It has been a long time since I've ordered a Medieval coin...

...but I placed an order for this Penny of Edward II today. It was issued at the Canterbury Mint between AD 1315-1317. A very unpopular king, Edward was deposed in January 1327, locked away in a castle and murdered (according to some accounts by having a red-hot poker inserted into the part of the king that made contact with his throne) on 21 September 1327. He was 43 at his death and his son Edward III took his place on the throne.

 

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I like it!

 

Great coin @Aethelred I need to get a penny of Edward the second. Yours has a nicer than usual portrait and I like that much of the obverse legend can be read. You also bought it from one of my favourite sources of English hammered coins. The owner is great to deal with.

I also agree with you about the nature of Edward II's rule. It was awful and darn near disastrous for the nation. In losing to the Scots he gave back most of what his father had earned in his long battles with the Scots. Then there was his relationship with Gaveston. He seemed to spend more time with Gaveston than he did with his queen. This relationship also meant Edward II was neglecting his responsibilities in running the country. This upset his barons who had finally had enough and took steps to remove galveston which they did rather violently.

btw I also noticed the sudden change to your avatar

 

Very nice, I need one too.

 

Very nice coin @Aethelred I really like it. Edward II also had the temerity to lose to the Scots at Bannokburn in 1314.


A reluctant, indecisive, cruel, and fickle king cannot survive military failures. He was constantly in debt, some of which was from his father, and had to request money from parliament regularly. His dependence on parliament enable it to strengthen its hold on the power of taxation and become an ever more important body. His nobles were in constant conflict with him, and even in open revolt for a time.

Interestingly, there is a claim that Edward wasnt murdered, but instead escaped and spent the rest of his years in Italy as a hermit. A Genoese priest wrote to Edward III making said claim. The letter is authentic, but the veracity is hotly debated.

 

Very nice Edward II. These are another read challenge to attribute. It takes some real study and plenty of coffee to work on these. Well worth it though. The challenge is one of the things that makes these coins so appealing.

 

I agree completely. He's one of the good ones for sure.

 

I've been jonesing for an Edward II and I just got this cute little farthing from ebay. I think I've got the identification right, but these certainly are tricky and this is my first english medieval silver, so correction/affirmation would be appreciated.

Edward II (1307-1327), London, Farthing, 12mm. Class 11. +edwa rdvs rex A, facing bust, bifoliate crown, rev. civi tas lon don, Long cross; trefoils in quarters.



Edit: posted pictures of the wrong coin! corrected, now.

 

In another thread @GDJMSP wrote:
"Hmmm - I wonder if folks would like your avatar as a cute fuzzy bunny, or maybe a Minion ?

Anybody care to vote on that ??????"

 

Nice!

 

Thank goodness the masses spoke and you changed it back. The Old Dead King needs a proper avatar.

 

The Old Dead King's time of shame and disgrace is over (well at least until Mrs. ODK finds the mess I left in the kitchen and banishes me).

I thought about changing to the one below, but I've had the Sutton Hoo Helmet for well over a decade on another coin forum and for as long as I've been a member here at CT, so I'm sticking with it. I had also thought about something Classical since that is mostly what I'm collecting these days, but with a name like Aethelred that doesn't work.

 

Banishment is a punishment I know all to well.

I really like the Aethelred Rex avatar, and would like it even more if it drew you farther into the medieval camp. We need more converts.

 

@TheRed I can see some time being spent in the Medieval camp this year. If for no other reason than my pile of "read these next" books will draw me there.

 

If you don't mind me asking, what are the books?

 

Among them are:

"Richard I" by John Gillingham
"King John" by W. L. Warren
"A Time Travelers Guide to Medieval England" by Ian Mortimer
"Demon's Brood" by Desmond Seward
"The Plantagenets" by Dan Jones

You can probably tell what period I am most interested in.

 

@Aethelred my reading is very light compared to yours. I'm reading the Knights Templar murder mystery series by Michael Jecks, which is a fun read...but it is drawing me into the medieval world. And now I want to buy a few hammered English coins!
(there are over 25 books in this mystery series, I'm only on volume 12)

 

@ancientcoinguru Are those books set during the Crusades? If so you will coins from the Crusader Kingdoms are often very reasonable in price, especially when compared to the amount of history they contain. Collecting Crusader coins has always been on my radar, but I've never owned more than a couple at a time.

 

I've read the second, third, and fifth books on your list and they are absolutely great! I highly recommend checking out the other books in the Time Traveler's Guide series, and the War of the Roses by Dan Jones.