20190126

BYZANTINE/Constantine VIII Porphyrogenitis CE 913-959 Κωνσταντῖνος Ζ΄ Πορφυρογέννητος


AE Follis 26 mm, 8.44 g, 5h, Constantinople mint c. CE 945-950

SB 1761

O: +const'basil'rom'
facing bust of Constantine VII with short beard wearing crown and vertical loros, holding akakia and globus cruciger.

R: +const'/enϴeoba/sileus r/omeon
in four lines.

portion of ivory plaque depicting Constantine VII created in Constantinople c. CE 954 and presently part of the Pushkin Museum collection in Moscow.

20190107

Britain/Plantagenet; Henry II CE 1154-1189

 
 



AR Short Cross Penny (fragmentary), 1.01g, York mint c. CE 1180-1182, Isac as moneyer. Type 1ab

SCBC 1344
North 963

OBS: [hENRI]CVS R EX crowned facing bust holding cruciform scepter

REV: +I[SAC O]N EVERW voided short cross with four pellets in each quarter.

Below is an attempted reconstruction illustrating the missing portions of the fragmentary penny. It appears from the CNG example, that approximately 0.48 g of the coin is missing or about 32% of the total coin.


It is surmised that the "Isaac of York" who is the moneyer of this example, was the prototype of the character of "Isaac of York" in Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe".  It is thought that this Isaac was Jewish ergo the background of Scott's Isaac and his career as a money lender in the story. Ten years after this coin was minted there was a pogrom and massacre of the Jews of York at Clifford's Tower (which is still standing), and it is likely that if this moneyer was in fact Jewish that he met his end at that time,
CE 1190.

20190104

GREECE/Seleucid; Antiochos III BCE 223-187


AR Tetradrachm 28mm,  17.05g, Susa Mint (Pre-Molon) c. BCE 223-222

 SC 1206 (R2)

ESM 380

O: diad hd of Antiochos III r. dotted border

R: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ on r,    ANTIOXOY on l, Apollo std on omphalos testing an arrow r hand on grounded bow

Controls in left field under arrow and right field., test cut at 12 o’clock on obs and 6 o’clock on rev.

 

Ex: Heritage Auctions Sale 231850, portion of lot 62104 (13 Dec 2018)

 

 

 

 

20190103

BYZANTINE/Heraclius CE 610-641


AE 40 Nummia, 6.08 g, 20 x 25 mm, Sicily mint, c. CE 632-641

SB 884
R. 1450

O: overstruck on coins of Heraclius & Heraclius Constantine of Constantinople dated Yr. 21 or later countermarked on obs with facing busts of Heraclius on l. and Heraclius Constantine on r. with + between their heads.

R: overstruck on rev with monogram 22 and SCs within an oval punch stamped in any position on the rev of the original coin.


ex: W. Esty
ex: Heritage Europe (formerly MPO Auctions) Auction 56 lot 2802 (14 Nov 2017)