I recently bought a coin I cannot find in any of the online databases. It's bronze...one side centers a shield that is fairly worn very well; a crown lies above that at the top of the coin. On the same side there is written along the edging- "PHILIPPE *V* D*G*"...I believe. On the 2nd side is the outline of a rose, a cross in the center cutting it into four quarters, with a lion in the upper right and lower left quarters...the other 2 I can't make out. It may be a fake...who knows, but I was interested if anyone has any ideas what this could be. Thanks in advance.
Can you post a picture? It usually makes identification quicker. I don't think i can be of much help in this particular instance but i'm sure someone will be along who knows something.
Thanks for replying so quick. I'm trying to use my stupid camera to do that right now to no avail. We'll see if I can do it. Thanks again.
Hi Matt, and welcome to the forum. Philip V ("Philip the Tall") ruled France from 1317-22, and is best known for adding considerable territory in 1320. It will take someone with specialized references on early French coinage to give you much help, as the Standard Catalog of World Coins only goes back to 1601, and although the Standard Catalog of World Gold Coins goes back further, you say yours is bronze. GDJMSP and Ian are the two members most likely to be able to help you, and neither one is logged on at this time.
I haven't got any references to help, now if it had been an English coin of that period i would have answered you question ages ago!
Kinda funny that you mentioned that, Sylvester. Because the two lions I mentioned on the back look like the English coat of arms....at least I think they do
I took some pics of them. They came out pretty badly but might be some help. Now I don't know how to insert them.
I did some more researching and thought, "Perhaps there was a King Philippe not French". Well, I'm happy to say I found it out. This is a Spanish coin minted during the reign of Philippe V the Bourbon, a Spanish King, and was printed in Mexico City between the years of 1705-1723 under the assayer Jose Eustaquio de Leon. Here's the link to the info if anyone is interested http://www.atochatreasurecoins.com/atochacoindesign.htm , thanks for the help.
The coin you are describing would indeed be Spanish - but if it is copper or bronze then it wasn't minted in Mexico. They did not issue any copper coinage during the reign of Phillip V. To the best of my knowledge none of the colonial mints issued copper during the reign of Phillip V - only Spain herself did. But the design you describe was only used on silver coinage. I sure wish you could post a pic of this coin. Then I might be able to figure this out.
You are compltely correct. It is not a cooper/bronze coin, but is silver....and it was not printed in Mexico but in Seville.
Here is a website with a picture of the coin exactly. http://www.cgb.fr/monnaies/vso/v09/gb/monnaiesgb1b82.html
I'm a little confused. The coin in that picture is an example of 2 spanish reales - that particular issue was 1725, but you said yours is circa 1320?
I'm not a very big coin collector, and just picked this coin up randomly when I was overseas and thought it might be fun to figure it out. I didn't understand the process of toning on a silver coin, and before I cleaned it I thought it was copper/bronze based on the color. I originally thought it was a French coin because of "Philippe V", which I unwisely assumed was a French King, which turned out to be Philippe V of Spain, the nephew of Loius XIV and first in the Spanish Bourbon line. Basically, this forum is a bunch of my amatuer guesses until I finally figured it out. Hope that clears it up
