The
Imperial Coat-of-Arms of Austria is featured on the obverse 1851
Austrian 1 Kruezer. It was the first time the denomination
had been struck since 1816, and was one of the first coins of Emperor
Franz-Joseph I, Franz-Joseph reigned for almost 68 years,
until his death in 1916. During his reign Austria lost its
possessions in Italy in the Italian Wars of Independence in 1859 and
1866. Its defeat in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866 lead to
the unification of Germany under Prussia. After this rocky
beginning of his reign, a forty-eight year period of peace
then
prevailed in Austria until the start of World War I in 1914.
The reverse of the 23mm copper coin features the denomination and
date. 
POLITICAL
INTRIGUE IN THE MIDDLE AGES - BAVARIAN PFENNIG OF OTTO II
This
silver pfennig was a joint issue of Duke Otto II of Bavaria, also known
as Otto the Illustrious, who ruled from 1231 to 1253 and Bishop
Siegfried of Regensburg. It was a period of intense political
intrigue. The Duke, the Bishop and the Burghers were all
vying for control of Regensburg while Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick II
and Pope were vying for supremacy over Europe. In 1227 newly
elected Pope Gregory IX appointed Siegfried as Bishop of Regensburg.
The appointment was supported by Frederick, but opposed by the Duke
Ludwig of Bavaria who supported another candidate. The
following year Frederick and Pope Gregory had a falling out over
control over Frederick's imperial power in Italy and Frederick's
failure to honor his pledge to go on a crusade to the Holy Land. The
Pope supported Frederick's son, Henry in his effort to gain control of
his father's territories in Italy and Germany. Siegfried persuaded
Frederick to grant a charter of rights to the burghers of Regensburg,
in an effort to limit the power of the Duke Ludwig who was a supporter
of Henry. In 1231 Ludwig as murdered under unclear
circumstances and his son Otto became Duke of Bavaria. The
pope and Fredrick briefly made peace before he again excommunicated
Fredrick. Pope Gregory went so far as to declare Frederick to
be the Anti-Christ. The pope sought support by requesting Duke Otto to
summon a council in which the bishops would be ordered to support a
Papal ban against Frederick. Many bishops, including
Sigismund defied the summons and openly prayed for Gregory.
In response Albrecht, the Papal Legate excommunicated Bishop
Siegfried. Those attempting to post or proclaim the
papal bans were attacked and many papal supporters fled
Regensburg. The Papal Legate then placed the entire city
under interdict. Duke Otto ended his disputes Fredrick and
joined Siegfried in supporting the emperor. Pope Gregory died
in 1241 but the conflict between the Papacy and Frederick continued
under his successor, Innocent IV. In 1245 the pope stripped
him of his Fredrick of his titles and crowns and began an active
campaign to undermine him by and replacing his supporters in the
clergy. Mendicant friars were sent into the marketplaces to
preach against the emperor. In 1246 Bishop Siegfried switched
his support from Fredrick to the Pope. The burghers then
forced the bishop into exile. Fredrick issued a document revoking the
bishop's authority over public affairs of the city, handing it over to
the burghers. Siegfried responded by placing the city again
under interdict, forbidding clergy from holding services and stirring
up dissension. Clergy loyal to the emperor in
Regensburg continued religious services while clergy loyal to the pope
were harassed and humiliated. Duke Otto gave his daughter in
marriage to Fredrick's son King Conrad. In response the Pope
excommunicated Otto. In 1250 the new bishop of Regensburg
persuaded Bohemian king Ottocar III to intervene. His troops
devastated the region and city almost fell, until rescued by the troops
of Duke Otto and King Conrad. Fredrick died in December 1250,
bringing to an end to his conflict with the Pope. This silver
Pfennig was issued Duke Otto II and Bishop Siegfried between 1231 and
1240 in Regensburg. The 20mm coin has a lion on one side and an eagle
on the other, but is so poorly struck it is hard to make out much of
the design. It is an inexpensive historic coin from a period of turmoil
between the
church and state in high medieval Europe.
This
silver Bracteate Hohlpfennig was issued by
Friedrich II (Frederick II) who was the
Prince-Elector of the
Margravate of Brandenburg from
1440 to 1470. It is believed that he was nicknamed "The Irontooth" or
"The
Iron" due to his great strength and power. Friedrich
strengthened Brandenburg forming the basis of what was to become
Prussia and the German Empire. The rights of the towns and
nobility were curtailed and he regained Neumark (East Brandenburg) from
the Teutonic Knights. The citizens of Berlin revolted when he
attempted to build a palace on Colin island in the Spree
river. Friedrich prevailed, built the castle that became the
Stadtschloss (Berlin Palace), and the rights of the city were greatly
curtailed. The Stadtschloss was torn down by East Germany in the 1950's
and is now being rebuilt. The silver Bracteate Hohlpfennig is
an extremely thin and single sided coin wtih a raised rim.
The
design is
embossed from the reverse. This coin is approximately 16mm in
diameter and features an eagle with outstretched wings.
Because the coins are so thin and fragile, few survive today.
This 1912 Uncirculated Bronze 1
Stotinka of the Kingdom of Bulgaria was part of a hoard 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. The coin was struck to the
standards of the Latin Monetary Union, it is 15mm and weighs just 1
gram. Even after over 100 years the coin still retains much
of its original red luster. 
The
Demak Sultanate was founded about 1475 by Sultan Pangeran al Patah,
also known as Raden Patah. He was of Javanese nobility and his mother
may have been a Chinese princess who had been exiled from China.
His Sultanate was the first Muslim state in Java.
He quickly expanded his Sultanate to include most of the
northern coast of Java and southern Sumatra. This was
an important step in bringing Islam to what is now Indonesia.
The Sultan ruled until his death in 1518. The Sultanate
lasted about another 30 years, until it collapsed in a dynastic
feud. The Sultanate prospered through trade in spices, rice
and its control over Javanese trading ports. This
Pitis of Sultan Pangeran al Patah is one of the few
affordable coins of the Demak Sultanate. The uniface tin coin
is approximately 19mm to 20mm in diameter and grades Very Fine.
OLD
COINS OF FRANCE
These
French 1 Centime coins were struck to the standards of the Latin
Monetary Union. The Latin Monetary Union was a 19th-century system that
unified many European currencies into a single currency that could be
used in all the member states, similar to the Euro. It
collapsed during World War I. The bronze 1 Centime is 15mm in
diameter and weighs just 1 gram. The obverse depicts the head
of Marianne, the national symbol of France. The denomination and date
are on the reverse. The coins still retain some of their
original red luster despite being over 100 years old.
The
Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed on March 17, 1861. Victor
Emmanuel II, the king of Sardinia was declared King. Prior to
that time Italy was a collection of independent nations. The
first coins of unified Italy were issued later that year, including the
copper 1 and 2 Centesimi. King Victor Emmanuel is portrayed
on the obverse. The denomination and date within a wreath are
on the reverse. The 1 Centesimo is 15mm and the 2 Centesimi
is 20.2mm. Both coins were struck in Milan and have the “M”
mintmark at the bottom of the reverse. Amazingly both coins
are in Uncirculated condition and still retain most of their original
mint luster! It is an historic set in top condition. 
SILVER COINS OF THE KINGDOM OF ITALY:ATTRACTIVE COINS
OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLICFAMOUS ITALIANS ON BEAUTIFUL BANKNOTES ITALY EURO COIN SET
Palembang
is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia. It is located on
the Musi river on the island of Sumatra. The Sultanate of
Palembang was established in the early 17th century by Javanese nobles
fleeing from dynastic intrigues after the collapse of the Sultanate of Demak. It soon
became the
one of the greatest agricultural and trade centers in the Malay
area. It controlled much of the lucrative spice trade – until
it was taken over by the Dutch in 1821. This uniface tin 1 Pitis was
issued by Sultan Muhammad Bahauddin. It is dated AH1203,
which is 1789AD. 
Until
the 1600's most nations did not put dates on coins. These silver
1/2 Grossus (Groschen) coins of Sigismund II Augustus from the 1500's
are some of the earliest affordable coins bearing an AD date.
Sigismund was both the King of Poland and Grand Duke of
Lithuania. In 1569 he formally united the two countries with
the Treaty of Lublin to form the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth. His coins reflect this dual
nationality. One side features his titles as Grand Duke of
Lithuania, and Vytas, the White Knight, which is the national symbol of
Lithuania. Below Vytas is the date. The other side
features the Polish Eagle and his titles as King of Poland.
The 19mm silver coins date from 1547 to 1572. In 1572
Sigsmund died childless, despite having three wives (two of which were
first cousins) and carrying on affairs with "two of the most beautiful
of his countrywomen". He was the last of the powerful
Jagiellonian dynasty controlled much of central Europe for almost 200
years.
Queen
Christina of Sweden was one of the most educated, wittiest, unorthodox
and unconventional women of the 17th century. She succeeded
her father on the throne of Sweden in 1632 when she was only six years
old. She took a deep interest in philosophy, religion, art,
mathematics and science. She was fond of books,
paintings and had a collection of over 33,000 coins and medals. She
frequently dressed as a man. She knew at least nine languages - and
could out-cuss a soldier. She was headstrong and often in conflict with
her own Chancellor. In 1638 the first Swedish settlement in
the New World was established and named after her: Fort Christina,
which is now Wilmington, Delaware. She founded Sweden's first
newspaper. Her efforts helped bring about the Peace of Westphalia,
ending the Thirty Years' War. She had an intimate relationship with her
handmaiden and in 1649 she announced that she decided not to
marry. In 1654 she abdicated her throne and left Sweden in
order to convert to Catholicism. She was warmly
received by Pope Alexander VII and for a time was given her own wing
inside the Vatican. Though often running short of money, she
was a major patron of the theater and the arts. She gave much
occasion for gossip as she did not follow the norms for women of that
era and freely socialized with men. She used her position to
protect the Jews of Rome. Missing politics, she attempted to
regain the throne of Sweden and gain the thrones of Naples and Poland,
all without success. She died in 1689, and is one of only
three women buried within St. Peter's Basilica. This Solidus of Queen
Christina was issued for Riga between 1634 and 1654. Riga,
now the capital of Latvia, was under Swedish control from 1621 to 1721.
It was given considerable autonomy, including the right to
issue its own coins. The copper or silver-washed Solidus of
Riga have Queen Christina's royal monogram on one side and the arms of
Riga on the other. The crudely made coins are 15mm in
diameter, typically are struck somewhat off center without a date.
This
10 Soldi, (1/2 Lira) was struck for Victor Amadeus III (Vittorio
Amedeo III) who was the King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy.
His territory included the island of Sardinia and the region around his
capital of Turin including Piedmont and Savoy. This coin was issued for
use in Piedmont and Savoy. Victor Amadeus joined
the War of the First Coalition against the newly formed French Republic
in 1792. He was defeated by Napoleon in 1796 and forced to
cede Savoy and Nice to France, abandon the Coalition and allow the
French Army free passage through his territory. He died
shortly thereafter. The 22mm coin is struck in billon (low
fineness silver) and tends to be weakly struck. It depicts Victor
Amadeus on one side and the national arms on the other. The
coin was struck for only three years: 1794, 1795 and 1796. It
represents a violent and transitional period of French and Italian
history.
SILVER DENAR OF TRANSYLVANIA
This
silver Dener of Transylvania was struck for Gabriel Bethlen. Bethlen
became the Prince Transylvania in 1613 with support from the Ottoman
Empire. His reign marked the start of a golden age for
Transylvania. He developed mines and industry, founded a
college and supported the arts. He nationalized much of the foreign
trade, profits of which helped support his many programs. He
was Calvinist, and waged three wars against the Catholic
Hapsburgs. In 1620 he was elected King of Hungary.
After a string of military defeats by Hapsburg forces, he renounced the
title in 1621 in return for guarantees of religious freedom for
Hungarian Protestants. This silver Denar of Gabriel Bethlen
is dated 1621. The obverse depicts the Madonna and
Child. The reverse has the arms of
Hungary. The slightly irregular coin is approximately 13mm
and was struck at the Kremnica Mint (KB). The small coin
shows virtually no wear. AFGHANISTAN COINS COINS OF
INDIA and PAKISTAN COINS OF THE
MIDDLE EAST 2400 YEARS OF CHINESE COINS and
CURRENCYCOINS
OF DEAD NATIONS<--
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