by Ed Johnson
January 12, 2012 – The Museum of London is currently working on an ambitious funded project to deliver over 90,000 of its objects online over the next two years, showcasing its diverse collection and opening it up to a worldwide audience. As part of Collections Online, the museum’s 4000 strong Roman numismatic collection is currently being digitized and will be made available to the public in August 2012.
Museum of London. Source: Man vyi / Wikipedia.
The collection consists of finds from all over the city and beyond, comprising hoards and single finds, as well as a significant contribution from the collection of the 19th century Londoner, antiquarian and collector, Thomas Layton. The collection boasts some fine examples of gold, silver and bronze coins, spanning no-less than seven centuries, from a second century BC silver denarii of the Roman Republic, to a gold solidus, issued by the sixth century Byzantine emperor, Justinian I.
Celtic Coin from the Sunbury Hoard. Source: PHGCOM / Wikipedia.
It is hoped that bringing the Museum of London’s Roman numismatic collection online will not only help the museum engage with a wider public audience, but also offer a considerable contribution to the understanding of Roman numismatics in London, and provide increased opportunity for further numismatic enquiry, study and fresh analysis.
In addition, the Museum’s collection of 17th century trade tokens are also being digitized to be put online. This comprises nearly 4000 tokens, issued within the City of London, Middlesex and Southwark, as well as a small portion from further afield. An initial batch of 1800 tokens will be available online from December 2011, with more being added in the following year.
Ed Johnson is curatorial project assistant at the Museum of London
courtesy of Museum of London and Money & Medals. The Newsletter for Numismatics in Britain 54, December 2011 where the article has been published originally.
Visit the intriguing project “Collections Online” of the Museum of London by clicking here.
More information on Money & Medals Network you may find on its website.