I'm not real sure why I bought this but it appears there has been a recent hoard of them so it might be a good time to buy one while they are available. The flan is very thing making a good strike not something to be assumed. The obverse is a bit unusual in that it reads RICARDVS I - the Roman numeral for the first of the name is odd to my mind. The reverse is the mint city name around a very stylized castle: ROTOMAGVS. Richard (943-996 AD) was a Viking descendant credited with developing the feudal system in France.
And nary a few short years later an illegitimate son, of Viking decent, invaded and conquered a rather large island........ I'm much liking the piece Doug...........
Might I recommend this movie classic? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059896/ Excellent flick. Viewed it as a very young man (boy?) and the power and presence of it still remains with me.......
Richard I of England also served as Richard IV of Normandy about 200 years later. His French coins have his name divided into horizontal rows rather than running around the edges. I do not have one. His English coins were copies of his father Henry II's as are those of his brother John making it less thrilling to collect the big hero and big villain of the Robin Hood period. I'm unclear on how we are suppposed to separate the coins of these three rulers. All tend to be crude and read HENRICVS. http://home.eckerd.edu/~oberhot/eplant.htm My new coin is covered on another page on this same site: http://home.eckerd.edu/~oberhot/feud-normandy.htm
