Medieval Monday!

British Anglo-Saxon. Edward the Elder. King of Wessex, AD 899-924. AR Penny (1.33g). Two-line type, moneyer Bonus, small cross. Obv: +EADVVEARD REX; around small cross in solid inner circle. Rev: BONVS +++ MOMOMO; Moneyer’s name in two lines divided by three small crosses. Ref: North 649; SCBC 1087.

 

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I’ll keep with the Anglo-Saxon theme (but sadly, my only one):

England
Æthelred II, r. 978-1016 (997-1003)
Canterbury Mint, AR Long Cross Penny, 19.65 mm x 1.8 grams
Obv.: +ÆÐELRED REX ANGLO[rum]. Bare-headed bust left
Rev.: +LEO FRIC MΩO CENT. Voided long cross, each end terminating in three crescents
Ref.: North 774, SCBC 1151
Note: Peck marked and holed, likely by the Vikings

 

The beginning of the denier tournois as an international denomination with Philippe II Augustus:



AR20mm, 1.06g, denier tournois, minted at Abbey Saint Martin de Tours, around 1204-1220.
+ PHILIPVS REX; cross
+ SCS MARTINVS; Châtel tournois
Duplessy 176 (REX variant), Ciani 165, Lafaurie 193.

This coinage is still ecclesiastical de jure and was struck before the mint moved to the city of Tours around 1220. After the assassination of Arthur de Bretagne by John Lackland, Philip Augustus had the right pretext to lawfully advance on the domains of the Plantagenets on the continent, and he subsequently took control of Tours and became protector of the abbey (1202-1204) and from 1204 he became abbe laique.

Judging by the legend and the lettering, this denier was probably minted in the first stage of Philippe's control over Touranie.

 

...copper double tournois of Louis Xlll ..

 

Ah, so it was reducible to something as mundane as the available punches. ...Too bad! I was hoping for something more dramatic, along the lines of Pharoahnic Egyptian iconography reappearing on ancient coins of Alexandria and Melita (cf. esp. @TIF's amazing examples).

 

Today for medieval Monday: an unassuming little bracteate with a funny bull's head:


Duchy of Mecklenburg, anonymous issue, AR bracteate penny (“Hohlpfennig”), late 14th c. AD. Obv: head of a bull facing with clover between horns. Rev: negative design (bracteate). 16.5mm, 0.45g. Ref: Oertzen 173.

 

Another poorly struck issue, this time a Stephen type 1 penny of Rye. When this coin was dug up in 2012 it was only the second full example known (the other in Norwich Museum), together with a cut half. However, since then, two more have been found. RAVLF ON RIEE.

 

@robp, Nope, Uh-Uh, that is a (switching from American to English) Lovely example, replete with (enough of) the mint and moneyer.
I have a couple of Watford fractions, which I might try to find pictures of and post before the day is over. --Without checking anything, Rye just Sounds like a scarcer mint. Your comments on that would be cordially welcome.
--Oh No!!! Didn't check your 'small print' (i.e., close enough, from here)!!! ...Back to American, just, Yipes.

 

I’ve been eyeing another Stephen. I like the strong portrait on this one, but I would like an example with a more complete legend...
England
Stephen, r. 1135-1154 (c. 1136-45)
London Mint, AR Watford Type Penny, 19.17mm x 1.1 grams
Obv.: S[TIEFNE RE]X. Bust right, crowned and diademed, holding sceptre in right hand
Rev.: ADEL[ARD : ON : LVN]. Cross moline with fleur in each angle
Ref. North 873, SCBC 1278, CC99 ST1D-005, De Wit 3189

 

Italy, Republic of Genoa, 1139 - 1339 AR Gross ND

Obv: +.IA.NV.A. Castle view
Rev: CVNRADIREX, Maltese type cross with six diamonds around.
Ref: Biaggi 895

 

@FitzNigel, this is the one it was easy to find a picture of.
...Right, by comparison to your example, all you get is some moneyer whose name ends in 'R."

 

It's probably still monday in some place of the world....

Some more Dombes coinage. Louis II de Montpensier (1560-1582) today :

Double tournois - 1576 :


Denier tournois, silver issue (pièce de plaisir) - 1577 :



Liard - 1580 :


Q

 

Rye is only known for Henry I and Stephen. North gave RI or RU without assigning a mint with the moneyer (WU?)LPACHER. This presumably taken from the 1989 discovery of a Henry I type 12. The moneyer was confirmed as AILWACHER from last year's discovery of a type 7. All four main types of Stephen are known. There are 15 coins of Rye on the EMC database, which presumably this isn't the complete corpus as there is no type 6 listed, but will be close to.

There is so much to be found in the reigns of Henry 1 and to a lesser extent Stephen, with new mints and moneyers for type found every year for Henry I, which is the least documented reign of all. This must be partly due to the quality of most coins, so it would not be unexpected to find examples from old collections incorrectly attributed and reassigned.

 

WoW!!!!! Wish I had One ! Love the Video by the way. Brings me back to the 80's ( My youth )

 

Many thanks for the background, @robp. I had now idea the field (semi-literally) was so wide-open for Henry I --not just still, but now more than ever. ...I still have to seriously admire the more conscientious (and one may hope typical) detectorists in the UK. Sorry if this is a little rosy-eyed, but they really do come across as a kind of fifth column for archaeologists.

 

HOW HAS WORK BEEN SO CRAZY THAT I FORGOT IT WAS MONDAY???

With how often these pennies/esterlings were imitated, they were clearly working hard too:
England
Edward I, r. 1272-1307 (1279-1307)
London Mint, AR New Coinage Penny class 4d, 20.79mm x 1.37 grams
Obv.: .✚ ºEDW R' ANGL DNS HyB. Bust facing, full drapery, crown with small nick between dexter jewel and side fleur
Rev.: ºCIVI | TAS | LON | DON. Long cross quartering outer legends with three pellets in each quarter
Ref.: North 1026, SCBC 1397, De Witt 3243

 

One of the classics of medieval France, the denier parisis of Louis VII:


AR20mm 1.05g billon denier parisis du 3eme type, minted in the City of Paris, cca. 1140s.
+ PARISII CIVIS; cross pattee;
LVDOVICVS RƎX; FRA/NCO (in reverse/en boustrophédon) in field
Duplessy 146, Ciani 182, Lafaurie 139.

Ciani assumed that this type with the legend LVDOVICVS REX was minted in the reign of Louis IX, Duplessy is certain that this denier parisis du 3eme type should be attributed to Louis VII, possibly minted to finance his campaign in the Second Crusade (1147-1149).

This specimen has the Ǝ variation in LVDOVICVS REX; a similar specimens here and here.

 

Thanks, @FitzNigel, for rising, phoenix-like, to the challenge of reviving this. Well above and beyond the call of duty. ...Eventually, I'm going to try to squint out what class your example is. Meanwhile, here's an easy one to find pics of.
AEthelred II, 978-1014/6. 'Long cross' penny, c. 997-1003.
Obv. (from 7/8 o'clock) AED [OE 'thorn;' th] ELRED REX ANGLO [--rum
Rev. (from 9 o'clock) +DR / ENG / M=O / LINC (Dreng, moneyer in Lincoln).
(North 774.)
...Right, with worse than the particularly enthusiastic pecking. I still have to like this one for the combination of a moneyer with a Scandinavian name, and a mint in the 'five boroughs,' effectively the western part of the Danelaw. ...As such, the peck marks evoke the skepticism a native, Danegeld-taking Dane might harbor toward a more assimilated moneyer, whose people could have arrived over the preceding century and a quarter or so. ...Of course, I couldn't tell you who dented AEthelred's face!

 

@seth77, Very nice example ...but how do you date the 3ieme type as early as the 1140's? That was why I needed one of le premiere type. (...Finding the pictures would be its own project.) Duplessy (Royales) sounds pretty distinctly tentative about his own speculation (p. 71).

 

..kopecks of Ivan lV (was i ?) the Terrible...