THE COIN COLLECTOR - World eBook Library

THE COLLECTOR SERIES
Bieber, Brvce, Christmas, Cuff', Cunningham, Drum-
mond, Duneombe, Dmrant, Dymock, Forster, Mar-
sham, Yorke Moore, Murchison, Rostron, Shepherd,
and Thomas cabinets ; and for Scotland, those of
Coats, Lindsay, Martin, and Wing-ate, of which the
first is still intact in the hands of a son. Of all
these, the Thomas sale, the fruit of half-a-century's
devotion to the pursuit, was the most comprehen-
sive, embracing coins and medals of all countries and
periods ; while that of Mr. Coats may claim to be
most complete in the Scotish series. Among the
minor gatherings may be grouped the numerous in-
stances where casual acquisitions by a family during
generations in the course of travels abroad have
insensibly grown into a hoard, and have included,
as was the case very recently (1890) with the Beaufort
coins, a few pieces of considerable value.
When we pass from collectors, whose possessions
have changed hands, and sometimes have found per-
manent homes in public institutions, our thoughts and
eyes naturally turn to such as are yet in the midst of us:
Sir John Evans, Canon Greenwell, Mr. Murdoch, Dr.
Hermann Weber, Lord Grantley, Mr. Richardson, and
others ; to whom it is hardly improper to add the name of
the late Hyman Montagu, owner of the largest, richest,
and most varied assemblage of numismatic monuments
since the historical Thomas sale. The Montagu collec-
tion is now on the eve of dispersion, and some idea of
its magnitude and splendour may be formed when we
mention that it contains 1300 Roman awrei, and in the
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