Hammered silver

[FosseWay]

I'm sure I recognise this general type (ornate cross on curly background) but there's not enough text for me to do a sensible Google search. The text on the side with the cross appears to start CON...

Again, the arms on the other side seem vaguely familiar.

Diameter approx 19.8 mm, though it looks as if it's been extensively clipped.

Thoughts? (Apologies for the picture quality -- I seem to be having problems with my camera.)

[akona20]

The cross feuillue limits the possibilities but this one I can't think of. What is on the shield?

[FosseWay]

It's not in the best condition. I've tried again with the camera and the attached pic is probably better than before.

It looks to me as if the top left and bottom right quarters are divided, and there's something superimposed in the centre.

Top left quadrant: Horse (?) rampant facing right, shield with 4 horizontal bars and a diagonal

Top right: uncertain -- fleur-de-lys? Some animal couchant? (Compare the English 3 lions, though there's only one here)

Bottom left: Lion (?) rampant, facing left

Bottom right: Possibly the same as top left. Could be a stag rather than a horse?

Can't make out anything of the bit in the middle.

[Figleaf]

I suspect we are looking at the arms of Sachsen-Weimar.

Peter

[FosseWay]

Here are the arms of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, albeit on a coin 300-400 years later than mine:



There are similarities, especially in the 'five-bar gate' design, but plenty of differences too.

I'm still sure I've seen that cross on its background somewhere before, and my mind tends towards southern Europe (Spain, Portugal, Italy) rather than German states.

[akona20]

This has been worrying me because I have seen this cross before. Savoy?

[Figleaf]

Not the Savoy arms. The counts and dukes use a Latin cross, not a cross with equal size limbs.

The cross bottony was used on coins all over Europe in the late middle ages. I am sure the arms in the first quarter left are those of Saxony and I think the first and fourth quarter are the same. I don't think the animal on the right in the first quarter is the jumping horse of Westphalia, but that's as far as I get. If it is a climbing lion, it could be Sachsen-Weimar (the arms on the large silver coin are a much later variant), but, due to the second and third quarter, only a part, a city or a branch of the family.

Peter

[Afrasi]

For this coin, please, send me a scan in jpeg formate, best both pics in one (up to 128 kb), as my scanner and specially the photo software actually do not always, what I want ...

[Andrey5]

Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy. Possibly the remnants of 4 Soldi. Compare with
http://www.mcsearch.info/record.html?id=145809
http://www.mcsearch.info/record.html?id=145812

[akona20]

Well I was sure it was Savoy. Now some more research needs to be done on it.

[FosseWay]

Afrasi - thanks, I will send the picture later. Have only just got back from a trip to the back of beyond, hence the delayed reply.

[Afrasi]

I think Andrey5 got it inbetween.

[FosseWay]

Andrey5 - thanks, that does look very likely. Nice to have another unknown moved to its rightful place!