Coins of Medieval Europe

Born in 1087, John II Komnenos, was a Byzantine Emperor who ruled from 1118 to 1143. John II faced various challenges during his reign, including invasions by the Normans in the West and the Seljuk Turks in the East. Despite these external threats, he implemented internal reforms to strengthen the Byzantine military, economy, and administrative system. His reign marked a period of relative stability and prosperity for the Byzantine Empire, contributing to the legacy of the Komnenian dynasty. We are offering Aspron Trachy in “Fine” grade from his reign. Most have small patches of surface deposits but Why not get both!

These Polish silver coins were struck about the time Columbus set out to discover America. The Polish King was called John I Albert and the denomination is 1/2 Groschen. They were minted in Krakow, Poland. They have an eagle within a circle on one side with the legend ‘Moneta 1 Alberti’. The other side has a crown within a circle with the legend ‘Regis Polonie’. They are about 500 years old and in Very Fine condition. We only have 32 examples, so if you want one, please get in quickly…

Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw II was the sultan of the Seljuqs of Rûm from 1237 until his death in 1246. He ruled at the time of the Babai uprising and the Mongol invasion of Anatolia. He led the Seljuq army with its Christian allies at the Battle of Köse Dağ in 1243 and was the last of the Seljuq sultans to wield any significant power, he died a vassal of the Mongols. Between ca. 1240–1243 a series of remarkable silver dirhams were struck in Kaykhusraw’s name depicting a lion and sun. Generally, Islamic traditions forbid representations of living things so it is very unusual to find such iconography on Islamic coins. Several explanations of the lion and sun have been offered to suggest that the images represent the constellation Leo, the astrological sign of Kaykhusraw’s beloved Georgian wife Tamar or that the lion represents Kaykhusraw and the sun Tamar. Grading Good Very Fine, these are beautiful silver coins struck around 780 years ago. Limited availability and the first time we have offered these coins.