Descriptive Catalogue of Greek Coins (Classic Reprint)

Mr. Clarence 8. Bement, the owner of the coins here described, became very ill and now for many months has been unable to carry further whatever plans he may have had for the development of his already splendid collection of antique coins. This interruption is most unfortunate, considering his achievements in other helds, for Mr. Bement has long been prominent in a small group of Americans who find relaxation from their occupations in the pursuit of some branch of art or science and devote no inconsiderable amount of time, money, and industry to the collection of material illustrative of the subjects that claim their interest. Their enthusiasm and their collections have done much to develop our libraries, museums, art galleries, and other agents of public education. Mr. Bement sinterest in books and prints resulted in the formation of one of the noted private libraries of the country. This library was disposed of several years ago, some of the fine volumes passing through the hands of the late Mr. Harry Widener to Harvard Universi ty, while many rare prints went into the possession of a distinguished Philadelphia jurist. It was to minerals that Mr. Bement devoted the most of his leisure and the greatest care. His collection, purchased by the late Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan for the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, is rated 4tthe finest ever made by a private individual .I ts real value is not measured so much by the more than 12,000 superior specimens as by the scientific importance given it by the dis criminating care of an industrious student of the subject, who had a comprehensive knowledge of minerals, and was one of the most dis cerning and intelligent collectors that ever bought minerals .I thas been only a few years since Mr. Bement became interested in coins. At first this interest extended to both ancient and modern coins, but the lat
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)