So I broke one of my rules, I bought something I don't really know anything about. It's about 300 years older than my previous oldest coin. The auction didn't really provide much info but it looks genuine to me and I think the toning is natural. Anyone have any info/opinions on this? Thanks
Thanks. I just realized there is a typo in the title and I don't know how to edit it. The coin is Hungarian haha
Madonna and Child issue. One of the most common silver coins of the period. Yours is a pretty nice one except for some softness in Madonna's face. Yes, it is genuine and a nice patina. Many of these are in rough shape and not well centered. I am not sure what references to use for this coin, I just know I have seen many. Medieval is a hard area for references, maybe the hardest there is, (that and Celtic). Doug will probably have a good reference for you, or someone else. If it were a few hundred years older, or a thousand, then I would have some better info for you. Btw, don't worry about breaking a very good rule. I do it myself, and that is how new collections are begun. Welcome to CT! P.S. If anyone has access to the Celator nearby, I know there was a multi part article on these within the last year or so.
Sorry, I have no references for the minors, just the crowns & talers of that era. Have to rely on Bart or DCH for this one, maybe another member besides them. I do know it was minted at Kremintz (spelling?). The KB is a give-away on that. I used to specialize in the coinage of France, the Low Countries, and Spanish colonial when it came to medieval silver. I've got all the references you need for those. And most of the Davenport books besides.
It falls between my references, but here's one on Vcoins: http://www.vcoins.com/ancient/pspavlou/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=4011
the coin is genuine. it is an hungarian denar with the standing madonna these coins were minted between 1500 and 1650 at various city your is 1561 in the name of emperor ferdinand KB at the side of the madonna stands for Kremnitz mint which was the largest hungarian mint regards
There are many variations on these and I don't have the book either so you'll get no numbers from me. The mintmark is K, as mentioned above, but the B is supposed to be the initial of the mintmaster (Bernard???). There are other letters (G, H?) but I don't have one to show since my only coin is also a KB. There are other emperors but Ferdinand is most common. I find it interesting that your coin is late in his reign whene everyone knew his name so there are a lot of abbreviations on your coin that were not seen in the earlier period when they spelled out FERDINAND D G R VNG (our lord king of Hungary). The Madonna side spells out Patron of Hungary making it a bit unusual in that it names the country on both sides. My example is 1536. The coins are common but condition fans will want one that shows the facial features on Jesus which struck poorly and wore quickly. I don't know how you grade these things. Uneven striking on thin flans makes many coins less than fully legible. It is easier to get good looking ancient coins than medieval Europeans because of the latter having such fondness for thin flans that don't have enough metal to fill dies. These are almost thick for their genre so you can find decent ones with a little searching. Two eyes and a strong nose on Jesus is still not all that common at least in my price bracket.
Yours is a nice one Doug. I dug through a junk box once and set some aside thinking of putting together a small group. I think only one or two were as nice as yours. It would be an interesting collection. Did you read the Celator articles on them? I guess there are some rarities in the series but most people do not collect by the various types. Well, that goes for most hammered coinage, though, doesn't it?
For most people it does, I used to be an exception to that rule. When I was still collecting I tried to be the first to ever collect a date set of Netherlands ducats - 1586 to present date.
Hungary, Ferdinand I. (1526-1564) 1. Denar 1561, KB (Kremnitz) Huszar 936 2. Denar 1536, K- (Kremnitz), Huszar 935 var. B (unknown year)
