Western Europe, southern Italy, Naples, ca. 19th century CE; Eastern Europe, Poland, ca. mid-20th century CE. A fascinating pair of items: a copper Tornesi coin from Naples, Italy embedded in a pumice stone and a Polish brass pin of a crowned eagle looking left. Size of larger (pumice stone): 2.7" L x 1.9" W (6.9 cm x 4.8 cm)

Please note this was part of the Leavitt Hunt collection. Hunt (1831 to 1907) was a lawyer, world traveler, and photographer and the first American, if not the first person, to make a photographic record of the Near East and Mediterranean, during his "Grand Tour" from 1851 to 1852, alongside his friend, Nathan Flint Baker (1820-1891). Hunt and Baker captured calotype images of some of the greatest ancient ruins of the Classical World, and these prints are invaluable early artistic photographs as well as historical records of the sites, and several were donated by Hunt's family to the Library of Congress as part of the permanent collection, as well as other institutions. Besides taking photos, artifacts were personally collected by Hunt in the various countries he visited, including this piece.

Provenance: ex-Natalie Capron, Vermont, USA, 1972 to 2008, now by her heirs; ex-Maurice Crandall, Vermont, 1941 to 1972; ex-Clyde du Vernet Hunt, Vermont, 1916 to 1941; ex-Katherine Jarvis Hunt, Vermont, 1907 to 1916; ex-Leavitt Hunt, Vermont, collected 1851 to 1852

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#174409

Nice signs of age to coin. Abrasions and softening of detail to both. Nice patina throughout.