Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="Roerbakmix, post: 8334839, member: 100731"]As some of you might know, my collection by now largely focuses on early medieval coins, ie. 650-c780 AD, that is, between the late-stage Merovingian and the start of the Carolingian dynasty. Key players in northwestern Europe were the Anglo-Saxons (conventionally consisting of seven kingdoms: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex), the Frisians, living in the coastal regions of the North Sea, and Francia. Probably lesser important from a numismatic standpoint were the (pre-Viking) Scandinavian countries. While the French Merovingians had plenty of gold and silver to mint their tremissis and deniers, Frisians and the Anglo-Saxons had limited gold available for this end, and their monetary economy was largely based on small silver pennies, colloquially called sceatta’s. Yet, a small number of gold coins were minted by both the Anglo-Saxons and the Frisians. [USER=73099]@Nap[/USER] recently presented some background on the Anglo-Saxon thrymsa’s in <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an-anglo-saxon-gold-coinage.378213/#post-7346487" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/an-anglo-saxon-gold-coinage.378213/#post-7346487">this thread</a>. In that thread, [USER=87080]@TheRed[/USER] wrote “… a thrymsa is one of those coins that separates a truly amazing collection from a good one.”. Being an avid collector of early medieval coins (I must admit sometimes dreaming of them), I obviously had to have one, and preferably a continental one, minted in Magna Frisia. There aren’t that many to choose from: there are a few very small emission from Maastricht, a city with pre-roman roots, but part of the Merovingian empire. Closer to the Frisians was Dorestad. This flourishing city with a large harbor is likely to have minted many sceatta’s (though there are no silver coins which can be attributed to Dorestad with certainty). A prolific moneyer, called Madelinus minted both in Maastricht, and later traveled to Dorestad, where he minted coins bearing the inscription DORESTATI FIT // MADELINVS. The success and recognizability of Madelinus’ coinage is illustrated by the large number of imitations, which were probably minted by local Frisian mints (though still bearing similar legends). The coin I acquired is much scarcer, and though anepigraphic, it can be attributed to the Frisians with some certainty. In 1876, a pot-hoard containing 28 coins, 3 blanks, a large gold ingot (45 gram) and fragments of a purse was found at Dronrijp, a small village 9 km west of Leeuwarden (the current capital of Friesland). Though probably mixed with a hoard found a little later (Dronrijp II), it can be dated to c. 620-630 AD. Most coins were local issues (later classed by mr. Boeles, a numismatist, as Dronrijp types A-D), but included also some of Maastricht, Mainz, Orleans and Ruan. [ATTACH=full]1477699[/ATTACH]Fig. 1 Boelen's classification of the Dronrijp tremissis into four classes (A-D). Boeles 1951, p 315 fig 58) Though Boelens classed the Dronrijp type in four categories based on a very limited number of coins, a new (and unfortunately yet unpublished) study by dr. Arent Pol with a much larger sample size (approx. 200 coins) refined this classification into five chronological series.[ATTACH=full]1477698[/ATTACH]Fig. 2 Arent Pol's classification of the Dronrijp tremissis (unpublished) Though determining chronology is difficult with the limited number of hoards, the ‘barbaric’ style and the absence of meaningful legends, Arent pol has made some interesting discoveries using XRF-analysis and die-studies. For example, no die-links have been found between the different series, suggesting different mint locations. Some of the series are divided into classes, based on style and progressive debasement (something that is also seen in early Anglo-Saxon thrymsa’s).[ATTACH=full]1477697[/ATTACH]Fig. 3 Arent Pol's suggested chronology of the Dronrijp Tremissis (unpublished) Now on to the coin! A few years ago, I met an archaeology student in Leiden (NL). We had a pleasant discussion on numismatics and drank some coffee. Recently, he started a coin shop on MA-shop, selling mostly Dutch medieval coins. In November 2021, some metal detectorist found a Dronrijp tremissis, and sold it to him. Knowing my interest in early medieval coinage, he called me. At that moment, I lacked the funds to acquire the coin, and I considered it a lost cause. In the following months, the coin remained unsold. Meanwhile, he visited dr. Arent Pol, who confirmed a reverse die-link (no die link for the obverse), and conducted an XRF-analysis. What's more, Arent Pol stated this to be one of the best examples he has encountered. After some negotiations with the seller (with me selling the larger part of my non-sceatta collection to him, and to Roma), I was able to acquire the coin last week:[ATTACH=full]1477706[/ATTACH]Early Medieval, Frisia Magna. Dronrijp type Tremissis or triens. Obverse: bust to left, with NR before and small cross above. Dotted circles above. Reverse: anchored cross with U and mirrored L, dot below. Ineligible legend around, including runic letter A. Ref: Boelens type B, Pol series 2, class 2-3. Weight: 1.212g, XRF: 77% gold. Provenance: found in Nov. 2021 near Castricum (NL). Bought from Hollandia Numismatics.(sellers picture). Funnily enough, he also shared the video made by the metal detectorist when he found this coin:[ATTACH=full]1477707[/ATTACH](still from video). By now, my collection has been reduced to a small number Roman (n=5), Greek (n=10), medieval (n=5), and miscellaneous (n= c. 20) coins, apart from my early medieval coins (n=65 or so). Coming from a collection of about 400-500 coins, this is a significant reduction. Was it worth it? I believe so, and I'm thrilled with the addition of my first gold early medieval coin.[/QUOTE]

Create my FREE Account!

Log in or Sign up

Reply to Thread

Useful Searches