Coin Talk

As maybe some of you know one of my focusses is to collect coins from the Greek islands. What interest me about them is that these islands often have distinct traditions and mythology on their own, which is obviously reflected on the coinage. Some iconography on their coins stay unchanged for centuries (from the Archaic age all the way to Roman provincial coinage). Most islands did not produce that much silver, mostly fractions and bronze coinage. The bigger and more significant islands did strike large amounts of silver (depending on the time period), we can think of islands like Thasos, Aegina, Samos, and Rhodos.

I wanted to give a small summary of each island I own a coin of right now, with the corresponding coin there. I ofcourse cannot show all my coins of the Greek islands, therefore I will make a selection of one coin per island.
I included a map if it makes it easier to locate the islands:


Starting with,
Rhodos...

Gold coinage was an important part of late Medieval and early modern English coinage. Denominations such as nobles, angels, crowns, pounds, and sovereigns were produced from the 14th century until the modern era when precious metals were phased out of circulating coinage. However in the early medieval period, gold coinage was rarely produced. A few gold coins were tried, such as gold pennies of Alfred the Great, Aethelred the Unready and Edward the Confessor, and a gold penny of Henry III. But these were not widely used or successful coinages and these coins are known from only a minuscule number of rare survivors.

However, in the misty past, there was a robust and diverse series of gold coins made in the early Anglo-Saxon period. From about 600 until 675, gold coins were produced in the fledgling Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, depicting a variety of imagery. At least a dozen types are known, with diademed busts, copies of Roman clasped hands and seated despots, and a variety of Cristian...

I have found myself recently drawn to the coinage of Sweden. Being a world coin collector, I have always had some coins from Sweden in my collection but I think that I am starting to appreciate them more. There aren’t many (at least in the United States) collectors to compete with. The designs tend to be simple.

My first real purchase was 1724 dated, ½ Daler, piece of plate money. Since that time, I had added a 2 Daler and 4 Daler. If you like large, crude coins then these were made for you. The 4 Daler piece weighs over 4 pounds. Swedish copper plate money was introduced due to the abundance of copper from Sweden’s mines and the lack of availability of silver and gold. These cumbersome coins were issued in copper bullion with content reflecting the value of the silver that they replaced. These highly collectible “coins” circulated throughout Sweden and Finland.

Today is Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Good Friday and Easter Sunday. In England, the monarch gives money, in the form of silver coins to elderly people who are selected based upon their poverty and their service to their churches or community. Recipients may also be selected by clergyman of the various Christian denominations. Once selected a recipient remains one for life. New recipients are selected each year.

The gifts are given in two purses. The white one holds Maundy money in the one, two, three and four pence denominations. There one pence for each year of the monarch's life. A red purse contains £5 and a 50 p coin.

The modern Maundy coins do not circulate because their silver value exceeds their face value. Each coin has the portrait of the monarch on the obverse. and the value 1, 2, 3 or 4 partially surrounded by a wreath, the date and a crown on the reverse. These coins are highly prized by many collectors.

I have only two sets of Maundy coins which are...

Gold and bronze coins bearing the reverse inscription IVNONI LVCINAE and depicting a female figure standing, holding an infant in her arm, with two older children at her feet were issued during the final years of the reign of Antoninus Pius, AD 158-161.[1] During this period, the empress' obverse titulature read FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, her reverses no longer bore the filiation AVGVSTI PII FIL, and she wore an unassuming hairstyle described by Fittschen as "Main hair combed back in waves, strand of hair twisted into a bun relatively high at the nape of the neck."[2] She typically does not wear strands of pearls or the stephane in her hair on coins of this period.



Two bronze specimens from my collection:

Think back to when you were a child. Perhaps around the age of 6 or 7. The world was a very different place, righ? Times were simpler, you had no cares in the world, lifelong friends were made – and lost. What memories still stick with you after ALL THOSE YEARS . . . . . . ?

Maybe you have fond memories of your parents, uncles, or aunts taking you fishing, hunting, or to a theme park? Maybe as a young child you attended a county fair, a state fair, or a festival of some kind?

I know my parents took my sisters and myself to many of these. Living in central Wisconsin on the Mississippi River during the early 1960’s, there was always SOMETHING, some event to attend. Octoberfest, Fishing Contests, County and State Fairs, we did them all . . . . or at least it seemed that way.

One festival that really stuck out in my 7 year old mind was the Steam Engine Days Festival held in Strum Wisconsin. I mean, what’s not to like? Big steel tractors and engines, polyphonic steam whistles,...

Since antiquity, men and boys have been portrayed as riding dolphins. I highly doubt this actually happened in real life, but there's certainly plenty of representations of such. I suppose a dolphin would probably let you ride if, but perhaps not straddled like a horse.



Eros is the most common figure shown riding a dolphin, and representations exist in mosaic, bronze, marble, vase painting, and fesco paintings (though no paintings are extant far as I can tell).

Representations are found in pretty much every Mediterranean culture, including Greek, Roman, Etruscan, and Minoan (though Minoans didn't seem to ride the dolphins).

The fascination with dolphins may arise from the fact that dolphins are very helpful to fishermen, with reports of them leading fishers to where the large schools are. In addition, dolphins will often protect stranded humans and keep sharks away until the human can be rescued.
Sometimes, though, they are a bit mean and...

MICHAEL VIII PALAEOLOGOS (1261-1282). Stamenon/Trachy. Thessalonica.
Obv: MP - ΘV / Half-length facing bust of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) orans.
Rev: ΔΠT ΠT - *OAΓ ΓANMC / Half-length busts of Michael and St. Demetrios, who holds a spear, holding patriarchal cross between them; above, star in center of firmament.
Sear 2310. Weight: 2.59 g. Diameter: 27 mm.



This Stamenon, although already pretty rare, really stuck out to me due to the near complete reverse legend surviving on the coin (much more complete than the examples in DOC, LBC and the Billon Trachea of Michael VIII)! The first part of the reverse legend, ΔΠT ΠT, appears to be the result of an overstrike. The would leave ΔΠT on the legend, most likely the fragmentary remains of some form of XMIΔECΔΠTI. This would Translate to Michael and some form of Family name or titles.

The rest of the reverse...

Michael VIII Paleologus and Andronicus II:
1272-1282 AD, AE Trachy, Thessalonica mint.
OAΓIT ΘE-OΔOΡ / St. Theodore, half-length facing figure, in military dress, holding spear and round shield decorated with eight-rayed star

AΔΡ X..M // Michael and Andronikos, half-length figures, each wearing loros and holding labarum and sword between them; half-length bust of the Archangel Michael above. DOC 212-215; SB 2323.
This trachy is one of my favorites, possessing a fun and charming style. It was minted at some point during the 10 year interlude of Andronikos II's elevation to co-emperor with Michael VIII until the eventual death of Michael VIII. The reverse is highly interesting in design, showing Michael VIII and Andronikos II each holding the Labarum over their respective shoulders and together holding up a sword, over all of which the half bust of Archangel Michael...

How many of you have read Moby Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville?

I first read it while enjoying a lazy summer between semesters. At the time my coin collection was Lincoln Wheat Cents and Jefferson Nickels from circulation. So, not surprisingly, these passages were unremarkable and went relatively unnoticed. 35+ years later, I am now slowly re-reading Moby Dick and these same passages stood out like, well, like a White Whale!

from Chapter 36...