I picked up this beat up but fun looking "crusader" coin on the cheap, thinking it would be easy to identify and compliment my growing medieval coin collection. Well, it hasn't been. So, I am hoping one of our ace medieval coin collectors had an idea. I bought it in the last Zeus auction and it was listed simply as: CRUSADERS. Silver , 1163-1201. Denier, Condition: Very Fine Weight: 1.00 gr Diameter: 18 mm I've searched around and not had much luck with that time frame. So I expanded my search. It kind of resembles later Bohemond V coins. But no solid matches. Any ideas or similar types are appreciated!
I believe this is an issue of the a Bishop of Puy who was the papal representative on this first crusade. His coins and the issues of the city of Lucca Were some of the most common coins the first crusaders used, and subsequently imitated. Raymond of Toulouse was likewise brought to the Levant, and there is a fourth which I can’t remember.
I still need an example of Puy, but I have the other two I mentioned: French Feudal - Toulouse Raymond V-VII, r. 1148-1249 AR Denier, 19mm x 1.1 grams Obv.: RAMON COMES, Cross Pattee in center, S in second quarter Rev.: +TOLOSA CIVI, PAX in center Ref.: Duplessy 1228, Roberts 4226, De Wit 442 Crusader Imitation - Lucca Henry III-V, r. 1035-1125 Crude AR Denier, 15.27mm x 1.1 grams Obv.: H center, IMPERATOR around Rev.: LVCA forming cross, ENRICVS around; Ref.: De Witt, 3691 Note: Found in Holy Land
I only have one Crusader coin which was gifted to me as a child by a next door neighbor. I believe he got in the Levant while on vacation there. Sadly, it turned out to be a fake. Here is an authentic example: Bohemund VII of Tripolis and Antioch, AR Grosso
I was about to say - hearing how your neighbor got the coin sounds like you should be suspicious of it’s authenticity, but that coin looked awfully real to me!
