Coin of Valens

Coin of Valens

A gold coin of Valens, said to have been found "in a hermetically sealed vase in an Egyptian tomb" by a Mr E Hendricksen of Townsville during the war. This coin was only brought to the Queensland Museum for identification and was never donated. Mr Hendricksen's visit to the Museum with the coin is recorded in an article entitled "Echoes of the Past" which appeared in the Brisbane Telegraph newspaper on 9 January 1936. The present location of the coin is unknown.

No E. Hendricksen has been identified as living in Townsville in 1936, nor is there an E. Hendricksen who served with the AIF during the war. The identification of Mr Hendricksen remains unknown and it is possible that his name was misspelled. The description of the coin's discovery in a tomb has similarities to stories about Australian soldiers treasure hunting in Egyptian tombs during the war, the veracity of which is questionable.

AD 364 - AD 378

C.014.001

Acquired by Mr E. Hendricksen, Egypt, 1915-1919.
With Mr E. Hendricksen, Townsville, 9 Jan 1936.

ECHOES OF THE PAST (1936, January 9). The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), p. 18 (SECOND EDITION). Retrieved October 21, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article182262985

P.014

Mr James Donaldson