Splendid example of Gothic art captured on a large (about 1 inch wide) silver coin of the era. This Pierreale depicts the eagle of Sicily on one side, the shield of Aragon on the other. 1355-1377
VF.......$150.00

As a crossroads of the Mediterranean, Sicily often had an active economy, necessitating the need for small base silver and bronze coins for petty commerce. These coins were struck from the 1100s to the 1400s by Norman, Hohenstaufen, Angevin and Aragonese monarchs, with a diversity of symbols and images.

G-VG (low grade).....$8.00
5 different kings, G-VG.... $40.00
Fine (medium grade)....$19.00
5 different kings.... $85.00

Silver dinar of Czar Dushan, 1331-1355. Helm with elaborate crest on obverse, Christ enthroned on the reverse. About 18mm diameter, most have clipping typical of the era, and a validation countermark.

Fine...... $45.00

Brass jeton from Nuremberg, ca. 1480-1635, depicts rose surrounded by fleurs and crowns. Reverse shows imperial orb. These were used throughout Europe, from London to Moscow. Combined with a checkered cloth (hence the English "exchequer") they served as medieval calculating devices. Usually 3/4 inch or larger.
G-VG (low grade).... $6.50

Fine-VF....$19.50

Ga-den Tanka from land of the Dalai Lama. Obverse has Eight petalled flower and "Palace of Celestial Beatitude, victorious on all sides." Reverse shows Lotus surrounded by petals with lucky symbols. Diameter 1 inch or more.
VF-EF..... $45.00

LION OF THE DALAI LAMA

Copper 1 Sho depicting Lion 1918-1938

This Lion probably the Snow Lion, one of the Four Dignities, mythical animals which represent various qualities. The lion in particular represents cheerfulness and clarity of thought. Its beauty and dignity stem from its synchronized body and mind. He is typically depicted looking back.
VF .......... $8.00
 

Silver denier struck by a contemporary When the Crusaders conquered their ally, the Byzantine Empire, in 1204 they divided it among themselves into a number of petty principalities. The base silver deniers were struck to look like the French deniers tournois familiar to them back home in Western Europe. The obverse of each has a simple cross. The apparently abstract design on the reverse was taken at the time to be a castle, and is called a chatel tournois. Approximately U.S. cent size.
Fine..... $45.00

Four different Crusader princes,
Fine..... $150.00

When is a castle not a castle? When the design on the coin has been through so many changes that nobody alive remembers what it started out as. By the 1100s and 1200s when these deniers tournois were struck, the temple which appeared on the coins of Charlemagne had degenerated and changed to the point where it no longer resembled a temple at all. To the medieval peasant, king and coin engraver as well, it was the far more common image of a castle, the chatel tournois. Base silver, approximately U.S. cent size.

Average Fine..... $39.00

CRUSADER KNIGHT
IN CHAIN MAIL

One of the few medieval coins to actually show a portrait of a knight. Crusader Antioch silver denier, ca. 1163-1233.
VF......$85
F.........$45