Help with Identity of French/Italian Coins

Hello all,

I am an archaeologist and I was recently presented with photos of three coins that were found by a metal detectorist. He has asked me to provide some information on these coins. I identified the first as a Charles VIII coin minted in Aquilia ca. 1495/1496. The other two are more problematic (likely a result of the poor quality of the images)...the first was also minted in Aquilia and has AQVILIANA * CIVITAS with an ornate cross (see image). I do not have an image of the other side of the coin.
The third coin in the group appears to be slightly later, the legend is largely obscured, but I was hoping that someone would recognize it anyways. I would be eternally greatful for any help anyone could give me on identifying these coins.

 

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bsuttie,
I can't make heads or tails out of these two coins..haha..but we have a lot of experts on european hammered coinage on this forum that probably can help.I'm VERY surprised one of them hasn't chimed in by now.
My guess is that they're from the same region and era as the Charles VIII you identified but the thing that puzzles me the most is the second photo.I've never seen such modern looking fonts on a coin from this period.Your first pic is typical of the era with very gothic looking lettering.I'm not sure what to make of it.
Ian,Chris,Doug,Aidan..Roy..where are you? My Krauses only go back to 1700

 

I agree with Doug on this one.

There are a couple of things i'm having difficulty with.

The first coin shown has `DUX' in the legend. This is not known on coinage of Aquila, at least not that i'm aware of.

It looks to me as if the legend reads `Mediolani Dux et C'. If that is the case (and it's pretty uncertain from that photo) then it is likely a billon Soldino from Milan....or a fake of same. The obverse legends would read either Ludovic DG Fran (or Francor) REX. That is, Louis XII during the period 1499 -1513.

The second however does appear to have `Aquilana Civitas' as the legend.
It could be a `Cavallo' or a `Deux Cavalli'.....or it could be a fake. It is impossible to tell one way or the other from these images. However I must point out that the ends of the cross on coin 2 are not typical for these denominations, which makes it suspect to me.

Black and white images do not tell the viewer what metal is used, nor do they help in pinpointing nuances that might indicate whether genuine or forgery. Colour scans are much easier to work with.

Ian

 

Thanks for the attempts

Thanks very much guys for your attempts at these coins....I do apologize for the quality of the images but these were all I was presented with as well. I can say that the coins are not silver nor gold. I am still trying to get better images of them, but these are the best I have at present...I was hoping that someone would see one of them and recognize it instantly....but I do appreciate your efforts.

Regards