Can anybody give me a clue as to the country of origin and approximate date of this silver coin I just got? Legend reads "Sanct Oswald Rex NVM(?)VS RGEN 3 .. STVFER", and the reverse looks like "GVIL*CO*D*MON*Z*DNS*D*BIL*HE*BOX*HO*Z*WIS" and depicts a lion rampant bearing a shield with another lion rampant. Coin weighs 28,5 g and is 42 mm in diameter. Google tells me that "Sankt Oswald" is the name of some resorts in Bavaria and Austria, whereas there are only 2 "Saint Oswald"s, both British, but only one of which was a king (of Northumbria ca. 660). Somehow, none of this seems to add up. Will be grateful for any advice.
The only thing that pops into mind is King Oswald of Northumbria. But the style doesn't match the timeline.
It is a 30 stuviers issued under Oswald II Count of Graafschap 1511-46 from the Heerenberg mint - Delmonte #575. This is an R1 coin on a scale of R to R4 with R4 being the most rare.
Wow, thanks for the info! I take it Delmonte is a book? Does stuviers mean it's Dutch? Where can I find out more about it? Does R1 mean it's as common as a lincoln penny?
Yes, A. Delmonte is the name of the author. He wrote a few books on the coins of the Netherlands and is the standard reference. And no, R1 does not make it as common as a Lincoln cent, far from it. Following is the conotation - R = not common R1 - rare R2 = very rare R3 = extremely rare R4 - of the highest rarity (only 2 or 3 specimens known)
Hi thanks for the tip. Not that I didn't believe you, but after Lenin's motto "Trust is good, control is better" I visited a local coin shop with a SPLENDID library and verified that yes, my coin is Delmonte 575. Could you give me some indication how you knew where to look, or had you already encountered this coin? OK, I can see that "Stuver" might have been an indication it was Dutch, but how did you track it down to just that coin? (Hope you didn't have to spend hours leafing thru Delmonte.) An eager learner.
It was easy, the lion. It's the Netherlands Lion Rampant. Stuvier is a clue too of course, but it wasn't needed with the lion. And no, it didn't take hours, 10 minutes maybe. All ya have to do is look at the plates. And I used to specialize in Netherlands coinage. That helped just a tad bit
