David Michael Metcalf (8 May 1933 – 25 October 2018) was a British academic and numismatist. He was the director of the Heberden Coin Room of the
Ashmolean Museum, a fellow of
Wolfson College and Professor of
Numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...
at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...
. He held the degrees of MA,
DPhil
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
and DLitt from Oxford.
He died in October 2018 at the age of 85.
Décès de Michael Metcalf (1933-2018)
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Academic career
Metcalf's primary focus was on the early and high Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...
, the Crusader states
The Crusader States, also known as Outremer, were four Catholic realms in the Middle East that lasted from 1098 to 1291. These feudal polities were created by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade through conquest and political ...
and the Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
. He worked at the Heberden Coin Room of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford from 1971 to 1999 and was the director of the Heberden Coin Room from 1982 to 1999. He was appointed as Professor of Numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...
at the University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...
in 1996 and retired in 1998; he was also a Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with around sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research an ...
, from 1982 to 1998.["Metcalf, Prof. David Michael"](_blank)
'' Who's Who'' (online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2017). Retrieved 3 October 2018.
He served as President of the Royal Numismatic Society
The Royal Numismatic Society (RNS) is a learned society and charity based in London, United Kingdom which promotes research into all branches of numismatics. Its patron was Queen Elizabeth II.
Membership
Foremost collectors and researchers, bo ...
from 1994 to 1999 and led the editorial board of its journal The ''Numismatic Chronicle
The Royal Numismatic Society (RNS) is a learned society and charity based in London, United Kingdom which promotes research into all branches of numismatics. Its patron was Queen Elizabeth II.
Membership
Foremost collectors and researchers, bo ...
'' from 1974 to 1984.
Honours
* 1983 - awarded the John Sanford Saltus Gold Medal by the British Numismatic Society
The British Numismatic Society (BNS) is an organisation for promoting and realization of the study of United Kingdom, British coins and medals. It was founded in 1903.
Publications
Its principal publication is the ''British Numismatic Journal'', ...
* 1987 - awarded the Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society The Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society was first awarded in 1883. It is awarded by the Royal Numismatic Society and is one of the highest markers of recognition given to numismatists. The President and Council award the Medal annually to an "in ...
* 1991 - awarded the Huntington Medal Huntington may refer to:
Places
Canada
* Huntington, Nova Scotia
New Zealand
* Huntington, New Zealand a suburb in Hamilton, New Zealand
United Kingdom
* Huntington, Cheshire, England
* Huntington, East Lothian, Scotland
* Huntington, ...
of the American Numismatic Society
The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is a New York City-based organization dedicated to the study of coins, money, medals, tokens, and related objects. Founded in 1858, it is the only American museum devoted exclusively to their preservation ...
* 2008 - awarded the Meshorer Numismatic Prize of the Israel Museum
The Israel Museum ( he, מוזיאון ישראל, ''Muze'on Yisrael'') is an art and archaeological museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world’s leading encyclopa ...
* 2008 - awarded the Derek Allen Prize The Derek Allen Prize is awarded by the British Academy. It was founded in 1976 to honour Derek Allen, FBA, who was secretary (1969–73) and treasurer (1973–75) of the British Academy. It was established by his widow and sons to recognise outsta ...
of the British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...
Selected publications
* ''The Coinage of South Germany in the Thirteenth Century'' (Spink, 1961).
* ''Coinage in the Balkans'' (Institute for Balkan Studies, 1965).
* (Co-authored with Julia M. Merrick and Lynette Kaye) ''Studies in the Composition of Early Medieval Coins'' (Corbitt & Hunter, 1968).
* ''The Origins of the Anastasian Currency Reforms'' (Adolf M. Hakkert, 1969).
* ''The Copper Coinage of Thessalonica under Justinian I'' (Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1976).
* ''Coinage in South-Eastern Europe, 820–1396'', 2nd ed. (Spink, 1979).
* (Co-authored with W. A. Oddy) ''Metallurgy in Numismatics'' (Royal Numismatic Society, 1980).
* ''Coinage of the Crusades and the Latin East in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford'' (Royal Numismatic Society and Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East, 1983).
* ''Thrymsas and Sceattas in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford'', 3 vols. (Royal Numismatic Society and Ashmolean Museum, 1993-4).
* ''The Silver Coinage of Cyprus, 1285–1382'' (Cyprus Research Centre, 1996).
* ''An Atlas of Anglo-Saxon and Norman Coin Finds, 973–1086'' (Royal Numismatic Society, 1998).
* ''The White Bezants and Deniers of Cyprus, 1192–1285'' (Cyprus Research Centre, 1998).
* ''The Gros, Sixains, and Cartzias of Cyprus: 1382–1489'' (Cyprus Research Centre, 2000).
* ''Byzantine Cyprus: 491–1191'' (Cyprus Research Centre, 2009).
See also
* Ashmolean Museum
References
External links
* Obituary: Michael Metcalf (by Nick Mayhew), in
The Guardian
', 19 Nov 2018
*Obituary: Michael Metcalf o
Yorkshire Numismatic Society blog
* David Michael Metcalf o
Worldcat
*Works by David Michael Metcalf in the
Digital Library Numis
'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metcalf, David Michael
1933 births
2018 deaths
Academics of the University of Oxford
British numismatists
Fellows of Wolfson College, Oxford
Presidents of the Royal Numismatic Society
People associated with the Ashmolean Museum