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Message:: [QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 6574365, member: 110350"]Thank you, [USER=89211]@eparch[/USER].  That's one of the best fourrees I've seen. I assume that you're able to tell because the plating is a bit worn away in a couple of spots? As far as your Crawford 459 is concerned, I'd call it bold, not crude, even if the elephant is a bit strange-looking! So what was the purpose of putting bells on elephants in the first place? Google doesn't really give a satisfactory answer, although it seems that the practice originated in India and must have been adopted in Greco-Roman portrayals. Was it really because without bells elephants are so likely to sneak up on you without your noticing? I didn't think they were exactly as quiet as cats!  Or is it to protect them from tigers by making a noise, as one site suggests?  Or is the portrayal of elephants with bells on Roman coins symbolic, as of the defeat of the Carthaginians and the capture and control of their elephants? I'd say it symbolizes man's domination and taming of nature, but that's more of a Judeo-Christian concept![/QUOTE]