Jester's Challenge #220

1jester

Welcome to Jester's Challenge, an interactive history lesson.

Inspired by many others here on the Darkside forum, I'd like to present what I hope will turn into a great learning experience for all of us. Many members on this World and Ancient Coin Forum have done a formidable job of sharing with us many fascinating and historically important coins. Since looking at coins is also one of my greatest pleasures, I'd like to try to follow in that time-honored tradition and submit for your pleasure and entertainment some world coins I've come across in my short lifetime.

I will pick out a coin on a regular basis, and post it along with the challenge to you to name the coin, its provenance, denomination, metallic content, mintage, any distinguishing characteristics or noteworthy features, and its value. The more information, the better. I'd like as many people as possible to participate, regardless of how little knowledge you might have on the subject. I appreciate comments on every aspect of the coin, including its history, or its role in human history, or info on similar coins in its series, etc. I myself don't presume to know 1/1000 of what you collectively know, hence my challenge to all of you to share your knowledge with the rest of us. Hopefully this exercise will encourage thought, discussion, and most importantly, more friendship.

Thanks for your participation!!!

Here is the two hundred twentienth selection:

JamminJ

A petermenger is a German state denomination but I don't know which one. Looks silver or maybe billion and dated 1630(?). Not much, but it's a start!

-JamminJ

ColinCMR

I have no clue, but petermenger is a cool denomination

JamminJ

Especially if you're Peter!

-JamminJ

1jester

I'm completely unfamiliar with these coins and with this denomination, but I can say that a Menge in German means an amount, or a lot of something. So the derivation of the denomination is clear. I have no idea what Peter has to do with it!! This coin is a half Peter Mengen.

The coin is silver, and uncirculated with a very old black layer of patina or something. I'm not going to try to remove it because it adds a lot of character to the coin. It's smaller than a US dime, and very thin. There are 3 6-pointed stars on the obverse, one below the script, and one on each side of the 1/2 fraction. I can't make out the writing on the reverse, but I do believe the date of 1630 is correct.

Does anyone know to whom we can attribute the coat of arms? I bought it as a half Peter Mengen from Trier, but in fact it's questionable that the coat of arms is from Trier. Who can help with this?

JamminJ

I didn't recognize the coat of arms so I was just looking through the Krause German section alphabetically but gave up in the F's. I'll try looking at Trier tonight.

-JamminJ