20130427

Edward I Penny from the Colchester Hoard 1969

 

PLANTAGENET. Edward I. 1272-1307. AR Penny (18mm, 1.49 g, 11h). In the name and types of Henry III. Long Cross type, class VI. Bury St. Edmunds mint; Ion, (John de Burnedisse) moneyer. Struck 1272-1278. Crowned facing bust; scepter to left / Voided long cross; trefoils in quarters. North 1001; SCBC 1377

From the Ridgegate Collection. Purchased from P. Minns, April 1971. Ex Colchester Hoard, 1969.

for more info regarding the Colchester Hoards, please refer to this URL
https://www.yorkcoins.com/colchester_hoards_of_voided_long_cross_pennies.htm

During late July 2017, I visited the Tower of London and came across the following display in the "Mint" which has a very interesting history of the Tower Mint on display with numerous examples of coins minted there from Medieval times towards the early 18th Century. The exhibit is found of course on "Mint Street". The display discussed the Colchester Hoard:

 
The actual lead canister had a height of 235 mm.
 
Photo of coins on display from the Colchester Hoard

A book I obtained during a visit to the British Museum by Eleanor Ghey, Hoards; Hidden History published by the British Museum Press in 2015 discusses the Colchester Hoard on pp. 101-103. The 1969 hoard consisted of 14,065 coins and was made up of two batches dated 1256 and then 1268-78. Of interest regarding the coin illustrated above from Bury St. Edmunds, is noted "The latest batch was a small 'top-up' of about 2,000 freshly struck coins from the nearest local medieval mint at Bury St. Edmunds, which had been placed in the top of the container. This indicates several episodes of hoarding by the same individual(s) rather than a one-off event. The lead canister is likely to have been made especially for this purpose. It was almost full, but had it been so it would have just accommodated a volume of coins up to the value of 100 marks (a commonly used unit of account for larger sums). The amount of money involved equates to tens of thousands of pounds in modern terms and it is likely that it was held by someone involved in sizeable financial transactions as part of their business dealings, such as a merchant or a banker." (pp. 102-3).

20130316

Greek/Seleucid; Antiochus IX Philopator BCE 114/3-95


AE 14 mm, -- g, --h, Antioch mint, BCE 113-112

SC 2365 var

O: hd of bearded Herakles r. in lion skin headress, dotted border.

R: ΒΑΣΙΛΕ[ΩΣ] ANTIOX[OY] in two lines on r., ΦΙΛΟΠAT on l., club.

20130308

20121026

Greek/Seleucid; Alexander I Balas BCE 152-144



AE 20 mm Serratus,  8.04g, Antioch mint,  c. BCE 147/6

SC 1793.4, CSE 195, HSC 900 (R1-2) 

O: Diademed hd of Alexander I r, dotted border.

R: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ on r ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ on l. Athena stg l holding Nike and grounded shield, spear behind.   

Controls inner left monogram K above star and Δ


Anglo-Saxon England/Northumbria; Eanred CE 810-841

AR Styca ( mm,   g,  h).  Eoferwic (York) mint; Huaetred, moneyer. Struck 810-circa 830. 

North 186; SCBC 860.

O: + EANRED REX, short cross pattée 
R: + HVAETRE[D], short cross pattée.     

England; Plantagenet/Richard II CE 1377-1399





Halfpenny, intermediate style, London Mint, facing crowned bust within circle, rev. long cross pattee, trefoils of pellets in angles,  g., S.1699

GREECE/Seleucid; Antiochus VIII Grypus BCE 121/0-96


AR Tetradrachm, 30.43 mm, 16.47 g, Sidon mint  Year 197/BCE 116/5

 SC 2330.2, SNG Spaer 2577-78, HSC 1197g (R2), BMC 8, Babelon 1387-8

O: diad hd r, diad ends falling straight behind, fillet border.

R: BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ANTIOXOY in two lines on rt EΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ on left, Zeus Uranios standing left, crescent above head, holding scepter in left hand, star above extended right hand, slightly double struck. Mintmark on outer left ΣΙΔΩ/IEP/AΣ, above control with date in ex. 

Pennies from the Collection of Andrew Wayne

PLANTAGENET. Henry III. 1216-1272. AR Pennies. All coins: Long cross type. Class Vc. Canterbury mint; Moneyers: Ion, Robert, and Willem. Struck 1251-1272. Crowned facing bust, holding scepter / Voided long cross pommée, with pellet at center and three pellets in angles. North 993; SCBC 1369. lightly toned, a few minor areas of flat strike, third struck slightly off center.  

From the Andrew Wayne Collection. Ex Dix, Noonan, Webb 69 (15 March 2006), lot 1343 (part of).

Ex CNG EA 279:889 (16-05-12)

PLANTAGENET. Edward II. 1307-1327. AR Penny (19mm, 1.34 g, 1h). Class XIa1. London mint. Struck circa late 1310-circa 1314. Crowned facing bust / Long cross pattée, with three pellets in angles. SCBI 39 (North), 768-71; North 1060/1; SCBC 1455.  

From the Andrew Wayne Collection (purchased privately from Mike Vosper, August 1997).

Ex CNG EA 279:950 (16-05-12)

20120708

Archaeologists Uncover Gold Treasure Near Herzliya (Israel)

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/157609#.T_nIpGukd8E

I first visited Apollonia/Arsuf , 25 years ago and remember picking up small shards of polished emerald green glass in the surf that proved to be waste products from a Byzantine glass factory active in the 5th-8th centuries CE (or thereabouts). Also, climbing on the Crusader era breakers in the surf was fun as well. It would've been nice finding 101 gold coins, but better the archaeologists found it. I've been back to this beach area a few times since and hope that the Mosque of Sidna 'Ali is undergoing preservation work as well.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/07/10/gold-coins-from-time-crusades-found-in-israeli-ruins/?intcmp=features  update with great pix of the hoard and hoard in situ despite the numerous typos and the fact that it hails from Faux News.  The pix are the best part.

20120613

England; Henry III CE 1216-1272


AR Penny, 1.48 g, IIIb, Moneyer: Willem Mint: Oxford, c. CE 1248-1250
North 987, S. 1363
O: henricvs Rex III
R: WILLEM ON OXON  [William Sarsorius]

Regarding the moneyer, Charles Lewis Stainer writes in his Oxford Silver Pennies from AD 925-AD 1272, Vol. 46, p. xxvi (1904) "Of William Sarsorius I have not much information. He is evidently the same person as William Le Saucer, who was Mayor of Oxford about AD 1258-1259, and signs in that capacity to a deed (St. Aldate, 49) of the Hospital of St. John, now among the monuments of Magdalen College."

Islamic; Umayyad CE 661-750



Caliph 'Abdal-Malik  CE 685-705
AR Dirham, 2.74 g, Damascus mint AH 80 (CE 699-700)
W.353, Album 128

20120611

Byzantine; Justinian CE 527-565


AE 40 Nummia; 38 mm, 20.96 g, Constantinople mint, 3rd Officina, Anno XIII= CE 539-540
S. 163
O: DN IVSTINI-ANVS PP AVC
R: see above.

Seleucid; Antiochus IV Epiphanes BCE 175-164

AR Tetradrachm; 22.5 x 29 mm, 16.88 g, Ake-Ptolemais mint c. BCE 167-164
SC 1476.2d, SNG Spaer 1154
O: diad hd of Antiochus IV r., fillet border, primary control behind head
R: [ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ A]NTIOXOY in two lines on r., ΘEO[Y E]ΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ [NI]KHΦOPOY in three lines on l, Zeus enthroned l, resting on sceptre and holding Nike who crowns him.


In ex. [--] AГ



20120323

Hoard of Roman coins found near Roman Baths in Bath

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-17480016

http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/whats_on/beau_street_hoard.aspx

from the photos it appears that coins date prior to CE 270 which may be the date of deposition. The coins are Valerian, the Philips and Otacilia and Gordian III. It may be a typical mixed hoard from this period (inclusive of denarii) though the photo only depicts antoniniani from what I can see.

20120321

Lithuania under Sigismund I Jagiello CE 1506-1548


Sigismund I Jagiello CE 1506-1548

AR Half Gross, 1.03 g, 20 mm, minted in Vilnius 1512
Kopicki 3136
O: +moneta:sigismvndi:IZ: Knight "Vytis" mounted riding left with sword raised

R: +magni: Dvcis: LITVAnIe Polish Eagle

20120130

Greece; Seleucid, Demetrius II (1st Reign) BCE 146-138

AE 20 mm, 8.78 g, perhaps Nisibis mint


SC 1980 var.


O: diad. Hd of Demetrius II r, with short beard, fillet border
R: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔHMHTPIOY in two lines on r, NIKATOPOΣ on l., Agathos Daimon and Agathe Tyche stg confronted, each wearing calathus and holding cornucopiae, holding hands.



Ex: J.S. Wagner Collection
Ex: CNG EA 236, portion Lot: 339 (07 July 2010)