Coin Talk

Here's a fun one, if you like this sort of thing.
Robert II, ‘le Jeune,’ Comte de Dreux 1188-1218. AR denier parisis of Dreux.



Obv. [in two lines, partly retrograde:] HC-O [/] M[E]S (‘A COMES;’ of the Count.)
(Apparently a combination of the genitive case in Old French, à, with the more conventional, formulaic Medieval Latin comes. Other feudal issues, at least from the 12th century, have a similar juxtaposition of linguistic elements. Reminiscent of the formula of later Anglo-Saxon -Angevin English pennies, with the royal name and title in Latin, and the moneyer's signature in Old -Middle English.)
[From 3 o’clock:] X MI: ROBERTVS (“+ME[I?] ROBERTVS;” [of?] me, Robert).
Rev. Cross, Alpha (‘/\’) in lower right and (inverted) upper left angles.
+DRVCAS CASTA (Castle of Dreux).
(Boudeau 4, Duplessy 421, Legros 113, Poey d’Avant 91, Roberts 3935.)
This is one of a relatively few instances of French...

Seigneurie de Nogent-le-Roi entered the possession of Hugo de Beauvais during the reign of Hugo Capet and was inherited by Roger at the death of Hugo in 1008.

It remained in this branch of the family Beauvais-Blois until the death of Roger in 1022. Nogent was a seigneurie tied to the County of Dreux, and the rights of Roger to Nogent and Beauvais were acknowledged by Eudes II de Blois and the French King in 1014, after the conflict (1008-1014) between Richard II of Normandy and Eudes II de Blois for the county and castle of Dreux was concluded.



AR22mm, 1.01g, silver grand denier, minted at Chateau Nogent, cca. 1015-1020.
+ ROGERIVS EPIS; Facade of a towered church.
+ NVIGENTI CAS; cross.
Boudeau 1var, p. 3 (NVIGENTI instead of NVICENTE/NVICETE), not in Poey d'Avant.


In 1015 the Bishop of Beauvais became also Count of Beauvais and Lord of Nogent and was also rose to Peer of France (Léon-Honoré Labande; Honoré Lambert Labande (1892)....

Gaius Pescennius Niger Justus (Justus=The Just, was given to him on his claiming of the purple) was late. To many it appeared that he was THE guy to rule Rome...but he took his time.



After Commodus (if Commodus isn't the reason we call the toilet the "commode" then it should be), the delusional scoundrel was to be murdered in his bath by one of his own strong men at the instigation of his inner circle including his own wife, death, things were good in Rome again.


Commodus
177-192 AD AE As 24-25 mm, 10.34 g, Rome, 192 AD.
Obv. L AEL AVREL COMM AVG P FEL, Head to right, wearing lion skin headdress.
Rev. HERCVL / ROMAN / AVGV / S C, Legend divided by club within laurel wreath.
RIC III 644; C. 193; BMC 722.
An interesting type. Fine to very fine. From: Auctiones GmbH

Pertinax ascension to the throne was a given. With the old general garnering more respect and auctoritas then anyone in the mightiest empire the world would...

Britain’s history is long and illustrious. Shakespeare, Newton and Darwin have reached every corner of the world. Yet while Alexander the Great was defeating the Persians at the Battle of Gaugamela, Qin Shi Huang was creating an army of terracotta and Ashoka the Great was building an empire from Afghanistan to Kerala, the Britons were…well, nobody really knows.

The history of Britain in the thousand years before the Romans arrived is vague to say the least. It's based on little more than DNA, stone positioning and bits of iron found deep in the ground. The problem was that while the Greeks had Homer and Aristotle, the British (whatever that meant at the time) didn’t write anything down. They didn’t even draw anything. Because of this, they were thought to have been savages. But they weren’t. Probably.


The Uffington White Horse. Perhaps they did draw something.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uffington_White_Horse

Most of what’s known...

Hi all, just got this from Ebay & invested a tremendous $10 plus shipping. The reason that I am posting is that this is a scarce BH coin, and possibly even rare in higher grades. The pictures on Ebay showed a pretty grungy coin with oxidation and possible issues, BUT it had a very "clean" rim. It was softly struck as usual and not really the best of planchet prep. as I don't think great care was taken at the RM with these (OK, understating the case).
I also have an ex-Richard Stuart example in NGC63, so nothing to lose...

Here is before and after with apologies in advance for slackluster photos:

Before:


After:



I took the last at an angle as I was trying to show lustre on a softly struck copper-nickel coin. For sure there are bag marks but under 5x mag, appears that some of the marks in and around the cheek and neck are planchet...

If anyone thought the ancient coin market was slowing down, think again . I watched Part I of the ancient coins on Thursday, featuring the big ticket coins, & most coins sold well over estimate. Part II of the ancient coins was yesterday, featuring coins of lesser importance, & 2 coins grabbed my attention. The 1st coin was an extremely rare & controversial solidus struck early in the reign of Heraclius, pictured below. It had an estimate of $2,000-$4,000 & sold for $3,360.00 despite the scratches on both sides & weakness of strike. I think the grade of MS on this coin is rather generous too .


The portrait on this coin is clearly not Heraclius, & looks to be Phocus instead . This coin type was originally thought to be struck in Jerusalem, based on research by S. Bendall & M. F. Hendy, but that research has since been refuted & currently these coins are now listed as "uncertain Eastern mint" & possibly made by a moving...

Divus Augustus, 27 BC - 14 AD.
Roman Æ as, 9.30 g, 28.4 mm, 7 h.
Rome, issued under Tiberius, AD 22-30.
Obv: DIVVS·AVGVSTVS·PATER, head of Augustus, radiate, left.
Rev: PROVIDENT S C, Altar-enclosure with double paneled door; surmounted by uncertain ornaments.
Refs: RIC 81; BMCRE 146; Cohen (Augustus) 228; RCV 1789.

This as posthumously honoring the deified Augustus was one of several such bronze coins issued by Tiberius, each with different reverse types. This one depicts an altar enclosure under which is inscribed PROVIDENT. These coins have been dated by Sutherland using die marks, axes, and stylistic features to an extended period from 22-30 A.D., though he postulates it may have been issued as a decennalia issue in AD 24, celebrating the first ten years of Tiberius' reign.[1]

This coin type is not rare; in fact, it is among the most common coins...

Saturninus; a name that makes all collectors of Roman Coins salivate. This usurper has been known for centuries by the stories of Zosimus and also of Historiae Augusta. Here is how its story is described:

Saturninus was a Gaul by birth, one of a nation that is ever most restless and always desirous of creating either an emperor or an empire. To this man, above all the other generals, because it seemed certain that he was truly the greatest, Aurelian had p399 given the command of the Eastern frontier, wisey charging him never to visit Egypt (Hist.Aug. Vol.3, 17,1)

Zosimus 1,66,1 : While Probus was thus employed, Saturninus, a Moor, the most familiar friend of the emperor, and for that reason entrusted with the government of Syria, threw off his allegiance, and rebelled against the emperor. When Probus learned this, he resolved to frustrate his designs, but was anticipated by the soldiers in the east, who destroyed Saturninus and all...

DENIER - PRINCE BOHEMOND III
Born: 1148 (est)
Prince: A.D. 1163-1201



Obverse: Portrait helmeted head right with crescent moon to left and star to right - BOAMVNDVS

Reverse: Cross with crescent moon top right of cross (Five pellets on A) - ANTIOCHIA

Easily one of my favorite, and probably one of the most recognizable, coins of the middle ages. The use of crescent punches to make the chain mail is a great low tech way to to represent armor. They really utilize the tools they had well to make a very recognizable, really iconic coin design that embodies the crusader states of the kingdom of Jerusalem in the Levant often refered to as Outremer.

This coin was minted for the Principality of Antioch, a state established during the first crusade that was at various times, and for most of its history, a vassal to Constantinople, The Kingdom of Jerusalem, or the...

Seventeen a beauty queen
She made a ride that caused a scene
In the town

Her long blonde hair
Hangin' down around her knees
All the cats who dig striptease
Prayin' for a little breeze
Her long blonde hair
Falling down across her arms
Hiding all the lady's charms
Lady Godiva

Peter and Gordon’s 1966 single celebrates the world’s most famous tax protest, the 11th century ride of Lady Godiva, wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia in Anglo-Saxon England. While Godiva was very much a real historical figure, modern historians view her fabled unclothed ride through town as implausible.[1]

The story of the lady’s naked ride was first recorded in Roger of Wendover’s 13th century book Flores Historiarum. The fable has been embellished over the centuries by such figures as the chroniclers in the Benedictine abbey of St. Albans, Daniel Defoe, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson,[2] but its plot is simple:

Earl Leofric, who was the Lord of Coventry, England, was...