Good evening all, I came across this silver coin around one year ago. It was well within my budget ($1), and I was just starting out my medieval coin collection. I figured I would add this small coin to my collection and spend some time trying to identify later. My dilemma is that "later" has arrived, and I have been unable to figure anything out about this coin. If any of you could take a second and share your thoughts, I would appreciate it! All I can tell is that there appears to be a long cross on one side and the outline of a shield (possibly) on the other side. Also, apologies for the poor quality photos. The coin is worn horribly, and my low resolution photos are not helping with that.
Any chance of getting a clearer photo outside the holder? This may be tough considering the only clear device is the cross which was on most medieval coins. The lettering should help, but it’s hard to make out
@FitzNigel Unfortunately, that is the best picture I got before I returned to law school. I know the photo (taken with my iPhone 6) is awful, but I was hoping that the 3 letters in the bottom quadrant of the top picture may be enough for someone to identify. It seems a daunting task.
If you take the coin in hand and sit inside a window (to the outside), and hold the coin between both thumbs and forefingers, and 'roll' the coin around (very slowly) while rotating it (even more slowly), the ambient light (no direct light) sometimes shows up letters and pictures 'invisible' previously. (I do this sometimes with my coins, while sitting at my desk with my window on my right hand side.) If you do this I suspect you may find some 'relief' that corresponds with English or French coins of the 14th to the 18th centuries.
@Topcat7 I will certainly give that a shot when I have the coin back in hand. Thank you for the suggestion. I was thinking that it was an English penny, but I cannot find any English penny that matches the long cross style while missing the trefoils in each quadrant. The letters in the bottom quadrant of the photo seem to read "ERI." Perhaps I will try searching for it as a French silver coin.
