" Wicked War Wednesday!" Post yours as well....

Greece (Kingdom of Macedon): silver "Mercenaries" drachm of King Perseus, ca. 175-170 BC
King Perseus of Macedon issued these coins to pay for mercenaries from the island of Rhodes, to help him fight the Romans in the Third Macedonian War. (Spoiler alert: he lost.) These coins mimic the issues from Rhodes, which his soldiers would have been familiar with: an image of the sun god Helios on the obverse, and a rose on the reverse.


This is what a standard Rhodian drachm looked like, a little later.



Roman coins of the "Year of Four Emperors".
The year 69 AD, known as "the Year of the Four Emperors", was a time of turmoil and civil war within the Roman Empire. During that year four different emperors ruled, starting with Galba, who was assassinated, and subsequently followed by Otho and Vitellius, each of whom ruled for only a few months. The final victor was Vespasian, who founded the Flavian Dynasty.









Crusader States: ca. 1163-1201 AD silver "helmet" denier of Bohemond III of Antioch
This coin dates to the time of the Crusades. It was struck by Bohemond III, who was captured at the Battle of Harim in 1164, but later released. This coin is also an available prize option in my giveaways, the latest one of which may be found here.



Ireland: brass "gun money" halfcrown of James II, July, 1690
Struck during the Williamite-Jacobite War. "Gun money" got its nickname from supposedly having been made from melted-down cannons. But church bells and other items were used as well. This coin graded AU53 at PCGS, and in 2018 when I owned it, it was the only example certified. Another has since been graded, so it is now population 2. Gun money is also interesting because it gives not only the year of issue, but the month as well.



United States: 1863 bronze patriotic Civil War token, "Our Little Monitor" type
I have always loved this Civil War token design with the USS Monitor on it.



United States (Champion Paper Co.): 1942 silver WW2 deployment medal presented to Logan Robertson
This was my grandfather's WW2 deployment medal. He was the son of the cofounder of Champion Paper, which issued these medals. The mounted knight was Champion's logo. I have seen eight of these medals in bronze that were issued to Champion employees, but Granddaddy's is the only silver one I have seen.



Ukraine: colorized nickel-brass (albata) medal: Heroes of "Maydan" (Maidan), 2014
The current Russo-Ukrainian War had its origins in the Euromaidan protests of 2014. This medal honors the Ukrainian heroes in the beginning of that conflict. It ended up being the prize in one of my past giveaways.

 

Sal- I’ve said it before, but that button is a fantastic find. I was a coinshooter first and a relic hunter second, during my detecting days, but that button find would have made me as happy as digging a large cent or Seated dime would have. It’s probably worth more, too.

I suspect it’s silvered copper or brass, judging from the color. Not gilt. (Note that gilt and guilt are entirely different words.)