Hi all, Just picked up a 1567 Hungarian denar. I have a few other pieces from this period but this one struck me as odd. It's a bit smaller (~10mm) in diameter than all of my other examples, and lacks lettering on both obverse and reverse. I have not been able to find any comparable coins on PCGS or Numista. I suspect it might be a variety but I don't have access to the Huszar catalog. Any ideas for the proper attribution of this coin? Thank you!
I think it's been clipped - as many hammered coins were. Madonna once had a crown and it would've originally had legends, more like this https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces22141.html. Much like this siliqua of Valentinian II: ...once looked more like this siliqua of Julian: Before milled coins were invented, clipping was an easy way to steal silver, although there were other reasons - like making gaming tokens or reducing old siliquas to the size of the prevailing sceattas.
I agree with @John Conduit coin clipping was very common for coins of this era. That kept their silver content in line with the prevailing coins of the day and allowed them to be more likely to stay in circulation instead of being melted down. Right: a clipped coin of Wencezlaus II next to a full-sized coin of a little later. Missing or cropped edge text is a telltale sign (as opposed to just worn or an off-center strike).
I agree with the others. It was most likely clipped sometime in the distant past. Case in point, here's an example belonging to one of the moderators that has a diameter of 15mm. https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/nxfbLaouHlMuU7W5B34R/bC6O9NtUWcZ6f3f7RbbF
Interesting. Thank you all for the replies. Any ideas why it straight-graded/why PCGS didn't note such an obvious alteration? For instance, I have a NGC-graded Charles XII shilling with similar circumference clipping that only received a "Genuine" grade.
The coin straight graded because it has not been clipped. It is an Obulus, not a Denar. It should weigh .22 grams, give or take .02. It was minted in Kormocbanya.
Here is a link to the certification: https://www.pcgs.com/cert/41450555. If you're right then PCGS has made a mistake with the denomination they have on their site. To me it looks clipped but I have not been able to find pictures of a confirmed obulus from the 1560's era to compare to this one. No matter what, the information on the PCGS site is off or lacking; it's possible if it is a denar the clipping designation is on the holder but has been omitted from the online details.
Here are two Obulus that are coming up for auction. https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=4715&lot=413 https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=4715&lot=414 Here are two Denars from the same period of time from the same auction. https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=4715&lot=410 https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=4715&lot=411 The Obulus and Denar are quite different once you study the comparison pictures. Most of the time the Obulus is valued 2X that of a Denar, condition being the same. This is the OP's picture. https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/6215988464516939480-1-jpg.1296603/
I am not sure why people are suggesting it’s clipped - here’s a denar from the previous decade: obol is a generic term for a smaller denomination for Deniers - usually viewed as half value I believe that’s often speculation. Obols tend to be rarer than Denars too
PCGS is so-so for world coins. I'm not surprised they thought it was a denár. These are all similar and very tiny coins. As mentioned above, it's an obolus (worth half a denár), H#995.
Thank you all very much for the responses, I appreciate the sleuthing! Would it be worth it to try and get it re-holdered?
Why not? It's their mistake. They will correct the label for free. The denari are not rare. The oboli are.