New Stock 2024 (Medieval Coins)

Antonio Venier was Doge of Venice from 1382-1400. During the 18 years of his rule in Venice there were extraordinarily high waters, two plagues, numerous fires and disasters of various kinds, but through it all he showed great strength of character. These coins are small billon 1 Tornesello which were minted in Venice but designated for use in Crete. The obverse shows the winged lion of St. Mark with nimbus to the left, holding a book of Gospels with the legend VEXILIFER VENETIA. The reverse has a cross within a circle and the legend +ANTO’ VENERIO DVX. They grade Very Fine

Born in 1156 A.D., Isaac II Angelos was Byzantine Emperor from 1185 to 1195 and briefly in 1203. He ascended to the throne during a period of intense political upheaval, confronting challenges from both internal dissent and external pressures. Isaac grappled with the formidable Fourth Crusade and the intricate diplomacy required in dealing with the Latin West. His rule was marred by political unrest, uprisings, and military setbacks. Despite the adversities he confronted, Isaac II Angelos remains a compelling figure in Byzantine history. We are offering these Aspron trachy from his reign in “Fine” grade which have a green patina, the obverse has the Virgin Mary and the reverse Isaac II. PLEASE NOTE: Photography is representative of the coin supplied

Firoz Shah Tughluq was 42 when he became Sultan of Delhi in 1351 and he ruled until 1388. Much of what we know about him comes from his 32-page autobiography, titled Futuhat-e-fi rozshahi. He faced many rebellions at the start of his reign but he worked to improve the infrastructure of the empire building hospitals, canals, reservoirs and wells. He founded several cities around Delhi, including Jaunpur, Firozpur, Hissar, Firozabad, Fatehabad. We have just bought a small group of these billon (debased silver) Tankas from his reign.

Ivan Sračimir was the second son of Ivan Aleksander and was appointed co-emperor by his father in 1356. At this or some later point, he was given control of Vidin, a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, which he held for the rest of his reign. These small silver coins show Ivan Sračimir enthroned facing, holding a sceptre and mace and the reverse shows a half-length facing bust of Christ, they grade Very Fine but we have very limited numbers available.

We have available a number of these small copper follis coins issued under the rule of Tancred, an Italian born nobleman who took part in the First Crusade. After the crusade he became Prince of Galilee and Regent of the Principality of Antioch from 1100 until his death in 1112. The coins themselves date from between 1104 until 1112. On the obverse is a bust of St Peter holding a cross with the Greek inscription “God help your servant Tancred” on the reverse. They are crudely struck but grade Fine.

The First Crusade was declared in 1095 by Pope Urban II and its objective was to provide military support to Byzantine Emperor Alexios I against the Seljuk Turks, as well as reclaiming the "Holy Land" from Muslim rule. The Crusades started around 1095 and continued for nearly 200 years, during that time four different Crusades were made to retake Jerusalem. The Crusades in the Middle East ended when the city of Acre fell in 1291. These silver deniers or pennies were issued in the name of King Bohemond III (1163-1201), who in the summer of 1191, alongside Guy de Lusignan met Richard of England (Lion Heart) during the siege of Acre. Richard was part of the Third Crusade (1189–1192), an attempt by three European monarchs (including Richard of England) to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin. The coins on offer have a helmeted Crusader Knight on one side wearing chain-mail and were minted in Antioch (modern-day Turkey) which was captured in 1098 during the First Crusade. The legends read BOAMVNDVS on the obverse and ANTIOCHIA on the reverse and they grade Good Very Fine. These coins are now over 800 years old! Get a Crusader Silver coin for your collection while stock lasts...

We have a small group of these interesting debased gold dinars of Gangeyadeva who was a ruler of the Kalachuri dynasty of Tripuri in central India from 1015-1040 AD. The obverse depicts Lakshmi (Shri), seated cross-legged with four arms, holding lotus flowers in her upper arms. She is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism being the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity. The reverse legend in three lines reads “srimad gangeya devah’ in Nagari. The coins weigh around 3.8g and are in wonderful condition considering their age. A very affordable ancient gold coin which would also make great gifts.

In the reign of Edward I, the Silver Penny was the largest denomination made for circulation. Here we offer examples of the Edward I Silver Penny from the Bristol Mint in Fine condition.

These Billon Silver coins were minted between A.D.1022 and A.D.1135, making them between 900 and 1000 years old! They were created in India by those who fled the Islamic expansion and were based on Sassanian coins showing the side facing bust of the monarch on the obverse and a fire altar on the reverse. As time went by, they started to get less and less realistic as the reason for the designs were lost. This means that the coins we have from around 300 years later are very abstract! The stories of Sinbad the Sailor are based on the sea voyages that Arabic peoples made down across the Indian Ocean to Ceylon and these are the coins that the sailors would have found on their journeys. We offer you these Silver Billon coins called Gadhaiya Paisa that were the major trade coins of medieval India. The obverse shows a stylised head facing to the right with the reverse showing a fire altar made from abstract dots and lines.