Coin Talk

Padre Junipero Serra 250th Anniversary National Commemorative Medal of the United States

A bit of history in a medal.

Over the past few years, I have been on a “mission” to visit all 21 of the Spanish Missions in California. As of August 2023, I have visited 13 of the 21. Here are pictures of my favorites so far (in terms of architecture, preservation, museum quality, etc.).



Several of the missions had the Padre Junipero Serra 250th Anniversary National Commemorative Medal on display in their museums. Having lived here in California for 35 years I can’t help but to have heard of Padre Junipero Serra and the California Missions. I had not, however, heard of or seen this medal before. I also...

Tonight was one of Legend's Regency auctions (the “boutique” sales they hold about once every two months) and there were plenty of Morgans (as usual). What I found interesting is that many of these were very familiar. I often have seen a few Morgans that I have previously bid on pop up but tonight there were many. So I figured it would be interesting to compare the results.

The first is a nice semi-pl 1880-S. This coin I first saw on Instagram in an NGC MS 64 star holder. It was cracked out and sent to PCGS, where it also got an MS 64. Someone later upgraded it to an MS 65 and sent to Great Collections (April 2020), where it brought 1,293.75 (when including the buyer's fee). Tonight at Legend it ended at 1,204.38 (when including the buyer's fee). Given that the market was still queasy in early 2020 (before taking off in the following months of that year), this isn't a great result.

GC (April 2020): 1,293.75
Legend: 1,204.38...

The city of Constantinople existed from its inauguration until its final fall a total of 1,123 years and 18 days. This thread pertains to its final years of the coins of the empire, trying to understand the naming of the later denominations and clarifying the confusion of the multiple names for the same coinage.

This is important to the collector because the study of late Byzantine coinage is so new (it Became a serious focus in the 1960s), a real hindrance in its study is keeping the names of the denomination’s straight. As studies progress so do the changes in terminology. A great example of this is the Assarion.



Andronicus II and Michael IX Assarion ( 1294-1320 ) Obv-Half length figure St. Michael Rev- Christ blessing kneeling Andronicus II and Michael IX. 1.6gm 22.13mm SBCV-2345 Lianta 793

Assarion is an interesting denomination, thinner, lighter and bigger than its predecessor the tetarteron (Post reform Alexius...

In 1837, Dr. Lewis Feuchtwanger proposed a cheaper alternative to the copper Large Cent. The “Feuchtwanger Cent” was made of a metal alloy he called the “Feuchtwanger Composition.” This would have been the first time the US Mint used a nickel-alloy for its circulation coinage. Mint Director, Robert Patterson rejected the proposition, favoring Robert Scot’s design of the Matron Head Large Cent. It’s important to note that Robert Scot also designed the Draped Bust Half Cent, Draped Bust Large Cent, Draped Bust Half Dime, Draped Bust Dime, Draped Bust Quarter, Draped Bust Half Dollar and Draped Bust Silver Dollar (see also: https://www.usacoinbook.com/encyclopedia/coin-designers/robert-scot/). Robert Scott passed away on November 1, 1823, while still serving as the Chief Engraver of the US Mint. These factors likely played a role in Patterson’s decision.



Source:...

Over the last several years more and more of my collecting budget is being used on historical medals from both the United States and around the world. Many of these purchases would be considered impulse buys with little or no research done prior to the transaction. I see it, tell myself, that is both neat and it is within my budget, so let’s get it. Keep in mind that there is no “Red Book” for medals. There isn’t even anything equivalent to the Krause world coin catalogs. I use my gut to guide me on many of these purchases. I have had a few hiccups along the way but haven’t ever really been burned.

One recent purchase is the subject of this article. The “Rescue of Martin Koszta” medal is an impressive 105mm bronze medal. The imagery is very appealing to me. Medalists have a lot more freedom to create beautiful works of art than do the artists that create our circulating coinage.

First, let’s talk about the medal and events that led up to its creation.

Duncan Ingraham was...

No, sorry, this is not just about people with advancing years. After the enjoyment of the Alphabet Game on the Ancients forum, this will be 3 days per Century starting in 500CE to the end of 1500CE. Any coin, commemorative or medal, of any denomination or composition is welcome. There will be examples posted that are unfamiliar to some, so a brief description with the images would be most appreciated.
I am looking forward to seeing some items I have never seen before, so post away
Our starting point, and for 3 days, begins now with 500 CE - 600 CE.

According to Red Book, Mark Newby came to America from Dublin, Ireland in 1681. He brought copper pieces believed to have been struck in Dublin 1663-1672, these are called St. Patrick Coppers. The coinage was made legal tender by the General Assembly of New Jersey in May, 1682. Here is more detailed information from the excellent Notre Dame University website: "Originally minted for use in Ireland, St. Patrick coppers had a long and varied history. An English Quaker merchant in Dublin named Mark Newby (or Newbie) acquired a large supply of these coins which he took with him in 1681 when he emigrated to West New Jersey (New Jersey was divided into separate Eastern and Western colonies from 1676-1702). On May 18, 1682 the General Free Assembly of West New Jersey granted Newby's coppers legal tender status and allowed them to circulate as small change at the rate of a halfpenny, replacing wampum. The only restrictions were that Newby had to put up surety (300 acres of land) that...

How can you find provenance for your ancient coins? It helps to get good at recognizing dies and die matches and knowing what your coins look like.

Brute Force: flipping through large numbers of books and catalogs in paper and electronic libraries. I have tried this unless I was just looking for an image of a coin with a known auction listing.
Example: https://www.sullacoins.com/post/coins-of-parthian-king-phraates-iv

Roman Republican coins - the Schaeffer Roman Republican Die Project is a useful resource http://numismatics.org/archives/ark:/53695/schaefer.rrdp.b04. Examples:

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/fun-provenance-find

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/unencrypting-crawford-rrc

Coins of Roman Egypt : Dattari Savio is an easy place to check with ~10K coins it provides one stop for 100+ years of provenance.

Example:...

Collecting ancient coins is one thing for mere mortals like most of us, but it's a completely different hobby when you can rely on almost unlimited financial resources. Like Louis XIV for example and, to be sincere, I'm a bit jealous...

Louis XIV discovered this hobby when he was a child, thanks to Jean Warin (1607-1672), a die engraver who was head of Paris mint and engraved the official busts of Louis XIII and young Louis XIV struck on gold and silver coins. On this picture painted by an anonymous artist in 1645 (with later additions), Jean Warin is teaching ancient history to the young Louis XIV, aged 7, using coins and medals. Show and tell method. The little kid was fascinated and later became a passionate collector.


(Musée de la Monnaie, Paris)

He was actually a promising child. Two years before, when only 5, he was called by his father Louis XIII on his deathbed. The dying king asked him: "Do you know who you are?" and the...

This 1 Groschen was struck in 1577 in Dresden, Saxony (Saxony) under August I of the Albertine Line.


In 1470, the Saxons found rich, silver ore deposits in Schneeberg. In 1492 (a date many might recognize), another was found in Schreckenberg. Because both of these were in the Ore Mountains of Saxony, they experienced a silver rush, known in German as a Berggeschrei. Many flocked to the region to strike it rich, leading to new developments in mining and metallurgy. August I shepherded Saxony through this age, to whom Georg Bauer addressed his book De re Metallica. The 672-page book cataloged the state-of-the-art mining, refining, and smelting methods. This book remained the authoritative text on mining for almost two centuries and is said to have helped enable the Industrial Revolution. I find the book fascinating and recommend any who might have interest to visit this link...