BECKER, KARL WILHELM (Germ.). Born at Speyer, about 1771, died on April 30, 1830. He will ever be remembered as one of the most clever and skilful forgers of ancient coins and medals. His father held the office of Syndic, and in his early years, young Becker had devoted himself to trade, but was unsuccessful. He married at Mannheim, and in 1806, we find him working in that city as a goldsmith. It was whilst employed in that capacity that he first attempted to copy old Greek coins. A curious anecdote is recorded in Steinbüchel's Beckersche falsche Münzstempel in connection with the origin of Becker's forgeries : " He had purchased a false gold Roman imperial coin from a certain Baron von Sch**m (Schelm) in Munich, and on his complaining to the Baron, he was told it served him right, and people should not deal in what they do not understand. Becker, who at this time knew nothing of die-sinking, betook himself at once to the Royal Mint and studied the art; he worked at it incessantly, till he was able to produce so good an imitation of a Roman aureus, as in his turn to have the satisfaction of taking in the Baron." Whether this story be true or not, Becker moved from Mannheim and started business at Offenbach as a dealer in works of art, and soon obtained the reputation of possessing a choice collection of antiquities. From Frankfort in the vicinity, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, collectors and lovers of art flocked to him ; the Prince von Isenburg, a General in the service of France, procured for him the title of Court Counsellor in 1814; Goethe in 1815 records in Kunst und Alterthum a visit which he paid to the antiquary and speaks of him in eulogious terms : " Herr Becker, a most excellent numismatist, has judicially arranged an important series of coins of all periods to illustrate the history of his studies. " Between 1815 and 1825 was Becker's flourishing time. He succeeded in selling his counterfeits to his great patron, Prince von Isenburg, and others of his supporters, but above all to the Jews of Frankfort who disposed of them for him. During that short space of time, he cut over six hundred dies, and produced, as far as we know, a series of 133 forgeries of Greek coins, 136 Roman, 25 Visigothic, 1 Merovingian, 19 Carlovingian and later Imperial, 7 Mediaeval and Modern coins and medals, and 9 Siege pieces, making a total of 330. The first alarm was raised by Sestini in 1825 who warned collectors against the forgeries of the Oltramontano, Becker di Hanau. This probably induced the artist to come forward as an " avowed copyist of ancient coins ; " he published a catalogue of 296 specimens, which he mentioned as having made for his " own amusement " and which he offered for sale. It is said that, in the case of great rarities, Becker made use of gold and silver coins of common types, in order to preserve the correct alloy of metal, the genuine size and weight, and the right colour. At other times, to give his forgeries the appearance of old age he used to place them in a little box containing iron filings, which he screwed on to the springs of his carriage, and would drive backwards and forwards on the road between Offenbach and Frankfort, a process which, according to Collin's statement, he called, taking his old gentlemen for a drive. " In this way, he produced forgeries which were not detected for many years, and which even now require a most experienced expert to recognize. In honour of his friend, the Prince von Isenburg, Becker struck the above-illustrated medalet. Very remarkable is a large gold coin of Rudolph von Habsburg, and other concoctions, which, not less than the copies, so beautifully executed, of Greek and Roman coins, place the unscrupulous forger among the best artists of the nineteenth century. The value of a set of these forgeries, according to Mionnet's quotations for genuine specimens, would represent nearly ? 3000 ; for all that, Becker died in a condition nigh to misery. Writing on Becker's forgeries, T. J. Arnold says in an article on the subject which appeared in the Numismatic Chronicle (New series, vol. III. 1863 p. 246), "that many of them are works of the most exquisite finish, and that without a close examination and comparison they are not to be distinguished from the originals of which they are the imitations. It is impossible, " he continues, " to deny that Becker was an artist of consummate skill, and that he combined great taste with an extraordinary amount of learning, however vexed and indignant we may feel at the prostitution of such qualities for the vile purposes to which he applied them. " Some of the coins of Becker are only re-struck on one side, that is, he used occasionally a genuine coin, to increase the rarity of which he added a new reverse or another head ; in a few cases, he even imitated the effect of double striking to deceive. These forgeries are all struck with the hammer from dies. Collectors like to possess a collection of them struck in lead for the sake of comparison. The following medals cannot be attributed to Becker with certainty, but it is probable that they are his work : 1. Religious medal in silver, obv. Busts of Archbishop Caspar von Linden and Duke of Livonia Walther von Plettenberg. R. Virgin and child ; — 2. John von Leyden ; — 3 . Moses Zekel de Semienfalva ; — 4. Pattern coin for Glogow; — 5. Melchior, Bishop of Vienna; — 6. Cardinal Richelieu; — 7. Taking of the Bastille, 1789; — 8. Obsidional coin of Zara for 18 f. 40; — 9-10. Return of Napoleon from Elba (2 types) ; — 11. Jeton or Half-thaler obv. Horseman and dog. R. Inscription. Some dies for forged Hungarian coins by Becker, formerly in Count Klupsky's Collection at Budapest, are now in the possession of a London collector. The work of Becker is prodigious, and it seems a pity that such talent should have been wasted on unscrupulous imitations. If on the one hand we may admire the artist, the forger will live in the remembrance of collectors as a contemptible individual who succeeded in palming off his work as antique to the sorrow and annoyance of many an inexperienced collector. Bibliograpay. — M. Pinder, Numismatique Beckerienne, Recueil des Médailles contrefaites par Becker, Paris, 1853. — T. J. Arnold, Becker's Forgeries, Num. Chron., N. S. vol. III, 1863, p. 246, and Num. Circular, August 1894, col. 795. — A von Steinbüchel, Beckersche falsche Münztempel, Wien, 1836. — Kunstblatt, 1827, pp. 299, 300, 303, 304.
Source: Biographical dictionary of medallists; coin, gem, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, ancient and modern, with references to their works B.C. 500-A.D. 1900; compiled by L. Forrer, London 1904
Source: Biographical dictionary of medallists; coin, gem, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, ancient and modern, with references to their works B.C. 500-A.D. 1900; compiled by L. Forrer, London 1904
BALDUINUS, PAGANUS
BALDUINUS, PAGANUS (Ital.). Moneyer, born at Messina, employed by the Emperor Frederick II. (1184-1250), and known for having introduced on his coins the antique style of art and execution. His Augustaks, the finest coins of mediaeval times, are imitations of the Roman coins, and bear on one side the Emperor's bust with the legend AVG. IMP. ROM., and on the other the spread-eagle accompanied by the inscription FRIDERICVS. They were struck at Amalfi, Brindisi and Messina, and were continued under...
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BALDUINUS, PAGANUS (Ital.). Moneyer, born at Messina, employed by the Emperor Frederick II. (1184-1250), and known for having introduced on his coins the antique style of art and execution. His Augustaks, the finest coins of mediaeval times, are imitations of the Roman coins, and bear on one side the Emperor's bust with the legend AVG. IMP. ROM., and on the other the spread-eagle accompanied by the inscription FRIDERICVS. They were struck at Amalfi, Brindisi and Messina, and were continued under...
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BALDWIN
BALDWIN (Brit.). Abbot of St. Edmundsbury (1065-1097) was granted a mint in conjunction with the abbey by Edward the Confessor. The document reads as follows : " Edward King gret Aylmer Bisscop, and Girth Erl, and Toly and all mine Theynes on Estangle frendlike. And Ic kithe ihu that Ic habbe unnen Baldewine Abbot one munetere with innen Seynt Edmunds Biri, also frelike on alle thing to habben, also me mine on hande stonden ower on ani mine burgh aldrefrelikest. Godse ihu alle frend. " Bibliogra...
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BALDWIN (Brit.). Abbot of St. Edmundsbury (1065-1097) was granted a mint in conjunction with the abbey by Edward the Confessor. The document reads as follows : " Edward King gret Aylmer Bisscop, and Girth Erl, and Toly and all mine Theynes on Estangle frendlike. And Ic kithe ihu that Ic habbe unnen Baldewine Abbot one munetere with innen Seynt Edmunds Biri, also frelike on alle thing to habben, also me mine on hande stonden ower on ani mine burgh aldrefrelikest. Godse ihu alle frend. " Bibliogra...
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BALLAY, JOSUÉ
BALLAY, JOSUÉ (French). Engraver of jetons during the first half of the sixteenth century (1525-1553) The best known are : 1525, Jetons for the Master of the" Chambre aux Deniers"; — 1526, M. de Bonnes, maitre d'hôtel of the King; — 1527, Cardinal of Orleans, Archbishop of Toulouse; — M. de Lautrec, jetons for the officers of Louise de Savoie; — Jetons for Jean Riveron; — 1530, The Queen; — 1531, The Queen of Navarre; — 1532, M. Ch. de Saint-Simon; — Jetons for the Comte de Chateaubriant; — 1542...
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BALLAY, JOSUÉ (French). Engraver of jetons during the first half of the sixteenth century (1525-1553) The best known are : 1525, Jetons for the Master of the" Chambre aux Deniers"; — 1526, M. de Bonnes, maitre d'hôtel of the King; — 1527, Cardinal of Orleans, Archbishop of Toulouse; — M. de Lautrec, jetons for the officers of Louise de Savoie; — Jetons for Jean Riveron; — 1530, The Queen; — 1531, The Queen of Navarre; — 1532, M. Ch. de Saint-Simon; — Jetons for the Comte de Chateaubriant; — 1542...
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BALLIN, CLAUDE
BALLIN, CLAUDE (French). Succeeded Jean Varin as Director of the Paris Medal-Mint, 1676 — 1678. This famous artist, who was born in Paris in 1615 and died at the Louvre on the 22nd January 1678, is the most celebrated goldsmith of the second half of the seventeenth century. His productions were works of art, which unfortunately have nearly all been destroyed, partly under Louis XIV. when through the necessities of state most of the existing plate in France was melted down to be turned into curre...
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BALLIN, CLAUDE (French). Succeeded Jean Varin as Director of the Paris Medal-Mint, 1676 — 1678. This famous artist, who was born in Paris in 1615 and died at the Louvre on the 22nd January 1678, is the most celebrated goldsmith of the second half of the seventeenth century. His productions were works of art, which unfortunately have nearly all been destroyed, partly under Louis XIV. when through the necessities of state most of the existing plate in France was melted down to be turned into curre...
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