Let's Get Hammered! Come & Share
Clio
Posts: 541 ✭✭✭✭✭
Hello Everyone!
I am very excited to share with y'all a completed run of coins. Most of you have probably seen me post but I collect Shillings and one of my sets is shillings by monarch. For today I wanted to share the 5 hammered shillings I needed for the set which I have recently completed. For two years I had just 1 and managed to find the remaining 4 all this year. My wallet is weeping but I am happy with where we are at. To reference my favorite quote from here again,
"The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible." - Andy Lustig, @MrEureka
This group is the embodiment of that for me. Many of these are just about as nice as you can get them and as nice as I can afford. Special mention of the Philip & Mary which I technically can't afford but managed to get a great deal on thanks to a good friend in Scotland. Also thanks to @Rexford for help in choosing examples for the set and urging me to buy when It was important to not pass up the opportunity.
1551 - 1553 Shilling Edward VI PCGS AU55
1554 Shilling Philip & Mary PCGS XF45
1560 - 1561 Shilling Elizabeth I PCGS AU55
1623 - 1624 Shilling James I PCGS AU55
1638 - 1639 Shilling Charles I PCGS AU55
I urge anyone here with hammered examples to please share if you'd like in the comments. It's an area I've learned to love after initially struggling through the poor strikes and strange shapes haha.
https://numismaticmuse.com/ My Web Gallery
The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"
Comments
Such a great group. I've enjoyed seeing it come together in the last few months!
How does this work again?
Great coins with the Edward VI and Phillip and Mary being my favs.
Hammered coins.... trying to find everything well centered, sharp strike, color... it's a challenge! Here's one that might fit into your set
. From 1606 to 1607 S-2655
And this tiny one!
My current "Box of 20"
I've seen that shilling before from past times when I've snooped around looking at the link in your signature haha. Leave no stone unturned. It's a great example but one of my personal requirements is that I must be able to see the eyeball. I'm collecting these as a representation of the monarch, the portrait must be all there. Gorgeous tone on yours nevetheless.
https://numismaticmuse.com/ My Web Gallery
The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"
Some English shillings-
Henry VIII
Edward VI
Elizabeth I
Charles I
Commonwealth
Charles II
I appreciate your dedication to excellence!
My current "Box of 20"
Great examples but I am especially fond of the testoon while also mad at you for calling it a shilling because I'm trying to pretend it doesn't exist until I can afford it
You have what I would call the expanded set. Testoon is for later, commonwealth doesn't have a monarch and I've chosen a milled Charles II over the hammered issue.
https://numismaticmuse.com/ My Web Gallery
The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"
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A Henry VIII shilling, ahem, testoon, in a condition similar to the rest of your collection, would be quite challenging and expensive. They exist but most are debased, worn, porous, etc.
A Henry VII shilling is even more expensive, and I don’t expect to obtain one.
I am also missing hammered shillings of Edward VI (fine silver type), Mary and Philip, and James I.
You have a lovely set.
Thanks! I think the testoon you've got would be a great fit for my set
they don't come too much nicer.
Here's the tyrants example.
This is a great one that came up at Noonan's. I wish I had the funds to chase it because it went relatively cheap. Something like £6k IIRC. Looks like it's not showing as a comp now so I suppose it didn't reach what the consigner wanted.
https://numismaticmuse.com/ My Web Gallery
The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"
unable to picture the one I own- not the best but I like the flan which is about half the battle
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
A win at Heritage today. PCGS MS 62.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163
Great looking coin. Those are an awesome series.
https://numismaticmuse.com/ My Web Gallery
The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"
My avatar coin, a 1553 half lion or 22/- from Scotland issued during the reign of Queen Mary of Scotland.
Great hammered stuff here! Here's a couple of my more recent ones from this year.
Edward II (ruled 1272 to 1307) was not much of a king because he allowed his sexual preferences, gay, take the top spot over ruling the country. One of his lovers was beheaded. The other one ... it was like the last scene from Brave Heart only worse. It was almost as bad for Edward II after he was deposed. He did not get to die a natural death.
Most of his pennies look like this piece. They aren't hard to find, and usually retail for around $100.
I am always on the lookout for significant upgrades from what I have. This one cropped up in a Heritage auction.
William II (a.k.a. "Rufus") was the son of William the Conqueror. He ruled from 1087 to 1100. He was killed in a "hunting accident." His brother, Henry I, richly rewarded the family of the man who shot the errant arrow.
William II's coins are mostly awful as are most of the coins from the Norman kings after William the Conqueror. They were very poorly made. This one is actually above average because you can read most of the words.
I replaced it with this one.
And then I ran into this one.
The histories of these kings are better than most soap operas.
I can live without the shillings. Here is my Henry VIII groat.
New addition to the "one gold or electrum per century" collection - arrived today. Venice, A. Venier doge, 1382-1400.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163
Another Venice ducat:
Venice ducat (no date) - Doge (Duke) Pasquale Cicogna (1585-1595)
Gold, 20 mm, 3.50 gm, 0.986, corrosion spots from copper or silver deposits
Obverse:
St. Mark on the left standing facing right, presenting long scepter to kneeling Doge
DVX between them
SM VENET PASC CICON (Sacra Moneta Venetiae, Pascali Ciconia)
English: "Sacred Money of Venice, Pasquale Cicogna"
Reverse:
Christ standing facing, holding Gospels in left hand and raising right hand in benediction,
within pointed oval figure containing 17 stars.
SIT T XPE DAT QTV REGIS ISTE DVCAT (Sit tibi, Christe, datus, quem tu regis, iste ducatus)
English: "O Christ, let this duchy, which you rule, be dedicated to you"
Pasquale Cicogna is believed to be the "Duke of Venice" in William Shakespeare's play
The Merchant of Venice which was written between 1596 and 1598.
The Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin
Coins in Movies
Coins on Television
A new pickup - Francois I was the french monarch contemporary to Henry VIII.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163
Congrats on finishing that set. Not an easy thing to do even within the UK!
thanks! I, and my wallet, are very pleased to be finished with it!
I do love groats and thought if I ever choose to collect before Shillings started I could do groats.
https://numismaticmuse.com/ My Web Gallery
The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"
My small collection of late mediaeval goldgulden. Also, a Rose Noble and a French Ecu d"or.
This arrived yesterday, my first English hammered gold coin. Edward III 1/4 Noble, PCGS AU 53, Tower (London) mint, struck 1361-69, Spink 1510.
Groats are my go to denomination for the pre-shilling monarchs-
Edward I
Edward III
Richard II
Henry IV
Henry V
Henry VI
Temp Richard duke of York - Edward IV (Irish)
Edward IV
Edward V (maybe)
Richard III
Henry VII facing bust
Henry VII tentative profile bust
Henry VIII first bust
Henry VIII second bust
Henry VIII third bust
Mary I and Philip (Irish)
Mary I
Charles I
Beautiful piece! Feel like Mary had some exceptional pieces struck during her reign.
Those are both awesome. The first one nearly looks like something someone would come up with if they had to imagine a hammered coin without knowing anything about them haha. Nearly like a kids drawing. Awesome piece. Is something like that expensive?
This is why I roll my eyes at some modern day gossip when it comes to royals. They have nothing on the old time nasties haha.
I debated the exact same set! I only got 3 coins before realizing I couldn't afford to complete it haha. Do you have a link to it somewhere by chance?
that's a pretty cool historical tie in. Love the background history like that.
wow that's a lovely group. I often see nobles up for auction and wonder what they are like to handle in hand. Strange seeing large gold that thin.
great looking piece!
Those are awesome. Any that are just exorbitant prices? Curious how doable a set would be. The Henry VI has really lovely patina. Charles I is great design. Reminds me of a circus poster or something haha.
https://numismaticmuse.com/ My Web Gallery
The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"
The Augsburg bracteate in MS64 cost me $600.
A few portraits spanning the centuries.
A Celtic ANDOCO unit
Aethelred II late transitional CRVX penny of Oxford
Edward I class 1a farthing
James I crown, mm. Grapes (rev. over Scallop)
Charles I 1644 Exeter shilling
Henry VI Annulet-Trefoil/Annulet mule penny
Maximinus II follis of London
Henry III class Vd penny of Canterbury
This piece is an upgrade. (14)93 Frankfurt
Another upgrade. 1495 Frankfurt
This is new piece. 1497 Frankfurt
These are auction wins from the Sept. Kunker sale.
France Besançon 1543 Carolus
James I Half-Laurel (10 shillings) This gold coin replaced the Unite in 1619. It weighed less than the previous gold coin, and had an assigned value, in this case “X” for 10 shillings. The Laurel was worth 20 shillings. The name “Laurel” came from the wreath that is on the king’s head.
Newp at Heritage for the "1 Per Century" set.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163
Great coin Bailathaci, I added a similar 1/4 Noble in September. I am thinking of trying to add one per Monarch for the full duration that Nobles were minted.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163
Outstanding example. Love it.
https://numismaticmuse.com/ My Web Gallery
The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"
Lets have a few tiddlers starting with some of 8mm diameter. The level of craftsmanship is commendable considering they were mostly made 2000 years ago.
A Commonwealth halfpenny, the last hammered example of this denomination, struck prior to the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660.
An Epaticcus Boar's Head unit. Brilliant engraving to make such an accurate representation.
Coming in at 9mm is this Eppilus quarter stater.
A similarly sized fractional unit of the Corieltauvi
This geometric unit of the Durotriges is slightly larger at 9-10mm
Lastly, a couple at 10mm diameter. First a Verica quarter stater.
And finally a Gallo-Belgic geometric quarter stater.
I really like this tiny little Elizabeth I penny. The legend is a bit difficult to read, but the bust is beautifully struck.
Those staters are really some of my favorite coins. I'd love to own one but the small ones are a bit much for me. Or a bit too little.
https://numismaticmuse.com/ My Web Gallery
The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"
I live just outside of Frankfurt - ancient city with a 2000 year history.
When ever my family travels to Hungary, the layover was the Frankfurt airport. I like how a truck escorts the plane to the gate.
A 1644 Oxford groat with signed bust by Rawlins. The other one is in the BM.
A Henry VIII 'Sovereign' penny with mm. Crescent, struck at Durham ecclesiastical mint under Thomas Wolsey - see cardinal's hat on the reverse which is seen on all Wolsey issues
An Iceni SAENU unit.
Elizabeth I 1601 pattern 'Pledge' halfpenny.
A Burgred (852-874) penny
Here are some hammered British coins from various eras:
Anglo-Saxon gold thrymsa “Wuneetton” type
Anglo-Saxon sceat, series K type 33
Northumbrian sceat/styca, Aelfwald (II)?
Anglo-Saxon early penny, Ecgberht II of Kent
Anglo-Saxon “middle period” penny, Coenwulf of Mercia
Anglo-Viking penny, St. Peter of York type (swordless)
Anglo-Saxon “late period” penny, Harold I “Harefoot”
Norman England, Henry I penny
Plantagenet England, king John penny
Medieval Scotland, Robert the Bruce sterling
Hiberno-Norse Ireland, phase IV, temp. Murchad mac Diarmata penny
Ireland under English rule, Henry VII groat
Love this! Design looks like a modern commemorating a vintage coin. Very cool.
Any chance you could give a bit more info on this one. Really interesting looking. What is "Wuneetton"?
https://numismaticmuse.com/ My Web Gallery
The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"
I'll eventually do a detailed post on this, but the current accepted interpretation is that the coin is a somewhat garbled imitation of "Witmen Monita", an inscription that appears on other similar coins.
However, I do not believe this is correct and rather the legend is an imitation of a contemporary Frankish coin. I'll put that into a short article eventually
A few more.
A James I second bust penny with mintmark thistle
A siliqua of Constantius II from the Sirmium mint
William I sword type penny of Dorchester. Unique with the small crosses by the neck. Another variant has a large cross filling most of the field (2 known)
Eadgar 2-line penny. The moneyer is ADELAVER.
Charles I Civil War halfcrown from an uncertain mint somewhere in the Welsh Marches. Based on other die pairings with associated dies, it was probably struck during the period a month either side of Christmas 1643, but where is not currently established.
This is the second-oldest coin to bear a date on the Western calendar. It was minted in the year 1251 by Christian Crusaders in the city of Acre, within the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and imitates Islamic dirham issues of the period, using a design and language familiar to the majority-Arab populace. Though Islamic coinage regularly featured dates on the Hijri calendar from the 7th century onward, Western dates would not be habitually noted on coinage until the 16th century. However, in imitation of Islamic issues, this piece features the Christian date of 1251 written in Arabic script, alongside a Christian cross and biblical verses in Arabic. There are also examples known bearing the date 1252, though these are extremely rare. The only piece with an earlier date on the Western calendar is a Danish denier from 1234, which has its date noted in Latin numerals (MCCXXXIIII) — a virtually unobtainable type with only 7 known examples. The next oldest is from over a century after this piece was minted, in 1372.
From Leu Numismatik: “This short-lived issue of dirhams bearing a cross and Christian legends in Arabic was introduced in 1251 as a reaction to an intervention by Odo of Chateauroux, Cardinal-Bishop of Tusculum (1244-1273) and Papal legate on the Seventh Crusade, who disapproved of the longstanding practice in the Kingdom of Jerusalem of imitating Ayyubid dirhams using Muslim inscriptions and datings.
Due to a lack of acceptance of these new Christian coins by the Muslim population in the Levant, this issue was replaced soon thereafter by dirhams bearing no cross and a more vague legend reading 'in the name of God the merciful, the compassionate'. This common monotheistic formula was in accordance with a decision by Pope Innocent IV (1243-1254), who in 1253 permanently forbade the naming of and dating after Mohammad on Christian coins. It was also vague enough to offend neither the Muslim nor Christian populations of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Obverse: Cross pattée in center; within a square, 'Allāh wāḥid huwa / al-īmān wāḥid / al-maʿmūdiyya wāḥida' ('God is one, the faith is one, the baptism is one' in Arabic; cf. Ephesians 4:5); in the margin, '[ḍuriba bi ʿAkkā sana / alf wa miʾatayn / aḥad wa khamsīn] / li-tajassud al-masīḥ' ('Struck in ʿAkka in the year 1251 of the incarnation of the Messiah' in Arabic).
Reverse: Within a square, 'al-ab wa al-ibn / wa al-rūḥ al-qudus / ilāh wāḥid' ('The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: One Divinity' in Arabic); in the margin, '[lahū al-majd / ilā abad] / al-abadīn / [āmīn āmīn] ('His is the glory forever and ever, amen, amen' in Arabic).”
Gobrecht's Engraved Mature Head Large Cent Model
https://www.instagram.com/rexrarities/?hl=en
this is a great thread, really enjoying the coins posted
A Henry III cut farthing to provide small change
And a Henry III cut halfpenny for the same purpose.
A Charles I type 5 halfcrown with mintmark Sun
Charles I G1/2 shilling with mintmark Triangle
A Henry VIII halfpenny struck at the York episcopal mint under Archbishop Edward Lee (1531-44)
And the Canterbury equivalent. This a Henry VIII halfpenny struck at the episcopal mint under Archbishop William Warham
This is an Obol struck in the Es Safar year 1204. Date in Roman numerals. The
Es Safar calendar was started by Augustus Caesar in 38 B.C. 1204 Es Safar
would be 1166 A.D. by the calendars we use today. The Es Safar calendar mostly
disappeared the 1300's. This coin and the following were issued to commemorate
Alfonso VIII to the throne in that region of Spain. The Julian calendar started by
Julius Caesar took effect 45 B.C. I haven't been able to find out why Augustus
introduced a different calendar.
This is a Denaro. Both coins were struck by Alfonso VIII in the city of Toleto (Toledo).
I have to say I was totally clueless that any coins that old had the dates on them until Rexford made his post earlier with one. I don't know why I assumed it was a far more recent activity dating them. Perhaps since my collection most closely follows coinage of Great Britain and the United Kingdom.
Here's a piece I have since sold but was just beautiful as could be:
It came with a piece of paper with this scrawled on it
"The Gorefield Hoard of English and Continental Pennies
Found at Gorefield, near Wisbech, in May 1998 in the course of building works, this hoard consisted of most of the types of pennies of Edward I (it's bulk), a few halfpennies and farthings, pennies of the first type of Edward II, Irish pennies and halfpennies of Edward I, Scottish pennies of Alexander III and some continental sterlings. There were 1189 coins in the hoard, some of which have been acquired by museums. The remainder are here offered for sale. The penny of class Ib, the rarest type in the Edward I series, is of particular significance. The lastest issue is that of John the Blind, Count of Luxembourg (1309-1346) and, with the absence of the later classes of Edward II, it may seem reasonable to suggest the hoard was despoited c1315. Some of the coins were encrusted with soil deposit and had to be cleaned. Four pieces found have traces of fabric adhering to their surfaces (lot 1005) were left untouched.
-Michael Sharp
Alexander III 1249-1286 2nd Coinage Mullets of 7+ 6+ 1280+ 26
One of sixty six Scottish coins in hoard. "
https://numismaticmuse.com/ My Web Gallery
The best collecting goals lie right on the border between the possible and the impossible. - Andy Lustig, "MrEureka"