I have this large silver hammered coin,almost half-dollar size.The only clue I have to what it is was the label on the 2x2 when I purchased it.The original label said John 1296-1346 but not what state/city/country.I'm usually good at finding these things but this one has me stumped.There were a lot of John's at this time.Help would be appreciated.
This looks a lot like a coin from either Luxembourg or Bohemia, the Lion is Bohemian, but during this time the royal family was ruling both Luxembourg and Bohemia.
krasnaya,you may have helped me find it.I looked up coins of Luxemburg/bohemia and came up with this.It's kind of a crude drawing but might be my coin.What do you all think? BOHEMIA: FAMOUS PRAGER GROSCHEN Most important medieval trade coin of Central Europe. Obv.: Crown. Rev.: Two-tailed lion. John the Blind, 1310-46, VF.......$75 and from e-bay http://cgi.ebay.com/Bohemia-Prager-...QcategoryZ3363QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting
OK,thanks everyone.I found a really good site with this coin and a history of John The Blind.Seems he died on the side of France at the battle of Crecy: AR prager groschen, 27mm. Obv inner legend: +IOHANNESRIMV_, outer legend: DEI GRATIA BOHIMIE, central crown. Rev *+* GROSSI PRAGENSES, central lion. One of the interesting sidelights of the battle was the fact that king John of Bohemia joined the battle on the French side. The interest is that he was blind. He tied his horse to those of his knights and they went into battle together. John and most of his group were slaughtered, a not unsurprising result when led by a blind king and all tied together. These photos are of a memorial marker to John off the battlefield, with the inscription that he 'died for France.' The sign on his shield was three white plumes, and Edward the Black Prince adopted this as an element on his own coat of arms after the battle.
