Medieval coins...where would I start?

obversity

I know virtually nothing of non-US coins but have an interest learning about Medieval European coins. How do I start off on that adventure? What are some good resources? Are there price guides for those coins?

bobking

If you are not sure how long your interest will last, late medieval large coins may be a good beginning. Large coins with more details are more popular than small coins. You can also resell them when you don't like them any more or want to upgrade. I'm interested in medieval hanseatic town coins. "XIII-XVI ct COINS of LIVONIAN ORDER" (Tallinn 1997) is a good catalog for medieval coins issued by Riga, Reval, Dorpat, etc



You can also pay attention to CNG's website www.cngcoins.com

lordmarcovan

It's a tough field to break into, since reference material is widely scattered (and probably of widely varying age, in terms of publication dates). I still lack reference on most non-English medieval coins.

Pick a specialty that interests you and see if you can find reading material on it.

If I may suggest one, I would say go with England. You already have Saint George in your icon, so it fits.

My first medieval coins were English, and picking up a copy of the Seaby catalog is easy enough. (Whoops, it's called Spink, now.)

I tried a monarch set of English kings and queens from the Norman conquest up (1066 to date, one representative coin per monarch). Of course I never completed it, but I had fun with it, and learned a lot. I could probably reel off the names of all the English monarchs from the last 500 years without looking at a book, but I doubt I could quite name off all the US presidents in order!

Sapyx

Mediaevals are cool. The big drawback, as has been pointed out, is the lack of cheap-yet-detailed references for the generalist or "one from every country" collector, like me. There is no "Krause for mediaevals". Well, OK, there is something that I'm led to believe comes close: Medieval European Coinage: a multi-volume (at least 15), multi-author tome covering the period. The series began in the 1980's and each volume seems to cost over US$200. At that price, I assume only the museums and major mediaeval dealers would have a full set; I sure can't afford it.

I make do with a much less comprehensive book: "Coins of Medieval Europe" by the late Philip Grierson, who also seems to have authored or co-authored at least a couple of the MEC volumes. It's an excellent overview of mediaeval coinage and more than enough to whet the appetite for the beginner, though it's not always helpful if you've got a particular coin you're trying to identify. It also cuts out at around 1450, leaving a "gap" in my catalogue coverage before the Krauses kick in at 1601.

obversity

Thank you all so much for the replies. Some great info there. I had no idea resources were so scarce for these. It'll be interesting researching.

coachleonard

Some of the bigger bookstores have Warman's Coins & Currency which is a general price guide to US and world coins ancient through modern. That book will give you a good general feel as to what medieval coins are out there and generall what they'll cost

lordmarcovan

Excellent suggestion, Coach. I dunno why I forgot to mention Warman's. I use it.

While far from complete, and really only a thumbnail sketch of what's out there, Warman's can help a bit. I use it where there are gaps between my Sear ancient books and 1601, where Krause coverage begins. I can think of two or three occasions when it has helped me attribute a coin that I would not have had a clue on, otherwise.