I am seeking to enter the medieval game, but I literally know nothing about it. For those of you who collect medieval, can you share reliable dealers, guides and references collectors of medieval coins need, collecting ideas/themes, etc. to help me get started? I feel about medieval coins the same way I did abut ancient coins 8 months ago...complete bewilderment. Any help is appreciated.
What part are you interested in? Early (500-1000), High (1000-1300), or Late (1300-1500)? European? Chinese? Islamic? Etc.
I get a lot of my Medieval from Josh of Civitas. Can be a bit expensive though but a great dealer to buy from. http://www.civitasgalleries.com/cgi/store/commerce.cgi?page=medievalhome.html Also get alot from Ebay and misc. VC dealers.
European silver: 1100 through late 1400s would be a good start, I guess. I don't want to do dark ages or early medieval stuff yet. I want the classical medieval coins with crosses, portraits, animals, etc. At least I think that's what to expect, I have no idea if thats the norm or not. PS: I am interested in Islamic, but I have no particular rush to fully enter that arena yet. I'm fine with the one I have for now....so I need help with the European stuff.
@Sallent While I don't have any yet, I admire the celtic coinage. Just another period in history I'm amazed with. The stag seems to be a popular animal.
What should a collector expect to pay for the knight on the horse as good as yours. It's beautiful! Never mind, Thanks, I found one at auction.
For Islamic, I would say Stephen Album. For medieval dealers, I think it depends on your area of interest - there are good English and French dealers. V-coins and the various ancient auction sites usually have some good medieval finds - just need to be persistent if there is something in particular you are looking for. Despite being "newer," fewer medieval coins survive, and are often rarer. And never call it the Dark Ages... Medievalists hate that.
Can you recommend at least one or two good English and French medieval dealers on Vcoins? I've found several but I have no idea who is supposed to be good or not.
A good start for a beginner reference would be Reading Medieval European Coins by Ralph S. Walker. I got my copy, ironically, from FORVM. Great investment. No, it won't make you an expert, but it will help you identify who, where, and therefore leads to when, in a broad sense.
http://www.cgbfr.com - good French site, great archives for French coins, but the English version isn't always reliable York Coins on Vcoins tends to have a great selection, but are a little pricey (http://www.yorkcoins.com) With the volumes on Early Middle Ages, Iberia, and southern Italy of Medieval European Coinage published, these areas can usually be found aplenty in auctions, as well as English and Byzantine which have also been well published. I find French Feudal and German coins are a bit more of a challenge. If you are looking for the typical Cross reverse type, it begins in France, but spreads almost everywhere.
