Posted on 01/29/2005 5:10:32 AM PST by MississippiMasterpiece
Colorado Springs, CO (PRWEB) January 28, 2005 -- After decades of seeking possible answers about a mysterious UFO-like design on a 17th century French copper coin, a prominent numismatic expert says it remains just that: an unidentified flying object. After a half-century of research, the design has defied positive identification by the numismatic community.
"It was made in the 1680s in France and the design on one side certainly looks like it could be a flying saucer in the clouds over the countryside," said Kenneth E. Bressett of Colorado Springs, Colorado, a former President of the 32,000-member American Numismatic Association and owner of the curious coin.
"Is it supposed to be a UFO of some sort, or a symbolic representation of the Biblical Ezekiel's wheel? After 50 years of searching, I've heard of only one other example of it, and nothing to explain the unusual design."
Bressett said the mysterious piece is not really a coin, but a "jeton," a coin-like educational tool that was commonly used to help people count money, or sometimes used as a money substitute for playing games. It is about the size of a U.S. quarter-dollar and similar to thousands of other jetons with different religious and educational designs that were produced and used in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.
"The design on this particular piece could be interpreted as showing either a UFO or Ezekiel's wheel, but little else. Some people think the Old Testament reference to Ezekiel's wheel may actually be a description of a long-ago UFO," he explained.
"The legend written in Latin around the rim is also mystifying. 'OPPORTUNUS ADEST' translates as 'It is here at an opportune time.' Is the object in the sky symbolic of needed rainfall, or a Biblical reference or visitors from beyond? We probably will never know for certain," said Bressett.
"It is part of the lure of numismatics that makes coin collecting so intriguing."
Random link I pulled off of a Google search:
Sentiment & Symbolism The chrysanthemum has been the focus of Oriental adulation for centuries. In China, the chrysanthemum's association with autumn stems from its tendency to bloom in the fall. Consequently, the ancient Chinese chose the Chrysanthemum ("chu hua") as their Flower for October, a symbol of the rest and ease that followed the season's final harvest. Mums were considered one of the four Chinese "noble plants" (the others being bamboo, the plum, and the orchid), and were the official badge of the Old Chinese Army. Since chrysanthemums were considered the flower of the chinese noble class, they were prohibited in a lower-class person's garden. The Chinese believe that a chrysanthemum given to one's beloved, after its being used to wipe one's mouth after drinking wine, will ensure undying love and fidelity. Called "kikus" in Japanese, chrysanthemums were featured on the Imperial Crest of Japan, and were so beloved by Japanese emperors that they sat upon chrysanthemum thrones. The Japanese still hold the chrysanthemum as a symbol of the sun, and they consider the orderly unfolding of the mum's petals to be a symbol of perfection.They also presume that a single chrysanthemum petal placed in the bottom of a wine glass encourages a long and healthy life.
http://www.baacks.com/thelanguageofflowers/list.nhtml
The plant on the coin looks like an Easter Lily. So I Googled and got this:
Easter Lily
Lilium longiflorum, the Latin name for the Easter Lily, is native to the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan.
The Easter Lily industry is an American success story. Prior to 1941, the majority of the Easter Lily bulbs were exported to the United States from Japan. World War II eliminated the dependence on Japanese-produced bulbs and commercial bulb production shifted to the U.S. The Japanese have never been able to regain any of their lost market share due to the superior quality of the U.S.-grown bulbs.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/publications/lily/lily.html
Enough to say "Hmmm..." at least.
Thanks.
Chrysanthemum Throne is the common name given to the Imperial throne of Japan. The chrysanthemum (kiku in Japanese) is the coat of arms of the Japanese Emperor.
The Chrysanthemum throne is the oldest monarchy in the world. It is said that the Empire of Japan was founded in 660BC by the Emperor Jimmu Tenno and his descendents continue to reign today; the current Emperor Akhito (Heisei Tenno) who is the direct 125th descendant of Jimmu. Despite the fact that there has been eight Empresses, under Japanese Imperial law (promulgated by the Imperial Household Agency and the Privy Council) woman cannot reign as sovereign.
The Japanese monarchy is highly traditional and modern at the same time. The Emperor, the Tenno (Heavenly sovereign) acts as a high priest in the Shinto faith, although his divine power was renounced after WW2.
Under the provisions of the current Japanese constitution the Emperor is a symbol of the state and the unity of the people; he has no real political power. Despite this there still exist people who would like to see the Emperor's power increase, these monarchists come in the form of politicians, Shinto fanatics and Yakuza gangsters.
The Emperor of Japan is the only Emperor left in the world, so his position is of historical importance not only to Japan but indeed to the world
http://www.japan-101.com/government/chrysanthemum_throne.htm
I think it was done by the same guy that did the cover for the "Little Mermaid" video tape.
a badly draw umbrella?
Why does it seem to be holding back a big pile of potatoes?
"What if the strange wheel thing symbolizes good luck (in the form of impending rain from the clouds depicted)."
When did the French start playing Roulette? It looks like a Roulette wheel, pie in the sky, so to speak.
Is it February yet?
I think it's trying to land on that moon.
Leonardo da Vinci spent some time in France... where he invented the Frisbee...
Actually, looking at this picture, I think I could build a device exactly like that which would fly...
I think the toy coin has a picture of a toy on it... an early form of a whirlygig. A fan with a handle you can spin between your palms and cause it to fly up in exactly the manner shown.
Make sure that the clock/date on your computer are correct.
But who's counting?
On April 6-7 [1945], the first use of massed formations of hundreds of kamikaze aircraft called kikusui, or "floating chrysanthemum", for the imperial symbol of Japan, began. By the end of the Okinawan campaign, 1,465 kamikaze flights were flown from Kyushu to sink 30 American ships and damage 164 others. The Japanese had devised a plan to load-up high-speed motorboats with high explosives and have them attack the American Fleet. The boats were hidden in caves up rivers and pulled inside along railroad tracks. The plan never was carried out, however.
Have had in book marked since you first posted.:)
I haven't found anything but conspiracy sites. Really seems to be a mistery.
Tomorrow I'll buy a Latin dictionary and Caesars "de bello Gallico". I had it in school for five years but forgot a lot of it. Superfluous knowledge but still very sad. Probably easy to fresh it up and a good way to get tired when reading in bed.
LOL, thanks for the ping - I think!! Quite a discussion going on.
That makes perfect sense.
Hey, I grew up to be an engineer. If I'd collected stamps I coulda been (shudder) an accountant...
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