Bill,

Now that sounds like the prospectus for an excellent book ...
Unfortunately, it doesn't sound much like the prospectus that was
presented to HISTARCH.


Mark
___________________________________

Mark C. Branstner, RPA
Senior Historical Archaeologist

Illinois State Archaeological Survey
Prairie Research Institute
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
209 Nuclear Physics Lab, MC-571
23 East Stadium Drive
Champaign, IL 61820

Phone: 217.244.0892
Fax: 217.244.7458
Cell: 217.549.6990
[log in to unmask]

"The difference between genius and idiocy? Genius has its limits."  --
Albert Einstein









On 7/31/13 2:22 PM, "Bill" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Coins have much to offer.  They provide more than just dates.  There are
>counterfeits British coins which were heavily produced during the colonial
>period.  Why didn't Queen Anne produce small copper coins.... because
>there
>were so many counterfeits out there from the previous monarchy (King
>William
>III). Did you know it was only considered to be a misdemeanor for
>counterfeiting halfpennies and farthings in England? Terms like chiseler
>come from folks chiseling the coins thin so that they could melt down what
>they chiseled off.  There are clipped coins, drilled coins (small coins
>placed on a string so that they would not be lost)and coins made into toys
>(buzzers).  How long does it take for a coin to wear almost smooth...?
>Why
>do some coin have milling and other don't?  Do you know why we do not find
>British silver or gold coins in the original colonies?  Did you know that
>the Spanish silver dollar was legal tender until 1857 and that the U.S.
>dollar is based off the Spanish real?
>
>Coins have much more to offer that just dates. We need to be looking past
>the dates and look at their meaning in time and place.  In a bartering
>economy coins are sparse, yet at tavern sites they are plentiful.
>
>Yes there are loads of books on the subject but it would be nice to have a
>book that pulls all of this together from an archaeologist's point of
>view.
>I find that when I give presentations people find these added things of
>interest.
>
>Just my thoughts on the matter,
>
>Bill Liebeknecht, MA, RPA
>Principal Investigator
>Hunter Research, Inc.
>Trenton, New Jersey
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
>Branstner, Mark C
>Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 2:45 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Announcement for HISTARCH list serve
>
>Since the prospectus for the planned "coin" publication was very vague,
>let
>me jump in with a couple of thoughts that were probably obvious to more
>than
>a few list members ..
>
>OK, not to put too fine a point on it ... But, coins and tokens are
>probably
>the best documented artifacts that we could possibly find on an
>archaeological site.  There are shelves of books dedicated to every type
>of
>coin, token, and medal that you could possibly think of, dating back to
>Classical times. So, I see very little utility in another book that
>reiterates what is available from so many other, and almost certainly,
>infinitely more complete sources ... At least in terms of basic IDs.  That
>was exactly what was wrong with Left Coast Press' recent book on ceramic
>marks.  Although it promised much, it yielded almost no information that
>was
>not readily available in standard reference books.
>
>Now, on the other hand, if your proposed publication is going to focus on
>the presence of "atypical" coinage, medals, etc., in well documented
>archaeological settings, then I can see some utility to the book, and the
>potential for adding significant new information.  However, if you're
>going
>to tell me that you found a 1863 U.S. 2-cent piece on a mid-nineteenth
>farmstead in Ohio, that is information frankly not worth knowing.
>
>Just my 2-cents.
>
>Mark
>___________________________________
>
>Mark C. Branstner, RPA
>Senior Historical Archaeologist
>
>Illinois State Archaeological Survey
>Prairie Research Institute
>University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
>209 Nuclear Physics Lab, MC-571
>23 East Stadium Drive
>Champaign, IL 61820
>
>Phone: 217.244.0892
>Fax: 217.244.7458
>Cell: 217.549.6990
>[log in to unmask]
>
>"The difference between genius and idiocy? Genius has its limits."  --
>Albert Einstein
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>On 7/31/13 1:08 PM, "ROBERT NEYLAND" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>>Coins and tokens from shipwreck sites may be useful since these are
>>usually well dated sites.
>>
>>
>>
>>Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>On Jul 31, 2013, at 1:42 PM, "James C. Bard"
>><[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>> Send information to Margie Akin and James Bard regarding coins and
>>>token finds
>>> 
>>> Bard is:   [log in to unmask]
>>> Akin is:    [log in to unmask]
>>> 
>>> thanks!