In 1340, England’s King Edward III defeated France in a sea battle – the beginning of the Hundred Years’ War. He celebrated this victory in 1344 with a new gold coin, the noble. For centuries, the noble was an extremely popular coin on the continent, too.
In the 12th century, Albert the Bear gradually expanded his territory until the royal chancellery bestowed his conquests to him as the Margraviate of Brandenburg. How did he present himself? Put together an image of Albert depicted on one of his denarii.
Archduke Sigismund of Austria was called “rich in coins” as he turned vast masses of silver into coins – among them this 1486 guldiner. This coins became the model of all heavy silver issues which are known today as taler.
In ancient times, Messina’s wealth stemmed from its protected harbour. It was formed by a crescent-shaped headland, which is the reason for its Greek name: Zancle, i.e. “scythe”. You can find the scythe on Messina’s coins too. Put it together and have a close look!
Today you can try your hand at a French centime of 1850. The reward is the obverse of this coin with freedom-loving Marianne!
Caesar’s great success was his victory over Gaul. This was also celebrated by a denarius of 48 BC by one of his followers. A Gallic warrior is shown as prisoner with a rope around his neck. But see, I mean: solve the puzzle for yourself!
When Alfred ruled over the West Saxons in the 9th century, Vikings raided Britain, his homeland. Alfred forged an alliance between numerous small realms and drove out the invaders. You can see his picture on this silver penny.
This stater is attributed to the Parisii tribe. In ancient times, today’s Paris was not yet a centre of art. However, inspired by Greek coins, Celtic engravers found their very own form of expression at the end of the 2nd century BC.
Without Julia Domna, Septimius Severus would not have been able to found a dynasty. His wife did not only bore him two sons. She also made her mark in politics. Aristocratic ladies were especially inspired by her hairstyle. Our aureus shows how complicated it was.
Today you can try your hand at a cistophorus. The silver coin was named after its motif – a basket with a snake. This “cista mystica” was part of the Bacchus cult and is depicted on the early version of this denomination from Asia Minor.
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