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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 2495472, member: 19463&quot;]TIF reminds us that we should make more effort to explain some things that would seem obvious to people who spent these coins back in the day.&nbsp; It was fashionable to make speeches from the prow of a ship captured in a naval battle.&nbsp; I suspect this was first just a commander on the wreckage on a beach addressing his victorious troops but prows were relocated to the city and used to elevate the speaker before the crowd.&nbsp; We take the word rostrum from this practice even though the first meaning was probably just front end of ship without the later speaking platform meaning.&nbsp; We even see little replica prows added to columns or other buildings as a shorthand way of indicating naval prowess. </p><p><br /></p><p>The metal item shown in TIF&#039;s photo would also be worth salvaging whenever possible simply because it was a hunk of expensive metal.&nbsp; If the whole ship was destroyed, perhaps burned in shallow water, it would be worth sending a few guys to retrieve it.&nbsp; A pile of them would also be an impressive display by a commander proving what a good admiral was he.&nbsp; I&#039;m sure many people could see the styles and know which ones came from which type or nationality ship.&nbsp; I&#039;m not sure what the modern equivalent might be but keeping the best part as a trophy to demonstrate your skill is a very human thing to do.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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