My Pot of Gold

Tetradrachm of Philip II of Macedon

2008-12-10T12:32:00.000-08:00

Philip II was the father of Alexander the Great. His portrait stands out in high relief on this beautiful tetradrachm. Were these struck by the US mint, they would be called 'ultra high relief silver coins' crafted by the use of the 'latest technology'...

The Guldengroschen

2008-12-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

The "Guldengroschen" was a large silver coin, issued in 1486 in Tirol by Archduke Sigismundus of Austria. It was the ancestor of the thaler, a widely used silver coin in Europe, - today, a big favourite of numismatists. The original Guldengroschen is highly valued, although not rare. This piece was sold recently on an auction for 2000 EUR. The legend is SIGISMVNDVS ARCHIDVX AVSTRIE, weight: 31.78 g.

Another gold gulden of Louis I The Great

2008-12-01T11:47:00.001-08:00

Well, I don't want this blog to become too much biased for the Hungarian medieval coins, I just can't resist to post another gold coin of King Louis I, also called 'The Great' (Nagy Lajos kiraly in Hungarian). This is again a gold florin, imitiating the fiorino d'oro of Florence. It weights 3.56 g, the obverse is the usual shield, half Anjou, half Hungarian, the reverse depicts Saint Ladislaus (Szent Laszlo), that is, king Ladislaus I of Hungary. The legend is LODOVICI.D.G.R UNGARIAN, and on the reverse: SANTUS. LADISLAUS. This coin was sold on an auction for $2100.

Gold florin of Louis I of Hungary

2008-11-29T13:43:00.000-08:00

This time I again present a gold coin from a great Hungarian king: Lajos I (1312 - 1382). His golden florin was struck in many variants, on this piece, John the Baptist is seen on the reverse, and a shield which is half-Hungarian half-Anjou coat-of-arms on the obverse. The legend: DEI GRACIA REX LUDOVICUS - S IOHANNES B.

This image is linked from Wikipedia; I can't give a price estimate; but gold coins of King Louis I are quite common. I have seen one recently on sale for 165000 HUF in a coin shop in Budapest.

Double gold ducat of Matthias II of Hungary

2008-11-23T05:56:00.000-08:00

Being a Hungarian, perhaps it is time to present a coin of the Kingdom of Hungary, although this one is from a Habsburg king: a double ducat of Matthias II from 1614, the mint is Kremnitz (Körmöcbánya). The mint mark is "K" and "B" next to the figure of the king. The legend is I.S.A.G.H.B.REX MATTHIAS D.G.R. (Dei Gratia Imperator Semper Augustus Germaniae Hungariae Bohemiae Rex Matthias); on the reverse: ARC AU DU BU MA MO CO TYR 1614 (Archidux Austriae Dux Burgundiae Marchio Moraviae Comes Tyrolis - his titles: "Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Margrave of Moravia, Count of Tyrol".

This beautiful coin was sold for 1750 euros. Definitely worth the price.

Nicholas I gold 5 rubles coin

2008-11-18T12:47:00.001-08:00

Gold 5 rubles coins of Nicholas II are common, even I have a couple of them. But we rarely see gold rubles from Nicholas I... Who would believe that the piece on this pic was sold for $2800 on an aution?

Actually, another coin of tzar Nicholas I, commemorating his wedding with Princess Maria Alexandrovna, was sold for a staggering 46,000 USD on a Stack's auction this year September.

Sicilian silver tetradrachm

2008-11-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

Ancient silver coins of Syracuse / Sicily are famous for their beauty and quality. On the obverse of this tetradrachm from 485-479 BC(reign of king Gelon), a quadriga is seen, Nike flying above it, the reverse shows head of Arethusa with four dolphins swimming around, legend: SYRAKOSION. Image is courtesy of www.CoinPage.com.

The Prince and the Pauper

2008-11-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

Most probably you have read this famous novel of Mark Twain. One of the principal character is the young Edward VI, son of King Henry VIII. He was only 15 years old when he died in 1553. On this half-sovereign gold coin he appears as a child, wearing no crown. The legend on the obverse: SCUTUM FIDEI PROTEGET EUM (The shield of the Faith shall protect him), on the reverse: EDWARD VI D.G. AGL FRANZ HIB REX - Edward VI by the grace of God, King of England, France and Ireland.

Beautiful, isn't it? This coin was sold on an auction for 4,200 GBP in 2004.