In order to establish the facts, I wrote to the BM, enquiring as to the reason for the alteration, and the cost of the exercise, which Daniel presumed was “expensive”.
Tom Hockenhull FSA, Keeper of the Department of Money and Medals, very kindly responded, advising me that “the Department has been renamed”, and that the cost was “approximately £20”.
The latter seemed an eminently reasonable figure; however, the answer to my former query invited a further probe, resulting in my learning that the collection has long included “paper money, tokens tickets, passes and dies, as well as coins and medals”.
I hope that this additional information satisfies all parties concerned, and results in a new appreciation of the museum’s considerable holdings.
I would only respectfully suggest to Mr Hockenhull that, given how laudably little the exercise has cost, he might consider altering the first word in his email address, ‘coins@britishmuseum.org’, to reflect the name change to ‘money’, even though the address has been widely disseminated.
Gavin Littaur
London NW4
Perfectly well-named
I very much concur with Daniel Fearon’s letter in ATG No 3632.
Perhaps the British Museum forgot that “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10 as interpreted in the King James Bible) - not an appropriate word to use for its former perfectly well-named Department of Coins and Medals.
Tom Eden
Director, Morton & Eden (auctioneers of Coins, Medals and Banknotes)
London W1S
