Curious about how much things costed in Medieval Age? A list of assorted common articles, all in English coinage of the time. Sourced from historical books.
Hardest part is making sense of the shillings, pence, farthings and what not!
"Money goes as follows:
1 pound (L) = 20 shillings (s)
1 crown = 5 shillings
1 shilling = 12 pence (d)
1 penny = 4 farthings
1 mark = 13s 4d"
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@design_RG I own a few high quality ancient coins :) I <3 numastics
@freemo I love them too. So much fun, and to think how long they have been around, what transactions they facilitated.
The pretty silver coin in the photo, the one in bottom right corner, I imagine it's an Arabic, a Dirham perhaps?
The script is so pretty.
@design_RG ANCIENT - BYZANTINE (5th CENT AD - 15th CENT AD) BYZANTINE EMPIRE Constans II, AD 641-668
@design_RG ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) KINGDOM OF MACEDON Alexander III, 336-323 BC
@freemo Those two are really nice!
I love Silver, and the patina on the Greek Drachm is exquisite. So pretty!
Don't have anything that ancient and precious, myself, just more recent silver coinage for bullion hoarding purposes.
I love the Spanish silver Reales pieces from the Colonial period. The famous Piece of 8, a solid chunk of silver, almost a Troy ounce weight.
Got to be very careful with the historical, high value coinage, as they are tempting targets for fakery.
https://www.ngccoin.com/boards/topic/333821-the-ugly-truth-about-8-reales/
Here are a couple nice examples. They usually have the two pillar designs. I have a reproduction in slightly smaller size and weight, made so as to not be perceived as an original.
@freemo Yes, I am very fond of silver coinage. Having grown up in a country with constant inflation, rising prices and devaluated currency, the local coinage was quickly overwhelmed by raising prices.
Authorities issued the lowest possible coins, as they would soon be irrelevant anyways. It got so bad as to have aluminum coins, which were ugly, soft, not lasting.
Many years later, living in the northern countries, I am fascinated to know that regular coinage in day to day use here was, until about 1965, minted in silver. US coins used 90% pure silver, and have a very pretty colour, crystalline sound when you jingle a hand full in your pocket. Canadian coins of the same era used 80% silver, and have a bit of yellow tinge as a result, but are still precious.
Real money - no matter what value is stamped on them, silver coins do have an intrinsic value -- their weight in silver never changes.
Gold ones are equally solid, precious metals have been accpted as currency for maybe 5,000 years or more.
I love that. 😄
@design_RG Still cool, thanks for sharing!