learn when I encountered her books. She, Mary Renault,
Robert Graves and others spoke of the ancient world.
Like the title of Yourcenar's book, A Coin in Nine Hands,
as you held my small collection of ancient coins, one
could imagine at least nine great epochs they passed
through.
I brought these coins to Scott Travers, described by The
New York Times as "the Ralph Nader of the numismatic
world", out of sheer curiosity and because I wanted to
explore the realm of coins. I was quite amazed when my
small collection was valued at thirteen thousand dollars,
if not twenty or thirty thousand. They are exquisite, small,
bas-relief works of art.
A large Tetradrachm coin, from the Graeco-Baktria
kingdom depicting King Eukratides I, dating from 170
HYLAND
