Options
Big ol' bunch of "mystery coins"!
lordmarcovan
Posts: 43,198 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have taken on some stuff for eBay consignment. Before these go live sometime around the coming weekend, I thought I'd hang 'em out here for y'all to scratch your heads over.
I hate it when people ask for coin IDs on giant lots, though, so don't feel obliged to work too hard at it if you don't want to. I'll be listing them as unknowns. I've got a partial clue on some, but not enough to make any substantive IDs, and I don't have the time to research this stuff.
Still, here's a peek at some of the mystery coins in the 15.55-pound (!) box I just got in.
(LM#160525-01): Four unknown old silver coins, Near Eastern or Central Asian
Four old silver coins, probably from the Near East or Central Asia somewhere. (India, maybe?)
Some could be ancient, or as late as the 19th century. I know they're old, but not how old!
A- 11.5 mm, 2.6 g approx.
B- 13.5 mm, 5.1 g approx.
C- 22 mm, 12.3 g approx.
D- 15 mm, 5.09 g approx.
(LM#160525-02):Two unknown old silver coins, Islamic/Eastern (India? Persia?)
Two old silver coins, probably from the Near East and/or Central Asia somewhere.
They look Islamic to me. (From India or Persia, maybe?)
They look to be struck on relatively "modern" round flans, so I would guess they're probably from around the 18th or 19th century.
A- 27 mm, 12.67 g approx.
B- 17 mm, 3.13 g approx.
(LM#160525-03):Two unknown old (maybe ancient) bronze/copper coins, look Eastern
Two old bronze coins, probably from the Near East and/or Central Asia somewhere.
They look ancient to me. (Maybe from India?) They're fairly thick.
The larger one has a standing figure on the obverse, while the other has a horseman.
Both have standing figures on the reverses.
(Note that I'm using "obverse" and "reverse" terms arbitrarily here.)
A- 25.5 mm, 16.61 g approx.
B- 21 mm, 10.45 g approx.
(LM#160525-04):Three unknown old bronze/copper coins, Eastern or Central Asian
Three old bronze or copper coins, probably from the Near East and/or Central Asia. Maybe from India?
(I know, I always say that. Could be Afghanistan or somewhere like that, for all I know.) They're fairly thick.
A- 17 mm, 8.57 g approx.
B- 18.5 mm, 11.2 g approx.
C- 19 mm, 9.6 g approx.
(LM#160525-05):Four unknown old bronze/copper coins, Eastern or Central Asian
Four old bronze or copper coins, probably from the Near East and/or Central Asia.
India? Nepal? I don't have a clue.
From the way they were made, I think these are a little later than some of the other lots, though not modern.
I'm guessing circa 17th to 19th century, but that's... well... a guess.
A- 21 mm, 4.16 g approx.
B- 22.5 mm, 5.62 g approx.
C- 22.5 mm, 6.68 g approx.
D- 20.5 mm, 3.93 g approx.
(LM#160525-06):Lot of 14 old bronze/copper coins: Ottoman, Islamic, Asian, etc.
Here are fourteen old bronze or copper-alloy coins. The first eight are almost certainly from the Ottoman Empire (Egypt? Turkey?), as you can plainly see the toughra script on them.
Then there are some Asian ones (Thai, maybe? I'm not sure.) And some other Islamic and "mystery" coins I can't read.
Since most are on round, machine-made flans, I would imagine most of this stuff is probably 19th century, with possibly one or two a little earlier than that and maybe a few others as late as the early 20th century (that last one on the bottom right is almost certainly 20th century.)
But you tell me. I don't have the time to research all this stuff.
Enjoy!
More to follow.
To be continued...
I hate it when people ask for coin IDs on giant lots, though, so don't feel obliged to work too hard at it if you don't want to. I'll be listing them as unknowns. I've got a partial clue on some, but not enough to make any substantive IDs, and I don't have the time to research this stuff.
Still, here's a peek at some of the mystery coins in the 15.55-pound (!) box I just got in.
(LM#160525-01): Four unknown old silver coins, Near Eastern or Central Asian
Four old silver coins, probably from the Near East or Central Asia somewhere. (India, maybe?)
Some could be ancient, or as late as the 19th century. I know they're old, but not how old!
A- 11.5 mm, 2.6 g approx.
B- 13.5 mm, 5.1 g approx.
C- 22 mm, 12.3 g approx.
D- 15 mm, 5.09 g approx.
(LM#160525-02):Two unknown old silver coins, Islamic/Eastern (India? Persia?)
Two old silver coins, probably from the Near East and/or Central Asia somewhere.
They look Islamic to me. (From India or Persia, maybe?)
They look to be struck on relatively "modern" round flans, so I would guess they're probably from around the 18th or 19th century.
A- 27 mm, 12.67 g approx.
B- 17 mm, 3.13 g approx.
(LM#160525-03):Two unknown old (maybe ancient) bronze/copper coins, look Eastern
Two old bronze coins, probably from the Near East and/or Central Asia somewhere.
They look ancient to me. (Maybe from India?) They're fairly thick.
The larger one has a standing figure on the obverse, while the other has a horseman.
Both have standing figures on the reverses.
(Note that I'm using "obverse" and "reverse" terms arbitrarily here.)
A- 25.5 mm, 16.61 g approx.
B- 21 mm, 10.45 g approx.
(LM#160525-04):Three unknown old bronze/copper coins, Eastern or Central Asian
Three old bronze or copper coins, probably from the Near East and/or Central Asia. Maybe from India?
(I know, I always say that. Could be Afghanistan or somewhere like that, for all I know.) They're fairly thick.
A- 17 mm, 8.57 g approx.
B- 18.5 mm, 11.2 g approx.
C- 19 mm, 9.6 g approx.
(LM#160525-05):Four unknown old bronze/copper coins, Eastern or Central Asian
Four old bronze or copper coins, probably from the Near East and/or Central Asia.
India? Nepal? I don't have a clue.
From the way they were made, I think these are a little later than some of the other lots, though not modern.
I'm guessing circa 17th to 19th century, but that's... well... a guess.
A- 21 mm, 4.16 g approx.
B- 22.5 mm, 5.62 g approx.
C- 22.5 mm, 6.68 g approx.
D- 20.5 mm, 3.93 g approx.
(LM#160525-06):Lot of 14 old bronze/copper coins: Ottoman, Islamic, Asian, etc.
Here are fourteen old bronze or copper-alloy coins. The first eight are almost certainly from the Ottoman Empire (Egypt? Turkey?), as you can plainly see the toughra script on them.
Then there are some Asian ones (Thai, maybe? I'm not sure.) And some other Islamic and "mystery" coins I can't read.
Since most are on round, machine-made flans, I would imagine most of this stuff is probably 19th century, with possibly one or two a little earlier than that and maybe a few others as late as the early 20th century (that last one on the bottom right is almost certainly 20th century.)
But you tell me. I don't have the time to research all this stuff.
Enjoy!
More to follow.
To be continued...
0
Comments
8 Reales Madness Collection
https://www.vcoins.com/en/Sear...e&Unassigned=False
No idea, but i'll watch this thread in hopes of learning something new
Yep, me too, which is why I posted 'em here. Even if I list most or all as unknowns, a little education can't hurt, right? That's what's great about this forum.
The third from top is Kushan
https://www.vcoins.com/en/Sear...e&Unassigned=False
Thanks, Mat!
By "third from the top", you mean Lot 160525-03, right? Which coin, 160525-03-A or 160525-03-B? Or both?
They both have a similar look, which is why I grouped them together.
Rest I dunno, not my area. Seen them before with answers on the cointalk forum but I dont know what to search.
160525-03, both look to be kushan, can find them all in that link.
Rest I dunno, not my area. Seen them before with answers on the cointalk forum but I dont know what to search.
Thanks, Mat. Every little bit helps. That's one lot IDed, more than I knew, anyway, and it's good to know I was on the right track with "ancient" and "Eastern".
Dont know the ruler.
"A" may be https://www.vcoins.com/en/s......25984/Default.aspx
160525-05 looks Afghanistan, just sift through https://www.vcoins.com/en/Sear...e&Unassigned=False
Coin in the upper right hand corner appears to be from Jodhpur, an Indian state.
The upper coins with the toughra - the squiggily thingy all appear to be from the Ottoman Empire, but also check 18th and 19th century Egypt as it was then a part of the Ottoman Empire.
The two bronze coins second row on the right appear to be from either Travancore in India or perhaps they are from one of the nearby Burmese Kingdoms.
The coin in the bottom row left appears to be from either Kutch, or perhaps Kashmir and or Hyderabad - it has Arabic and Sanskrit so it is definitely from that part of the Indian subcontinent.
I do appreciate it.
(If my mashing your username into "SourApple‘ is annoying, you may call me " LordMinivan". I forget which witty one started that, way back in the mists of ancient Darkside forum history- it might've been TJennings, founder of the MD Forum, actually- but some, including one rather mushroomy-looking character, have never let me live it down since.)
Thanks, SourApple!
I'd prefer sour mash all thank you.
(LM#160525-07): Unknown and odd silver coin ("1521"?), crude, similar to a cob
This is a weird one. It's rather thick and chunky, with irregular edges, feels a little bit heavy, and appears to be silver.
It almost looks like a Spanish Colonial "cob", though not of any type I've ever seen. One side has crude lettering that says, "CAR(...) / V / 15(2?)1". Perhaps part of "CAROLVS", indicating Charles V of Spain? (1521 would be roughly contemporaneous with his reign). But the lettering style doesn't seem right for an early 16th century coin to me. Could this be some later fantasy issue?
And then there are the strange symbols on the other side, some of which look sort of like spiked maces, though I can't really make any sense of them.
Anyway, it's an intriguing puzzle. The coin's flan is approximately 22-23 mm in diameter and weighs about 13.51 grams.
(LM#160525-08):Eight old copper coins; seven are circa-1600s Spanish maravedis
Seven of these eight old copper coins are pretty obviously Spanish maravedis from the 1600s.
I can see a "Phillipus" monogram on one of them (second coin in the bottom row; see second picture).
At least one (third from the right in the top row) has a readable date (1618).
Several have been counterstamped. A couple have been harshly cleaned.
I have no idea what the smallest one (far right on the bottom row) is.
The larger ones are roughly the size of a US 25-cent piece.
(LM#160525-09):Sixteen old bronze coins, mostly ancient Byzantine, some unknowns
Sixteen old bronze coins. Most of them are ancient Byzantine.
There are some bigger bronze follis coins (the largest around 33 mm), and some convex, cup-shaped trachy coins.
Some of the smaller coins are completely unknown to me. It looks as though there may be one or two Eastern pieces mixed in.
(LM#160525-10): Unknown hammered silver medieval coin, probably European
Unknown hammered silver coin, mostly likely European, struck on a squarish 17 mm flan.
Weighs 1.03 g approx.
(LM#160525-11): Unknown silver medieval coin, European, facing portrait, "MB"
A small unknown hammered silver medieval coin, which is pretty obviously European.
One side features a fairly well-rendered facing portrait of a king or bishop.
The opposite side has the letters "MB" in ligature.
13 mm, 0.32 g approx.
(LM#160525-12): Unknown medieval or Byzantine silver coin- monarch with 2 swords
A small unknown hammered silver medieval coin. Appears to be European, but may be Byzantine?
One side features a facing monarch with two swords resting on his shoulders.
The style of the crown on his head looks vaguely Byzantine to me, though I don't know if the coin is.
The opposite side also has a smaller portrait with three unknown objects overhead.
There are some traces of lettering, but not enough to discern- most of that looks to have been off the flan anyway.
15 mm, 0.68 g approx.
A&D are Bhutan 1/2 Rupees w/ "Sa"
1835-1910
https://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/collectors-showcase/world-coins/one-coin-per-year-1600-2017/2422
top row left to right
1&2 Egypt 20 Para 1277/4 - 1863 If you look below the toughra on the obverse, the arabic for 20 (looks like Y and a dot) tells the denomination. The reverse is actually upside down in picture 2. At the bottom of the reverse is arabic for 1277 (looks like 1YVV). That is the year that that the ruler (Abdul Aziz, in this case) came to power. The actual year of mintage is referenced at the top. The "stylish" E is the arabic 4. So, the date would be 1277/4, or the 4th year of the reign of Abdul Aziz, who started in 1277. That correlates to western year 1863.
3,4,5 & 8 are Turkey 5 Para - the reverse is upside down. The denomination is on the reverse, it looks like an "o." The beginning year of the reign is below the denomination. It looks like 1YOO - 1255. The year of mintage is on the front, below the toughra.
3 - 1255/?(maybe 12)
4 - 1255/?(maybe 10)
5 - ?(maybe 1255)/?
8 - 1293/4
The "maybe"s are because I can't see them in the picture.
6 - 1293/26 Egypt 1/20 Qirsh Reign year on reverse at bottom, mintage year on front below toughra
7 - 1255/19 Turkey 10 Para I believe, based on size.
9&10 - Thailand, possibly 1876 4 Att
11 - India-British Bengal Presidency Calcutta Pice. Year 37, frozen date, late 1700s-1835
12 - Tunisia Kharub AH 1281
https://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/collectors-showcase/world-coins/one-coin-per-year-1600-2017/2422
India-British Bengal Presidency 1/4 Rupee and Rupee. Started in 1777, frozen date and several years of mintage until 1835.
On the smaller piece, you can see the 1204 at the top. The 19 is pretty easy to spot. So, the date is 1204/19.
https://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/collectors-showcase/world-coins/one-coin-per-year-1600-2017/2422
A - Looks like 1800s India-Princely States Nawanagar Trambiyo
B - Looks like 1800s India-Princely Staets Nawanagar Dokdo
https://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/collectors-showcase/world-coins/one-coin-per-year-1600-2017/2422
I believe the 8th coin is not copper but is a silver denier from Lucca circa 1050 (crusader coin).
https://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/collectors-showcase/world-coins/one-coin-per-year-1600-2017/2422
LM#160525-08
I believe the 8th coin is not copper but is a silver denier from Lucca circa 1050 (crusader coin).
That's interesting. Thanks again. It is indeed a thin, hammered coin, like a medieval piece such as that would be. It's pretty difficult to make much out of the details on it, though, even with the coin in hand.