Well it's French, and looks to have been heavily clipped. It will take me a while to pin it down. edit - I'm thinking it's 1486 if anyone can look in the meantime.
OK, this one has me stumped. The reverse with the cross with scalloped ends and 4 crowns in the quartlets is a typical French design. But the obverse with the coat of arms is typical of the House of Bourbon, which most would think of as being Spanish. But the House of Bourbon had rulers of both France and Spain, as well as parts of Italy, Sicily and even some German provinces at times if memory serves. But I can find no coin with matching designs for any of these. Now my books are limited for mainland Spain pre 1600. But I can find nothing for France, of which my books are extensive. So I'm going to have to rely on somebody else, unless I get lucky :headbang:
thankyou GDJMSP! thank you! I saw a coin on ebay that seems to have the same cross and crowns, does the name Benedict help to identify my coin? Can it be a coin from the vatican state? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=350225126534
Sorry but no. The coin you posted a link to is entirely different. There are literally thousands like that in the French books. No, the coin you first asked about is very, very different.
Finally found it.... Hungary, Sigismund(1386-1437), Parvus(half-denar,Obole) http://www.vcoins.com/ancient/centr...goriesAndProducts.asp?idcategory=28&curPage=5 http://www.medievalcoinage.com/gallery/hungary.htm
Not trying to be argumentative, just trying to see what you are seeing. Here is the OP's pic as originally presented, then rotated 90 deg clock wise each time until it is presented from all 4 perspectives.
The Mintmark/initials don't match on these, but from what I understand there were many variations. The shields look like a match to me.
All I am saying is that the OP's coin is a completely different design than the one you found. The horizontal chevrons on the 1 shield are the only thing that the two coins have in common. The OP's coin has no eagles, the OP's coin has only 1 shield instead of 2. The OP's coin has intitials or legends at the top that the Vcoins coin does not. The coin may well be a parvus, and probably is, I have no idea. It is certainly similar, but then so are a lot of other coins from other countries. I'm just not convinced it's the same coin.
I think the only difference is the text at the top of the OP coin...I think there are eagles on the OP coin (not trying to argue with you)...if you look at the pic below: BTW...parvus in latin means 'small' not 'poor' IMO it is a variant of the Sigismund with what appears to be (?)SG on the OP's coin
You might be right Dru. It's just that on the Vcoin coins there is no bar that goes all the way across the top of what you are outlining as the eagle as there plainly is on the OP's coin. That's why I was thinking it was something else and not an eagle.
The way I see it is there is one shield on both coins. They both have two fields that have bars running horizontally. Its hard to make out but I am positive there is an eagle in the top right of the OP coin. Although I rounded the head off a bit, it is actually hitting the top border of the shield giving the eagle a flat head like the Vcoin version. The strike is way off thus it cuts the lower right bars off and cuts of the lower part of the bottom left eagle...but I clearly see the head and wings of that eagle and the full silhouette of the top right eagle (its VERY worn so its hard to make out but I am positive there are two eagles). Although the inscription looks a bit like S6...I think its SG...There is something before the S but I cant make that out. Also, the OP coin does not have the arch that is OVER the lower eagles head like the Vcoin example though it does appear to break the center line with a small arc like the vcoins example does. So its NOT the same coin...its a slight variation of the same design for the same ruler... Just an opinion.
I did not think the Hungarians used Arabic numbers on thier coinage till around 1500 AD. Before that Roman numerals. Just stirring the pot a bit. Traci
