Over the last several years I have become enthralled with Anglo-Gallic coins; i.e. those coins minted by the English kings and their feudal vassals in their territorial possessions in France. The series is massive and covers almost 300 years of history. It also includes some great historical figures, Richard Coeur de Lion being one of the most prominent. The coinage of Richard is one of the areas I've heavily focused on and there are a large number of coins that are available as the mints of Richard in both Aquitaine and Poitou were prolific. In Anglo-Gallic Coins by P & B.A. Withers and Steve Ford, the best reference on the subject, there are 6 obverse die and 11 reverse die listed that are paired in 17 combinations for denier of Aquitaine. Some are exceedingly rare, with only a few specimens known. The most common is AGC 5 1/a and it is quite common. Richard I AR Denier as Duke of Aquitaine 1172-1189 AD Bordeaux mint 18.0mm 0.86g Obv: +/RICA/RDVS/ω in four lines. Rev: +AQUITANIE, cross pattee within inner border. AGC 5 1/a The list of 6 obverse dies and 17 combinations is going to have to be updated. A denier of Richard from Aquitaine came up for auction in April via CNG that caught my eye. While CNG noted that it was extremely rare, it is unlisted in Anglo-Gallic Coins or the other references. I was also unable to find any examples of the type that had come up for auction in recent years. To make a long story short, I won the coin with a massive last second bid. After the coin arrived I brought it to the attention of the author's Anglo-Gallic Coins. They confirmed what I had suspected, that it is a previously unknown obverse die paired with a common reverse die and makes for a completely new variety. It is also quite possibly unique. What makes the coin so special is that the obverse legend is a complete mess. The order of the letters is reversed and the C and D are retrograde. The Rs on both lines are retrograde and inverted. Yet the A, S, and V, are correctly oriented. Instead of reading RICA/RDVS the obverse reads: Needless to say, the poor die engraver really botched this job. To have a newly discovered and possibly unique coin for such a historical figure is quite the thrill. One of the true specialists in the field has inquired after the coin and I'm not sure if I am going to keep it. For the time being though I am probably the only person in the world with this variety of Richard denier. Please add any coins you have that are unique, rare, or unlisted be they Greek, Roman, or Medieval.
Very nice, wonder if a hoard was found recently since I hadn't seen many of these and now they're pretty common. So much so I could get one under $50. Anglo-Gallic, Aquitaine, Richard I Cœur de Lion ("the Lionhearted"), Count of Poitou and Duke of Aquitaine 1172-1185 A.D., King of England 1189-1199 A.D. AR denier O: + / RICA / RDVS / ω. R: +AQVITANIE. Cross pattée. Bordeaux mint. 19mm .83g Elias 4; Poey D'Avant 2768.
WOW @TheRed ! THAT is FANTASTIC! Congrats! ME? I could not even consider giving it up! I feel you would regret it the moment it passes from your hands! This is a very Rare coin with impeccable provenance... Etruria, Populonia (pronounced Fufluna) 2-½ asses , AR 0.85 g 3rd century BCE Obv: Radiate female head r.; behind, IIC (retrograde). Rev: Blank. Ref: EC 104 (misdescribed, Female head with an Attic helmet). Historia Numorum Italy 179. NAC Comment: Of the highest rarity, apparently only the SECOND specimen known. British museum is where the 2nd one resides... Dark patina and about very fine. Ex: From the collection of E.E. Clain-Stefanelli (Further research E.E. Clain-Stefanelli's excellent provenance... ) ANS Executive Director Ute Wartenburg reported that Elvira Eliza Clain-Stefanelli died Oct. 1, 2001. Mrs. Stefanelli retired in 2000 as the Senior Curator of the National Numismatic Collection in the Numismatics Division of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. She was at the Smithsonian for forty years, and was responsible with her husband Vladimir for organizing and building up the National Numismatic Collection (from 60,000 to over 1,000,000 pieces.) She survived a Nazi concentration camp in WWII Europe, moved to Rome, and learned numismatics there. In New York she and her husband worked for Stack's and started the Coin Galleries division there. Her most recent publication was "Life In Republican Rome On its Coinage", a lavishly illustrated discussion of the themes which appear on the coinage of the Roman Republic, published in 1999. Her major contribution to the science of numismatic literature was her classic "Numismatic Bibliography", published in 1985.
That second coin is a wonderful addition to your collection. What a great find. Congrats on spotting and acquiring such a rarity. Here is one of my rare coins. It is a left facing bare-headed Vespasian. When I purchased the coin it was the only one known. Since then another has been found and purchased by own own @David Atherton . Both known examples are now owned by CT members. Also, my coin is the coin mentioned in RIC II Part one. Vespasian (69-79). AR Denarius (18.08mm, 3.50g, 6h). Rome, AD 75. Obv: Bare head l. R IMP CEASAR VESPASIANUS AUG Rev: Pax seated l., resting l. elbow on throne and holding branch. PON MAX TRP COS VI RIC II 773 (this coin); RSC –. Extremely Rare variety, near VF. Ex Vecchi sale 13, 1998, 757. Ex: St Paul Antiques auction 7 Lot 285 June 11, 2017 Coin depicted in the Wildwinds.com database.
@Mat there was a hoard of Richard denier that consisted of about 3000 coins that was found in 2000. It is known as the Civrac hoard and was purchased as a whole by CNG back in 2005. I have a suspicion that they have been slowly releasing the coins for years. Andy Singer, a MD dealer in medieval coins, was also telling me about a hoard that was found in Bordeaux recently that has been slowly parceled out for the last couple years. I agree, the market seems to be really saturated right now. Even FORVM had some for sale. Very nice Etruscan coin @Alegandron You weren't kidding, that is an incredible provenance. I would love to collect Etruscan coins, but right now only have one. Thanks @Orfew To think that two CT members have the only known examples, what are the odds? What makes me curious is why the coin is so rare. My denier is the result of a blundered die and it makes sense that not many would be minted using it. Your Vespasian, on the other hand, is a lovely coin. So why is it so scarce?
Bare head portrait left is quite an unusual combination for Vespasian. Was it the product of a rogue engraver, a mistake, or struck as a presentation piece? Mint records did not survive antiquity, so we shall never know the answer to these questions.
Herennius Etruscus head-right / Plowing scene heading left. Couldn't find exact match in any reference that I know.
Amazing coin @TheRed! I remember seeing that and comtemplating putting in a bid, but I didn’t do my research and didn’t realize it was potentially unique
That's awesome @TheRed ! I wish I had something to contribute to your fantastic thread but unfortunately I don't have any unique coins Really cool though. If it was me I'd hang on to it
