MEDIEVAL
HUNGARIAN SILVER COIN
This small
(10mm) silver Obol (1/2 Dener) was issued in Hungary by
Sigismund I. Sigismund ruled Hungary from 1387 to
1437. He also ruled Luxembourg and Bohemia and was one of
three simultaneous claimants to The Holy Roman Empire. (Each
of which was supported by one of three simultaneous Popes).
Sigismund's long reign was less than a success. He
lost considerable portions of his land to the Turks and started the
bloody Hussite wars by promising Jan Hus safety, then had him burned at
the stake.
EARLY DATED MADONNA & CHRIST CHILD DENARS OF
These early, dated, silver
Denars of Hungary feature the Madonna and Christ Child on the obverse
and the Hungarian arms on the reverse. They were struck by Hapsburg
Kings of Hungary: Ferdinand I who reigned from 1526 to 1564, Maximilian
II who ruled from 1563 to 1576 and Rudolf, who reigned from 1572 to
1608. Unlike most coins of the period, they carry a
date, though it can sometimes be obscure and its location can vary
considerably. Ferdinand I was noted for making peace with the invading
Ottoman Turks, and temporarily settling the religious wars in Europe
with the Peace of Augsburg in 1555, which let the monarch of a
territory decide the religion of its inhabitants. His son
Maximilian continued a policy of religious neutrality, while at the
same time proposing reforms to the Catholic Church.
Maximilian’s son, Rudolf II, was an ineffectual ruler, who was more
interested in science, art, the occult, and sexual adventures, than in
the affairs of state. The coins are approximately 15mm in
diameter.
HISTORIC
SPANISH-AMERICAN COB
For over a
hundred years Spain would turn much of the silver they mined in the
Americas into crude silver coins called cobs. The
cobs were minted in various denominations, from 1/2 Real to 8 Reals.
Though they circulated throughout the Americas, most were eventually
shipped to Spain where they were melted and used to finance that
nations' wars and
extravagances. We have a limited number of crude 1/2 Real and
1 Real cobs from the Potosi mint in Bolivia. The coins are
mainly from the reigns of Charles II and Philip V (1665-1746). One side
features the Spanish Arms featuring a cross, lions and
castles. The other side has the king's monogram. The coins
are crude and worn and I have not sorted them by type.

This 1912 Brilliant Uncirculated
Bulgarian Bronze 1 Stotinka was found in the basement of a church in
Sophia, Bulgaria. The coins were probably hidden there at the
beginning of World War I, then forgotten. One side of the
coin
has the arms of the Kingdom of Bulgaria, the other has the denomination
and date. Even after almost 100 years the coin still retains
much
of its original red luster. We are pleased to offer the coin
at
half of its $14.00 catalog value!
FIRST
COINS OF COMMUNIST BULGARIA
<--
PREVIOUS PAGE NEXT
PAGE -->

|
|
On-Line Ordering |
|
Stuff Catalog |
|
& Supplies |
|
|
about collecting |
|