Gold and the Gold Standard.pdf

2000 YEARS OF GOLD MONEY IN ENGLAND
and copper have been found in England, of a character
that "cannot have been constructed upon any
model introduced subsequent 'to the establishment
of the Romans in Britain."l The coiris were Greek
in origin, but apparently were struck in England.
The probable explanation is that "either from
commercial visits of the Phoenicians, or through, the
communications which must have taken place be-
. tween Britain and Gaul, Grecian coins became
known in the Island and were coarsely imitated by
native artists."2
Julius Caesar, when he invaded Britain about the
middle of the first century B.C., found gold coins
circulating in the island. Concerning the Britons he
said: 3 "They use either bronze or gold coins or
instead of coined money tallie of iron, of a certain
weight." Gold coins, it is known, were struck by
Cunobelin (Shakespeare's Cymbeline), a king of
Britons, in the first half of the first century A.D. 4
Even for those early days in Britain there is
evidence of debasements of gold coins. These British
coins varied in weight from about 120 grains to 84
grains, gradually becoming lighter as time went on. 5
After Caesar's conquest of Britain, the influence
of Roman art on ,these British coins became pronounced
and British money was in large part super-
1 HAWKINS, EDWARD, The Silver Coins of England, p. 9.
2 Ibid., pp.' 9-10.
3 CAESAR, GAlUS JULIUS, Commentarii de bello Gallico, Bk. V, Chap. 12.
"HAWKINS, EDWARD, Ope cit., pp. 14-15...
Ii KENYON, Ope cit., p. 1.
[ 27 ]