Medieval Monday!

Jobst of Moravia (1388-1411). Luxembourg. Groschen (Gans).
First issue: (c.1388-1397)
Obv: +IODOC'.mɅRCh.'ZNS'.MORɅVIE
REV: Outer circle:SIT:NOM/eNDnI'./IhV'.XPI./BNDICT'./
Inner circle: mOn/ETA./LUC/eNB'/
Weiller.157; BV.168; Probst.L.166-1
What is unusal are the tiny faces in some of the letters.
'O' of IDOC, the 'm' of MARCH & the 'O' of MORɅVIE contain 4 faces, obv.
'm' and 'O' of MONETA, the 'C' of LUC contain 4 faces, rev.
This feature only occurs for not more than 30 years (c.1388-1417) in only four states: Luxembourg, Archibishopric of Trier, Archibishopric of Mainz, and the County of Hainaut.
Coins minted are silver groschen & double gros, and gold 'goldgulden.' As the coins are about a quarter or a penny in size, the faces are only legible with magnification. It is not known what the purpose for putting faces in the legend lettering and nor do we know the name of the person who engraved the dies or who ordered this be done. There is considerable minor die variation among the Luxembourg groschen coins (as is the norm with medieval coinage).

 

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I posted the cruddy pics of my best example of Chartres already. ...Haven't people posted as much as an entire thread right here, about the type chinonais /bleso-chartrain?
...Just to be difficult --that is to say, with none of the intervening context--
here's one of the later, more elaborate regional variations of the motif, from Vendome, c. late 12th-early 13th century.

 

@Terry Nield, Welcome!!!!
This detail of this issue, which you write about, is Really Strange. ...Even when thinking about the already-commercial copyists of books in Paris over the 13th century, I have to wonder how quickly they went blind. ...Like brain trauma in boxing or American football; an implicitly recognized part of the job.
...No, is there still a television show like "Unsolved Mysteries"? Here's a candidate!

 

I recently picked up a penny of King John that was minted in Ipswich, a mint that I have wanted to add to my collection. To be honest though, I would love to add an example from all of the mints of the Plantagenet kings. I just need to convince my wife that we should stop paying our mortgage so I can save up $25k for the next time aLichfield penny comes to auction. Anyways, here is my penny from Ipswich

John I AR Short Cross Penny class Vc 1205 AD. Ipswich mint; Iohan moneyer; struck in the name of Henry II.
17.8mm 1.43g
Obv: Crowned head facing; scepter to left; HENRICVSR EX
Rev: Voided short cross; quatrefoil in each angle; +IOHAN*ON*GIPE
SCBC 1352; North 971

 

@TheRed, that is just a freaking brilliant, Brilliant smegging, freaking, smegging brilliant example. You're just That Good. ...For the whole reign, I'd be happy with an example on this level from Any old, slumming mint.
Hell, London, even. Cf. the epitaph W. C. Fields proposed for his tombstone: 'On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia.'
...Meanwhile, best of luck with that, expletive of your choice, mortgage.

 

Welcome Terry! That’s a lovely coin! I’m fascinated by the faces - had no idea those were in coins. I’ve seen manuscripts with those types of doodles before - how neat!

 

Okay, I said early I would post another coin today since my Athelred was a double from before. Here’s a Norman coin I purchased this year - I’ve wanted this particular type for a while now. I don’t know why, the columns of the devolving chapel just appeal to me. It’s not the nicest example, but I haven’t seen many come available.
Feudal France - Normandy
William II-William Clito/Henry I, r. 1035-1135 (1075-1130)
AR Denier, 17.41 mm x 0.7 grams
Obv.: +NORMANA. Cross pattee with pellets in angles
Rev.: Degenerate chapel, pellet in pediment, with four columns/comb, S above annulet on either side
Ref.: Dumas XX-4, Roberts 4835
Ex. Lilburn Collection, Ex. Baldwins sale 25 (26 Sept. 2006), part of lot 1984
Note: Dumas group C et D according to Moesgaard

 

Here is a billon denier of Charles II Duke of Lorraine, reign 1390-1431, 0.81g 18mm. He took part in the last crusade in the 1390's and also actually met Joan of Arc in 1429. This coin is really darkly toned and so difficult to photograph (especially with a phone!).

Swords are common design elements in coins of Lorraine - there are some wonderful silver ones but still looking for one within budget.

Obverse: Lorraine coat of arms, KAROLVS DUX LOTHOR
Reverse: vertical sword with rose to each side, MONETA IN SIERK
Roberts 9373, Boudeau 1486

 

Except, @FitzNigel, just the combination here of a much less forgiving medium than manuscript, on an even smaller scale, kind of raises this to a different level. (...Sorry, thinking out loud.)

 

Thanks for the kind words @+VGO.DVCKS I've got a couple English collecting goals I'm trying to stick to, like one example per type from the 8 mints that struck Tealby, Short Cross, VLC, and Long Cross, but then a nice penny from a scarce mint comes along and I can't resist. It's catch one release another though so I parted with a Philip and Mary groat to get the Ipswich penny. The only bloody Mary I need goes in a glass.

 

@TheRed, at least as soon as you said '8 mints' and 'Tealby,' (Yipes, in the Same Line), it was time to say, 'I fold.' Best of luck.

 

Well @+VGO.DVCKS 'goal' might be a kind word for getting Tealby pennies from those mints. It's probably a veeerrryyy long term aspiration. Much more realistic is trying to get a penny from all of the mints that struck them under Edward I.

 

@TheRed, I've even known people who tried for every mint of Edward I. But where aspirations are concerned, why not?
Your new avatar is Cool, btw. Edward the Confessor, from the look of it. Have you ever posted that? If not, here's another, less long-term project....

 

A sol coronat from Tarascon ca. 1414, for Louis II d'Anjou (1384-1417):


AR22mm 1.46g gros/sol coronat, Tarascon mint, cca. 1414.
+ : LVD - OV: IHR: ET: SICIL': - REX: Crown over two lis
+ : COMES: PVICE: ET: FORCA: Arms of Anjou and Jerusalem.
Poey d'Avant 4052, Boudeau 866.


Notes: Minted for Louis II d'Anjou as King of Sicily and Jerusalem. By this time the Kingdom of Jerusalem was only titular, Sicily was ruled by the Aragonese and Naples was ruled by Giovanna II/Jeanne II d'Anjou-Durazzo. As an exponent of the House of Valois-Anjou, Louis was just titular and pretender to the throne of Naples, and not acting King.

His coinage in Provence where he was regnant Count is marked by his projection as King of Sicily and Jerusalem, showing both the coat of arms of Jerusalem and that of his Angevin family. Basically a propaganda piece.

 

Here is a new addition for me. Picked up at our local monthly coin show. Looks better than my pictures show. The portrait is much clearer.



William I. 1066-1087. AR Penny Pax type, circa 1083-1086. +PILLELM REX, crowned bust facing, holding sceptre / +IELFPINE ON DTF, cross pattée, annulet with letter of P A X S in each angle. BMC 1004; North 848; SCBC 1257.

Any good references for determining the mint and moneyer? I have the standard catalogue put out by Spink annually but that didn't seem to help.

 

What a great coin, congratulations!

I can come up with a nipenning, or gros, from Erik of Pomerania:



Erik VII, also called Erik of Pomerania, Danish Erik af Pommern, Swedish and Norwegian Erik av Pommern, (born c. 1381, Pomerania—died c. June 1459, Rügenwalde, Pomerania [now Darłowo, Poland]), king of the united realms of Denmark, Norway (as Erik III), and Sweden (as Erik XIII) from 1397 to 1439; his autocratic rule and foreign wars eventually lost him the throne in all three of his dominions.

- Britannica -

 

I bought a group lot with a lot of these in it this year - but I bought this one individually first. While a later coin, I like how crude the design is
Bulgaria
Ivan Alexander, r. 1331-1371 (1365-1371)
Trnovo mint, AR Groši Type E, 19.63 mm x 1.12 grams
Obv.: Christ standing in front of throne, both hands raised in benediction. IC - XC on either side of head. Monograms for Alexander and Tsar on either side of his body above the throne
Rev.: Ivan Alexander left and son Michael Asen right wearing stemma & holding cross scepters. Long staff between topped with a banner. Monograms for ‘Alexander’ and ‘Tsar’ on either side at top, and monograms for ‘pious’ and ‘Michael’ in the fields
Ref.: MSCB Bulgaria 9.1.2; De Wit 3905 (as Asen I)

 

All great coins - Panzerman's Monomachus is a stunner! I'd also really like to get one of those Bulgarian coins (see above).

Here is one of the many little Hungarian denars with a geometric design. These are fun little coins - if you want to get a cheap little medieval coin to start out with you can't go wrong with these. I don't know how they attributed these types to specific rulers but it must have been challenging as most of them have no text.

Stephan II denar
c.1114 - 1131
0.39 gm, 10.5 mm
Huszar 91

 

I'm somewhat late this time – on the other hand, it would technically still be Monday if I were in California. Thus I'll follow @TTerrier 's lead with another 12th century Hungarian denár. "Fun little coins" is a good description of these:


Kingdom of Hungary, anonymous issue under Stephan II, AR denár, 1114–1131 AD. Obv: cross with two triangles, pellet, and small cross in each quadrant. Rev: cross with triangles in quadrants in circle; strokes instead of legend around. 12mm, 0.33g. Ref: Huszár 76; Unger 42.