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John Purnell - Hans Sloane - 1735-07-12

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John Purnell, Prescot Street, Hackney

John Purnell - Hans Sloane - 1735-07-12
FINA IDUnique ID of the page  14065
InstitutionName of Institution. London, British Library
InventoryInventory number. MS Sloane 4054, ff.70-1
AuthorAuthor of the document. John Purnell
RecipientRecipient of the correspondence. Hans Sloane
Correspondence dateDate when the correspondence was written: day - month - year . July 12, 1735
PlacePlace of publication of the book, composition of the document or institution. Prescot Street, Hackney 51° 32' 35.66" N, 0° 2' 57.70" W
Associated personsNames of Persons who are mentioned in the annotation. Edmund Chishull, Robert Ainsworth, Antonio Picenini
LiteratureReference to literature. Burnett 2020b, pp. 624-5, 568, 13041
KeywordNumismatic Keywords  Smyrna , Coin Collection , Collection Price
LanguageLanguage of the correspondence English
External LinkLink to external information, e.g. Wikpedia 
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Grand documentOriginal passage from the "Grand document".

'According to your advice, I sought for Mr Ainsworth & after sometime I met with him, & gave him a Catalogue of my Smyrna Medalls, which were numbred & sorted by my good Friends the Revd Doctr Chishull Deceased & Doctr Picinini. [The long story of the expedition and the row follows.] The looking over my Medalls brought Doctr Picinini & this whole Story, fresh to my Memory, & he being a Person I believe not altogether unknown to you (for I have often heard him mention your Name with great honour & Respect when he lived with me in London Anno 1707 & 1708) I take the Liberty to trouble you with this Relation, which otherwise I would not have done. But to return to Mr Ainsworth ... about Ten Dayes agoe he came to my House, when I desired he would at his Leisure doe me the Favour to look over my Medalls, & sort those which remained not sorted & Numbred, very reasonably & modestly desired to be excused, by reason his Eyes by Age & Infirmity, were soe very weak that he could not look over his own Collection: which I was sorry to see was too true. I then asked his Opinion of Them, he haveing seen Them, & knew the Value of Them. I told him I never of late was offered but 50 Guynies for Them alltogether & that was by a Scotch Physitian to resell to Advantage. I knew not the Scotchmans Name, but by Description of him he knew him & told me his Name, but advised to have nothing to do with him. I told him I was weary of keeping them, & that I would take 50: or 60 Guynies for Them, rather than keep Them any longer: he sayed he was sorry I could be offered noe more for Them: nameing Some of Them: & that twas pitty They should be sold at soe meane a Price. he rather advised me to send Them to France where he advised me They will sell much better. I am intirely of his Opinion, and am confident tis Right, to send Them to France, for I know the Duke De Maine, the Duke De Bourbon, the Count De Tholons (?), & others of The Chief Nobility of France, have their Agents in all Parts of Turkey & the East to Buy up Medalls & Statues &c. & will give much greater prices for Them, than any will here in England. nevertheless I told him having no manner of Correspondence with France or Friend to trouble with Such an Affaire I ha[d] rather sell Them here in England at soe meane a price as 50: or 60: Guynies as before mentioned. he then told me since I resolved to sell them at soe Low a price, he believed notwithstanding The Noble Collection you have [on] your own allready you would buy Them very willingly & he desired me to offer Them to you before I did to The Scotch Doctr or any Other Buyer, to which I readyly agreed. Soe accordingly If you please to take all my said Medalls with the Petrified Mushroome as I received Them from you & the Deceased Doctr Chishull at the Diminitive price before mentioned of 50: or 60 Guynies They are at your Service. be pleased to favour me with a Li[ne] or two in Answer to this, & you will very much Oblige Prescot Street 12 July 1735 Worthy Sr Your most Obedt humble Servt John Purnell' (BL, MS Sloane 4054, ff.70-1; Burnett 2020b, pp. 624-5)

References

  1. ^  Burnett, Andrew M. (2020), The Hidden Treasures of this Happy Land. A History of Numismatics in Britain from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, BNS Special Publ. No 14 = RNS Special Publ. No 58, London, Spink & Son.