeting space in Rome. The name comes from the Latin word for "assembly". The Comitium was at the northwest corner of the Forum. It was the location for much of the political and judicial activity of Rome and the meeting place of the Curiate , the earliest assembly of organised voting divisions of the Republic. During the Roman Republic, the Tribal Assembly and Plebeian Assembly met there. The Comitium was in front of the meeting house of the Roman Senate. The voting figures are set on a pons, (bridge) leading to the voting area. The bridge was placed there to isolate voters, I am not sure from the public or themselves.
This silver coin was minted in Rome, probably by Publius Licinius Nerva, in either 113 or 112 BC. Above the voting scene, is the inscription 'P. NERVA' referring to the moneyer. Above that is a bar on which stands a tablet bearing the letter P (too worn to see on this coin). Perhaps the letter P is a reminder who to vote for.
The obverse has ROMA, helmeted bust of Roma facing left, holding spear and shield, mark of value to left.
Other coins that refer to elections include the pennies stamped with the words VOTES FOR WOMEN in the 1910s supporting the Suffragette movement.
second photograph
The 2003 50 pence coin commemorated the same campaign and in 2018 The Royal Mint released a 50p to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of The Representation of the People Act being passed. This legislation granted the vote to servicemen over the age of 19, to all men over the age of 21, and to women over the age of 30.
Some elections have been decided on the toss of a coin when the counting was too close to call.
I am sure there are other democracy and voting themed coins.
There are certainly tokens and medals issued by candidates and political parties. I'd be curious myself to learn of numismatic items related to voting itself. -Editor
Sources
• Wikipedia
• Foss. C., (1990). Roman Historical Coins, Seaby, London
To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
EXHIBIT: DEFACED! MONEY, CONFLICT, PROTEST (https://www.coinbooks.org/v25/esylum_v25n41a12.html)
BALLOT BOX ON ROMAN COIN (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n12a23.html)
LOOSE CHANGE: JUNE 23, 2024 : Biden-Trump Debate Format Settled by Coin Flip (https://www.coinbooks.org/v27/esylum_v27n25a24.html)
This article appeared in the E-Sylum on 1st July 2024
The Storming of the Bastille 14th July
Paris was in a state of high agitation in the early
months of the French revolution. In Spring 1789, the Estates-General refused to
dissolve, transforming itself instead into a constituent National Assembly. In
July, King Louis XVI called in fresh troops and dismissed his popular Minister,
Jacques Necker. On the morning of July 14, the people of Paris seized weapons
from the armoury at the Invalides and marched in the direction of an ancient
Royal fortress, the Bastille. After a bloody round of firing, the crowd broke
into the Bastille and released the handful of prisoners held there.
The storming of the Bastille signalled the first
victory of the people of Paris against a symbol of the "Ancien
Régime"
The Fête de la Fédération held on July 14, 1790,
celebrated with great pomp the first Anniversary of the insurrection. Celebration
of the anniversary was revived at the end of the Nineteenth Century after years
of neglect.
Today, the festivities of July 14 are as popular as
ever. In Paris, the traditional military parade on the Champs-Elysées is a
meticulously planned spectacle, and
An interesting silver medal celebrating the 100TH Anniversary but struck in Lima, South America. What was the link between France and Peru? Were there ex pats or immigrants or perhaps it was a political movement
Smoke Farthings at Whitsun (Pentecost)
In mediaeval times there was an annual
farthing tax on households which had a chimney, which was paid towards the
upkeep of the local cathedral. On Whit Monday people walked in a procession to
the local cathedral, or if that was far away to the main church in the
vicinity, and they paid what was known as the Whitsun Farthing. Amersham in
Buckinghamshire was one of the designated local churches for people to process
to, but the inhabitants in nearby Chesham resented going all the way to
Amersham. In 1454 they petitioned the Bishop of Lincoln to allow them to hold
their procession to the parish church in Chesham instead. This was agreed
provided they contributed 16 pence annually to the upkeep of the cathedral.
After the Reformation the tradition was to collect farthing donations at a
special Whitsun service for the upkeep of church buildings generally. This
ancient tradition continued in Amersham and Chesham until 1960. In 1957 Christ
Church Waterside in Chesham, collected 14,640 farthings; and Amersham parish
collected 15,092 farthings. After 1961 when farthings were no longer legal
tender the tradition died with it.
There are also references to Whit
Farthings for Worcester Cathedral in 1656 and Southwell Cathedral in London in 1906.
A Mars a Day
The theme of the meeting today was Mars, which is suitable
for the month which is named after the Roman God. Many of us of a certain age
in England associate the word with the delicious chocolate bars. It was first
manufactured in 1932 in Slough. It is not named after the planet or the god but
a man called Forrest Mars, Sr.
The advertising jingle, “A Mars a day helps you work, rest
and play" jingle was associated with the confectionary from the late 1950s
through to the mid-1990s. It was reintroduced a few years ago.During the
football World Cup in 2006 Mars rebranded its bars with the word
"Believe" in support of the England team.
The god Mars features on many ancient coins. In ancient
Roman religion and mythology, Mars was the god of war and also an agricultural
guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He is the son of Jupiter
and Juno, and was pre-eminent among the Roman army's military gods. Most of his
festivals were held in March and in October, the months which traditionally
began and ended the season for both military campaigning and farming.
The union of Venus and Mars held greater appeal for poets
and philosophers, and the couple were a frequent subject of art. The wild
animals most sacred to Mars were the woodpecker and the wolf, which in the
natural lore of the Romans were said always to inhabit the same foothills and
woodlands. A stylised "spear and shield of Mars" is also the symbol
for the planet Mars and male gender.
Do Coins have a Future?
Centuries ago, probably more than two thousand years ago,
an invention was changing the way people did everyday business. If you wanted
to buy some wine and food that cost a sheep and you did not have the right
payment on you, perhaps you would hand over a cow and apologise you had nothing
smaller. The dealer would offer you nine chickens in change and count them laboriously
in front of you.
The invention was money which was pieces of metal which had
an agreed value. Someone must have thought they needed a special to show they
were genuine and the value. Coins were easier to carry than goods for barter
and you do not have to keep them alive.
Nowadays the reverse is happening. Most transactions are done
with a plastic card or tapping your telephone. Coins are disappearing along
with high street banks and ATMs to get cash. However over a million people in
the UK do not have a bank account and then add those who have an account but
prefer cash and the people who temporarily are not able to access their accounts
which equals a lot more.
Will this mean the end of coins and more worryingly the end
of coin collectors? Probably not as old coins will still be collected and
collectors want commemorative coins.
