I got this coin a while back, not sure where, but since then I've brought it to a couple of coin shops with world coin collectors and spoke with them, but they have no clue either. It's obviously in very poor condition, and I know seeing the date is unlikely, but I just want to know where it's from... My first thought was one of the German states, but I haven't seen a crest that would accurately fit this coin. Someone told me it looked like it was Italian, but I haven't found anything pointing to that either. From what I can see, there is no bust on it, so I think that may narrow down a lot of places.
Any chance you can take a photo a bit closer to the coin? Also write out all the letters you can read. And measure it with a ruler in mm if you can.
You might also post this in the Ancient forum. Some of those guys know a lot about Medieval , which is what this looks like.
The pics are bigger than they look - if you use the Open In New Tab option. Once I did that I could easily tell it's definitely Spanish as HISP and the Spanish coat of arms is plainly visible on the obv. Next letter after the P is a T - but that's all I can make out. On the rev, I can see what I'm pretty sure is an M, followed by 1 or 2 unknowns, maybe a W, and then IRT. But I can't make out what the rest of the design is. Estimating its size as compared to the text of the book, and since it appears to be silver, I'm gonna guess it's either a 1/2, 1, or 2 reales coin. But it's not a design I readily recognize so I cannot begin to estimate a date range.
I’m tracking, and saw the HISP, but thank you. Having the rest of the info I asked for will make identification easier.
I don't think it is ancient enough for those guys! Pretty sure it is Spanish or their colonies and 18th century. This comes close to the match for the shield, the HISP under it and the VIRT on the reverse (which I suspect is upside down in your picture: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces27537.html This is a Copper 2 Maravedi from Felipe V of Spain 1744-46. Yours looks to be Silver and could also be one of the other kings around then, but not much earlier. Size and weight would also help
I don't think the coin is old enough to fit in that category, but in the future I'd have to check out that forum.
Thank you for helping narrow that down for me! However, after HISP on the inscription, that one says REX, while mine seems to have E___. Also, it's not silver, definitely copper but I used flash to try to draw out the more minute details in the coin. It's nearly worn flat.
OK - well HISP is definitely short for the Latin for Spain. It may well be for one of the Spanish colonies at that time - start with Mexico and if that fails try Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela etc. Being copper it will be something like a 2 or 4 Maravedi or the equivalent in the colonies. If you use the advanced search on Numista, put in the diameter and the HISP it should come up with a manageable list to scroll through. Getting late here in the UK so I can't spend more time on this now.
I did a little research and I think 2 or 4 maravedis from the 1700s sometime. You can Google those and compare it to the one in your hand. It's hard to compare it using your pictures. If that doesn't work, keep in mind Spain had a presence in some unexpected places in those days. I checked out Naples and it doesn't fit but that's one example of a place you might not think to look.
Looking back at it I'm just going to take some time and look a bit harder. Hope I come back with positive news.
Yeah the idea to ask the Ancient Ones for help was just a "shout in the dark" for help with older coins. Once I get past 1800 I'm absolutely lost. Between 1800 and 1900, I gradually draw near to that, the closer I get to the older coins. I need to make a list of certain members, and what they're good with, so I'll know who to call on in the future. paddyman98 and Fred Weinberg for errors and cents. Hiddendragon and Stork for world and orientals, and you also PaddyB ? planosteve and steveintampa for currency. S86, what's your specialty? LM knows a lot about a lot of things but I'm not sure if he's a specialist on anything. I know I'm leaving out a lot of names. Any suggestions and their area of expertise? Thanks for everyone's help and patience.
Here is a great resource for looking up coins. The advanced search lets you search by diameter, letters, face value, metal, etc. www.numista.com
Seems like I'm getting closer. This coin appears to be Philippino, comparing it to this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/303126433052?ul_noapp=true However, I can also tell the lettering isn't in the same place. I had it rotated in the photo I initially posted. Here is a rotated version where I point out the sword with the yellow arrow, and the lion thing with the pink arrow. Anyone think they can somehow narrow down the era of the coin? I am incredibly doubtful I have a 200 dollar (at least in good condition) rare coin in my hand right now.
I'm sorry I forgot to post it! Here it is: I pointed out the sword with the yellow arrow, and the lion thing with the pink arrow. Tell me what you think.
I would say they look similar , but I would hesitate to say they are the same. I am not an expert on these old coins. Your coin is very worn, and if the coin in the eBay link is a $200.00 coin, then yours, even if it's the same coin, won't be anywhere near that. Please remember, condition is virtually everything when it comes to coins. Values drop very rapidly when condition goes down. Let's get some other opinions, Evan.
My point was that I knew it wasn't the coin on the eBay listing. All I really have is that it's a Philippino coin. I can't see the date, I just want as much information as I can get. Looks like I'm at the end for this one. Let's hope the next one is more fortunate
