THE COIN COLLECTOR - World eBook Library

TERMINOLOGY
Passant—The expression applied to a figure on a coin
in a walking position from right to left or left to right.
Where the figure (lion, leopard, &c.) carries a paw
raised, as on the arms of England, it is said to be pas-
sant-gardant.
Patera—A round dish or plate, employed both in
domestic establishments and in religious ceremonies.
It was originally of earthenware, but subsequently of
bronze, silver, and even gold ; and examples are pre-
served of ancient specimens of elaborate workmanship
and richly engraved or embossed with artistic designs.
Patina—The natural surface created in course of time
by the deposit of bronze money, more especially Roman
and Roman colonial, very rarely the primitive coinage
of the uncial reduction, in certain descriptions of soil,
and which must be accompanied by a complete freedom
from corrosion and friction. The dark and light-green
patina? are both highly esteemed. The difference in
value between a patinated and unpatinated coin is
immense.
Penny—(i.) A silver coin of England, Scotland, and
Ireland under the Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman
kings, (ii.) A copper coin of England, Isle of Man, &c,
first struck under George I. in the shape of a piece
intended for the American Plantations (Rosa Ameri-
cana), 1722-24. The earliest English penny was that
for the Isle of Man, 1786. (iii.) A billon and copper
255