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56 HOW TO COLLECT STAMPS AND COINS.
Would you believe it? Austria is coining to this day (lol-
lars bearing the date 1780, and up U>V't?l‘)’1‘b‘C9““."0-” the Olle
and half krentzer pieces bore the date 1816, although coined
year after year.
Hungary and the Danube provinces give us a small line of
copper for our cabinet. Bohemiaii modern coins are distin-
guishable from the Alli-‘Ll inn only by their niint-marks.
The coins of modern Greece are few in number and ofslight
interest. Fifteen or twenty pieces would be a large line of
the copper money of this country, whose copper coiinige,
2,500 years ago, furnished small cliaiige to the whole civilized
world.
'I‘nrkish coins are mostly billon. They are iiitlleciiilieralile
to every one except the few who can read the urkish lan-
guage. Neither rare nor interesting, a few types are all that
are needed.
MODERN COINS OF ASIA.
The modern coins of Asia IOFIII: one of tbs prettiest lines
in the “'(’.llel‘ill list of the wor c ‘s money, ecause of their
curious Cshapes, barbarous lettering and the odd devices
which many of them bear. Gold is scarce, silver not by any
means common, and coins in copper, lead and brass abound.
Siberia gives us huge copper coins with Russian inscrip-
tions, very scarce, and struck a liniidred years ago. Siberia
now uses the current. Russian coins.
Georgia has a series of coins, curious on account of the
singular language displayed upon them.
Palestine has no modern coins. The Jews had a. few coins
in ancient times, but Turkish money goes in Jerusalem now.
Arabia has no modern coins.
Persia has coins bearing the blazing sun and a lion with
Persian inscriptions on the reverse. Hard to get, but strik-
mg.
Afgliaiiistan has no modern coins.
India furnishes the bulk of the Asiatic coins in which in-
terest lies. Nearlv all the native states of that great penin-
sular issued coins at one time or another. These bear in
addition to the native inscription, which are in half a dozen
diflerent languages, represented bv as many alphabets,
figures of fishes, birds, beasts, astronomical devices and other
odd and striking designs.
The British East India Co.’s money also forms an extensive
series. Annas, Pies, Fanams, Rupees and Pagodas are the
different names. There are also coins for the Portuguese,
French, Dntcli and Swedish colonies in India, full of historic
interest and of sti'ikiiig appearaiice. At present there is but
gttiieuciotinage for India, and the British government takes care
. gianmzn
. i.-......t -4