bizarre 1st German pfennig & neat 1st Islamic coin

Last time I jinxed myself by posting coins before I got them, but the jinx resulted in a much better coin. I also was anxious to get some more info about said coins I bought.

A confluence of events forced a budget buy this time. I was going to go with a large Lucius Verus provincial from a vcoins German dealer (seems to be a hobbyist-dealer?, there were only close to 40 coins in the sold column), but then when I looked in acsearch, the same coin, same pic, same exact description was in a couple of semi-recent German auctions. There are oodles of perfectly innocent explanations - at least 2 come to mind, but I played safe (I had no dealings with said dealer) and went with a favorite dealer.

I really didn't know what I was going to buy, perhaps another Lucius Verus (which would be my first LV), but then I noticed a couple of coins from Marc B which caught my eye.

The first; I bought it because it was so bizarre. Can someone who collects these clue me in on who the figures are supposed to be? I didn't know that Dr. Who's Cybermen were making coins .


Attribution: Götz 10 a Steinhilber 137
Date: 1350-1390 AD
Obverse: Facing bust between R-A
Reverse: Two facing busts below pointed gables
Size: 18.27 mm
Weight: 0.92 grams
(Marc B was making a Mr. Bill joke, although the obverse looks like a Troughton-era Cyberman.

Next: a recent post insprired me to look for a super neat Seljuk type. The one below was the only one I found on Marc B's site, but a vcoins search turned up more; after the fact - (I guess I wasn't initially putting in the right terms). This will get me in the door until I upgrade it (probably soon). I would like a sharp lion and sun. Fellow members posted some very nice examples.

Can anyone clue me in on what the inscriptions say?

In thirty years of collecting it's my first Islamic coin. The script-only designs aren't something I really collect. This design is right up my alley!


Attribution: Mitch 982
Date: 1240/1 AD, AH 638
Obverse: Lion walking right, above, sun flanked by two stars
Reverse: Kufic legend in four lines
Size: 22.07mm
Weight: 2.65 grams
the description said Sivas mint.

The last was my first Bactrian/Indo-Greek coin in around 10 years. It's probably not covered by the recent MOU, but I was intrigued by the description as imitative (imitated by whom?) and I also liked the possible defiance which this coin represented.


Attribution: MACW 1782
Date: 160-145 BC
Obverse: Helmeted head of Menander right
Reverse: Athena advancing left with raised shield, brandishing thunderbolt
Size: 14.37mm
Weight: 0.90 grams

Does anyone know what mint this is imitating? I've always liked Bactrian and Indo-Greek coins; they have neat designs, but I'm not really into small coins. The tetradrachms are usually too expensive for me. I have only perhaps a half a dozen Bactrian/Indo-Greek coins.

I rather like the style. Do you think that it's truly an imitative issue?

 

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The inscriptions on the lion and sun dirham are as follows. On the obverse above the lion is the name of the 'Abbasid caliph: al-imam al-Mustansir billah amir al-mu'minin ("the imam al-Mustansir billah, commander of the faithful"). On the reverse, in four lines: al-sultan / al-a'zam / Kaikhusru / bin Kaiqubad ("the sultan / the very great / Kaykhusraw / son of Kayqubad"). In the margin segments are the mint (Siwas, clear at left) and date (written out in words, not so clear). Coins citing al-Mustansir are known dated AH 638, 639 and 640. The name al-Mustansir billah means "He who seeks aid from Allah".

 

Thanks very much!

 

Your first one (very nice Pfennig) could be a Pfennig from Ruprecht II and Ruprecht III, 1390-1407 from Pfalz, Oberpfalz on the obverse is count Ruprecht II facing and on the reverse, Ruprecht II and his son, Ruprecht III. Are you sure there are the letters R / A on the obverse? or are they R / R?
If it is R / A they could stand for R(uprecht)/ A(mberg) where Ruprecht II was born.

Could also be Ruprecht I if it is R /A:
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=7097063
Just my thoughts...

 

I'm just going by the dealer's description. The coin's not yet in hand, and I know absolutely nothing about medieval German coinage.

The headgear looks like this guy's. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=300662

Trawling through acsearch results for Regensburger, there were a lot of similar reverses but the headgear on the single figure was different.

 

They all look similar; I have one of Otto III & Heinrich II from Bavaria.

I am quite sure that yours is from Pfalz, Oberpfalz, not from Regensburg. It would be better to search at acsearch for "Ruprecht Pfennig" - you'll get 100 hits and there are several like yours.

On some of them it says "Pfennig nach Regensburger Schlag" which means struck according to the struck of Regensburg.

 

And per the Menander, would crystalization account for the super light weight? Trawling through acsearch, 2.45 g. is about the norm. The style doesn't look THAT bad to my untrained eye.

 

Thank you; those results do show a lot of similarities. Good thing I asked!

I mainly collect Roman and Byzantine, with a minor in Seleucid.

 

Is there anywhere where I can learn a little more about Ruprecht?

 

You can read a good, brief and concise story about the three Ruprecht here:

http://www.landeskunde-online.de/rhein/kultur/bheim/n_n/2012/n_n12_4_ruprechte.pdf

Do you speak/read German? If not, guess you can use google translate to read it in English?

 

I'll have to use translate. The one and only thing I remember from German class was 'Meine Taube ist Entzuendet,' the report by the nutty kid.

 

that doesn't make any sense to me; it means "my pigeon is inflamed"

 

Yes. Like I said, he was the nutty kid.

Poor die Frau. She put up with a lot.

 

@lordmarcovan I think used to have a very nice grade of your 2nd coin. Ask him to post a pic of it.

 

Thanks. A couple of members posted some nice ones in the thread The Seljuk Turks (aahh) or similar.

I'll probably upgrade soon.

 

Since the left head on the reverse of your coin wears a mitre, it's a joint episcopal and ducal issue from Regensburg itself. The reverse shows the bishop of Regensburg and the duke of Bavaria. There were multiple short lived bishops and dukes during the time these were struck, and it's thus not possible to identify the reverse as portraits of specific persons. I don't see the R-A on the obverse and would therefore identify your coin as Emmerig 248.

For comparison, here is my example:

Regensburg, anonymous joint episcopal and ducal issue, AR pfennig, c. 1315–1374 AD. Obv: Head of bishop within arcade. Rev: Heads of bishop and duke facing within double arcade. 17mm, 0.90g. Ref: Emmerig 248.

 

Success! Thanks! The Cyber-bishop is identified!

I know nothing about medieval German coins.