@robp....Lovely coin with super toning! Here's an interesting one.... Toramana II lifetime issue ....I picked this one up as you can clearly see the lions head that Lakshmi is seated on, be it a rug or the feline itself...Quite difficult to find the lion depicted in such detail..I do know that @THCoins has a stunner!
Finally – its medieval Monday! Today, since I have never shown it before in its entirety, I'm going to post my small collection of coins of the Teutonic Order. In the 1226, the Teutonic knights started a campaign against the pagan Prussians, conquered their land, established a sovereign "state," and soon began to strike their own coins. Small bracteate pennies like these were used for everyday transactions. The earliest bracteates of the Order are larger and somewhat more complex, but I have none to show. Teutonic Order, anonymous issue, AR bracteate penny, ca. 1290–1410, unknown mint. Obv: shield of the Teutonic Order, three pellets above. Rev: negative design (bracteate). 14mm, 0.16g. Ref: Waschinski 80b; Eggert 12a. Teutonic Order, anonymous issue, AR bracteate penny, ca. 1290–1410, unknown mint (Thorn?). Obv: castle gate with three "windows" and three spires ending in spheres; in gate, small cross pattée. Rev: negative design (bracteate). 14.5mm, 0.18. Ref: Waschinski 123(a?). Teutonic Order, anonymous issue, AR bracteate penny, ca. 1290–1410, unknown mint. Obv: Latin cross flanked by two saltires. Rev: negative design (bracteate). 15mm, 0.21g. Ref: Waschinski 158. This type is disputed and unsusual. Maybe it was produced by the knights, maybe it's a Polish issue imitating the cross bracteates of the Order: Teutonic Order (?), anonymous issue, AR bracteate penny, ca. 1290–1410, unknown mint. Obv: cross with forked ends. Rev: negative design (bracteate). 13mm, 0.15g. Ref: Waschinski 179a. Teutonic Order, anonymous issue, AR bracteate penny, ca. 1290–1410, unknown mint (Danzig?). Obv: rectangle in the shape of a Gothic “D” ornamented by two crosses, the l. cross in the shape of a cloverleaf; star to r.. Rev: negative design (bracteate). 14mm, 0.21g. Ref: Waschinski 201. Under Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode (r. 1351–1382), the order started to also strike larger, two-sided coins. Production of the vierchen (4 pennies) and the halbschoter (16 pennies) were soon abandoned again, but the shilling (12 pennies) remained as the large dominant coin of the Order. I know that @AnYangMan has a particularly beautiful example. Teutonic Order, under Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode, AR shilling, 1351–1382, Thorn or Danzig mint (?). Obv: + MAGST WVNRICS PRIMS; eagle shield of the Grand Master. Rev: + MONETA DNORVM PRUCI; shield of the Teutonic Order. 21mm, 1.64g. Ref: Neumann 4. Teutonic Order, under Grand Master Michael Küchmeister, AR shilling, 1414–1422 AD, Thorn mint (?). Obv: * MAGST * MIChAEL : PRI; eagle shield of the Grand Master. Rev: * MONETA.DNORVM.PRV; shield of the Teutonic Order. 20.5mm, 1.52g. Ref: Neumann 14b. Teutonic Order, under Grand Master Conrad V von Erlichshausen, AR schilling,1441–1449, Thorn mint (?). Obv: + MAGST CORADVS QVIN; eagle shield of the Grand Master on long cross. Rev: + MONETA DNORVM PRUs; shield of the Teutonic Order on long cross. 20.5mm, 1.48g. Ref: Neumann 23. The Livonian branch of the Order struck their own coinage, often in a similar design: Livonian Order, anonymous issue (under Cisso von Ruttenberg or Jan Freitag von Loringhofen?), AR artig, 14th/15th century, Reval mint. Obv: +MAGISTRI x LIVONIE, shield of the Order. Rev: +MONETA x REVALIE; cross with three pellets in each quadrant. 18.5mm, 1.2g. Ref: Neumann 204a; Haljak 6; Hutten-Czapski 4054.
Just got this one in the recent Stephen Album sale. Not in hand yet. Sellers picture and description. I need to do some more research on this one. It was an impulse buy. DONAUWÖRTH: Friedrich II, 1215-1250, AR bracteate (0.71g), Royal mint, Stein.-133, Gebh.-26, Berger-2677, crowned bust of the emperor facing, holding a lily and a falcon, EF.
I’ve always liked this one: French Feudal - Toulouse William IX of Aquitaine, second reign r. 1109-1117 AR Denier, 18.82 mm x 1.1 grams Obv.: VVILELMO COME, Cross Pattee in center, S in second quarter Rev.: +TOLOSA CIVI around, PAX in center Ref.: Duplessy 1210 (as William IV), Roberts 4225 (As William IX), De Wit 439 (as William IV)
Kingdom of Armenia, Cilician Armenia. Hetoum II, AD 1289-1305. AE Kardez (22x25mm. 3.73g, 5h). Sis mint. Obv: Armenian legend around Bust of crowned king facing. Rev: Armenian legend around Patriarchal cross terminating in floral scroll. Ref: Bedoukian 1589.
Raymond Bernard Trencavel as Viscount d'Albi and his feudal coinage, the first feudal emission of Albi, ca. 1050-1070: AR19x18mm 1.23g grand denier, minted at Albi, cca. 1050-1070. + RAIMVNd; cross pattee + ALBIE CI; VICOC in monogram Boudeau 772. Monnaies d'Antan Auction 25 Lot 917, May 27 2019.
Edward IV first reign heavy coinage halfpenny with mm. Rose. The red wax seen was deposited when this coin was used for illustration purposes in Blunt & Whitton's BNJ article. ex C A Whitton collection.
This Henry II denier from Aquitaine went under the radar in an auction few years ago. I recently snagged another Aquitaine coin in a similar fashion (waiting for it to arrive though) French Feudal - Aquitaine Henry II, r. 1152-1168 Bordeaux Mint, BL Denier, 16.57mm x 0.8 grams Obv.: +hENRICVS REX, cross pattée Rev.: º+º / AQVI / TANI / ºEº, in four lines Ref.: AGC 2 (1/a), Duplessy 1030, Roberts 3881, SCBC 8001, (Elias 1) Ex. R.D. Frederick Collection. Ex. A.H. Baldwin
Here is my first (and so far only-) bracteate. 'Twas a relatively recent purchase. German States (Brunswick-Lüneburg): silver bracteate of William Longsword, ca. 1195-1213 Obverse: lion passant, left. Reverse: incuse mirrored image of obverse. Issuer: William of Winchester, Lord of Lüneburg (aka "William Longsword"). Specifications: silver, 21.5 mm, 0.54 g. Grade: "Fast Vorzüglich" (Choice XF), per Münzenhandlung Brom. Reference: Numista-106982 (other references cited there). Provenance: ex-Münzenhandlung Brom, Berlin, Germany, 8 July 2020.* Notes: a bracteate was a uniface coin hammered with a single die upon a thin sheet of metal, which reproduced the same design on both sides; raised on one side and reversed and incuse on the opposite side. Bracteates (hohlpfennige, or "hollow pennies") were a regional medieval coin that circulated in many German-speaking lands from the 12th to 14th centuries. Comments: This was my first bracteate. Prior to its purchase, I had struck out at least three times in my attempts to win one at auction. I finally bought this one at retail instead. I like it for its simple yet suitably medieval-looking lion motif (William was the son of Henry the Lion), and its appealing old cabinet toning. I also like that it's from one of the German Brunswick (Braunschweig) regions, since I'm from Brunswick (Georgia, USA). Additional images
It’s not Monday anymore, but since @Orielensis tagged it, I think it is fair game to post my Wynrich von Kniprode Schilling on a Tuesday! And while we are at it, how about a little gold from Holland? County of Holland, Willem V, AV Goudgulden (1386 - 1388, Dordrecht)
Every time you post your Henry II Anglo-Gallic denier @FitzNigel it reminds me how badly I want to add one to my collection. I just lost out on one in the most recent CNG e-auction, out bid on thedat it closed. One if these days I will get one. Right now it is #3 on my list, behind short cross pennies from Rhuddlan and Kings Lynn.
I was about to say - I thought I saw one available recently (thought about bidding myself to get a nicer example - but I snagged the Richard I obol instead)
That is a great obol, congrats on adding it to your collection. I look forward to seeing it posted to the forum.
Another Monday here, so time to resurrect the thread. Mercia. Burgred (852-874) penny, the moneyer is Osmund.
@robp, that involuntarily set off Handel's 'Musick for the Royal Fireworks' in my head. (Used to listen to it every 4th of July.) Just, Uh, Freaking, Mazing. ...Besides, well, The, Freaking, Coin, does the superficial resemblance of the reverse legends (with Osmund's name) to runes represent some kind of transition between alphabets? The ninth century would seem awfully late for any such phenomenon, but I'm too ignorant not to ask.
...And, Sure, why not. --'Time zones? we don't need your stinking time zones.' Close enough to Monday, even here. It's a small planet. This is an ecclesiastical denier of Clermont, in the county of Auvergne (northeastern Aquitaine, bordering the Duchy of Bugundy), c. 13th century. I don't like the 'portrait' so much --Mary looks like she was having a bad day-- but otherwise, it's okay, I guess. Bishopric of Clermont, anonymous issues, c. 13th century. Obv. St. Mary facing, crowned. S.CA. MARIA. ('S[an]cta Maria,' the initial 'C' and 'T' of 'Sancta' ligated.)* Rev. Cross cantonnée. +VRBS. ARVERNA ('[Capital] City of Auvergne [whether in a secular or ecclesiastical capacity]'.) *The ligature is quintessentially mid-13th-century, whether you're looking at the voided long cross pennies of Henry III, from 1247, or the contemporaneous Gothic cursive of the chronicler Matthew Paris. By this means, the issue only emphasizes the cultural porosity of the High Gothic ethos, across political borders. ...Especially by this point, relative to the 'Angevin Empire' of the preceding century. In that sense, it was kind of its own miniature version of Hellenism.
Not as far as I can see as the only equivalent runic letter resembling those used on the coin is the R. I can't see any reason why runic would be used as it's a hundred years plus later from it's regular use. The engraving seems to have been done with 7 punches - a long and a short bar, a small and large crescent, a triangle, a stop and an annulet, which leads to an angular style, but is nevertheless consistent with legends going forward.