This is by far the best and my favourite coin in my collection. I never thought I'd get this nice of a coin in my collection and I'm just privileged to have it. With that being said here is my Ireland 1553 Mary Shilling. This was struck after Lady Jane Gray was deposed and before Mary married Phillip. Coins with only her portrait were only made in Ireland and their very rare. Please feel free to post any relevant coins below!
Congratulations, @Nathan F! It's always a thrill to add a coveted rarity to one's collection. Well done!
Congratulations! I had to look this coin up to learn what it was, but I can see why you are so excited. By the way, when trying to learn what these were, I came across a fun article about them from an Irish archaeological society journal in 1855. (No doubt there is more current research, but I'm a sucker for the old numismatic literature with its line-drawings!) If you're interested, it's available on JSTOR (you don't need an account, it's open access), "On the Irish Coins of Mary," Proceedings and Transactions of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland Archaeological Society, 1855, Vol. 3, No. 2 (1855), pp. 357-368. I don't have any particularly relevant to the type, so I'll share my own "Greatest coin in my collection," not the greatest because it's the best coin or the most attractive or desirable or expensive, but because it was the first one (purchased in the summer of 1988 (or 87?)). My parents got me into ancient coin collecting, and we bought this one from a Paris coin shop while traveling.
Wow, a wonderful coin of Mary I. I had long been wanting one too and got an OK groat. I assume the scratch was done during her reign since she was disliked so much & I have seen many similar scratched like it. Mary (1553 - 1554 A.D.) AR Groat O: mΛRIΛ : (pomegranate) D’. G’. ΛnG'. FRΛ’. Z : hIB’. RЄGI’, crowned bust left; double and single annulet stops. R: VЄRITΛ S (pomegranate) TЄm PORIS FILIΛ, royal coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée. Tower (London) mint; im: pomegranate 23mm 1.86g North 1960; SCBC 2492
That's a really nice one, always neat to hopefully associate damage with it's history. I feel to some extent the wear and tear of a coin is part of it's appeal, a more worn example particularly of an ancient or medieval coin likely has a more interesting story then a MS example.
I love seeing individuals' opinions on the best coin in their personal collections. Oftentimes, the greatest coin is not the prettiest, or the rarest, or the most expensive. The GREATEST coin in my collection is this rather corroded Diadumenian tetrassarion; the reverse makes this worth every cent I paid, and more.
I don't have my GREATEST coin in hand yet. It's still working its way through Poste Italiane. But here it is:
Nice one! Congratulations with a historic coin! I got a relevant coin in the mail yesterday, as a matter of fact. From a CNG auction in December: England, Elizabeth I Tudor, 1558-1603 AD. AR Shilling second issue. Tower (London) mint; im: martlet. Struck 1560-1561. Obverse: Crowned bust left Reverse: Coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée. Reference: North 1985; SCBC 2555. In NGC encapsulation 2821082-005, Size: 32mm, 5.98 g, 7h. Conservation: NGC graded VF DETAILS, REV GRAFFITI. I haven’t gotten around to breaking it out of the slab and take my own pics yet. Will be a project for the weekend.
That is a really rare Irish shilling of Mary. I don't have any coinage of Mary, but I do have coinage of her husband, Philip II of Spain. Here is a mezzo ducato of Philip II, Naples. This was minted before he became king of Spain in 1556. The obverse legend includes ...ANG... at around 11 o'clock, in reference to his marriage to Mary of England. Philip II, 1554-1556 Mezzo ducato Naples Obverse: PHILIP·R·ANG·FR·NEAP·PRI·HISPA· "Philip, King of England, France, Naples, Prince of Spain", crowned bust, to the left the monogram IBR (Juan Bautista Rabaschiero). Reverse: POSVIMVS·DEVM·ADIVTOREM·NOSTrum "We have made God our helper" crowned arms, half Spanish, half English (lions and fleur-de-lis interchanged). Pannuti Riccio 3 14.7 grams Typically crude hammer strike. Once cleaned, now re-toning.
Great coins, great placemarker in history, and so cool you snared a tough-to-get one! Congrats, @Nathan F ... way cool!
I have Sis... England Elizabeth I AR 3 Pence 1566 Her bust l rose shield 19 mm G And, Dad, minted in Ireland... IRELAND Henry VIII 1509-1547 AR Groat 25mm 2.5g hЄnRIC VIII DI GR RЄX - RΛnCIЄ ЄT hIBЄRnIЄ harp H & R London SCBI 22 Copenhagen
That's a cool addition @Nathan F, congrats. I would be hard pressed to choose the greatest coin in my collection : depending on criteria it would vary a lot. Greatest for sentimental reason ? preservation ? rarity ? artistry ? style ? provenance ? Here's my last greatest : a Dombes double tournois minted for Gaston d'Orleans 1629 CE, which is the plate coin in the Divo book (the reference book for Dombes) + GA8TON . V8VF . DE . LA . 8OV . DOMB . Buste fraisé à droite + DOVBLE . TOVRNOI8 . 1629 Trois lis sous un lambel 21 mm - 2,68 gr Ref : Divo Dombes # 195, CGKL # 732 (b2), Boudeau # 1087 Ex collection André Kühn C'est l'exemplaire illustrant le type dans le CGKL Q
