…I think that the flora and fauna, which can be found in our ancient coins, also deserve a short description to remind us of their presence in the numismatic world…
…the art of coinage, in the periods when modern techniques did not exist, turned these hammered coins into true jewels of art…
All these symbols presented Constantine as the visible expression of the Sun: the emperor was a brilliant entity, who was benevolent with his subjects, and…
The canton needed money in order not to discredit its treasury. They organized the payment by means of bonds, which is the paper money mentioned before. On August 4th they put into circulation bonds for 2.000, 10.000 and 20.000 reales. The distrust towards this kind of money, emphasized by the fact…
So, what do we have to bear in mind, if we decide to start out in numismatics? First, note that anyone can have a numismatic collection. It is not necessary to be a millionaire or own a PhD. But, as in any other discipline, we should have some basic knowledge and, as numismatics covers such a…
The so-called “paper war” between the Hispanic Monarchy and the United Provinces has also been studied from the point of view of communication by the Professor Ingrid Schulze (1), among others. Although this author tells us about the features of…
In January 1506, Philip the Handsome ordered the fleet to set sail from the courts of Brussels to the Kingdom of Castile to be proclaimed king of Castile under the name of Philip I, with his wife Johanna as Queen of Castile, in the Courts of Valladolid…
One significant feature explaining the expansion beyond national borders was the efficiency of the Crown’s army, which was under the orders of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, also known as “El Gran Capitán”. He reorganized the military troops, implementing…
Another fable about Hercules says that after completing the twelve labours ordered by Eurystheus, he left for Calydon as a free man. Once there, he married Deianira and stayed in Calydon until one day, during a banquet, he killed king Oeneus’ nephew by mistake…
Following the end of the war of Spanish Succession in 1713, the new king Philip the fith had to face the problem that Spanish silver and gold coins were exported abroad and melted, as their finesse and weight were…
All of them must have had their own names for these chariots, but the fact is that we kept the etymology developed by the Romans. This is why we speak of quadrigae, trigae and bigae when referring to the chariots of all times pulled by animals…
The pirates got scared and jumped into the sea, where they turned into dolphins. According to the legend, this explains why dolphins accompany and save shipwreck survivors, as they are the pirates who want to expiate their guilt…
It is probably the most famous comet in antiquity. It had an absolute light magnitude and it may have been the brightest daylight comet in recorded history…
The obverse conmemorates this victory and Lucius holds the cognomen of “Armeniacus”, where his contribution to the military matter it´s is question…
This four reales is made following the Castilian model, but, doubtlessly, the image was put ahead of the need. Very few coins were minted in those days in the Aragonese mint. From the year 1520 to 1547 (this coin’s date) this mint remained inactive…
As her husband ascended to the throne, Faustina the Elder was granted the title Augusta. As an empress, she was highly respected and much beloved for her kindness, as well as her beauty and wisdom…
The inscription outside starts with + IA as abbreviation of James and whose free translation would be: James, King of the people from Majorca by God’s Grace. The words are separated by two roses of four petals…
One of his first actions as emperor was convincing the Senate of granting divine honours to his predecessor, Hadrian, something the senators had refused to do initially. His efforts to persuade the Senate, so that Hadrian was honoured, were the reason why he was given the cognomen Pius…
The name of Ferdinand VII was not included on the new coin, intentionally or because they had forgotten, the crown reacted, as it could be expected from them. So on December 9th the Council ordered…
It is an object of emblematic nature in France. It is used as a symbol of the justice, the recognition of a legitimate authority, the power of the people, the Republic and sometimes the revolution…
The royal decree published in November 1751 had ordered that the Mint of Santa Fe worked under the crown’s authority. The machinery capable of producing circular coins and fitted with cordoncillo could not start working until 1756…
As Tacitus was proclaimed emperor, he was already 75 years old, which was not usual at that time. His reign harly lasted six months. Even so, he was remembered and later he was acknoledged as a “good senatorial ruler”…
The piece we are proud to present you, 1/2 real from Mexico, dated 1714, may be the piece with a lower value among the ones of a special series; it is also the second one known of this date…
Another anomaly in this 8 escudos from Pedrera, apart from the year 1696, is the position of the value VIII that can be read in vertical from the bottom to the top. All the other Charles II’s 8 escudos…
This beautiful tetradrachm points out the importance of the cereal for the inhabitants of Mysia in general and Cyzicus in particular. On the obverse, we find Kore Soteira (Persephone), daughter of Zeus and Demeter, embodiment of vegetation…
The men portrayed on the coins inspiring this article look rough, have a long thick beard, a large nose and abundant hair in a very particular hairstyle. All these features are shared with other peoples represented in…
Goverments weren´t interested on putting more gold in a piece with the same interest rate as the rest of the coins from the Union that were equivalent. A possible explanation would reside in the short time the reform was ongoing and the tumultuous period of time when this coining was done…
The engraver didn´t bother in cover it up, but he left evidence of his intention in making it that way, or maybe he noticed his fail and corrected it…
Under the reign of Ferdinand VI, in the middle of 18th Century, the mint of Mexico was suffering numerous inconveniences, as damages produced by earthquakes and others because of the ageing of…
With the milled coinage also appears, the bust of Ferdinand VI in lieu of Philip´s. There are two types of bust for these coinage, in which three dates are known: 1754, 1755 and…
The triskel or triskelion is a symbol consisting in three bent human legs. The word comes from the greek triskeles (τρισκελής), which means “three legs”. It is one of the oldest symbols of the humankind. According to some cultures…
