Spain, 25 Centimos Civil War

One of our dealers managed to get us two different 25 Centavo coins issued in Spain during their Civil War. One is dated 1927 and has a crown and a hammer on it. The second is dated 1934 and has Espana holding an olive branch. Both coins were struck with a hole in the middle and are in Very Fine condition. The Spanish Civil War, as are all civil wars, had a brother fighting brother. It was the Communists fighting the Fascists and in this case, the Fascists (with the help of Germany) came out on top. This pair of coins is getting increasingly difficult to find. We think they are fantastic but that they do represent a bloody and turbulent time in Spain’s history.

Perhaps the man who made the Spanish Civil War famous in the West was Ernest Hemingway. He not only took part in the conflict, but also wrote about it and it was that writing that brought it to our attention. Today Spain is almost on the brink of another Civil War with parts of the country trying to split off and gain independence. This 25 Centavo was issued in 1937, it has a group of arrows tied in a bow on one side and arms of Spain on the other side. Today this coin is 84 years old and in a very high grade. I have graded them Good Extremely Fine , but some dealers would call them uncirculated. I prefer to grade the coin properly so you are happy when it arrives. Another interesting point, is that the coin has a hole in the middle and was actually struck in Vienna! High quality and low prices make an interesting coin even more interesting…

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...