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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;SeptimusT, post: 3031072, member: 91240&quot;]For a while now, I’ve been hoping to acquire a coin with an interesting provenance, but for the most part, those that came with one were either outside my price range or the coin itself just didn’t grab me. I finally found something that fit both of those criteria, although it’s definitely outside my collecting area. It’s probably on the fringes of ancient/medieval coins at all, and historically squarely early modern, but it is still a hammered coin, so I think it belongs here more than anything else. I also think it has a very interesting provenance. I know my photos appear &#039;dark,&#039; but that is truly how the coin looks. It might be lacquered, I&#039;m not sure.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]755319[/ATTACH]</p><p>The coin itself is a 2 myte (mijt, if we go with the Dutch spelling) copper coin struck in 1554, bearing the image of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. It was issued in Gelderland, in the Netherlands. Before this I didn’t really have any coins from after Justinian, but I was interested in this one because I know that my ancestors came from Gelderland, and I figure they would have probably come across coins like this. Coming from ancients, I was surprised by how thin and light this coin feels, but compared to earlier medieval it has a fairly realistic and detailed portrait, albeit much worn.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]755325[/ATTACH]</p><p>At any rate, it came with an interesting envelope, as you can see below, marking it as part of the H.D. Gibbs collection. I don’t know whether any of you have come across his name before, but a little research turned up some auction catalogues with this fascinating photograph of him, along with a short biography (see bottom). He worked as a negotiator between labor unions and the coal industry, and was also involved in the Truckers Union. He was born in 1895, started collecting at 7 years old, and died in 1970. He looks like he must have been quite a fascinating fellow, and it sounds as if he was an accomplished numismatist and sometimes dealer with a very extensive collection that also included many Greek and Roman coins. Although much of his collection was sold after his death in 1970, I didn’t spot my coin in the catalogues, and from the look of the envelope I wonder if he might have sold it sometime earlier.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]755322[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I’m sure there’s another thread about old and interesting provenances, but I didn’t come across it right away with a search. At any rate, if any of you have coins with interesting pedigrees, I’d love to see them. I think it’s an aspect of collecting that can sometimes be as interesting as the coins themselves.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH]755323[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]755320[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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