Crikey, what a heritage
June 26, 2008
I often buy books about Roman coin hoards to add previously unknown types found in such hoards to my RIC lists. (http://www.catbikes.ch/coinstuff/coins-ric.htm)
From one of my favourite s/h book suppliers in Great Britain, I just received a couple of skinny little booklets (one is about the Bicester hoard, by C.E. King, and the other, published in 1908, is called “Roman Coins From Croydon, Constantius II, Constans, Magnentius and Gallus“) plus the large Coin Hoards of Roman Britain, vol. X
Well, it appears that the Coin Hoards book and the Croydon booklet were previously in the personal collection of Dr. John Kent, the author of RIC VIII. The Coin Hoards book had an empty envelope stuck inside the pages (probably used to mark a page), postmarked 11.2.99, addressed to Dr. John Kent, from the University of Birmingham. It’s a fancy, odd-sized envelope and probably contained an invitation (it’s that kind of square size).
The Croydon booklet has the name “J Kent” beneath an older stamp “From the collection of Walter J. Zimmerman” on the first page, and it is full of underlining and numerous notes in a small, academic hand.
Wow. This Croydon booklet is probably one of the information sources for RIC VIII and is certainly part of our numismatic heritage.
